L: 当然了。有一回我逃课去逛街被阿姨看到告诉了我妈妈，害得我挨了一顿骂。
　　M: That"s not too bad. Once when I was in school, the teacher busted me for selling candy to my classmates.
　　L: 啊？你向同学兜售糖果，幸亏你被抓到了，要不然不知道你还会干什么坏事呢。
　　******
　　L: Michael，想想真是奇怪，你楼上住了个罪犯你居然一直都不知道。
　　M: Yeah, but I"m not surprised. I always thought that guy was a creep.
　　L: A creep? 那是小偷的意思吗？

　　M: No, that"s not what I said. I said he"s a creep. A creep is someone who looks and acts in a way that makes people suspicious and uncomfortable.
　　L: 噢，a creep就是指一个人鬼鬼祟祟，令人怀疑。那你为什么觉得那个人是个creep呢？
　　M: Well, he was never a friendly neighbor. He was always frowning, and wouldn"t say hello to people. That"s one reason I thought he was a creep.
　　L：可是这也不能说他就是个creep啊。 因为有很多人平常都是皱着眉头，从来不和别人打招呼，可是不一定有什么坏心啊。
　　M: Sometimes he would try to sell us things. And even though we refused to buy his stuff, he just wouldn"t leave us alone. That"s why my neighbors didn"t like him. They all thought he was a little weird.

　　L: 啊，他还硬向你们推销东西。难怪你们怀疑他有什么不良动机。 所以你才说他是个creep。
　　M: You"ve got it. You give me an example.
　　L: 我们班有个男生很讨厌，所有的女生都觉得他是个creep。
　　M: Ok. Why is he a creep?
　　L: 他看人的眼神不对头，还有啊，他脸上总是一副皮笑肉不笑的表情，喜欢和女生开那种很肉麻的玩笑。
　　M: Yes, he definitely sounds like a creep to me.
　　L: 哎，Michael，我今天早上看到你和Alice在咖啡厅喝咖啡，你早上不是有上课吗？
　　M: Oh, you busted me! Please keep quiet about that, OK? I told my professor I had to visit a sick aunt in the hospital.
　　L: 什么？你这个人哪，迟早有一天会被教授抓到你说谎。

　　今天李华学会两个新词。一个是busted，就是做坏事被抓到的意思。另一个是creep ，指的是一个人的行为举止鬼鬼祟祟。

日期：2007-8-11　9:52:33

　　「美国习惯用语」第四十八讲
　　to get a foot in the door
　　to be dead on one"s feet
　　美国的商品推销员在不很久以前还是挨家挨户地去推销商品，例如吸尘机、厨房用品、百科全书和圣经等。当一位家庭主妇听到敲门声，把门打开的时候，精明能干的推销员就会把一只脚先伸到门里边，这样可以避免在他还没有机会介绍他的商品之前女主人就把门关上了。这种挨家挨户访问的推销员现在几乎已经消声匿迹了，大多数推销员现在都靠电话来招揽生意。可是，把一只脚先伸到门里边这个说法却成了一个人们经常用的俗语了，在英文里就是：to get a foot in the door。 To get a foot in the door的意思就是：为了达到一个目的迈出了第一步，尽管你可能离达到目的的距离还很远。下面这个例子是一个学生说的话：

　　例句-1: You know that beautiful girl who sits ahead of me in English class? She keeps turning me down for dates, but I finally got a foot in the door today: she met me for coffee after class.
　　这个学生说：“你知道英语课坐在我前面那个很漂亮的女孩子吗？我请她出去玩，她老是拒绝我。可是，今天我算是迈出了第一步。她答应下了课和我一起去喝咖啡。”
　　下面我们要举的例子是两个人在谈论一个很有政治野心的朋友。其中一个人说：
　　例句-2: Getting into politics is tough. But Martin got his foot in the door when he volunteered to go around town putting up posters for the Republican candidate for Congress.
　　他说：“要进入政界是很难的。可是，马丁曾经在当地义务地帮助那些共和党竞选国会议员的候选人张贴标语，这样他为能够进入政界迈出了第一步。”
　　一整天在电线干上贴标语或招贴画确实是很累的。马丁回到家的时候可能会感到两只脚累得连站都站不动了。这也有一个俗语来形容这种情景的： to be dead on one"s feet。美国虽然是最先进的国家之一，但仍然有好多职业需要工作人员站着做的。售货员就是其中之一。站了一天，到了下班的时候，他们必然会感到两只脚很累。下面就是一个售货员在对他的太太讲话：

