VOA流行美語 Unit 118: flunk/lose sleep over
VOA流行美語 Unit 118: flunk/lose sleep over
李華正在家裏批改中文班學生的考卷。Larry來找他。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：flunk和lose sleep over.
(Paper rustling sounds)
LH: (sighs) 唉，這兩個學生又不及格了。這學期他們已經是第三次考試不及格了！
LL: What? You're flunking them? I thought I told you to go easy on your poor students.
LH: 你在說什麼啊？flunk them? 什麼是flunk?
LL: I said you are going to flunk the students. That means you're going to give them a failing grade.
LH: 噢！flunk就是給他們不及格分數啊，那你還真說對了。你看看他們的考卷！這能及格嗎？
LL: Heh, let me see... whoa, that guy even wrote his own Chinese name wrong! If he can't even get that right, he's almost definitely going to flunk!
LH: 就是嘛！連自己的中文名都寫錯。我只能給他不及格了。等等，Larry，你先是說我flunk這些學生，給他們不及格，現在又說他們自己要flunk。這到底是誰要flunk誰啊？
LL: The word flunk can mean both "to give a failing grade to" as well as "to fail a course". So if you flunk that student, he will flunk the class. Got it?
LH: 噢，我懂了，flunk既可以指給學生不及格的分數，也可以指學生自己考不及格。那Larry, 你是不是也有過不及格的時候啊？
LL: What? No way! , almost. Actually, I almost flunked my first beginner's Chinese class. But I managed to pass with a C.
LH: 我的天啊！只拿到C？你啊！八成和我這些學生一樣懶散，不認真。我要是你的中文老師，絕對讓你不及格的！
LL: Hey, I did my best! My first Chinese teacher even tutored me on her own free time. If it weren't for her, I would have flunked!
LH: 嗯，那是你運氣，老師願意幫你補課。我也願意幫這些學生補習，可是他們經常連課都不來上，我能怎麼辦？
LL: They don't come to class? What a couple of idiots. Well, go ahead and flunk them, then.
******
LH: (Sighs) 唉！我真不知道該怎麼處理那兩個學生的成績。
LL: Yeah, I'd go ahead and just flunk them. Don't lose any sleep over it, they deserve it.
LH: 你要我別怎麼樣？睡不着覺？你在說些什麼啊？
LL: When I say lose sleep over something, I mean not to worry about it a lot.
LH: 噢，你這麼說我就懂了。Lose sleep over something就是說你非常擔心某件事情，而到了睡不着覺的地步。Larry，你真以爲我會爲這兩個學生擔心到失眠吶？
LL: Of course not. When we use this phrase, we are just exaggerating. I know you won't really lose sleep over something like this.
LH: 原來lose sleep over是有點誇張的說法。我雖然還不到失眠的程度。可是有時候我真覺得當一個老師壓力好大，有好多責任呢！
LL: Most of your students seem to be doing pretty well, right? You aren't losing any sleep over the other students, are you?
LH: 沒有！我有一些學生非常聰明，也很用功。
LL: That's good. That means the other two students are just irresponsible. There's no need to lose sleep over them failing your class.
LH: 對了，就這兩個學生有問題。他們不及格也是他們自己的責任。Larry, 我聽說你前幾天回絕了一個工作機會。怎麼回事呀？
LL: That? Oh, I'm not losing any sleep over that decision. I just don't have time for that job, I had no other choice.
LH: 沒事就好。時間太緊張就別再給自己增加負擔，讀書還是比較重要的。
LL: That's right. I'd rather have a low income than flunk a class. That's the kind of thing I could really lose sleep over!
LH: 我真希望我所有的學生都像你一樣，寧可錢少，也不能不及格。
今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是flunk，意思是老師給學生不及格分數，或是學生考不及格。另外一個常用語是lose sleep over something, 是爲某件事擔心而到了失眠的地步。
