1. It's cool:cool 是青少年(teen-agers) 常用的字,(有時也用 debonaire)
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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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3 M1 { ?4 e; c% N3 eThat's cool;he is cool;this is cool.7 h6 A; E' Y" {, J
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Skydiving (或surfing) is cool.(跳傘或衝浪運動很不錯)
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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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9 z3 \1 ~7 Q0 b" p; {She (He) was cool in the past.+ f3 T9 H# |( \7 N* Y% r
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That's a cool T-shirt.(好看的運動衫). g! D$ ?8 P) {8 e
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He (she) is a cool person.(文雅禮貌的人)( }$ w+ {% m9 I' C" L5 C* O
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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:) b1 r% ]+ B+ r8 ^: N! g b! }
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She looks as cool as a cucumber. 又是恭維語,是說她很 calm and charming; not
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emotional. 但為何用黃瓜 (cucumber) 代表,則不得而知。
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(註:許多華人把 cool 譯成「很酷」)$ j P! b2 u5 }, N q
9 s# V. w4 g7 B: [& M) I2. 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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2 u; Z+ u" }% ?! }/ dThey are trippin'. (= tripping)# n, |8 w$ ]6 ~0 `/ }+ Q" u
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She (he) is trippin'.8 _" Y0 ^) {/ y N7 O
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Mr. A must be trippin'.
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通常只用在年輕人身上,而且不是恭維語。, o1 C; b" X- O8 U
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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:
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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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3 s' K+ y" b/ b' ]) Q X( bMany Chinese students are(或 have been)considered nerds.' J, L4 `5 }+ B: c. T! l
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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:; l7 i+ v" j: }- V1 ]
7 }3 z) m# ]& }, n) `He is a computer geek. (意思是:雖然他是書獃子,但電腦很棒)8 d3 b2 X x O% y) i' O/ g) `
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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:/ h$ e) ]; r6 {$ N) V! i- c$ r' V! }$ N
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I don't like him because he is a jerk.
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也可以用複數:# l3 A1 N4 L; N1 P! O
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Many jerks are working in our company.
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主詞也可以用其他人稱,動詞也可用其他時態:
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! k! [" p) E/ D) l5 c& s, ]They are jerks; He was a jerk in the past; Mr. A has been jerk for years.( B) G1 o. i& }
$ ]% [8 R8 ]0 e: f- }2 k0 b(註:有時年輕人也用 dork 這個字,但不如 jerk 流行)" `' G# D0 K) g0 y' l& ]& x
# a) a3 n h% Z# }1 n4. 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 baby
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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?/ T+ v" w3 k' d* J
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「Yo baby" 後面可跟任何可以「打開話匣」的句子。諸如:
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May I help you with something? I think I have met you somewhere before.4 S ?- \! L0 Q' c/ E! v
, N8 N- M& x1 L3 g8 c: K! L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:0 f7 h% w" T* U5 ]) b [
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Hey, 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?)$ e4 Z# \' n0 I5 |! i
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5. 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)& P, h. T; q* b& ?" F5 F
2 H- Q* d7 Z6 U! V0 _6 j F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.
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(我要走了,再談吧!) |
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