Larry和李华一起坐地铁回家。今天我们要学两个常用语：take the bull by the horns和knock your socks off.
LL: You look really tired, Lihua. What have you been up to?
LH: 别提了，我最近两天一直睡不好觉。比如说昨天晚上，凌晨两点醒来后，就再也睡不着了，翻来覆去一直到早上起床。
LL: I am sorry to hear that, Lihua. Sleep is really important. It can affect your mood and feelings for an entire day, and it can really wear you down after awhile. So why did you wake up in the middle of the night?
LH: 还不是因为我那个室友Tammy。她男朋友去西岸上学，跟我们有三个小时的时差，所有她经常半夜三更给男朋友打电话。我们公寓的墙壁又很薄，她一打电话，我就醒过来了。
LL: If that's the case, I think you should take the bull by the horns and talk to Tammy because her late night phone calls are interfering with your sleep.
LH: 你说take the bull by the horns是什么意思，抓住牛角？这跟睡觉有关系吗？
LL: Haha. Lihua, to take the bull by the horns means to confront a problem head-on and to deal with it openly. That's what I think you should do with Tammy.
LH: 哦，我明白了， taking a bull by the horns意思是采取直接的、果断的行动，你是让我别不好意思，开诚布公地告诉Tammy, 她打电话影响我睡眠。
LL: Exactly. You can tell her that her phone calls are keeping you up at night and that you would appreciate it if she made the calls earlier in the evening or made the calls outside.
LH: 好，听你的。I will take the bull by the horns and talk to Tammy. 我今天回去就跟Tammy谈。看她能不能十点以前给男朋友打电话或是到外面去打电话。
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虽然缺觉，但是李华的工作好象十分顺利。我们一起听。
LH: Larry, 虽然没睡好觉，我还是想出去庆祝一下，因为我跟你说过的那个项目，我今天终于完工了。
LL: Really? That's nice! I know you have been working really hard on it. I just finished something at work for a client too. We should definitely go out and celebrate.
LH: 太好了。那我们去哪儿？
LL: Well the weather's so nice out. How about we go on a walk?
LH: 去散步？好主意！我正好也可以活动活动。今天我一整天几乎没有离开座位。不过，去哪里走好呢？到处都是车，一点也不浪漫。
LL: I know a place right off 5th Street which is perfect for romantic walks. There aren't too many cars, and they close one lane of the street during the evenings, so pedestrians can walk on the street.
LH: 我怎么从来不知道有这么个地方。
LL: Trust me, Lihua. It will be so romantic and beautiful in the evening. It will knock your socks off.
LH: 好，我们就去哪儿。不过，Larry, 散步可以，我可不要脱袜子。I will NOT take my socks off.
LL: Haha, Lihua. I didn't ask you to take your socks off. I said the walk is gonna be so romantic that it will KNOCK your socks off.
LH: 我还是不明白，你为什么要knock my socks off.
LL: To knock somebody's socks off means to completely surprise someone or please someone very much. Like I could say that the movie was so beautiful that it really knocked my socks off, or I could say the young pianist knocked the socks off of the judges.
LH: 哦，这下我明白了， to knock somebody's socks off意思就是把某人给震了，给人留下深刻的印象。
LL: You got it. How about after we go on this walk, we go out to eat? I know an Italian restaurant that will really knock your socks off!
LH: 你今天怎么兴致这么高？又是散步、又是意大利大餐，太浪漫了。You're really knocking my socks off!
LL: WOW, Lihua. You're such a quick learner. Someday you'll be teaching me about American idioms。
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是take the bull by the horns, 意思是不回避问题，采取果断行动，勇敢地去面对问题。另一个是knock somebody's socks off意思是给人留下深刻印象。