1. It's cool:cool 是青少年(teen-agers) 常用的字,(有時也用 debonaire)$ J* @7 e- ]% d
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其真正意思是指可以接受的好事;或是情況可以控制;或是保持冷靜、文雅、禮貌、外表不錯,能夠合乎年輕人的標準。(可指人或事物)也就是 something good or acceptable;situation is under control;being calm, gentle, courteous or good-looking;meet teen's standard. 所以可以說:
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That's cool;he is cool;this is cool.! z- L& J; u# \9 N5 r9 ?
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Skydiving (或surfing) is cool.(跳傘或衝浪運動很不錯)2 n9 [5 k. I- V& E# y
* R; ^% g3 L( S" d4 d, k. R" V主詞可用任何人稱的單複數 (I, we, they 等),動詞可用 verb to be 的任何時態 (is, was, were, will be, have been等)。因此,也可以說:
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3 r: V o- q/ ^9 `, H( f2 kShe (He) was cool in the past.
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+ J3 _4 v* v! Z6 K" m8 j8 ?" B& ?That's a cool T-shirt.(好看的運動衫)5 Z, p3 ]% Y3 P, y9 F( a
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He (she) is a cool person.(文雅禮貌的人)- t2 T W# D5 U& F- P, [* u/ D
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但是如果說:Are you cool?又是指「你冷嗎?」(cool = cold),可見 cool 當口頭禪或俚語時,多半不用在問句。假如說:5 f' T' d3 Z+ y. m/ ^% |7 ?
! [; `0 g# j4 D2 BShe looks as cool as a cucumber. 又是恭維語,是說她很 calm and charming; not, A- z2 T9 _+ i2 V
. Z+ \; h3 N! G* Jemotional. 但為何用黃瓜 (cucumber) 代表,則不得而知。
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5 ^" H6 S6 z" n% ?3 O& U9 Q+ E(註:許多華人把 cool 譯成「很酷」)
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% C( C8 _( h# ]: {, E2. Are you trippin'?:trippin' 這個字,是由動詞 trip 演變而來。(動詞時態是:tripped, tripping)年輕人用省略符號 (apostrophe ) 代替 g,表示是 slang,或口頭禪。這個字是現在分詞當形容詞用,是指行為異乎尋常,也許受到吸毒或喝酒的影響,而顯得神魂顛倒、奇形怪狀(to get high on drug such as LSD),也就是說:要不是受到藥、酒的影響,你為什 顯得這樣古怪呢?(Are you under any influence of drug or alcoholic? Why are you so crazy and bizarre?) 所以可以說:
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+ N8 p# I' D5 a3 h' N& ]They are trippin'. (= tripping)0 V8 Z, @; W0 M* E
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She (he) is trippin'.
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Mr. A must be trippin'.$ [5 W9 D& {" j$ n' M
, {5 G3 C( u( W5 W8 ]) Z0 [, h通常只用在年輕人身上,而且不是恭維語。
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3. He is a nerd:nerd 是指一些年輕人,每天只懂讀書、考試,但對生活上的其他事情,都很生疏。 (A person always buries his nose in books, but not good at social situations.)由於美國十分重視多方面發展的教育 (well-rounded),所以許多老外認為 nerd 雖然學識不錯,但很乏味;有IQ,但缺乏EQ,只是社會上無足輕重的「書蟲」或「蠢貨」而已。(IQ = Intelligence Quotient ; EQ = Emotional Quotient) nerd 可用複數,動詞也能用其他時態。因此可以說:; A3 N) Z! b+ s# x* a9 E$ O9 ~
H- S( e# L9 y: ?He used to be a nerd in high school. (過去他在高中時是位書獃子)
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Many Chinese students are(或 have been)considered nerds.
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0 n" ?7 H# j: ^- C l9 G& Z& s至於 geek 這個字,雖然與 nerd 相似,年輕人也常用,但 geek 是指在某一方面有很高的 IQ。我們可以說:
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+ n* ^. `" E- X+ G% N# sHe is a computer geek. (意思是:雖然他是書獃子,但電腦很棒)
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6 z* }4 [$ R& T, G$ j: `另外,年輕人還用 jerk 這個字,通常是指沒有社交技巧,頭腦簡單或古怪,令人討厭的傢伙(annoying person),如果你不喜歡一個人,就可以說:
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9 `7 g7 A) L" Z2 j/ L' k, g! L/ _I don't like him because he is a jerk.
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也可以用複數:
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9 [; H# V5 Y% w/ W# o1 PMany jerks are working in our company.& H; `/ p1 H# a) B0 `+ E6 q. C
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主詞也可以用其他人稱,動詞也可用其他時態:" f( Y7 k) ~; ]+ F
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They are jerks; He was a jerk in the past; Mr. A has been jerk for years.
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(註:有時年輕人也用 dork 這個字,但不如 jerk 流行)
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; c/ g0 P! ?3 J4. Yo baby:Yo baby 是許多年輕的黑人男子對女子的招呼語,也有人用「Yo baby, yo baby0 b' d# h( n& x: l* R, s- t* F$ v
/ o( z* U$ \# c8 f" W# }yo」,由於女子很漂亮,很吸引人,他想與她交談。(He thinks she is pretty and attractive, so he wants to speak to her.),也就是找話題,想要「打開話匣」。(to use as a form of opening line or pick-up line or to begin a greeting; try to know her or date her) 如果說:
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Yo baby, are you trippin'? 意思是:漂亮的姑娘,你的樣子有點怪裡怪氣,有什麼心事嗎?: g3 L$ R! k0 V: c0 K$ `8 G
$ `" D9 J' t+ e/ W「Yo baby" 後面可跟任何可以「打開話匣」的句子。諸如:
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$ J1 x% t5 V1 ]2 V e" Z2 o! }0 DMay I help you with something? I think I have met you somewhere before.1 z7 m2 p8 I5 c5 T2 t" J, h5 H
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同理,如果年輕女子看到帥哥,有吸引力,很想與他交談,那麼就用:「Hey, hey, hey" 後跟任何可以「打開話匣」的句子。諸如:' ^) x W, n7 l7 f c3 L
6 l/ Q, S1 U2 B. B; q1 YHey, hey, hey, what's going on?「what is going on?」就是年輕黑人打招呼的用語 (a form of greeting or open statement) 或 Hey, hey, hey, are you going to the movie?(帥哥,你是去看電影嗎?)5 G' k$ t1 i: F- G$ v
) c7 m" j n8 g5. Catch you later!這是年輕人說「再會」的口語。(a form to say「good鄉bye」) 也就是說:現在沒有時間與你交談,以後再談吧!(I don't have time to talk with you now, but we can talk later.) 因此,catch 就是 talk 或 contact 的意思。catch 後面,也可用其他人稱代名詞(him, her, them 等)
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- |" i1 @: z- s$ [! v$ |0 Q有時年輕小伙子也用:I am off. 意思就是:I am leaving now; I'll talk to you again.1 q/ E: Q; d" n. [
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(我要走了,再談吧!) |
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