評論
打印
Neil: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak, I'm Neil.
尼爾：大家好，歡迎來到地道英語節目，我是尼爾。
Li: And I'm Li. Neil, is that a new watch?
李：我是李。尼爾，那是新手表嗎？
Neil: Yes I got it from my parents.
尼爾：是啊，我父母給我買的。
Li: Oh that's nice.
李：哦，這表真不錯。
Neil: Did I tell you I'm going on holiday soon?
尼爾：我告訴過你我馬上就要去度假了嗎？
Li: No, where?
李：沒有，去哪兒度假？
Neil: To Hawaii.
尼爾：夏威夷。
Li: Wow, how can you afford a holiday to Hawaii?
李：哇，你怎么負擔得起去夏威夷度假的費用啊？
Neil: My in-laws paid for it. We told them it was too expensive but, you know, we just need a holiday.
尼爾：我岳父母支付旅行的費用。我們跟他們說了旅行費用太昂貴了，可是你知道，我們真的需要假期。
Li: Hmm… so your in-laws have paid for your holiday too…
李：嗯……所以你的岳父母為你們付了旅行費用……
Neil: I'm thinking of giving up work actually, Li.
尼爾：李，實際上我想辭掉工作。
Li: Giving up work? What about the cost of living?
李：辭掉工作？那生活開銷怎么辦？
Neil: Oh my wife can work. You know what, Li? I really need to move into a bigger house in a nicer part of London.
尼爾：哦，我妻子可以工作。你知道嗎，李？我真的想搬進倫敦好地區的大房子。
Li: But you just said you're going to give up work! How can you afford a new house if you have no job?
李：可是你剛說你要辭職了！如果你沒有工作，那你怎么買新房子呢？
Neil: My grandparents will give me some money. They always do.
尼爾：我的祖父母會給我些錢。他們一直這樣做。
Li: Neil, there's a word for people like you. You're a sponger!
李：尼爾，有個詞可以形容像你這樣的人。你是個寄生蟲！
Neil: A sponger!? How rude!
尼爾：寄生蟲！這太無禮了！
Example
例子
A: When I was at university I had no money at all. I had to buy second-hand clothes and I could never afford to go out for a meal even though I had a part-time job.
A：我上大學的時候一點錢都沒有。雖然我找了份兼職，可是我還是不得不買二手衣服，而且負擔不起去外面吃飯的費用。
B: Yeah me too, but there were all these other students with cars and designer labels eating in expensive restaurants all paid for by Daddy.
B：我也是，不過也有些學生有車，穿著設計師品牌的衣服，還去昂貴的餐廳吃飯，而這些都是他們的爸爸付的錢。
A: What a bunch of spongers.
A：真是一幫吃閑飯的家伙。
B: Yeah.
B：沒錯。
Li: A sponger is a person who gets money, food and other things from other people without paying. Often it's used very negatively to describe people who live off state benefits.
李：這個詞指自己不出錢，而從他人那里得到錢財、食物和其他東西的人。通常來說這個詞有消極意義，用來形容那些依賴政府救濟過活的人。
Neil: Just like a sponge.
尼爾：就像海綿動物一樣。
Li: Yes, a sponge.
李：對，海綿動物。
Neil: A sponge soaks up the water all around it. A sponger soaks up gifts, food and money without working. And it can also be used as a verb–to sponge off someone.
尼爾：海綿動物會吸收周圍的水分。而寄生蟲則是不工作卻收到禮物、食物和錢財。這個詞也可以用作動詞，揩某人的油。
Li: It's also a verb 'to sponge off someone.' Be careful to use the word 'off' with this verb.
李：動詞搭配是揩某人的油。注意這個詞用作動詞時要和off搭配。
Neil: Whether it's a verb or a noun, it's still not a nice thing to say about someone, Li.
尼爾：李，無論它是動詞還是名詞，用它來形容一個人都不太好。
Li: Well I'm sorry to be rude, but it's true–you are a sponger.
李：嗯，我很抱歉剛剛無禮了，不過我說的是實話，你確實是吃閑飯的人。
Neil: You're right. I'm a sponger but I'm proud of it. Do you fancy taking me out for dinner? There's a fantastic restaurant I've been meaning to go to. It's very expensive, but you can afford it Li.
尼爾：你說得對。我是吃閑飯的人，不過我為此感到自豪。你想請我出去吃晚飯嗎？有個很棒的餐廳我一直想去。那里很貴，不過李，你可以負擔得起。
Li: He's trying to sponge a meal off me! What a sponger…
李：他想從我這兒蹭頓飯！真是個寄生蟲……
Neil: What a sponger…
尼爾：真是個寄生蟲……
