VOA流行美語 Unit 126: bum/ticker

李華打電話問Larry今天下午要不要一塊兒去打網球。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：Bum和ticker.

(Telephone rings)

LH: 嘿！Larry, 你今天下午有空嗎？想不想和我去打網球？今天天氣真好！

LL: I'm sorry, Li Hua, but my bum knee is bothering me. I don't think it's a good idea to play tennis right now.

LH: 你的膝蓋怎么啦？Bum knee, 那是什么毛病啊？

LL: I have a bum knee means that there is something permanently wrong with my knee.

LH： 原來 a bum knee就是一個膝蓋以前受了傷而落下了毛病，也就是老毛病。Larry， 你什么時候受的傷，我怎么不知道哪？

LL：I tore a tendon playing soccer several years ago, and now my knee hurts once in a while and it doesn't always bend well.

LH：噢，你幾年前踢足球的時候受的傷，所以不時會感到痛，還不能彎。我爺爺年輕時腿也受過傷，現在只要一下雨，他的腿就會發作。

LL: Yes, having a bum knee or leg is very common, particularly among former professional athletes.

LH: 就是啊，這種傷害對職業運動員來說都是常見的。我倒是很驚訝那些美式足球隊員，打起球來橫沖直撞，居然還能走路。

LL: Yes, well many of them do suffer from a bum leg, a bum knee, or a bum shoulder.

LH: 嗯，他們的工資非常高，據說有的年薪都上百萬呢！ 筋骨受傷大概只是個小小的代價吧！

LL: That's true, but not all of them make that much money and they still suffer injuries that leave them with a bum joint.

LH: 當然不是每個球員工資都那么高的。工資低的也經常會受傷的。

LL: Li Hua. I would play with you if I could. Try to find someone who can play with you. If you can't, give me a call and we can watch a movie or something.

LH: 我要是找不到打球的伴再給你打電話。看個電影也挺好。

******

LH: Larry, 我找不著人和我打網球。你還想去看電影嗎？

LL: I'm sorry, I can't. My mom just called to tell me that my uncle is in the hospital because he has a bum ticker. I should go and visit him.

LH: 你要去醫院看望你叔叔，他怎么啦？Larry，你說你叔叔得了什么病，bum ticker? 什么是ticker?

LL: He has a bum ticker. Ticker is slang for one's heart because your heartbeats similar to the way in which a clock ticks. My uncle has a bad heart.

LH: 噢，原來ticker是指心臟啊！對，心臟是像鐘表那樣滴滴答答地跳動。Larry，你叔叔心臟病發作呀？

LL: No, he just had some pains in his chest. He knows that he has a bum ticker, so he went to the hospital to have it checked out.

LH: 原來他是因為胸口痛才住院。希望他沒事。我爸爸的心臟也不好，所以醫生特別叮嚀他要小心，避免壓力太大。

LL: Well, we've warned my uncle to take care of his old ticker, but he doesn't listen. He still eats junk food and he has a very stressful job.

LH: 看來你叔叔不是個聽話的病人。心臟不好的人應該要避免吃垃圾食物。或許你叔叔這次出院后，能意識到要好好照顧自己的心臟了。

LL: I hope so, but he has already had a heart attack and surgery, so I doubt he'll change his habits because of a few chest pains.

LH: 他已經發作過心臟病，還動過手術！那看來胸口痛是不會促使他改變飲食習慣了。得了，你還是趕快上醫院去吧，我明天再跟你聊嘍！

LL: Okay, bye.

今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是bum，指的是有毛病的，通常是老毛病。另一個常用語是ticker，是指心臟。這是很口語的說法，因為心臟就象鐘表一樣滴滴答答跳動。