VOA流行美語 Unit 72:DRAG / START FROM SCRATCH

今天李華碰到了倒霉的事，Michael大力相助，真夠朋友的。李華會學到兩個常用語：a drag和to start from scratch。

M: Hey, Li Hua. How is your history project going?

L: 你還要問我歷史課的事。唉，我可真倒霉呀！我的電腦壞了，把我寫的東西全丟了。可報告明天就要交呢。

M: Your computer crashed? Wow, that's a drag. Is there anything I can do to help?

L: 哎喲，你說什么？什么是drag啊?

M: If something is a "drag," that means it is negative or depressing. The fact that you lost your history project and will probably have to do it again is definitely a drag.

L: 原來a drag就是倒霉的、讓人不高興的事。我電腦壞了，把我明天要交的歷史課報告全丟了。這可真是倒霉事。It's really a drag。

M: That's right. You want to know what else is a drag?

L: 還有什么倒霉事呀？

M: My computer is broken, too, so I can't let you use it to re-write your project. I sent it in to be fixed and I won't get it back until next week.

L: 你的電腦也壞啦！哎喲，本來還真想先借你的用呢！沒事，我可以用我同屋的電腦。可是，我得先到圖書館里去把我寫報告用過的書全找回來，重新看這些書，找材料。我能不能在明天完成這個報告還是個問題吶，真是倒霉！

M: Maybe if you explain your situation to the professor, he'll give you some extra time. I'm sure he knows what a drag it is when your computer breaks down. It doesn't hurt to ask.

L: 對，我得去跟教授解釋一下。他肯定明白電腦壞了，丟了材料有多倒霉。你說得對，也許他會讓我延期交卷。我馬上就去找他。

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M: Li Hua, what did your professor say? Will he give you extra time to do the project over again?

L: 對呀，教授讓我延期三天交卷。可是我怕重頭開始再做一遍時間還是不夠！What a drag!

M: Yeah, you do have to start from scratch. I'll help you as much as I can.

L: Start from what? 什么是start from scratch?

M: To start something from scratch means to start from the very beginning. You lost your entire project when your computer crashed, including your research, so now you have to start from scratch.

L: 噢， to start from scratch就是從頭開始。我電腦壞了，所做的一切東西都丟了，所以，I have to start from scratch -- 從頭開始啦！

M: That's right. You have to start your project from scratch. How can I help?

L: Michael, 你能幫我忙，那真是太好了。既然我得從頭開始，那我得先去圖書館。你能幫我找書嗎？

M: Sure. I'm happy to help. While we are walking, why don't you try and give me another example of "to start something from scratch".

L: 一面走路還要我給你舉例子。你可抓得真緊哎！好吧，讓我想想。要是我家房子被燒了，那我們不得不重新蓋房子-- to build a new house from scratch. Right?

M: Yeah, that's right. That's not a very happy example though. It would be a real drag if your house burned down!

L: 對，這個例子倒有點倒霉了！好，再給你一個例子。要是我學畫畫，可是我從來沒有學過，我就說：I am going to start from scratch。

M: Yes, you could. Hey, look, there's the library. I suppose we had better focus on your project now. You do have to start from scratch after all.

L: 對，我得集中力量從頭來起。唉，真倒霉，it's such a drag!

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是：a drag, 意思是倒霉，不好的事。另一個是：to start something from scratch, 這是指從頭開始。