原版读解：
http://blog.wenxuecity.com/myblog/48976/201111/12407.html
Dear Mom and Dad,
How are you? It’s the end of the semester and I’m really under the gun. I’m up to my eyeballs in work. The amount of reading my professors assign is ridiculous. And, as you know, I thought I’d try my hand at a new sport and joined the university’s rowing team this semester.With that decision, I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Between school, my job, and that, the only time I find time to study is late at night. I’m burning the midnight oil six days out of seven. And even though I’ve really buckled down and begun to study, I’m still not finding the time to get everything done.
What else? Oh! My old computer finally bit the dust.What a pain in the neck—right at the end of the semester! It really puts me between a rock and a hard place. I try to use the computers in the library, but it’s only open until 11 p.m. I never make it there on time, so I have to ask my roommate if I can use his computer. But as you know, the guy is a bit odd. Personally, I don’t think he’s playing with a full deck. You know, I always say,“you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours,” but the favors he asks of me are usually outrageous, and he then gets mad if I don’t agree to them. The other day, he asked to borrow my car for a six-hour drive to visit his girlfriend for the day. When I said no, he blew up at me, and then that night, about an hour after I had turned in for the night, he got up, turned on his music and started to do yoga! Anyway,money’s not so good now that I have to save for a new computer. I don’t want to cut corners and buy a cheap computer, because I’d just have to replace it soon anyway.
On a more positive note, I’mall about this rowing thing. I wanted to be on the competition team next semester, but thought I didn’t have a prayer since, formost of the guys on that team, rowing is old hat. They’ve been at it since they were kids and I’m still green. But Coach said yesterday that if I keep at it, I’m a shoo-in for a position on the competition team. That made my day.Well, that’s all for now. I’ll write again soon.
Love, Brad
1. To be under the gun. To be under pressure or stress.
2. To be up to one’s eyeballs in something. To have a lot of or too much of something.
3. To try one’s hand at something. To try something for the first time.
4. To bite off more than you can chew. To commit yourself tomore than you can handle.
5. To burn the midnight oil. To be awake and doing something late at night.
6. To buckle down. To dedicate yourself to an activity, to work very hard and seriously at something.
7. To bite the dust. To break. To be nomore. To die.
8. To be a pain in the neck. To be an annoyance, a difficulty, a hindrance.
9. To be between a rock and a hard place. To be in a position where you can’t do what you want to do because you’re caught between two options that are both difficult or disagreeable.
10. To not be playing with a full deck. To behave in an illogical or crazy way. To be crazy.
11. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Said about a situation in which two people can benefit from each other’s help. Each will do the other a favor in order to get what he or she wants from the other person.
12. To blow up at someone. To suddenly get very angry with someone and yell. To explode.
13. To turn in, or to turn in for the night. To go to bed.
14. To cut corners. To fail to spend the proper amount of money, effort, or time on something.
15. On a positive note. To talk about happier issues.
16. To be all about something. To be very interested or active in something. To like something very much.
17. To not have a prayer. To not have a chance or hope.
18. To be old hat. To be something someone is accustomed to.
19. To be at something. To engage or take part in something. Notice that you can also say “keep at” something, meaning to continue to take part in something.
20. To be green. To be new or inexperienced.
21. To be a shoo-in. To be the best or most likely candidate for something.
22. To make someone’s day. To cause someone great happiness, joy, or pride.
