187 let off steam; oops



这是一个星期五的晚上,Larry和李华两人经过一个星期紧张学习后都很累,现在正在一起吃晚饭。今天李华会学到两个常用语:let off steam和oops。

LL: Wow, it's nice to relax and let off some steam after a long week at work.

LH: 就是啊,放松一下,感觉真好!Larry,你说要let off steam?Steam是蒸气,你还会放气呀?

LL: No, not literally. To let off steam can mean to relax or it can mean to express pent-up feelings, usually of anger.

LH: 原来如此。To let off steam就是放松,也可以是发泄积压在心里的感情,通常是火气。所以你是说一个星期紧张地学习和工作后放松一下,感觉很好。Larry,这个常用语跟steam, 蒸气有什么关系呢?

LL: It's a metaphor. One has to ease the pressure in a steam engine by releasing - or letting off - steam. Otherwise the engine might overheat and explode.

LH: 原来是从蒸汽机的原理来的。没错,蒸汽机如果不定时释放一下的蒸气,那就可能会爆炸。 Larry,如果你一直不放松的话,你该不会爆炸吧?

LL: No, I'm not going to explode. However, letting off steam is important to a person's mental health.

LH: 嗯,我同意,一个人如果没有放松的机会,那对心理健康有很大影响。我通常就是用跑步运动来让自己放松的。

LL: A lot of people exercise to let off steam. Other people prefer quiet activities like reading.

LH: 对,每个人疏解压力的方法都不一样。所以Larry,你是通过看书来让自己放松的?

LL: I like to do exactly what we're doing now. I let off steam by relaxing and having a nice meal with a friend.

LH: 和朋友吃吃饭,聊聊天是挺放松的。可是如果你真的很生气,非常生气,那你怎么发泄你的怒气呢?

LL: Sometimes it helps to talk to someone. It's usually better to let off some steam before dealing with the issue directly.

LH: 那倒是,先跟别人谈谈。火气很大的时候,最好别去处理那事。

******

LL: Oops! I forgot that I have to work on Sunday. That just ruins my whole weekend.

LH: Oops? 我常听到人们这么说,Larry,这是什么意思啊?

LL: People usually say oops to acknowledge that they have made a mistake or have had a minor accident. I mistakenly thought I had the whole weekend off, when I actually have to work on Sunday. Oops.

LH: 原来oops就是发现自己犯了小错误或出了一点没有意料的小插曲时说的,有点像中文里的"哎呀,糟了"。所以你是说,你差点儿忘了星期天还得上班。还好现在是星期五,你要到星期一再想起来,那可真是糟了。恐怕说Oops都太晚了。

LL: That's true. Oops! I just dropped my fork on the floor.

LH: 叉子掉在地上不是什么大事,叫服务员再拿个干净的就是啦。

LL: That's okay. There's an extra one on the next table. I'll just take that one.

LH: 拿那个桌上的叉子也行,反正哪儿没人坐。Oh no, 这回轮到我要说oops了。我想起来了,今天晚上我该给我妈妈打电话了。

LL: You still have time. We should be finished here soon and you can go right home to call your mom.

LH: Oops! 吃完饭赶回家也没用,我忘了买电话卡了。没电话卡,我怎么打电话呢?

LL: I have a calling card. You can use it to call your mom. I don't mind at all.

LH: 啊,幸好你有张电话卡,Larry,真是太谢谢你喽!

今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是let off steam,是指发泄怒气或其他情绪。另一个常用语是oops,这是一种语气词,通常是在当一个人犯了小错误时会说的。
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