李華通過了博士生的資格考試。Larry漲了工資。兩人一起去吃飯慶祝。李華今天要學兩個常用語，go out和more than friends.

LL: It is so nice to be celebrating such happy events with you, Li Hua! And on such a wonderful evening, I have an important question to ask you.

LH: 重要問題？好，有什么問題盡管問！

LL: (Nervously) Uh...Well...I was wondering if you wanted to....go out with me.

LH: 出去干嘛？我們還沒吃完飯呢？再說，外面又那么悶熱。

LL: (A little embarrassed) Uhhh...Noooo. I don't actually mean for us to go outside *right now*, Li Hua. By asking if you wanted to go out with me, I meant: Would you date me?

LH: 哦，原來go out with you是約會的意思。

LL: (Hopefully) Yes...So, would you like to go out with me, Li Hua?

LH: Larry, 我們做朋友這么久了，你現在要跟我談戀愛，我還真覺得有些突然。

LL: We *have* been friends for a long time, Li Hua, and I realized that there isn't anyone else I enjoy doing things with as much as you. That's why I decided to ask you to go out with me.

LH: 我得考慮一下，因為這樣一來，我們的關系就全變了。

LL: Well, it wouldn't change things that much. If we are going out, we will still do all the things we do now: go to restaurants, see movies, and take trips to fun places.

LH: 你說得沒錯，那我們就不能跟別人約會了吧？

LL: That is generally the idea, Li Hua. When you go out with someone, you don't usually date other people.

LH: 我現在倒是沒跟什么人約會，可是...

LL: What? Is it that you don't want to go out with me, Li Hua?

LH: 不是。我很喜歡你，我就是希望我們永遠能象現在這么好。

LL: So, you will go out with me?

LH: 好，我愿意！

******

LL: This is so great! You've made me so happy, Li Hua. I was worried you were going to say you wanted to be "just friends."

LH: 我知道，如果女孩子不接受男子的追求，就可以說She wants to be "just friends." 只做普通朋友。

LL: How do you know about being "just friends", Li Hua?

LH: 以前我跟兩個室友住在一起，經常說起交男朋友的事。

LL: So, what did your roommates tell you?

LH: 有個男孩約Nancy出去，可Nancy并不喜歡他，所以她就打電話給那個男孩，說更愿意做普通朋友。

LL: Well, Li Hua, it takes a lot of courage for a guy to ask a girl out on a date - and there is nothing worse than hearing a girl say she wants to be "just friends."

LH: 這我可不信。

LL: I guess you are right, Li Hua. A girl could say worse things!

LH: 不過我可以想象，被謝絕的男孩子的自尊心肯定會受到打擊。

LL: That's right. And that is why I am so glad you didn't say you wanted to be "just friends", Li Hua, just a moment ago. I would have been sad.

LH: 如果不是"just friends"普通朋友，那我們是什么呢？

LL: Well, when a girl says she would like to go out with a guy, she and the guy become "more than friends."

LH: 也就是說我們原來是普通朋友，那現在開始約會，所以我們的關系已經不只是朋友，超越了朋友的界限了？

LL: Right, being "more than friends" is a way of saying you are dating someone. So now we are "more than friends."

LH: 兩個"more than friends"的人做的事情，一定跟"just friends"的人做的不一樣嘍？

LL: Like date each other.

LH: 還有拉手，擁抱...

LL: Oh, look! It's the waiter with our bill, Li Hua. Maybe we can continue this conversation later...

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是go out, 是約會的意思。另一個是just friends做普通朋友，和more than friends, 戀愛的關系。