Larry和李華正在一起吃午飯。李華今天要學兩個常用語a Cuppa Joe和Guilty Pleasure。

LL: I am so sleepy! What I need right now, Li Hua, is a cuppa joe.

LH: A cuppa joe ? 我確實有個朋友叫Joe，他怎么能幫你提神呢？

LL: No, I don't need your friend Joe. "I need a cuppa joe" is a way of saying "I need a cup of coffee."

LH: 我知道了，"cuppa"是"cup of"的縮寫，可我還是不明白"Joe"怎么會是咖啡呢？

LL: You wouldn't be alone in that, Li Hua. Most Americans don't know why we call coffee "Joe", but we have for a long time, and we still say it today.

LH: 對呀，只要說起來方便，大家都知道是什么意思就好了。Larry, 你干嘛急著要喝咖啡呀？

LL: I stayed up too late watching a movie on television last night, and today I am so tired. Having a cuppa joe would really help me get through my work day.

LH: 原來是你自己晚上看電視，不好好睡覺，怪不得會那么困，要靠"a cuppa joe"里的咖啡因來提神。

LL: So I am definitely ordering a cuppa joe with lunch. How about you, Li Hua? Would you like a cuppa joe?

LH: 我才不要"a cuppa joe", 我又不愛喝咖啡。

LL: If you don't want a cuppa joe, then what are you going to order to drink?

LH: 我要一杯茶好了。

LL: I've heard that a cup of tea doesn't have quite as much caffeine as a cuppa joe. Is that true?

LH: 是呀，茶里所含的咖啡因確實不如咖啡多。

LL: Then why would anyone want to drink tea instead of a cuppa joe?

LH: 據我所知，除了咖啡因含量低以外，茶對人體還有其它許多咖啡沒有的好處，特別是綠茶。聽說綠茶里的抗氧化物質還能防癌呢。

LL: But I still can't live without my cuppa joe.

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LH: Larry, 你真的那么喜歡喝咖啡嗎？

LL: I guess you could say that drinking coffee is one of my guilty pleasures.

LH: 喜歡喝咖啡也算犯罪嗎？

LL: A guilty pleasure is something you like to do, but isn't good for you. I'm not guilty of a crime when I drink coffee, but I do know there are better things I could be drinking.

LH: 我知道了，A guilty pleasure的意思是一種內疚的快感，就是說你明知道喝咖啡可能不如喝茶和喝水對身體好，但你還是愿意喝咖啡。

LL: That's right. What about you Li Hua, do you have any guilty pleasures?

LH: 我，當然有了，其中之一就是冰激凌。

LL: Ah yes, how could I forget? Eating ice cream is definitely a guilty pleasure for you.

LH: 我知道冰激凌是高糖和高脂肪的食品，我也擔心吃多了會胖，可我就是管不住自己。這不能算是最糟糕的guilty pleasure吧。

LL: Some people like to drink alcohol or to gamble. These are guilty pleasures you have to be really careful about.

LH: 是呀，酗酒和賭博都會讓人上癮，帶來各種各樣的問題。這些guilty pleasure可不是鬧著玩的。不過我想，大多數guilty pleasure都是無害的吧。

LL: Yes, my mother's guilty pleasure was taking a bubble bath on Sunday afternoons.

LH: 星期天下午洗泡沫浴，這也算guilty pleasure嗎？

LL: She felt like she should be taking care of me and my brother and sister, but instead her guilty pleasure was to enjoy the quiet relaxation of some time alone in the bath tub.

LH: 她內疚是因為覺得應該照顧孩子，不應該自己躲起來享受啊。Larry, 咱們的午飯和你的Cuppa joe來了，快吃吧。

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是a Cuppa joe，意思是一杯咖啡。另外一個是guilty pleasure, 意思是帶有內疚的快感。