李華通過了博士生的資格考試。Larry 漲了工資。兩人一起去吃飯慶祝。李
華今天要學(xué)兩個(gè)常用語，go out和more than friends.

    LL： It is so nice to be celebrating such happy events with you ，
Li Hua！ And on such a wonderful evening， I have an important question
to ask you.

    LH：重要問題？好，有什么問題盡管問！

    LL：（Nervously ） Uh ……Well……I was wondering if you wanted to
……go out with me.

    LH：出去干嘛？我們還沒吃完飯呢？再說，外面又那么悶熱。

    LL：（A little embarrassed） Uhhh ……Noooo. I don't actually mean
for us to go outside *right now*， Li Hua. By asking if you wanted to
go out with me， I meant： Would you date me？

    LH：哦，原來go out with you 是約會(huì)的意思。

    LL：（Hopefully ） Yes……So， would you like to go out with me ，
Li Hua？

    LH： Larry，我們做朋友這么久了，你現(xiàn)在要跟我談戀愛，我還真覺得有些
突然。

    LL： We *have* been friends for a long time ， Li Hua ， and I realized
that there isn't anyone else I enjoy doing things with as much as you.
That's why I decided to ask you to go out with me.

    LH：我得考慮一下，因?yàn)檫@樣一來，我們的關(guān)系就全變了。

    LL： Well ， it wouldn't change things that much. If we are going
out ， we will still do all the things we do now： go to restaurants，
see movies， and take trips to fun places.

    LH：你說得沒錯(cuò)，那我們就不能跟別人約會(huì)了吧？

    LL： That is generally the idea ， Li Hua. When you go out with someone，
you don't usually date other people.

    LH：我現(xiàn)在倒是沒跟什么人約會(huì)，可是……

    LL： What ？ Is it that you don't want to go out with me， Li Hua ？

    LH：不是。我很喜歡你，我就是希望我們永遠(yuǎn)能象現(xiàn)在這么好。

    LL： So ， you will go out with me？

    LH：好，我愿意！

    ******

    LL： This is so great ！ You've made me so happy， Li Hua. I was worried
you were going to say you wanted to be "just friends."

    LH：我知道，如果女孩子不接受男子的追求，就可以說She wants to be "just
friends." 只做普通朋友。

    LL： How do you know about being "just friends" ， Li Hua ？

    LH：以前我跟兩個(gè)室友住在一起，經(jīng)常說起交男朋友的事。

    LL： So ， what did your roommates tell you ？

    LH：有個(gè)男孩約Nancy 出去，可Nancy 并不喜歡他，所以她就打電話給那個(gè)
男孩，說更愿意做普通朋友。

    LL： Well ， Li Hua ， it takes a lot of courage for a guy to ask
a girl out on a date - and there is nothing worse than hearing a girl
say she wants to be "just friends."

    LH：這我可不信。

    LL： I guess you are right， Li Hua. A girl could say worse things！

    LH：不過我可以想象，被謝絕的男孩子的自尊心肯定會(huì)受到打擊。

    LL： That's right. And that is why I am so glad you didn't say you
wanted to be "just friends" ， Li Hua ， just a moment ago. I would have
been sad.

    LH：如果不是"just friends"普通朋友，那我們是什么呢？

    LL： Well ， when a girl says she would like to go out with a guy ，
she and the guy become "more than friends."

    LH：也就是說我們?cè)瓉硎瞧胀ㄅ笥�，那現(xiàn)在開始約會(huì)，所以我們的關(guān)系已經(jīng)
不只是朋友，超越了朋友的界限了？

    LL： Right， being "more than friends" is a way of saying you are
dating someone. So now we are "more than friends."

    LH：兩個(gè)"more than friends" 的人做的事情，一定跟"just friends"的人
做的不一樣嘍？

    LL： Like date each other.

    LH：還有拉手，擁抱……

    LL： Oh ， look ！ It's the waiter with our bill， Li Hua. Maybe we
can continue this conversation later……

    今天李華學(xué)到了兩個(gè)常用語。一個(gè)是go out，是約會(huì)的意思。另一個(gè)是just
friends 做普通朋友，和more than friends ，戀愛的關(guān)系。