Larry 刚刚给自己的公寓贴了新的墙纸，可是他觉得效果很不理想。 李华今天会学到两个常用语：diddlysquat和rub it in。

LL: Today, Li Hua, I discovered that I don't know diddlysquat about putting up wallpaper.

LH: 什么? diddlysquat？听你的意思，你好象是说你对贴墙纸什么也不懂，是吗？

LL: That's right. I don't know diddlysquat means I don't know anything.

LH：噢，Don't know diddlysquat就是什么也不懂，一窍不通。

LL：Right. When I was wallpapering my apartment, I didn't get the pieces perfectly straight before I put them on, and now the pattern doesn't line up.

LH: 我也对贴墙纸一窍不通。不过，贴之前好象总得把墙纸弄直了。否则，墙纸的花样怎么对得起来呢！

LL: Yeah, but it is harder to do than you might think. I really needed to read instructions in a how-to book before I started, but I didn't do diddlysquat to prepare.

LH: 原来你什么准备都没有做就开始贴墙纸呀！美国有很多关于如何装修房屋的书，你什么没看就动手啦？你胆子也够大的。得了，你来帮我点忙， 分散一下注意力，心情就会好一些。好吗？

LL: Sure, how can I help?

LH: 我昨天买了一个新的电脑硬盘，可我在这方面什么也不懂，I don't know diddlysquat about computer。 你来帮我装一下，好吗？

LL: You are just like my mom, Li Hua. She doesn't know diddlysquat about computers either─but I am happy to help out. When should I come by?

LH: Larry，你能帮我装上，那太好了。午饭以后可以过来吗？

LL: OK, I'll do that. But maybe you can come help me remove the wallpaper I put up.

LH: 帮你撕墙纸，I don't know diddlysquat about that! 让我看看再说吧。

******

LH: Oh, Larry, 这墙纸还真是没对齐。

LL: Yeah, I know. Please don't rub it in.

LH: 不要抹进去？我们不是要把墙纸撕下来吗？

LL: No, no. By "rub it in", I didn't mean rub the wallpaper into the wall. I meant that I already know the wallpaper doesn't line up, so you don't need to tell me again and make me feel worse.

LH: 我明白了， rub it in的意思是在伤口上抹盐，令人更难堪。 墙纸没贴好，你已经很难过了，我又提起这件事，就是rub it in - 让你更难受，对吗？

LL: Yeah, especially when it is something you are not happy about. "Rubbing it in" just makes a person feel worse.

LH: Rub it in，只会让人更难过， 所以我们的朋友Rick撞车之后，你并没有对他说， "你怎么这么不小心"，因为你不想让他更难堪。

LL: Right, I didn't want Rick to feel even worse about his car.

LH: 上个星期考试，我考得好， 你考得不好，我说，"你本来就该好好复习嘛"。这又是 rubbing it in，往伤口上抹盐，对 不对？

LL: Exactly.

LH: 可是我只是想对朋友提出忠告，并没有 抹盐的意思。

LL: I know you didn't mean to rub it in, Li Hua. Well, let's go see what we can do about your hard drive.

LH: Great. 好吧，去看看我的电脑吧。

LL: You are really lucky that we are friends! I mean, you don't know diddlysquat about computers. You'd never be able to install the hard drive without me.

LH: 我知道我对电脑一窍不通， 你就别往伤口上抹盐了。You don't have to rub it in！

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是don't know diddlysquat about something，意思是对某件事一无所知，一窍不通。李华学到的另一个常用语是 rub it in， 意思是在某个人的伤口上抹盐，令人更加难过。

• apartment [ə´pɑ:tmənt]   n.一套房间   (初中英语单词)
• computer [kəm´pju:tə]   n.计算机；电子计算器   (初中英语单词)
• perfectly [´pə:fiktli]   ad.理想地；完美地   (高中英语单词)
• install [in´stɔ:l]   vt.任命；装置；安置   (高中英语单词)