Larry跟李華一起去麥當勞吃早飯。今天我們要學兩個常用語： full ride和chill out.

LL: Hey Lihua, I'm so happy I got to meet your sister Lijia this weekend. She's such a talented musician, it's no wonder she got a full ride to Julliard.

LH: 李佳上周末在DC玩得開心極了，可惜她要回紐約去上學，不能天天跟我在一起。哎，你剛才說，"She got a full ride to Julliard?“ 她沒告訴我她每天坐校車上學啊！

LL: Lihua. A full ride is another name for an all-expenses-paid scholarship.

LH: 沒錯，李佳曾經獲得全國小提琴少年組第二名，所以就因此拿到了朱麗亞音樂學院的獎學金，可我還是不懂，獎學金跟搭車有什么關系呢？

LL: A full ride means that all expenses are paid for her education at Julliard. A full ride covers everything from tuition to room and board.

LH: 哦，我終于明白了，full ride跟坐車一點關系都沒有，而是指全額獎學金。學校同意負擔李佳的學費、食宿和交通。Is that a full ride scholarship?

LL: Yes. A full ride scholarship is awarded to extraordinary students who are very intelligent and talented, and Julliard honored Lijia with a full ride scholarship because she has an exceptional academic record and she is a superb violin player.

LH: 不過，李佳告訴我說，她必需保持優異成績，才能繼續拿全額獎學金，不然，獎學金就會被取消。

LL: Yes, with full ride scholarships, the student is usually required to maintain a high grade point average, like 3.5 or above.

LH: 你是說，拿全額獎學金的學生平均成績一定要保持在3.5以上，那要是掉到3.0以下怎么辦呢？

LL: If the student didn't have a 3.5 grade point average or above, the college might suspend the full ride scholarship, and the student would be required to pay for that semester's tuition and living costs.

LH: 如果成績不夠好，就要自己出學費？不行，我得趕緊告訴李佳加倍努力，朱麗亞音樂學院的學費那么貴，自己出可出不起。She cannot afford to lose her full ride scholarship.

LL: Oh, Lihua, don't worry. We both know Lijia is very hard working, and she enjoys what she's studying. She shouldn't have a problem keeping her full ride scholarship.

LH: 我畢竟是姐姐，有義務督促她努力學習，千萬不能丟掉獎學金。

LL: You're such a good example Li Hua, because you got a full ride scholarship for your PhD program, right?

LH: 多虧有這份全額獎學金，我才能繼續念書呢。今年六月論文答辯一過，我就正式畢業了。Once I receive my PhD degree, my full ride will end. 我得抓緊時間，趕緊找到工作。

******

LL: Lihua, I know the economy is pretty bad right now, but I don't think you should rush to find a job. You've been working so hard on your PhD. - I think you deserve take some time off and just chill out.

LH: 給自己放假？現在就業市場這么不好，失業的人比新就業的人還多，我可不敢掉以輕心！再說了，現在天氣越來越暖和，How can I chill out if it's hot outside? 大熱天，怎么能涼快呢！

LL: No, Lihua, chill out means to relax. It has nothing to do with the temperature outside.

LH: 我明白了。你的意思是說，我畢業以后應該好好放松一下自己。你覺得這樣能行嗎？

LL: Of course I think it's a good idea to chill out. A lot of students take some time off after graduation to unwind. Some even travel for the entire summer and go backpacking through Europe.

LH: 有人用整整一個夏天去旅行，太過癮了。不過，我恐怕走到半路，我就口袋空空了。Larry, 你說我該怎樣去chill out呢？

LL: I think we could both chill out for a week and drive down to Virginia Beach to lounge on the sand and swim in the ocean with some friends.

LH: 不用寫論文，不用準備面試，沉浸在陽光和海水中，還有溫暖的沙灘，太美了。

LL: My uncle lives nearby, we could all stay at his house for a few nights.

LH: Oh Larry, chilling out sounds like so much fun! 從海邊回來，我還可以到紐約去找李佳，chill out some more!

今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是full ride, 意思是全額獎學金。另一個是chill out，意思是放松放松。