VOA流行美語 Unit 57: FOLKS / RAG ON
VOA流行美語 Unit 57: FOLKS / RAG ON
今天Michael和李華談到和父母溝通的問題，李華學到了folks和rag on這兩個習慣用法。
M: (talking to the phone) Hey look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later. Bye. (sound of putting the phone down). Oh, geez!
L: 哎，Michael! 我不想打斷你說話。
M: Oh don't worry about it, Li Hua. It was just my folks.
L: Folks? 你說你在跟誰說話？
M: My folks. Here "folks" means "parents".
L: 噢，folks就是指"父母"啊。聽起來你好象不太想和你爸媽說話。這不太好吧？
M: I just get tired of talking to them, that's all. My folks call me two or three times a week to remind me to do things, like go to the dentist, or change the oil in my car. I am an adult now, and they don't need to do that.
L: 你爸媽每星期給你打兩三次電話，提醒你去看牙醫、換汽車的機油，那不是很好嗎？哎，對了，Michael, 你去看了牙醫了沒有？你不是說牙痛嗎？
M: Please, Li Hu, you sound just like my folks.
L: 你呀，真不領情。對了，用folks來稱呼父母，這是不是不太禮貌啊？
M: No, its not impolite really, but it is very informal.
L: 噢，folks是很隨便的稱呼，但並不是沒有禮貌的。哎，Michael, 一般是你會主動給你父母打電話，還是他們給你打電話啊？
M: Well, um. Usually my folks call me first! I don't have to call them!
L: 你不給他們打電話，那是爲什麼？
M: I don't usually have a lot to say to my folks. They call me so often, I have no new news to tell them. By the way, Li Hua, how often do you talk to your folks?
L: 怎麼會和父母沒話說呢？我和我爸媽每個星期至少要打兩次電話呢。
M: Wow, that must be expensive.
L: 還好啦。我和我爸媽都有電腦，這樣我們就可以通過電腦免費通話了。
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L: 哎，你知道嗎，Michael, 你真是應該多給你父母打電話。你們都住在同一個城市，不打電話太不應該了。
M: Li Hua, please stop ragging on me about my parents. I still visit them all the time!
L: 你說要我不要怎麼啦？Ragging on? 那是什麼意思啊？
M: I said, "Stop ragging on me". "To rag on someone" means "to scold or tease someone over and over."
L: To rag on someone就是說你不斷地責備或者取笑某個人。嘿，我才提醒你兩次，這樣也算是ragging on you啊?
M: Well, not really. You're not as bad as my folks. They rag me all the time about all kinds of things.
L: 等等，你剛纔說they rag me，那rag後面到底有沒有on啊？你說清楚好不好？
M: Ok ok, stop ragging on me! "To rag" can be used with "on", or without "on." The meaning is just the same.
L: 噢，我懂了。哎，那你爸爸媽媽他們老是說你什麼？
M: They rag on me about not cleaning my car, not eating right, drinking too much, not having a girlfriend, not going to church, not calling them, not calling my other relatives.
L: 哎，等等，等等。你說你父母說你不洗車，不吃健康食物、喝酒太多，還有，沒有女朋友，又不去教堂，也不給他們打電話。哎喲，這批評還真不少啊。我的父母好象不怎麼說我哎。
M: Well, anyway, its getting late. Want to get some pizza?
L: Michael, 幹嗎不自己做點健康食物呢？
M: First my folks, and now you. It seems like everyone wants to rag on me today.
李華今天和Michael一起談到和父母溝通的問題的時候，學到了兩個美國用語的用法。Folks是指父母；Rag on則是不停地批評和嘲笑他人的意思。
