流行美语: lucky break ; mellow

大家到现在都认识 Michael这个美国学生了，他不断在学中文，他很喜欢听他的中国同学李华讲中文。李华呢，在和Michael接触中也学了不少英文。现在他们俩刚上完课，正从课堂里走出来。今天李华会学到两个常用语： lucky break和mellow。

L: 今天教授把考卷发回给我们了，Michael，你考得好吗？

M: I did much better than I expected. It was a lucky break that I knew most of the answers.

L: 你考得比你预期的好，那太好了。不过，你说什么又是lucky，又是break的？Lucky不是好运气吗？Break是休息，对不对？

M: Lucky break together means something good that happens that you were not expecting.

L: 噢，lucky和break这两个词放在一起，它的意思就是没有预料到的好运气。Michael，你刚才那句话是怎么说来着？

M: I said: it was a lucky break that I knew most of the answers.

L: 我懂了。你是说，你没有想到运气会那么好，大多数考题的答案你刚好都知道。

M: Yeah, that's right. If you understand, give me an example.

L: 哼，我当然懂了，你还要考考我呐？ 那天我开车开的飞快， 警察让我把车停下来。可是他只给了我一个警告，而没有给我罚单，我可没想到会有这种好运气。这可以说是一个lucky break吧？

M: That was a lucky break. I think it was because the police officer found you attractive.

L: 警察因为看我漂亮才不给我开票？你别开玩笑了！不过，那次可 运气，否则至少要罚我五十美元。让我想想还有什么例子可以 用lucky break这个说法的。

M: Well, the paper that's due in two days, I.....

L: 对了，教授要我们在两天后交报告，Michael，你还没有开始动手 吧！幸好教授推迟了限期，让我们下星期一交。这对你来说真是个lucky break吧？

M: Let's go to lunch to celebrate our good luck.

L: 好呀， 去吃午饭，庆祝我们的好运气。

(Michael和李华到了吃饭的地方)

L: 啊呀，这个地方太闹了！

M: Yeah, you're right. It'll be hard for us to have a conversation here. Let's go to a place that's more mellow.

L: 对，在这里讲话都听不到。到别的地方去吧。Michael，你刚才讲什么more mellow?

M: I said that let's go to a place that's more mellow, meaning someplace more calm and relaxing.

L: 噢，more mellow的意思是比较平静，比较放松。那也就是说到一个不太闹的地方去，对不对？

M: Yeah, you can use the word mellow to describe a person too.

L: Mellow也可以用来形容一个人，那今天我们的教授很平静，我可不可以说：She was mellow today!

M: Yeah, let's go the cafe near the library.

L: 太好了，这个地方很安静。我们来看看菜单。哟，你看，再过五分钟就开始减价了，三明治今天半价。我们运气可真好呀！

M: Well, we found the mellow place and we pay half price. Really a lucky break. Worth celebrating too.

L: 对，找到安静的地方，还只付半价。真值得庆祝。你多吃点吧， 晚饭就别吃了。

M: Ok. Good idea!

这俩个小年轻还在狼吞虎咽地吃三明治。今天他们在讲话中用了lucky break 和mellow这两个常用语，这是美国人在日常生活中经常用的，大家不妨也在口语中试着用用。今天的[流行美语]就到此结束， 谢谢大家，我们下次再见。

(ZT)