VOA流行美語 Unit 185:bottom feeder和bounce

李華和Larry正在討論在報紙上看到的幾個犯罪案件。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：bottom feeder和bounce。

LH: Larry，你有沒有看到報上說的那個被警察逮捕的毒販？

LL: Yeah, that guy is a real bottom feeder. I hope that he goes to jail for a long time.

LH: 嗯，像這種壞人真應該被抓到牢裏關起來。Larry，你剛纔還說這傢伙是個真正的bottom feeder，bottom是底層，feeder不是飼養員嗎？這兩個字怎麼能合在一起，它們和那些壞人有什麼關係？

LL: A bottom feeder is a really low, despicable person. That guy was selling drugs to kids, so he definitely counts as a bottom feeder.

LH: 噢，bottom feeder是形容一個很低下、很卑鄙的人。沒錯，報上說的那個人專門賣毒品給年輕孩子，簡直太可惡了。我認爲所有的毒販都是bottom feeders.

LL: Unfortunately, there are a lot of bottom feeders in the world.

LH: 就是啊，這個世界還是有不少這種卑鄙的壞人。對了，Larry，這個bottom feeder是不是隻能用來形容犯罪分子？

LL: It can be used to describe other people, too, but it's a very negative term.

LH: Bottom feeder還能用來形容其他人？那Larry，你給我舉個例子。

LL: Well, some people think that lawyers are bottom feeders because they benefit from other peoples' misfortunes.

LH: 對，好多人都不喜歡律師，認爲律師很卑鄙。我還聽到過好多恥笑律師的笑話呢！可是，Larry，律師不也會保護我們的權利嗎？

LL: That's true, but some people are upset by the fact that many lawyers get rich defending criminals.

LH: 噢，我明白了，人們之所以討厭律師，是因爲律師經常幫犯罪分子辯護，靠着打這種官司來賺錢。嗯，可是不管怎麼說，我還是認爲有的律師不能算bottom feeders。

LL: Some people think that tabloid journalists are bottom feeders because they invade the privacy of celebrities and they don't always verify stories before they publish them.

LH: 這我絕對同意，那些專門報道名人私生活的狗仔記者，真是夠惡劣的。他們經常捏造有關名人的一些很荒謬，不確實的報道。只有卑鄙的人才會寫出這樣的東西來！ They are real bottom feeders!

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LL: Hey, Li Hua, it was fun discussing the news with you, but I've got to bounce. I have to be at the doctor's office by 2:00.

LH: 噢，你兩點鐘還得去看醫生啊？那你得趕快走了。你說你要bounce，是那個拍皮球bounce a ball的bounce嗎？

LL: "Bounce" can be slang for leave. I've got to bounce means that I have to leave.

LH: 噢，我懂了，to bounce就表示，得走了。你說你得要bounce，是因爲你得趕着去那個醫生診所了。

LL: Hey, don't you have to bounce if you're going to make to class on time?

LH: 我的老天，現在都快兩點了，謝謝你提醒我，我差點兒忘了得去上一堂課呢！看來我得趕緊bounce，趕快走嘍！

LL: Well, I have a little bit of time. If we bounce right now, I can drive you to campus.

LH: 你肯定有時間把我送到學校？那就太好了，要不然，等我走到學校可能就要遲到了。

LL: Okay, are you ready to bounce now?

LH: 嗯，等一會兒，我只要進去把我的書和揹包拿出來。

LL: Okay, I'll go start the car. Just come on outside when you're ready to bounce.

LH: 沒問題，你先去發動車子，我拿了包就來！

今天李華學到兩個常用語。一個是bottom feeder，這是形容那種下流卑鄙的人。另一個常用語是bounce，這是指要離開，要走的意思。