VOA流行美語 Unit 342:遜色很多&大吃一驚
李華和Larry在夏威夷渡假。今天我們要學兩個常用語： pale in comparison和blown away。
LH: Larry, 我簡直不能相信今天是我們在夏威夷的最後一天了！真捨不得走。
L: I know! I feel like we just got here, and now we already have to think about going back home.
LH: 所以我們得珍惜這最後一天，咱們來點刺激的，空中跳傘怎麼樣？
L: Sky diving? Wow, that would be really crazy! All of our other activities would pale in comparison with sky diving.
LH: Pale in comparison? 什麼意思？
L: You can say that something pales in comparison when it is much smaller or less significant than something else.
LH: 哦，pale in comparison就是遠遠不如，遜色很多。你是說，和空中跳傘相比，我們在夏威夷玩兒的其它東西就遜色多了，簡直太沒勁了。
L: Exactly! Or for another example, I could say that John decided to accept a new job at a different company because his old salary paled in comparison with the one he was offered.
LH: 你是說， John跳槽到一家新公司，因爲人家給他的薪水比原來公司的高得太多了。
L: Right! But I don't know about sky diving Lihua. It sounds really dangerous.
LH: 不用害怕! 你就是走在大馬路上，也可能摔跟頭啊！難道你因爲擔心這個就不出門走路了？
L: True, but I think the danger of walking down the street pales in comparison to the danger of sky diving.
LH: 好吧。那咱們去坐直升機好了，可以鳥瞰美麗的夏威夷!
L: I agree. I think the natural scenery back home pales in comparison with the incredible natural scenery here.
LH: 那當然了! 不過，雖然夏威夷景色怡人，但物價也比其它地方貴。咱們坐直升機肯定得花好多錢。
L: You're right. The prices of things back home really pale in comparison with the prices in Hawaii.
LH: 但是咱們都來了，不去肯定會遺憾的!
L: I think you're right. Let's do it!
******
LH: Larry, 怎麼樣？這趟直升機之旅很棒吧？
L: Yeah, that was great!I was really blown away by how beautiful the natural scenery was.
LH: Blown away? 被風吹走？你沒被吹走啊。
L: Actually Lihua, when you say that you were blown away by something, that means that you were really amazed.
LH: 哦，原來be blown away就是感到震驚的意思。你是說，咱們在空中看到的美景徹底讓你瞠目結舌。
L: Right! Here is another example. When I went to the Sichuan restaurant, I knew that the food would be a little spicy. But I was really blown away by just how spicy it was!
LH: 哦，雖然你本來就知道四川菜辣，但直到真把川菜吃到嘴裏後，才發現它們可比你想象的辣多了。對了，Larry， 那天咱們去釣魚，我的垂釣技術有沒有讓你blown away, 對我刮目相看呢？
L: Lihua, I'm sorry to say that I was not blown away by your fishing skills. Just catching one big fish on your first try is beginner's luck.
LH: 抓到魚是我運氣好？纔不是呢！對了，我還聽人說過"blow their mind"這也是一個意思麼？
L: Exactly. For example, I had seen pictures of the Grand Canyon in books. But when I finally went there, seeing it in person really blew my mind.
LH: 大峽谷的美景的確會讓人歎爲觀止! 對了，上次我做的麻婆豆腐也讓你驚豔了吧!
L: Absolutely! When I tasted your mapo tofu for the first time, it completely blew my mind. I couldn't believe how delicious it was.
LH: 你還挺會說話。對了，我們下午得早點出發去機場，別遇到堵車。
L: I know! I was blown away by how crowded the airport was when we landed.
LH: 不過比起紐約的交通，這裏就算不錯了。
L: Oh sure, the lines at the airport here pale in comparison to big US cities.
LH: 說到紐約，馬上就要回去了，又得上班了，真煩人。
L: Lihua, I have just one rule for going on vacation: never mention work!
今天李華學了兩個常用語。個是pale in comparison, 表示不能比，遜色很多。另一個是blown away, 意思是大吃一驚。
