VOA流行美語 Unit 250:Oh boy和scaredy cat

Larry和李華開車到遊樂園去坐過山車。她今天要學兩個常用語，Oh boy和scaredy-cat。

LL: Oh, Boy! Isn't this amusement park great, Li Hua! I can't wait to take a ride on the roller coaster.

LH: Oh, Boy？我知道你早就盼着來這兒坐過山車。可你說oh boy是什麼意思啊？

LL: "Oh, Boy!" is a common American expression that really has nothing to do with boys at all.

LH: 那你剛纔說Oh boy是什麼意思呢？

LL: When I said "Oh, Boy!" I was expressing that I was excited about coming to the park and that I was looking forward to the fun we are going to have today.

LH: 所以你說Oh boy是表示高興和興奮。

LL: That's right. Oh, Boy! Li Hua, look at that. There is someone selling cotton candy. I love cotton candy.

LH: 我從沒吃過棉花糖，好吃嗎？

LL: Oh, boy, is it ever! It is so light and sweet. I am sure you will love it.

LH: Oh boy! Larry, 你看，那邊有旋轉木馬。

LL: Well, let's take a ride on the carousel. It will be a lot of fun. But did you see the roller coaster, Li Hua? Oh, boy... (Nervous tone)

LH: 怎麼了？剛纔你說oh boy, 好象不太高興。

LL: I just saw that the roller coaster flips you upside down, and I really don't like roller coasters that flip you upside down. Oh, boy...

LH: 可你剛纔不是說oh boy是高興的意思嗎？

LL: Well, it all depends on your tone, Li Hua. If you say "Oh, Boy!" like this, it means you are happy. If you say "Oh, boy" like this, it means you are concerned or dismayed about something.

LH: 噢，我明白了。 Oh boy既可以指讓人高興的事，也可以指讓人擔心的事，完全取決於語氣。

LL: That's right, Li Hua. It all depends on how you say it.

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LL: I can't believe I am so worried about riding this roller coaster. I am usually not this much of a scaredy-cat.

LH: 什麼是scaredy-cat? 聽起來好象是膽小鬼的意思。

LL: You are absolutely right, Li Hua. And right now, I am feeling like a big scaredy-cat about the roller coaster.

LH: 你現在什麼感覺？

LL: Well, right now, I have this tight feeling in my stomach, and I am shaking a little. See, look at how my hand is shaking.

LH: 我害怕的時候手也會抖，心裏還會砰砰地跳。

LL: What about you, Li Hua? I thought you told me once you didn't like riding roller coasters. Why aren't you acting like a scaredy-cat now?

LH: 我以前也不敢做過山車，後來咬着牙試了一次，發現根本不可怕，而且頭衝下的時候特別刺激。

LL: Okay. I'll try to be brave and ride the roller coaster with you. So, is there anything that makes you feel like a scaredy-cat, Li Hua?

LH: 說起來有點兒丟人。我最怕的是游泳。

LL: You are a scaredy-cat about swimming? Why is that, Li Hua?

LH: 因爲我小時候沒機會學游泳，所以長大後，不僅不敢下水游泳，連坐船都會害怕。

LL: You know, my mother is a big scaredy-cat about flying on planes. She doesn't like the feeling of going up into the air.

LH: 我聽說很多人都害怕坐飛機，去什麼地方，寧可開車或是坐火車 去。

LL: My mom is like that. If she can she'd rather drive or take a train when she travels.

LH: 每個人都有自己害怕的事情。

LL: Well, I think people are scaredy-cats about things they think are dangerous.

LH: 你說得沒錯。不過如果什麼都怕，什麼都不敢嘗試，不是也很無聊嗎？

LL: Maybe so, but I am still feeling like a scaredy-cat about that roller coaster. Do I really have to go, Li Hua?

LH: Larry, 我保證你不會掉下來。So stop being a scaredy-cat, and let's go.

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是oh boy, 用來表達高興或是擔心的情緒。另一個是scaredy-cat, 是膽小鬼的意思。