VOA流行美語 Unit 220:live large和a hoot

Larry和李華在談論他們的朋友Dave。 Dave的老闆剛剛給他加了一大筆工資。李華今天要學會兩個新的習慣用語，live large和a hoot.

LL: It is a good thing that Bob got such a big raise. He likes to live large!

LH: Live是生活，你說live large那是什麼意思呀?

LL: By living large, I mean Bob likes to buy expensive things, wear the best clothes, and eat out at fancy restaurants.

LH: 誰不喜歡那樣生活奢侈呀？買貴的東西、穿最好的衣服、下高級飯館？I like to live large too。

LL: Right. And Bob does live large. The minute after he heard about his new raise, Bob went out and bought a brand new Mercedes.

LH: Wow，他可真夠大手大腳的，錢還沒拿到手就已經花出去了。 一輛Mercedes至少要幾萬美金吧。不過，喜歡live large的人還挺多。教我英國文學的史密斯教授最近買了一座豪宅，裏面有六個臥室， 四個洗澡間，還有一個馬廄。

LL: Wow, maybe someday, I'll be able to live large, too.

LH: 我不知道你， 反正我是沒有希望了， 靠教中文這點收入連做夢也不會live large.

LL: I don't earn that much at my job either. I will need more than one big raise to be able to live large. I'll need several raises!

LH: 要加薪好多次才能過上奢適的生活， 那要等到什麼時候啊。 不過Larry，過不上那種日子也沒關係，我並不羨慕那種生活。

LL: What do you mean? You don't want to live large?

LH: 生活奢適是要付出代價的， 比如，保養和維修奔馳車要花很多錢。 大房子也要費時間打掃。

LL: Those are good points, but it sure is fun to dream about living large.

LH: 過不了那種生活光是夢想有什麼好玩的呀！ Larry，如果你有了錢，可以揮霍地生活， 你想作什麼呢？

LL: Well, I would first buy my own private jet.

LH: 買一架私人飛機？ That would be living large.

LL: And then I would fly my jet to my own private island in the Caribbean.

LH: 你還想開着飛機到自己在加勒比海買的一個島上去！你真是在做夢！

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LL: I loved your reaction when I told you I wanted to buy my own private island in the Caribbean. It was a hoot!

LH: "A hoot"是貓頭鷹的叫聲。你說我剛纔的反映是貓頭鷹的叫聲？你這是什麼意思呀？

LL: No, that's not what I meant. You looked so amazed I thought it was really funny. Something that is really funny is a hoot.

LH: 我剛纔聽你說要買一個私人島嶼是讓我非常驚訝！想像你在加勒比海的私人海灘上悠閒地喝着果汁，那情景很可笑的喲。

LL: Say, you know what else was a real hoot? Did you see that show on the comedy channel last night?

LH: 你是指昨天晚上那喜劇節目頻道播出的節目嗎？我當然看了。

LL: Yes! Wasn't it the funniest thing you have ever seen? I thought it was such a hoot.

LH: 我也覺得很有趣。 有個人模仿總統，模仿的真好笑。 都快把我笑死了。 He was a hoot!

LL: Hey, I hadn't really thought about this before, but doesn't our friend Bob look like the guy who impersonated the president?

LH: 是啊， 模仿總統的人很像我們的朋友Bob 。真有趣 - What a hoot!

LL: Speaking of Bob, did I tell you that he took me out for a drive in his new Mercedes?

LH: Bob開着嶄新的奔馳車帶你去兜風了？ 下回我也要讓他帶我去兜風。

LL: Well, you wouldn't believe what happened. We were stopped behind a garbage truck at a stoplight when all of the sudden the truck dumped trash into the Mercedes all over me and Bob!

LH: 什麼， 垃圾車突然把垃圾倒出來，把你和Bob弄得全身都是垃圾？Larry，那卡車司機把你們當成了垃圾場了。 這真可笑 - It's really a hoot!

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是live large，意思是生活揮霍。還有一個是hoot，意思是可笑、有趣。