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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& T, ~. Z7 B; o! YThat's cool;he is cool;this is cool.
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Skydiving (或surfing) is cool.(跳傘或衝浪運動很不錯)
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4 O/ I0 X" T# `7 V" x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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She (He) was cool in the past.
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That's a cool T-shirt.(好看的運動衫)
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He (she) is a cool person.(文雅禮貌的人)
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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:
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' x6 a0 h2 D! p- B9 iShe looks as cool as a cucumber. 又是恭維語,是說她很 calm and charming; not4 s' ^! L6 n* e0 h
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emotional. 但為何用黃瓜 (cucumber) 代表,則不得而知。7 {' q f0 j8 J2 a* g
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(註:許多華人把 cool 譯成「很酷」)
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2. 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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They are trippin'. (= tripping)
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She (he) is trippin'.
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Mr. A must be trippin'.: Y2 A- v/ R, S" [7 v7 H
1 I8 T6 U' ~1 ?6 [7 p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:
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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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& O* n% z" P# S/ ?5 x( W7 m1 UMany Chinese students are(或 have been)considered nerds.
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+ R; K$ }% D/ L4 M/ w8 \. d( V* i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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He is a computer geek. (意思是:雖然他是書獃子,但電腦很棒)# {( a# f! r8 e! a
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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:
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: E1 s% m) b+ a& wI don't like him because he is a jerk.5 F( g' `; t1 U1 F* l
8 B0 A3 f( w; M2 N. x, _也可以用複數:
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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:# e |) {5 j4 o4 P3 W) [! b& o
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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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' e9 n, b6 w( D: G* c4. 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! T, j# \% X0 h5 W
6 V# G# i& ~5 I O" E$ |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:$ Z! A( p A1 S# ]5 |
: f0 }, v8 N8 D8 E' iYo 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?
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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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. l9 m U4 E5 C/ t/ M& q" @May I help you with something? I think I have met you somewhere before.9 `; A% w6 @' o% R' M0 l
) |7 G$ k$ R7 ]2 R8 D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:' h. T7 s y- v
: T: F& d; Y2 t: I: P- CHey, 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?)
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! g# e$ r0 T& Q3 ~. v. H2 X5. 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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5 A# l' c5 A7 u, a7 l- k! V/ w% G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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