经过一个星期的紧张考试，学期结束了，Larry和李华正在很轻松地吃午饭。今天李华会学到两个常用语：flying colors和to butter up。

LL: Well, Li Hua, how do you think you did on your English exam? I’d be willing to bet that you passed it with flying colors.

LH: 我想我英语考试考得还可以。你刚才说你敢打赌我一定会通过，但是with flying colors是什么意思啊？ Flying就是飞; colors是颜色, flying colors，我可不懂。

LL: Oh, to pass a test or an exam with flying colors means that you did a really great job.

LH: 噢，flying colors就是非常出色。你的意思是我英语考试一定考得非常出色。是不是出色，我可不知道，其实只要及格，我就很高兴了。

LL: Come on, you had me for a tutor. I’m sure you did well!

LH: 你辅导我英语，我就一定会考得成绩优异？你真的对自己的辅导这么有信心啊？

LL: That’s not a very appreciative attitude, Li Hua. Whether or not you pass the exam with flying colors, I still put in a lot of time helping you.

LH: 跟你开个玩笑嘛！我知道你花了很多时间和心血来辅导我的英语。我怎么会不感谢你呢！不管我考的好不好，我都应该谢谢你呀。

LL: You helped me a lot, too. I’m not sure if I passed my Chinese exam with flying colors, but I’m sure that I got at least a B+.

LH: 你肯定你的中文考试能得个B+? 那已经算是很出色了。对了，你刚才是怎么说来啦？ 噢，我想起来，flying colors。好了，现在一切都结束了。暑期里，你不需要再苦苦地读中文了！

LL: I know, I’m so glad this semester is over.

LH: 就是啊。学期结束真让我感到轻松。 这个星期我什么也不想做了。

LL: We both deserve a break. Even if we didn’t pass all our courses with flying colors, we both worked really hard all semester.

LH: 我同意，尽管我们不见得每门功课都成绩优异，我们都已经尽最大的努力了，应该休息一下！

****

LH: 嗨，Larry，你看起来好帅！是不是今晚有约会啊？

LL: No, I don’t have a date tonight. Why are you being so nice? Are you trying to butter me up for something?

LH: 说你帅，还要问我为什么对你这么好？你真是疑神疑鬼的。还说我想什么来啦？Butter up, butter不是黄油吗？什么意思呀？

LL: To butter someone up is to be really nice to him so that you can ask him for something.

LH: 其实，我猜到了，to butter up就是为了得到好处而拍人马屁的意思。哼，我才不会那么做呢！

LL: I know you weren’t trying to butter me up, Li Hua. I was just joking with you.

LH: 好吧，只要你知道，我是诚心诚意的赞美你，不是另有企图，别有用心就好了。

LL: I know you’re not like that, but there’s a girl in my Chinese class who is.

LH: 真的啊？你的中文班里有个女孩就是这样的人？她怎么啦？

LL: She was really nice to me one day. She offered to help me with my homework and everything. It turns out, she was just buttering me up so that she could ask me to help her move to a new apartment.

LH: 原来她是想让你帮忙搬家啊！其实她没有必要帮你做任何事，直接了当请你帮忙不就行了嘛！也许她不好意思。

LL: I guess, but what bothers me is that she ignored me until she needed my help with something. She was only nice to me when she was buttering me up to ask for help.

LH: 原来如此。她过去从来不理你，到了要你帮忙的时候才来拍马屁。那她也真是太会利用人了。

今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是flying colors，这是指的是什么事情做得很出色。另一个常用语是to butter up，这是指为了得到好处而拍人马屁。(//www.dajiyuan.com)