342 pale in comparison...

李华和Larry在夏威夷渡假。今天我们要学两个常用语: pale in comparison和blown away。

LH: Larry, 我简直不能相信今天是我们在夏威夷的最后一天了!真舍不得走。

L: I know! I feel like we just got here, and now we already have to think about going back home.

LH: 所以我们得珍惜这最后一天,咱们来点刺激的,空中跳伞怎么样?

L: Sky diving? Wow, that would be really crazy! All of our other activities would pale in comparison with sky diving.

LH: Pale in comparison? 什么意思?

L: You can say that something pales in comparison when it is much smaller or less significant than something else.

LH: 哦,pale in comparison就是远远不如,逊色很多。你是说,和空中跳伞相比,我们在夏威夷玩儿的其它东西就逊色多了,简直太没劲了。

L: Exactly! Or for another example, I could say that John decided to accept a new job at a different company because his old salary paled in comparison with the one he was offered.

LH: 你是说, John跳槽到一家新公司,因为人家给他的薪水比原来公司的高得太多了。

L: Right! But I don't know about sky diving Lihua. It sounds really dangerous.

LH: 不用害怕! 你就是走在大马路上,也可能摔跟头啊!难道你因为担心这个就不出门走路了?

L: True, but I think the danger of walking down the street pales in comparison to the danger of sky diving.

LH: 好吧。那咱们去坐直升机好了,可以鸟瞰美丽的夏威夷!

L: I agree. I think the natural scenery back home pales in comparison with the incredible natural scenery here.

LH: 那当然了! 不过,虽然夏威夷景色怡人,但物价也比其它地方贵。咱们坐直升机肯定得花好多钱。

L: You're right. The prices of things back home really pale in comparison with the prices in Hawaii.

LH: 但是咱们都来了,不去肯定会遗憾的!

L: I think you're right. Let's do it!

******

LH: Larry, 怎么样?这趟直升机之旅很棒吧?

L: Yeah, that was great!I was really blown away by how beautiful the natural scenery was.

LH: Blown away? 被风吹走?你没被吹走啊。

L: Actually Lihua, when you say that you were blown away by something, that means that you were really amazed.

LH: 哦,原来be blown away就是感到震惊的意思。你是说,咱们在空中看到的美景彻底让你瞠目结舌。

L: Right! Here is another example. When I went to the Sichuan restaurant, I knew that the food would be a little spicy. But I was really blown away by just how spicy it was!

LH: 哦,虽然你本来就知道四川菜辣,但直到真把川菜吃到嘴里后,才发现它们可比你想象的辣多了。对了,Larry, 那天咱们去钓鱼,我的垂钓技术有没有让你blown away, 对我刮目相看呢?

L: Lihua, I'm sorry to say that I was not blown away by your fishing skills. Just catching one big fish on your first try is beginner's luck.

LH: 抓到鱼是我运气好?才不是呢!对了,我还听人说过"blow their mind"这也是一个意思么?

L: Exactly. For example, I had seen pictures of the Grand Canyon in books. But when I finally went there, seeing it in person really blew my mind.

LH: 大峡谷的美景的确会让人叹为观止! 对了,上次我做的麻婆豆腐也让你惊艳了吧!

L: Absolutely! When I tasted your mapo tofu for the first time, it completely blew my mind. I couldn't believe how delicious it was.

LH: 你还挺会说话。对了,我们下午得早点出发去机场,别遇到堵车。

L: I know! I was blown away by how crowded the airport was when we landed.

LH: 不过比起纽约的交通,这里就算不错了。

L: Oh sure, the lines at the airport here pale in comparison to big US cities.

LH: 说到纽约,马上就要回去了,又得上班了,真烦人。

L: Lihua, I have just one rule for going on vacation: never mention work!

今天李华学了两个常用语。个是pale in comparison, 表示不能比,逊色很多。另一个是blown away, 意思是大吃一惊。