　　例句-3: Honey, I"ve got to sit down and rest before I take you out to dinner. I"m really dead on my feet tonight: we had the big year-end sale on and I was so busy I didn"t even have time for lunch.
　　他说：“亲爱的，我得坐下歇一会儿再和你一起出去吃晚饭。我今天晚上两只脚实在累死了。我们正在举行年底大减价，我忙的连午饭都没有时间吃。”
　　下面的例子是一个孩子在跟他的同学说他们全家去看庆祝海湾战争游行的情况：
　　例句-4: My parents took me to Constitution Avenue to see the parade. After standing there for a whole day, my mom was so dead on her feet that she could not even cook dinner for us by the time we got home.
　　这个孩子说：“我爸爸妈妈带我到宪法大街去看游行。我们在那儿站了一天，回到家的时候，我妈妈的脚累得要死，连做晚饭也做不动了。”


日期：2007-8-11　9:54:00

　　流行美语第四十八课
　　今天李华从 Michael那儿学到了两个新词 redneck 和 in the sticks。
　　M: Come in!
　　L: Hi Michael! 真抱歉，我没先告诉你就来了。你的电话一直占线， 所以我没法打电话给你。
　　M: That"s no big deal. I was on the phone with my friend Bob who lives in Georgia. He is such a redneck!
　　L: 原来这样。对了，你把你朋友叫什么来着？你说他是什么啊？
　　M: I said he"s a redneck, R-E-D-N-E-C-K.

　　L: 一个红的脖子？ 这是什么意思啊？
　　M: A redneck is someone from the countryside who lives a country lifestyle.
　　L: 所以你叫一个人 redneck就是说他是乡下人或很土气。哎，这样 说别人很不礼貌吧。
　　M: Well, maybe. If you call someone a redneck, it means you think that they are not very cultured or sophisticated.
　　L: 你就因为你朋友住在乡下，你就开他玩笑说他是redneck ，未免 不太好吧。

　　M: I"m not really making fun of him. Some people are proud to be rednecks. Bob likes to call himself that.
　　L: 你说叫他redneck，Bob他还很得意呀。那我就不懂了。在中国， 大多数住在乡下的人都巴不得往城里跑呢。
　　M: Well, the U.S. is different. Being a redneck doesn"t mean being poor or uneducated. It is a way of living, I guess.
　　L: 那么rednecks到底像什么呢？你来说说。
　　M: Let me see, how can I describe them? When we say someone is a redneck we mean they are from the south, and speak with a southern accent。

　　L: 现在我懂了， redneck 呢一般是指美国南方人，或者说话有南方 口音的人。不过说真的，那些南方口音我真的听不太懂。
　　M: Also, rednecks like life in the countryside. They enjoy sports such as hunting or fishing. They like living in areas with lots of open space.
　　L: Hmm, rednecks他们不住在 城市，他们更享受乡下的生活。
　　M: Exactly. Also, most rednecks have blue-collar jobs, or work on a farm. By the way, Li Hua, be careful how you use this word. Some people might get angry if you call them a redneck.
　　### ### ###
　　L: 哎，对了，Michael，你那个红脖子朋友Bob为什么事打电话给你 啊？

　　M: Well, he asked me if I wanted to visit him this summer. I"m not sure if I really want to go though.
　　L: 真的吗？ 为什么你不想去呢？
　　M: He lives out in the sticks. There"s nothing for me to do out there.
　　L: 他生活在那儿？The sticks 是什么地方啊?
　　M: Oh, when I say in the sticks, that just means in a rural area, far from a big city.
　　L: 噢，原来是指乡下啊。哎哟，只不过离开城市几天，这样你也受 不了啊？

　　M: Well, I am used to city life. I don"t know how to fish or hunt, and I really don"t like farm work. I don"t think I would like living in the sticks.
　　L: 你觉得你不适合乡下的生活啊，不过偶尔去呼吸一下新鲜空气不 是挺好的吗？
　　M: I guess. Maybe I should visit him.
　　L: 要是有人自称是 redneck 的话，他也许觉得生活在乡下 in the sticks 也是很值得自豪的了？
　　M: Actually, the phrase in the sticks is not very polite. You shouldn"t tell someone that they live in the sticks unless you are just joking with them.
　　L: 奥，说别人 live in the sticks 并不是很好，除非你是在开玩笑啊？

　　M: You are right. Usually when you say something is in the sticks you mean it is far from anything civilized.