Larry和他妹妹吵架，來找李華訴苦。他們會提到兩個常用語：talk to a brick wall和get the picture.

Larry: (Sounding frustrated) Hey, Lihua.

LH: Larry, 你怎么不高興啊？

Larry: I just got off the phone with my sister. She is about to graduate from high school and she is not serious about applying to college. No matter what I say, she just won't take my advice. (Sigh). Sometimes talking to her is like talking to a brick wall.

LH: 哦。你妹妹高中畢業不想考大學，不論你怎么勸她，她就是不聽。對了，你剛才說talking to a brick wall，你干嘛要對著磚墻說話呢？

Larry: Not literally talk to a brick wall. I'm saying talking to my sister is like talking to a brick wall. A brick wall doesn't listen, doesn't respond and doesn't care. And that's what it's like to talk to my sister about college.

LH: 我明白了! talk to a brick wall就是對牛彈琴。你跟你妹妹苦口婆心說了半天，可她根本連一句話也聽不進去。你呀，就好像對著一面墻說話一樣。

Larry: Right.

LH: Larry，你別太擔心。你說了那么半天，我想多多少少還是會有點用的。

Larry: I suppose you're right. I guess she's just at that age where she doesn't like to hear advice from other people. My parents have lately been feeling the same way when they speak to her, too.

LH: 其實也不光是青春期的孩子才這么固執，有時候我跟我媽說話，也覺得I'm talking to a brick wall! 她怎么都聽不進我的話!

Larry: Your mother? But she's such a sweet lady.

LH: Larry, 你可不知道! 每次我跟她說我畢業后要留在美國找工作，她都一萬個不行。我無論說什么，她非要我回國不可，我感覺自己真像talking to a brick wall一樣!

Larry: Oh, that does sound frustrating. So what are you going to do?

LH: 我？我才不管她說什么。我的人生我作主!

Larry: (Laughter) I bet your mother feels like she's talking to a brick wall when she speaks with you - the same way you feel about speaking with her!

LH: Larry，你別笑了。你想想，媽媽不理解我，不支持我，我有多難受!

Larry: Yea, I get the picture.

LH: You got a picture? 什么照片啊，給我看看。

Larry: Not a picture - the picture. To say that you get the picture means that you understand something.

LH: Oh, I get the picture，就是說我明白。

Larry: Right. You can imagine that knowing about something creates a picture in your mind.

LH: 對，get the picture就好像看到了別人頭腦中所想的畫面，也就是了解了別人的想法。

Larry: Sometimes it's hard for people to understand exactly why other people want what they want, and it may seem talking to them is like talking to a brick wall. But you have to have patience - hopefully someday your mother will get the picture.

LH: 對，要想讓別人了解自己的想法，有時得多花點時間和耐心。我想，你妹妹早晚也能了解你的想法。She will get the picture!

Larry: You don't understand, Lihua. If my sister doesn't get the picture now, it might be too late! What if she doesn't get into a good college?

LH: 你別光想你妹了，想想我吧。我媽非讓我一畢業就回國，我怎么辦？我必須得找個能一直留在美國的原因，說服我媽。這個，你可以幫我，You get the picture, Larry?

Larry: (Larry thought Lihua wanted to get married. gulps) Umm, I think so.

LH: 你可以幫我找工作啊!

Larry: OH! (happily) Right! I get the picture now. I will certainly try my hardest to find you a great job.

LH: Larry，你真好，總能猜透我的心思!

Larry: Well, I almost got the wrong picture a second ago.

LH: 啊？你差點猜錯了？你以為我在說什么？難道是說讓我嫁給你？! 你想得倒美!

Larry: (Nervous), Ah, Lihua, Let's not worry about that. Let me think how we can make your mother happy. She's always nice to me. Maybe if I talk to her, it wouldn't be like talking to a brick wall.

LH: 你愿意的話就去試試看，不過我媽耳朵根子硬得很呢!

今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是talk to a brick wall ，意思是“對牛彈琴”。另一個是get the picture ，意思是“理解別人的心思”。