VOA流行美語 Unit 174:dump和ham
李華看到報上登出的有關公寓的廣告，租金比較便宜，於是她和Larry一起去看那公寓。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：dump和ham。
LL: Oh my God! This place is a dump! You couldn't possibly live here!
LH: 這地方真夠糟的！Larry，你說這是個dump，那是什麼意思啊？
LL: "Dump" as in "garbage dump." I mean that this place is far too dirty and poorly maintained for you to live in it.
LH: 所以dump就是指像垃圾堆一樣，很髒，各種條件都很差....哎呀！有一隻大蟑螂剛跑過去。這地方真的是個dump，怪不得租金這麼便宜。
LL: The paint is peeling off of the walls, the ceiling leaks, and the refrigerator looks 50 years old. I don't think I've ever seen such a dump.
LH: 你說的沒錯，這裏牆上的油漆都剝落了，天花板在漏水，冰箱看起來又舊又髒。算了算了，我們還是走吧！別在這兒浪費時間，我可不想住在這種地方。 It's really a dump。
LL: Are there any other apartments that you were planning to go and see today?
LH: 還有一個地方我想去看，離這兒只有幾條街，但願那個地方不像這裏那麼差勁。
LL: I don't know, Li Hua. This really isn't a very good area of the city. Maybe you should look at apartments somewhere else.
LH: 這個區域不好，我想也是，否則這裏的公寓租金不會這麼便宜！ 不過，要是到別處去找，那租金可能比我現在付的更高。
LL: That's possible. In that case, I think that maybe you should stay in your current apartment.
LH: 是嗎？你認爲我該繼續住在我現在的公寓裏？也許你說的對，我的公寓租金其實也不算太貴，而且也很舒服呢。
LL: Your apartment is a palace compared to this dump.
LH: 那倒是，和這裏比起來，我的公寓可算是皇宮了。我還是打消搬家的念頭吧！
LL: That's a good idea.
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LL: Hey, Li Hua, are those pictures from the party last weekend?
LH: 沒錯，這些是上禮拜開party時照的照片，昨天纔剛洗出來。嘿！你看，Sally真會搶鏡頭，幾乎每張照片都有她。
LL: Yeah, Sally's a real ham. She loves attention.
LH: She's a ham? Ham不是火腿嗎？那是一種豬肉嘛！噢！你是說Sally像一隻豬啊？
LL: (Laughing) No, I'm not saying she looks like a pig. Ham is slang for someone who loves attention. People who are hams especially love being videotaped or having their picture taken.
LH: 噢！Ham在這裏是指一個喜歡吸引別人注意的人。這種人特別喜歡錄像，照像。照這麼說，Sally絕對是個ham，她特喜歡別人給她照相。
LL: If we videotape the party, I'm sure she would have played a starring role.
LH: 沒錯，要是那天我們錄像的話，她肯定會象個明星一樣，到處都是她了。對了，Larry，你知道還有誰也可以算是個ham嗎？
LL: I think Jane is a real ham. She'd do anything to attract people's attention.
LH：對，Jane也特別喜歡照像。她也可以說是個ham。你再猜猜誰是個ham?
LL：No. Who?
LH: 你沒有注意到呀？我那貓咪小雪球啊！她也想盡辦法讓別人注意她。只要有人走進來，她立刻會衝上去，要別人看看她，摸摸她。
LL: My parents' dog is a real ham, too. He won't leave you alone until you pet him and give him his fare share of attention.
LH：這些小動物都要別人注意它們。我的朋友說，要是她出門時間長了，她的小狗會很不高興的。
今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是dump，是指一個像垃圾堆，很髒，條件很差的地方。另一個常用語是ham，是指一個很喜歡別人注意，喜歡搶風頭的人。
