Larry 和李華在談?wù)撝蓍L(zhǎng)競(jìng)選的問(wèn)題。李華會(huì)學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)toast 和wiggle
room.

    LL： If the Governor doesn't change his education policies， Li Hua，
I think he is toast.

    LH：你說(shuō)什么？要是州長(zhǎng)不改變他的教育政策，他就會(huì)怎么吶？Toast 不是
烤面包嗎？我想這肯定是一種比喻，不過(guò)，He is toast 究竟是什么意思呢？

    LL： When I said "toast" I meant that he would be finished or done
for. Basically， I think he will lose the election.

    LH：噢， He is toast就是他沒(méi)有希望了，完了。 Toast這個(gè)說(shuō)法很生動(dòng)。
就像烤面包一樣，面包烤好了就會(huì)被彈出來(lái)，政府官員落選就像面包被彈出來(lái)一
樣。

    LL： That is exactly right.

    LH：我們州的這位州長(zhǎng)政績(jī)不錯(cuò)，希望他能當(dāng)選連任。 I hope he's not toast.

    LL： Well ， I'll agree with you that the Governor is very effective
in many ways. But after he decided to raise taxes ， most Americans were
pretty dissatisfied. He's toast ， I tell you.

    LH：我認(rèn)為他不會(huì)落選。你不是也認(rèn)為州長(zhǎng)在各方面都很有效率嗎？增加稅
收也是為了改善教育呀。我倒覺(jué)得他的競(jìng)選對(duì)手不行，他既不誠(chéng)實(shí)，也稅收方面
也沒(méi)有什么好主意。

    LL： I can see you and I aren't going to agree on this. Good friends
shouldn't talk about politics. We don't want our friendship to be toast！

    LH： Larry，你說(shuō)的沒(méi)錯(cuò)，再談?wù)�治我們兩個(gè)非成為仇人不可。我們換個(gè)話
題吧。你最近好像很忙，在忙什么呢？

    LL： Well ， since you asked， Li Hua ， if I don't finish the budget
report I am working on by Thursday， then I am toast！

    LH：什么？你要在星期四以前完成預(yù)算報(bào)告。今天已經(jīng)星期三了�？磥�(lái)你是
要完了。我要是你，今天無(wú)論如何不睡覺(jué)也要把報(bào)告寫(xiě)出來(lái)。

    LL： That is the best way to avoid being toast. Say ， Li Hua ， what
about you ？Don't you need to turn in a chapter from your dissertation
to your advisor ？

    LH：沒(méi)錯(cuò)，瓊斯教授說(shuō)了我非得在月底以前把我論文的第一章交給他，不然
就算我這學(xué)期不及格。那我就完了。Then I'm toast.

    LL： You *will* be toast， Li Hua. You won't be able to look for a
job next year ， and I know your parents will be very unhappy.

    LH：就是呀，書(shū)沒(méi)念好，父母不高興，我就真的完了。I will be toast ！

    ******

    LL： Did you see the candidates' debate last night， Li Hua ？ The
Governor really didn't leave himself any wiggle room on the tax issue.

    LH： Wiggle room？ Wiggle 有搖動(dòng)，擺動(dòng)的意思。 Room 是房間。你說(shuō)州
長(zhǎng)在房間里說(shuō)話的時(shí)候搖來(lái)擺去？

    LL： No ， I meant that on the issue of taxes he left himself very
little room to shift his position later.

    LH：你是說(shuō)他在辯論稅收問(wèn)題的時(shí)候沒(méi)有給自己留下回旋的余地。他都說(shuō)了
什么呢？

    LL： He promised during the debate that if he was reelected he would
not raise taxes.

    LH：他說(shuō)當(dāng)選后不會(huì)提高稅收？他實(shí)在不應(yīng)當(dāng)作出這個(gè)承諾。如果遇到自然
災(zāi)害、戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)或是經(jīng)濟(jì)惡化，政府怎么能不提高稅收呢？

    LL： You are exactly right. I can see he didn't leave himself any
wiggle room there. Say， Li Hua ， how is your dissertation chapter coming？

    LH：我的博士論文寫(xiě)得怎么樣了？哎，說(shuō)起來(lái)很慚愧，我一直沒(méi)有時(shí)間寫(xiě)。
時(shí)間表排得滿滿的，沒(méi)有一點(diǎn)回旋的余地。

    LL： I know how that is ， Li Hua. I am going to be working on my
budget project right up until the last minute. I haven't left myself much
wiggle room ， either.

    LH：我看你是得趕緊寫(xiě)那預(yù)算報(bào)告，要能在最后一分鐘寫(xiě)出來(lái)就算你運(yùn)氣。
我這星期一定得寫(xiě)完論文第一章。下學(xué)期我想減少教書(shū)的時(shí)間，這樣就會(huì)有多一
點(diǎn)的時(shí)間來(lái)寫(xiě)論文了。

    LL： While having some wiggle room in your schedule is a good thing，
are you worried about losing some of your income？

    LH：是啊，少教些書(shū)是會(huì)讓我有更多時(shí)間，不過(guò)我也擔(dān)心收入就會(huì)減少。

    LL： I'm not very good at sticking to a budget. I always like to have
some wiggle room in my budget for extra expenses.

    LH：我知道，規(guī)定自己一個(gè)月花多少錢是很難遵守的，總有要額外買些東西
的時(shí)候。所以我總給自己留一些余地，免得到時(shí)候沒(méi)有沒(méi)辦法。

    LL： Yeah ， I guess we can skip going out for ice cream for a while.

    LH：吃冰淇淋花得了多少錢！We have a lot of wiggle room for ice cream.

    今天李華學(xué)到了兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)。一個(gè)是toast ，意思是失敗，或是俗話說(shuō)完蛋。
另一個(gè)是wiggle room ，意思是回旋或調(diào)整的余地。