李华正在开车和Michael一起去学校。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to be on crack和to get the hang of something。

L: 哟，我的天啊，我车后面的一个轮胎爆了！Michael, 一个轮胎爆了还能开一段路，对不对？

M: Li Hua!? Are you on crack? You can't drive with a flat tire, you'll ruin your car, and probably get in a wreck!

L: 哎哟，我也不想弄坏我的车，也不想出车祸。不过，你刚才问我Are you on crack？这是什么意思啊? crack这不是一种毒品吗？on crack不就是吸毒吗？

M: Yes, "crack" -- as in "crack cocaine". "To be on crack" means to be high on cocaine. Of course, when I say, "Are you on crack?" I really mean -- "Are you crazy"?

L: 等等，这得弄清楚。你的意思是，to be on crack可以指吸毒，但是你刚才对我说的不是这个意思。你是说：我要在一个轮胎破了的情况下继续开车，简直是疯啦！哎，你可得解释清楚了，我从来不吸毒的！

M: Calm down, Li Hua. People use this phrase all the time. I was just alarmed that you would try to drive your car with a flat tire. You'd have to be on crack to do something crazy like that.

L: 噢，我懂了，你的意思是：我准是吸了毒才会想干这种傻事 -- 轮胎破了还想继续开车。Michael, 我们把轮胎换了吧。现在还来得及。

(sound of trunk opening, tools rattling, sound of car jack, etc.)

L: 说到发疯，我认为George Wilkins才真是疯了呢。我听说他要到阿富汗一个村庄去给他的论文做实地调查。

M: He's going to be traveling in Afghanistan! Is he on crack? Can you imagine how dangerous that place must be right now?

L: 我也觉得真是太危险了。不过他想要当国际水平的人类学家。那他就得做出牺牲啦！

M: Yeah, well that Ph.D. won't be much good to him if he gets shot. I still think anyone who chooses to go to Afghanistan right now is on crack.... it's just crazy!

L: 就是，要在阿富汗给打死的话，什么博士学位都没用了。行了，轮胎装好了，我们快走吧！

(sound of trunk closing)

******

L: (Horn honking) 噢，应该让他先走。我开车的技术实在太差了。老是犯这种错误。

M: Don't worry Li Hua, you're not a terrible driver! You haven't been driving for very long. You'll get the hang of it, eventually.

L: 你说我最后会什么？Get the hang of it？

M: I said you will "get the hang of it". "To get the hang of something" means to become proficient at something through practice.

L: 噢，to-get-the-hang-of-it就是多练习，多实践，一些事情就会做得更好。这不就是中文里说的"熟能生巧"吗？但愿你说得对，我多开车，技术就会改进喽！

M: I know I'm right! Remember when you first started school, you had trouble with your writing assignments? I think you've gotten the hang of writing English essays now, right?

L: 就是哎，我刚来美国的时候不会写学术报告。现在是好多了。

M: You've been living in the U.S. for some time now. You must have gotten the hang of a lot of new skills?

L: 嗯，我在美国已经三年了，是学到不少东西。

M: And you've gotten the hang of teaching, haven't you? Your students seem to like you.

L: 对呀，我在教中文方面也比较熟悉了。I've got the hang of teaching Chinese, 对不对？

M: Absolutely!

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是：to be on crack, 这可以指"吸毒"，但是也可以指："你疯啦！"。李华学到的另外一个常用语是：to get a hang of something, 意思是通过练习，熟能生巧。

• phrase [freiz]   n.短语；词组；措词   (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ]   n.开放；开端 a.开始的   (初中英语单词)
• writing [´raitiŋ]   n.书写；写作；书法   (初中英语单词)
• gotten [´gɔtn]   get的过去分词   (英语四级单词)