Larry的妹妹要来找他，所以李华到Larry的公寓去帮他打扫清洁。今天李华会学到两个常用语tomboy和chicken.

LH: Larry, 这是我第一次要见到你妹妹。我特别兴奋呢！你妹妹到底是个什么样的人啊？

LL: Well, I don't know if you and my sister will have much in common. My sister is kind of a tomboy.

LH: 你妹妹是什么？Tomboy?那是什么意思？Boy是男孩耶，你妹妹怎么成了个boy?

LL: No, a tomboy is a girl who acts more like a boy. My sister is more interested in sports and cars than fashion or movie stars.

LH: 噢，tomboy就是一个行为举止像男孩的女生。你妹妹喜欢运动和汽车，这有什么不对？谁规定女孩子就一定要喜欢衣服和化妆品的？我也喜欢运动和汽车啊！

LL: Oh, no. I don't want to get in a feminist debate. I'm just saying that many people might think that my sister is not very feminine.

LH: 啊？很多人都觉得你妹妹不够女人味啊？那我和你妹妹一定可以合得来的，因为我小时候也是个tomboy。我喜欢爬树，打球，有一次还跟一个男孩打架呢！

LL: You? A tomboy? You're kidding, right? You always wear dresses and you act very feminine. I don't believe it.

LH: 是真的！我小时候我妈妈总是要逼我穿裙子。还有啊！我都是和街坊邻居的男孩子玩，因为其他的女孩都觉得我像个男孩！

LL: I guess you really were a tomboy. You must have changed a lot.

LH: 其实我也没有改变很多啊！你看，我现在还是很喜欢打球运动，而且我最好的朋友还是个男的呢！

LL: Really? Who's your best friend?

LH: Larry! 你可别装傻哟！你知道你就是我最好的朋友！

LL: That's really sweet, Li Hua. I'm honored to be your best friend, even if you are a tomboy! (laughing)

LH: 好了啦！你就别再这样逗我了！

******

LL: Hey, Li Hua, my sister and I are going rock climbing tomorrow. Do you want to come with us?

LH: 什么？爬岩石？ 那不是很危险吗？

LL: Come on. Don't be a chicken. It's perfectly safe and it'll be a lot of fun.

LH: A chicken? Chicken是鸡的意思。我不想去爬岩石，这和鸡有什么关系？

LL: Oh, chicken is slang for wimp or coward. You don't have to come with us if you're too much of a chicken.

LH: 原来你是在笑我胆小啊？Chicken就是指胆小，懦弱的人。哼！我才不是胆小鬼呢。我一点儿也不害怕爬岩石，我只不过是比较小心而已嘛！

LL: Well, if you're not a chicken, then you're welcome to come with us. We're leaving at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

LH: 好，为了证明我不是胆小鬼， 不是一个chicken，明天早上8点半我一定到！那，你们是不是工具都准备齐全了？

LL: Yes, my sister brought all of our equipment from home, so we'll all be perfectly safe. You don't have to worry at all.

LH: 你别再拐弯抹角地说我胆小了！你啊才是个胆小鬼呢！你不是最怕坐云霄飞车吗？

LL: That's different! People can get killed on those things if something goes wrong!

LH: 是啊！云霄飞车如果出状况，是会摔死人的。那难道攀岩石就不会出意外啊？

LL: All right, you made your point. I won't call you a chicken again. I'll see you tomorrow morning at 8:30, okay?

LH: 没问题。明天见！

今天李华学到两个常用语，第一个是tomboy，形容一个性格象男孩的女孩。另一个常用语是chicken，是指一个胆小懦弱的人。

• debate [di´beit]   n.&v.讨论，辩论   (初中英语单词)
• coward [´kauəd]   n.胆怯者 a.胆小的   (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm]   a.受欢迎的；可喜的   (初中英语单词)
• equipment [i´kwipmənt]   n.装备，设备   (初中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ]   n.言语；言论；格言   (高中英语单词)
• perfectly [´pə:fiktli]   ad.理想地；完美地   (高中英语单词)
• feminine [´feminin]   a.女性的   (英语四级单词)