VOA流行美語 Unit 33: WIMPS / GUTS

李華是一個中國學生，她在紐約上大學，還在大學的中文系當助教。今天她要去和系主任談話，要求增加助教的工資。李華的美國同學Michael陪她一起去。李華會學到兩個常用語：wimp和guts。

L: Michael，我很緊張。我不敢去和系主任談話。。。 我看就算了吧， 我不要去要求加工資了。

M: What? Don't be such a wimp, Li Hua! You have to talk to her, if you want to get a raise.

L: 你剛才說什么？ Don't be什么？

M: I said don't be a wimp. A wimp is a weak person, a coward, or someone who can't take pain. If you don't talk to your boss, then you are a wimp!

L: 噢，wimp就是軟弱的人，膽小鬼，或者是怕痛的人。所以，你說要是我不和系主任談，我就是膽小鬼。 哎，你這么說我太不公平了。 你才是a wimp。上星期你去捐血，針還沒有碰到你， 你就哇哇大 叫，你不是wimp是什么？

M: I was not! You were a wimp when you crashed your bicycle. You cried because you hurt your arm!

L: 我那次騎自行車摔倒，受傷可嚴重了。不管怎么樣，女孩子哭并不意味著她是一個軟弱的人。

M: But you are a wimp! Remember yesterday, you couldn't open a bag of potato chips, because you're so weak!

L: 我昨天打不開一包土豆片，我沒有力氣，這也算是wimp？ 我才不是吶！有一次，我們從學校走回你的家，一共三公里， 你至少在當中休息了兩次。這才是軟弱的表現呢！

M: All right, all right, stop goofing around. You need to go talk to your boss. If you don't go in there, you'll be a wimp with no money.

L: 對，我要不進去談就加不了工資，人家肯定會說我沒有骨氣。看來，我別無選擇，我就得進去要求系主任給我們加工資。

(李華和系主任談完話以后)

M: Well, Li Hua, how did it go?

L: 一點問題都沒有。系主任同意我們應該增加工資。她說她會去爭 取足夠的資金給我們提高工資到每小時十二點五美元。

M: Wow! That's not bad Li Hua. It took a lot of guts to go in there like that.

L: Guts? 進去談要許多什么？你說我什么嘛？你可別說我壞話。。。

M: No, no, when I say it took a lot of guts, I mean you had to be brave to do that!

L: 噢，guts就是勇氣。Guts 不就是動物的內臟嗎？是這個字嗎？

M: That's right! You can say someone has a lot of guts. That means he is brave.

L: 嗯， a lot of guts就是有勇氣。你剛才說it took a lot of guts to go in there。所以，it takes guts to do something就是要做某件事一定要 有勇氣。

M: That's right. For instance: It took a lot of guts for you to come to the U.S. by yourself.

L: 對，我一個人獨自到美國來是要有勇氣才行的。你上回在我朋友 家唱卡拉OK，這也是要有勇氣的呀！

M: You are right. Americans usually don't like to sing in public if they can't sing very well.

L: 好多中國人也不喜歡在大庭廣眾唱歌呀。這確實是要有勇氣的。你那 天是因為喝了酒才敢唱。否則，你就是個wimp!

M: So are you! You only had enough guts today because I was here to support you. Usually you are a wimp!

L: 對，你陪我一起來給我壯膽，所以我才有勇氣找系主任談話。不 過呢，我至少沒有在走回家的路上喘不過氣來。 You are a wimp!

M: I guess we both are!

今天Michael教李華學會用兩個常用語，一個是：wimp，意思是軟弱，沒骨氣；另一個是：guts，這是指有勇氣。這次[流行美語]就學習到這里，我們下次節目再見。