【大紀元5月4日訊】

Larry跟李華一起去逛商店。李華今天要學兩個常用語，burn a hole in one’s pocket和burned.

LL: Wow, Li Hua – check out this new flat-screen TV! Too bad it’s so expensive!

LH: 是啊，現在物價這麼貴，美元又一個勁兒貶值，真不知道還有什麼人願意買這麼貴的電視。

LL: You’re right, Li Hua. Spending money on things like that can really burn a hole in your pocket.

LH: 什麼？把我的口袋燒個洞！這可太危險了。你說It can burn a hole in my pocket肯定還有別的意思吧？

LL: You guessed it! The phrase means that an item or expenses such as bills consume a lot of a person’s earnings.

LH: 那跟在口袋裡燒個洞有什麼關係呢？

LL: Since money is traditionally carried in our pockets, the saying ‘burn a hole in your pocket’ symbolizes such high expenses.

LH: 要這麼說，living in the big city can burn a hole in your pocket. 除了電視，還有房租、電費和食物，光是日常花銷就能在「我的口袋裡燒個大洞」。

LL: Well said, Li Hua! If you have the same salary but move to a more expensive city, the daily cost of living can burn a much bigger hole in your pocket than before.

LH: 這就是為什麼花錢要有計劃，不能想買什麼買什麼，否則肯定入不敷出。

LL: Gas prices have climbed to new highs. I only drive to work twice a week to save money, because it was really beginning to burn a serious hole in my pocket.

LH: 最近油價確實貴得嚇人，還好我坐地鐵上班，既省錢又環保。

LL: There are so many things that can potentially burn a hole in your pocket. Expensive habits can really hurt you, which is why I’m glad that I quit smoking.

LH: 是啊，你戒煙一年省的錢夠加好幾箱油的！

LL: Soaring gas prices and cigarette taxes were burning such a big hole in my pocket that I basically gave up driving and smoking!

LH: 你知道還有什麼花銷最多嗎？

LL: Let’ me guess. Going out to eat!

LH: 沒錯！跟朋友、同事、家人出去吃飯也是一筆不小的開銷。

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LH: 說起現在的開銷。我前兩天出去看房子，才發現這裡的房價原來這麼貴！

LL: It really is! Didn’t you want to continue renting?

LH: 我本來也是要繼續租公寓住的，可是，說來話長。

LL: What happened? Did you get burned?

LH: Get burned? 被燒傷？

LL: ‘Getting burned’ is when you commit to something or personally invest in something with your emotions or money and you basically get nothing in return.

LH: 噢，getting burned是吃虧的意思啊。那真讓你說著了。我跟另外兩個人一起簽了約，結果她們最後一刻反悔了。

LL: Did you put down a deposit?

LH: 我交了兩個月的租金，其中一半是押金，結果因為違約，押金沒要回來？ I definitely got burned!

LL: That’s terrible! Did the two other roommates have another option, or did they end up getting burned, too?

LH: 那兩個人的押金也沒要回來。但是她們決定一起到另外一個地方去租房子，起碼她們還有個伴兒。

LL: So, they kind of burned themselves on violating the terms of the contract, but you were burned worse because what happened was a result of their actions and not yours.

LH: 沒錯。她們自己反悔，押金被扣還說得過去，我可是被她們連累的。

LL: It sounds like you know what ‘getting burned’ means. Now the next step is ensuring that it doesn’t happen again! Did you learn any lessons from getting burned?

LH: 要說教訓，那就是，下次一定不能輕信別人。這就是為什麼我在四處看房子，我準備咬咬牙，自己買個公寓。

LL: Well, it looks like you’ve got it figured out. Hopefully you won’t burn a hole in your pocket for a price.

LH: (Laughing) 聽上來真滑稽。我為了下次不再吃虧上當，寧可準備傾囊而出，自己花錢去買個公寓。

LL: I know. You will probably end up burning a hole in your pocket so that you don’t get burned again. How ironic!

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是burn a hole in one’s pocket, 指價格昂貴。另一個是 burned, 指吃虧上當。(//www.dajiyuan.com)