Donny在北京學(xué)漢語，他的中國(guó)朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎么說的詞，就會(huì)來請(qǐng)教他。今天是Jimmy要問的：掃興。
Donny:Jimmy, sorry I can't make it to your birthday party this weekend. 我明天要去香港。
Jimmy:That's okay, Donny. 說實(shí)話，我自己對(duì)這個(gè)生日派對(duì)也沒什么興趣。
Donny:Why? Last time we talked about it, you were really excited.
Jimmy:還不是因?yàn)槲遗笥牙洗驌粑? 她說，過生日意味著我又老了一歲，還說，我開party大吃大喝會(huì)變得更胖。唉，真掃興!
Donny:Oh, no! Your girlfriend is such a wet blanket! All the bad things she said made you NOT look forward to the party.
Jimmy:wet blanket? w-e-t, wet, 是"潮濕"的意思，b-l-a-n-k-e-t, blanket, 是"毯子"。你說我女朋友是個(gè)濕糊糊的毯子？
Donny:Actually, a wet blanket 就是讓別人掃興的人或事。
Jimmy:哦! a wet blanket 說話討厭，專給別人的好心情潑冷水!
Donny:That's right. There is a similar phrase---party pooper. Pooper is spelled p-o-o-p-e-r. A party pooper is a person who refuses to go along with everyone else and join the fun.
Jimmy:哦! Party pooper是在派對(duì)上掃大家興的人! Donny, 要是我去一個(gè)party, 結(jié)果大家玩兒的游戲我都不參加，還老嚷著要回家，then I'm a party pooper，對(duì)不對(duì)？
Donny:標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的 party pooper! But Jimmy, in real life, you are by no means a party pooper, on the contrary, you're the life of the party!
Jimmy:The life of the party? 我是派對(duì)的生命？
Donny:差不多! The life of the party is the most fun and exciting person at a party, you know, the person who makes the party fun for everyone else.
Jimmy:哦，the life of the party 就是派對(duì)上的開心果! 有這種人在，氣氛一定很high! 你別說，我還真是the life of the party! 哈哈!
Donny:Of course you are! So don't let your girlfriend ruin your spirits. Now, let's see what you've learned today!
Jimmy:第一，讓人掃興的人或事是a wet blanket, 或者a party pooper；
第二，派對(duì)的靈魂人物，開心果, 是 the life of the party.