JESSICA在北京學漢語,她的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎么說的詞,就會來請教她。今天是怡茹要問的:夜貓子。
YR: Hey Jessica! What are you doing on Friday?
JESSICA: Hmm, I don't know yet. What' up?
YR: Some of us are planning a sleep over at my apartment. 我們幾個都是夜貓子,準備好好看場家庭影院,再睡到自然醒!! We are all late cats!
JESSICA: 哈哈,YIRU,that's not how we say it. We call people who stay up late "night owls"!
YR: Night owls?
JESSICA: Exactly. Owl is spelled o-w-l, owl, 是貓頭鷹。Night owl, 就是夜貓子。不過我可不是夜貓子, I usually hit the hay around 10...
YR: Wait a second...hit the hay? 我知道hay是稻草的意思,你..你為什么要打稻草啊?
JESSICA: 哈哈,YIRU! Hit the hay is just a common way of saying "to go to sleep". 就是睡覺的意思。
YR: 哈!真有意思,hit the hay! Hmm, I'm quite the opposite- I usually hit the hay very late, definitely after mid-night!
JESSICA: I really want to join you guys, but I never enjoy sleepovers. I'm a light sleeper. So normally I can't sleep well on sleepovers.
YR: Light sleeper? 讓我來猜猜,就是覺輕的意思,對嗎?
JESSICA: Bingo! A light sleeper can be easily awakened.
YR: 哦!那一睡著就雷都打不醒的人要怎么說呢?
Jessica: It's just the opposite! You can call them sound sleepers.
YR: A light sleeper, 覺輕的人;a sound sleeper, 覺沉的人。我想,我們的sleepover party可能真的不太適合你! 那下次別的活動我再叫你吧!
Jessica: Okay! Now tell me what you've learned today!
YR: 第一:夜貓子叫做 night owl;.
第二:睡覺可以說 hit the hay;
第三:睡得沉的人是 a sound sleeper, 覺輕的人則是 a light sleeper!