Larry 和李華在一家咖啡店里聊天， Larry在告訴李華的辦公室里最近發(fā)生
的事。李華今天會學到兩個常用語：head honcho 和slam dunk.

    LL： So ， Li Hua ， yesterday the head honcho of the company I work
for came into the office.

    LH：誰到你們的辦公室來？公司的head honcho ？ head 是頭腦， honcho
是什么呀？

    LL： A Head honcho is the person with the highest position in a company
or organization. I think "honcho" actually comes from a Japanese word
meaning leader.

    LH： Head honcho就是一個公司，或一個機構的最高領導人。Honcho這個詞
原來是來自日文，意思是領導人。Honcho聽起來是像日文。聽起來，你好像挺高
興看見你們公司的head honcho.

    LL： Yes， indeed. I was very happy to meet the company president.
I had never met the head honcho before.

    LH：你和他從來沒有見過面？難怪他來了你們都好像有點受寵若驚一樣。那
這位高高在上的主管為什么會突然到你們辦公室去呢？

    LL： Well ， some of my co-workers have said that someone in our office
is being considered for a promotion ， but they don't know who. They think
the head honcho came by to see the candidate for himself.

    LH：你的同事說他是來看看他們領導想提拔的那個人，可是提拔誰呢，你們
又不知道。他要提拔的人他還不認識呀？

    LL： You know how head honchos are. He works in the company's main
office across town， and he doesn't always personally meet everyone that
is hired.

    LH：那倒也是，這個head honcho 在公司總部上班，而總部又不在你們大樓
里。說實話，即使是在同一個辦公樓里，老板也不一定認識所有的雇員呀。我們
大學的校長我也只是在大會上見過。

    LL： But， Professor Jones is the head honcho of the East Asian Studies
Department， and you know him.

    LH：是啊，東亞研究系的瓊斯教授倒是和我很熟。你們公司總裁是不是來看
你的。他們想提拔的就是你吧？

    LL： I don' t know， Li Hua. He did chat with me for a few minutes
about my work. Maybe the head honcho IS thinking about me for the promotion.

    LH：他跟你聊了幾分鐘有關你工作的事？我看他很可能是想提拔你！Larry ，
你將來也許會成為一個head honcho ！

    ******

    LL： I really don't think the promotion is a slam dunk， Li Hua.

    LH： Slam dunk？ Slam dunk不就是我們在打籃球的時候常說的灌籃嗎？

    LL： That' s right. A slam dunk is a shot taken by a basketball player
that can't be missed. The player is usually right by the hoop and is literally
shoving it right in the basket.

    LH：灌籃得分應當是十拿九穩(wěn)。人就在欄板下面，一伸手就把球灌進去了。
Larry ，我知道公司是否提拔你并不像灌籃那么十拿九穩(wěn)�？墒荓arry ，你的確
很出色呀！

    LL： The company president DID talk to several other people in the
office， so I have to say it is too early to think of the promotion as
a slam dunk.

    LH：我看也是，我們不要過于樂觀，畢竟跟公司總裁談話的不止你一個人。
不過，什么時候才知道the head honcho 看中的到底是誰呢？

    LL： I don't think I will know. Say ， what about you ， Li Hua ？
I remember you applied for a fellowship for next year. I'd say for you
that is a slam dunk ！

    LH：我是申請了獎學金，可是現(xiàn)在還沒有消息呢。對我來說，這也不是十拿
九穩(wěn)的， I don't think it is a slam dunk.

    LL： How could it not be a slam dunk？ You are honestly one of the
hardest working students I know. I can't imagine any one else getting
the fellowship.

    LH： Thanks ， Larry. 我是很努力，可是用功的學生很多呀。不過聽到你
這么贊揚我，我還是很高興。

    LL： Well ， let's talk about something that is a slam dunk ！

    LH：什么事情是slam dunk ，一定會發(fā)生呢？

    LL： I'd say it is a slam dunk that after we finish our coffee， you
are going to go home and study.

    LH：喝完了咖啡，我就要回家去做作業(yè)了。這是肯定的，That is a real slam
dunk， Larry.

    今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是head honcho ，意思是公司或組織的最
高主管。還有一個是slam dunk ，指的是很有把握，肯定會發(fā)生的事情。