地道美語怎麼說 第36課:菜鳥
Donny在北京學漢語，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是吳瓊要問的：菜鳥。
WQ:Donny! 我買了最新的 iPhone耶！
Donny:Wow, you got the latest iPhone? How do you like it?
WQ:很喜歡啊！就是不太會用。我還是個菜鳥。咦？菜鳥英文怎麼說？
Donny:菜鳥的英文是 newbie.
WQ:Newbie? New是新的，所以newbie就是菜鳥的意思。
Donny:That's right. But don't worry. Everyone has to start out as a newbie.
WQ:我需要有個人指點我一下， give me....
Donny:A few pointers?
WQ:沒錯，就是這個詞。pointer is spelled p-o-i-n-t-e-r, pointer 是指點，建議的意思。I need someone to give me a few pointers on how to find the coolest iPhone apps. 我想知道怎麼去找最酷的iPhone應用。
Donny:I have an iPhone. I can show you the ropes.
WQ:你就有iPhone?太好了。不過，你剛剛說 You can show me the ropes. 意思是你可以教我對不對？
Donny:You guessed right! To show someone the ropes means to explain to someone how to do a job or activity.
WQ:可是，這跟 rope 繩子又有什麼關係呢？
Donny:A long time ago sailors had to learn how to control the ropes to set sail. Learning the ropes was a beginner's lesson for sailors. So to show someone the ropes means to show someone the basics of doing something.
WQ:我明白了，以前新水手第一個要學會的就是如何操控繩子。所以，to show someone the ropes 就是教導新手做某件事情。
Donny:Yup! OK, now let's see what you've learned today.
WQ:第一，菜鳥叫 newbie;
第二，指點某人是 to give somebody a few pointers;
第三，教初學者做某事可以說 to show someone the ropes!
