VOA流行美語 Unit 49: UNDER THE WEATHER..

VOA流行美語 Unit 49: UNDER THE WEATHER..

在今天的對話中Michael會教李華兩個常用語：一個是under the weather，另一個是to grab a bite to eat。

M: Hello?

L: 喂，Michael，你今天怎麼了？我怎麼在學校沒看到你，打電話到你上班的地方也沒人接。你沒事兒吧？

M: Oh, its nothing. I am just a little under the weather today, so I decided to take the rest of the day off and really rest.

L: 什麼？你說天氣不好，所以你就請一天假。天氣好好的嗎，你幹嗎撒謊呢？

M: No no, I said "I am under the weather today". Under, U-N-D-E-R; The Weather, W-E-A-T-H-E-R. Under the weather, it means sick.

L: 噢，under the weather就是生病的意思啊，那你還不趕快看醫生啊？

M: Oh, don't worry. It's not very serious. Usually when someone says that they are under the weather, they mean they feel bad, but are not very sick.

L: 你的病不嚴重，那我就放心了。可是你爲什麼今天覺得under the weather呢？

M: Last night I went out to eat with a friend. After dinner, it started to rain heavily. We didn't have umbrellas, and I had to walk to a long way back to my car in the rain. I think I caught a cold, so now I feel under the weather.

L: 難怪了，你吃完飯就淋着雨走了那麼長的路。哎呀，你以後可千萬小心，萬一得了什麼大病那該怎麼辦呢？

M: It's ok, Li Hua. I can take care of myself. That's why I am resting at home. That reminds me, how is your mother doing? Didn't you say she was under the weather last week?

L: 噢，我媽媽現在好多了。不過上星期可真把我們嚇壞了。上星期一她突然說不舒服，提前下班，第二天就開始咳嗽，渾身發軟。

M: Oh no! You must have been worried she had SARS.

L: 沒錯，我家裏人都擔心她感染了薩斯。所以每個人都嚷着自己 under the weather，不過啊，第二天我媽媽的情況好轉，他們每個人也都覺得自己好了。

M: They were all thinking about SARS, so they also felt under the weather. In fact, they were all ok.

L: 就是啊，他們覺得自己under the weather，我看純粹是心理作用。

M: So why were you trying to call me at work today?

L: 我打電話想問問你今天晚上要不要一快去吃飯。

M: Well, I'd like to, but I really think I should stay at home tonight. Maybe this weekend we can grab a bite to eat.

L: 你說我們這個週末吃什麼？

M: I said we can "grab a bite to eat". Grab, G-R-A-B; a bite, B-I-T-E; to eat, E-A-T. It means we can go out and have a quick meal somewhere this weekend.

L: 噢，grab a bite to eat就是隨便到那個餐館吃一頓，對不對。

M: That's about right. To be exact, it means to find some quick and simple food, like fast food.

L: 啊？尤其指吃快餐啊，我可不想這樣隨便grab a bite to eat 。我想去個有氣氛的好餐館。再說了，Michael，你也不應該老吃垃圾食物。

M: I know, I know. It's just that I often don't have a lot of time between classes and work. So at lunchtime, I usually have to go to a fast food place and grab a bite to eat. I don't have time to go anywhere else.

L: 如果你覺得中午時間很緊，那你就因該在家裏把午飯準備好帶到學校。你看，你每天到外面grab a bite to eat，那樣你的開銷多大啊。

M: I don't always grab a bite to eat at fast food places. Sometimes I make lunch at home. But it takes a lot of time in the evening, and sometimes I am busy then, too.

L: Michael，你真是太不會照顧自己了，冒着雨亂跑，整天吃垃圾食品，難怪你會under the weather，以後你真的要好好照顧自己呢。

今天Michael身體有點不舒服，就是under the weather:Michael約李華等他身體好了一起去grab a bite to eat，也就是隨便到外面吃點快餐。