李華來到Larry的公寓，兩人一起吃晚飯。今天我們要學兩個常用語：out of whack和such a wreck.

LL: -Achoo- I have been sneezing all day.

LH: 你沒生病吧？

LL: No, I don't think I'm sick. I think I have allergies. All the pollen in the air has got me feeling really out of whack.

LH: Out of whack? 你是說自己不舒服嗎？

LL: Yes, Li Hua, out of whack means that I feel somewhat unwell, but it does not necessarily mean I feel sick. Out of whack means feeling not quite right.

LH: 這么說，上星期我眼鏡找不到了，看東西模模糊糊的，就可以說I felt out of whack?

LL: Yes, you very well may have been feeling out of whack. - Achoo-

LH: 你沒完沒了地打噴嚏，為什么不吃點兒治過敏的藥呢？

LL: I hate taking those medicines. They always leave me feeling out of whack. I feel like I cannot even string together a thought when I take them.

LH: 沒錯，我也不喜歡吃治過敏的藥，會覺得昏昏欲睡，所以我寧可象你一樣，沒完沒了地打噴嚏。

LL: That makes sense. What would you like to have for dinner, Li Hua?

LH: 我找到了一個魚香茄子的菜譜，好象不錯，要不咱們試試看？

LL: That sounds great, let's take a look at it.

LH: 在我電子郵件信箱里，我得上網打印出來。

LL: Go right ahead.

LH: Hmmm. Larry, 你來看看，怎么印不出來啊？

LL: It looks like the printer is out of whack.

LH: 打印機也會不舒服，out of whack?

LL: Yes, in addition to a person feeling out of whack, a machine can also be out of whack. This means that the machine is not working properly.

LH: 太糟糕了，打印機壞了，那菜譜印不出來怎么辦？

LL: How about you just read out the ingredients from the computer. That way we don't need to print anything. We will even save some paper.

LH: 只好這樣了。那你聽好了，我們需要茄子一個、肉餡半磅、還有，蔥、姜、蒜....

酒足飯飽，Larry還在回味魚香茄子的美味。

LL: Mmm, that was a delicious dish Li Hua, thank you for finding it.

LH: 一點兒也不費事，只要你喜歡吃就好。

LL: That was really good. Did you have enough to eat?

LH: 我都快撐死了。你還要嗎？

LL: No, thank you, I can't eat another bite. I guess I should clean up. This kitchen is such a wreck.

LH: A wreck? 是什么意思啊？

LL: "What a wreck", means it is a complete mess.

LH: 我明白了，what a wreck就是亂七八糟的意思。那這么說，your apartment is often a wreck. 你的公寓永遠都是a wreck.

LL: Yes, Li Hua, that is true, my apartment does often need cleaning, but I do try to keep it from becoming a total wreck.

LH: 可以理解，一忙起來就顧不上收拾房間了，我那兒可能還不如你了，我最近都不敢讓朋友去。

LL: When you are busy it is very easy for your home to become a wreck.

LH: 沒錯。

LL: You should see my desk after I've just worked on a large new project. It is a huge wreck.

LH: 這我相信，那你不忙的時候，辦公桌上是不是特別干凈整齊？

LL: Well, no I can't say it is much better most of the time.

LH: 跟你公寓現在的樣子差不多。

LL: Ouch! It's not that bad in here, Li hua, though I do admit it could use a good cleaning.

LH: 別當真，我跟你開玩笑呢！說真的，我的公寓現在才是a bit of a wreck.

LL: With all the papers you have been writing lately, I am not surprised that you have not had much time to clean up.

LH: Larry, 咱倆互助怎么樣？現在我幫你整理房間，正好活動活動，消消食，明天你來我家，幫我打掃。

LL: That sounds like a great idea.

今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是out of whack，意思是身體不舒服，或者是說什么東西壞了。另一個是such a wreck，意思是亂七八糟。