Jingjing: Mark, are you all set for the Spring Festival?
京晶:馬克,一切就緒準備好過春節了嗎?
Mark: Ready as I'm going to be. My wife planned a trip for me with her family. I finished work the day before esterday.
馬克:準備好了。我太太為我和她的家人策劃了一次旅行。我前天已經完成了自己的工作。
Jingjing: You've got it easier than me. I still have a few more days at the office.
京晶:那你這情況比我簡單多了。我還得在辦公室忙上幾天。
Mark: Is it a mad house?
馬克:那是一片(節前)忙亂嗎?
Jingjing: Not really. I was expecting people to come at me with a lot of odds and ends. But that really hasn't happened. I've even had time to get started on my reading goals for 2020.
京晶:那到沒有。我之前以為會有好多雜事來找我解決。實際上還真沒有。我甚至還有時間開始執行我的2020年閱讀目標。
Mark: Yeah, I know you told me you plan to read a lot more this year. Hey, it's the Year of the Rat, isn't it?
馬克:對啊,我記得你告訴過我今年你打算讀更多的書。嘿,今年是鼠年,不是嗎?
Jingjing: It will be after the “Beginning of Spring”
京晶:得過了立春才是鼠年。
Mark: That's what I meant. Jingjing, what can you tell me about the rat zodiac sign?
馬克:我就是那個意思。京晶,關于鼠年生肖,你有什么可以告訴我的?
Jingjing: Well, first of all, the Rat Year is a good year for careful planning. Things go well if they are planned well. Otherwise, they might go worse than usual.
京晶:首先,鼠年是一個適合精心規劃的好年頭。如果計劃得當,事情就會進展順利。否則,情況可能會比平時更糟。
Mark: What does that have to do with rats?
馬克:這和老鼠有什么關系呢?
Jingjing: Well, rats are industrious and and alert. So, if you pay attention to your plans and all the details, you'll probably be quite successful in what you do.
京晶:嗯,老鼠是勤勉和機警的。所以,如果你重視你的計劃和所有的細節,可能會讓你所做之事大獲成功。
Mark: I wasn't born in a Rat year, though. Does that still affect me?
馬克:不過,我不是在鼠年出生的。那對我有影響嗎?
Jingjing: It sure does. You mentioned a trip. That's a good thing to plan carefully, in addition to projects at work.
京晶:當然有。你提到過旅行。除了工作項目之外,這就是一個很好的需要仔細做好計劃的事。
Mark: Hmm. I'd better start thinking about that. I usually fly by the seat of my pants whenever I travel; but that probably isn't a good idea when travelling with family members.
馬克:嗯。我最好馬上開始考慮起來。我每次旅行都是跟著感覺走,但和家人一起出去旅行,這可不是一個好主意。
Jingjing: Think about a rat's personality. It stores a lot of food for winter. It knows its surroundings very well.
京晶:想想老鼠的個性。它為過冬儲存大量食物。并對周圍環境了然于胸。
Mark: Those are good things to keep in mind.
馬克:這些都是很好的需要謹記在心的。
Jingjing: I'll tell you more next time I see you.
京晶:下次見面我再告訴你一些。
a mad house 喧鬧之地 極為忙碌吵鬧的場所
a busy and chaotic place (often a workplace with lots of people)
odds and ends 零碎;瑣碎的東西
small things that are not very necessary (here it refers to small tasks and requests from colleagues)
fly by the seat of
do something without planning or foresight
Jingjing: Hi again, Mark. Are you ready to talk more about the Year of the Rat?
京晶:嗨,馬克。準備好多談談鼠年了嗎?
Mark: Yeah, I just looked up a list of names: famous people born in Rat years.
馬克:是的,我剛查找了一份名單:鼠年出生的名人。
Jingjing: Oh yeah. I know Jude Law, one of my favorite actors, was born in a Rat year.
京晶:噢,是的。我知道裘德·洛,我最喜歡的演員之一,他就出生在鼠年。
Mark: Yeah, so was Hugh Grant, as well as a couple politicians. Can you guess which ones?
馬克:是的,休·格蘭特也是,還有一些政治家。你能猜出是哪些嗎?
Jingjing: George Washington and John F Kennedy?
京晶:有喬治·華盛頓和約翰·肯尼迪嗎?
Mark: You must have seen that list already!
馬克:你肯定已經看過那份名單了!
Jingjing: I just looked at it a few minutes ago. Do you remember which business leaders were on there?
京晶:我幾分鐘前剛看的。你還記得在名單上還有哪些商界領袖嗎?
Mark: Yeah, Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg.
馬克:記得,蒂姆·庫克和馬克·扎克伯格。
Jingjing: Typically, someone born in a Rat year doesn't rise to be a leader.
京晶:一般來說,鼠年出生的人不會成長為領導者。
Mark: How come?
馬克:怎么說?
Jingjing: Well, even though Rats are well-organized and hard-working, they sometimes lack the courage to stand up to people.
京晶:嗯,盡管老鼠很有條理,工作努力,但有時它們還是缺乏勇敢面對人群的勇氣。
Mark: So, they tend to be better managers than leaders, right?
馬克:因此,他們往往是好的管理者而不是領導者,對嗎?
Jingjing: Yes. They have good relationship skills and stick to a small group of close friends. Some Rats are tactful and diplomatic, while others speak a bit too frankly.
京晶:是的。他們有良好的人際關系技巧,和親近的朋友小團體保持密切關系。有些老鼠圓滑得體老練,而另一些說話時則有點過于坦率.
Mark: That rings a bell. I know a few people who are Rats. That's a pretty fitting description.
馬克:這提醒我了。我認識一些屬鼠的人。這是一個非常貼切的描述。
Jingjing: Well, they get along with almost anyone. No wonder they're your friends.
京晶:嗯,他們幾乎和任何人都處得來。難怪他們是你的朋友。
Mark: Ha ha. Live and let live.
馬克:哈哈。寬容待人,和平共處嘛。
New words : 習語短語
stand up to
confront someone
ring a bell 使某人想起某事,使人回憶起
remind someone of something, sound familiar
Live and let live. 待人寬容;和平共存(自己活也讓別人活)
(a saying) be tolerant of others, live peacefully among people who are different from you