李華和Larry要去聽演唱會。今天我們要學兩個常用語:run-of-the-mill和roll the dice。
LH: Larry,今天晚上的演唱會好聽么?那個樂隊是什么類型的???
L: Well ... they're kind of hard to describe. Their music is a mixture of many different styles.
LH: 各種音樂的混合?聽著很有新意! 現(xiàn)在很多樂隊都沒有自己的風格,跟別的樂隊差不多,沒意思。
L: I totally agree, Lihua. Luckily, they are not just some run-of-the-mill rock band.
LH: Run of the mill? 是什么意思?
L: When you say that something is run-of-the-mill, that means that it is very average, or just like all the others.
LH: 哦,run-of-the-mill就是沒特色的,千篇一律的。你的意思是,這個樂隊并不是那種毫無特色的樂隊。
L: Exactly! For example, the makers of Avatar said it would not be just another run-of-the-mill action movie, and would be like nothing anyone had seen before.
LH: 對,電影“阿凡達”當初宣傳的時候,就說自己是非同尋常的,觀眾從沒看過的新類型電影。對了,Larry, 這個樂隊我怎么從沒聽說過?。?/p>
L: Well, they still aren't very well known, so only music magazines write about them. You won't read about them in the standard, run-of-the-mill newspapers.
LH: 哦,主流媒體沒報道他們,只有在比較專業(yè)的音樂雜志上才會看到關(guān)于他們的介紹。Larry, 我有點餓,咱們?nèi)パ莩獣笆遣皇窍瘸渣c東西?
L: Sure, where do you want to eat?
LH: 不知道......麥當勞吧!
L: McDonalds? I don't want to eat at some run-of-the-mill fast food restaurant.
LH: 可是演唱會還有半個小時就開始了。吃麥當勞快啊。
L: Don't worry, we can be a little late. I think the opening band is just some run-of-the-mill pop band.
LH: 你是說,負責暖場的樂隊沒什么特色,不看也沒關(guān)系。那咱們?nèi)コ詨鬯景伞?/p>
L: Sounds good! Let's go.
*****
Larry and 李華在談?wù)搫偨Y(jié)束的演唱會。
LH: Larry, 這個樂隊太棒了! 他們肯定會紅!
L: Do you think so? It takes a lot of luck to become a famous band. There is a lot of competition out there.
LH: 你說得也對。不過要想成名,就得努力抓住機會,試試看嘛!
L: Right, even though the chances aren't very good, sometimes you just have to roll the dice.
LH: Roll the dice? 你是說擲骰子么?
L: Right. When you roll the dice, that means that you take a chance, just like when you make a bet gambling.
LH: 哦,roll the dice和擲骰子一樣,表示碰碰運氣! 你是說,雖然很多樂隊最終紅不了,但是想出名的人還是應(yīng)該碰碰運氣,說不定就能成功?
L: Exactly. Here's another example. Terrence wasn't sure he would like living in New York, but he decided to roll the dice and move there anyway.
LH: 哦,Terrence并不知道自己會不會喜歡紐約,不過他還是決定先搬過去,住住試試。Larry, 如果是你,你想住在什么地方?
L: Definitely Hawaii! I'm not sure that I could find a job there, but it's such a beautiful place that sometimes I think it's worth rolling the dice.
LH: 哈哈,即使冒著找不到工作的危險,你也想搬去夏威夷?我和你不一樣,我想去羅馬,而且我肯定能有工作,我要去當意大利菜大廚!
L: Wow, that is definitely a roll of the dice. You don't know how to cook Italian food!
LH: A roll of the dice? 你是說我希望渺茫?我不管,不會可以學嘛!對了,說到意大利菜,咱們?nèi)ツ慵腋浇莻€餐館吃點宵夜吧。
L: I don't know ... I read in the newspaper that it's just boring, run-of-the-mill Italian food.
LH: 別聽報紙的,咱們自己試試去!
L: Well alright, let's roll the dice and see what happens.
LH: 好! 吃完了咱們再去看個午夜場電影! 最近有什么好片么?
L: I'm not sure ... Let's just roll the dice. We'll just go to the theater and watch whatever movie happens to be playing.
LH: 這樣也不錯! 走吧!
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是run-of-the-mill, 表示沒有特色,千篇一律。另一是roll the dice, 意思是碰運氣。