VOA流行美语 Unit 41: PSYCHO / LAID BACK

今天李华和Michael一起吃午饭的时候，聊起了李华的室友小陈。Michael在谈话中教给李华两个年轻人常用的词：psycho和laid back。

M: Hey Li Hua. You look a little upset about something. What's up?

L: 哎，还不是我的室友，她今天又找我的麻烦，说是以后再也不让我做中国菜，因为她受不了厨房里的油烟味。

M: She said what? Your roommate is a psycho! She's crazy!

L: 你刚才说她是什么？

M: I called her a psycho. P-S-Y-C-H-O.

L: 我猜想，a psycho 就是中文里常说的"神经病"，对吧？

M: That' right. Also, psycho was the name of a famous movie about a crazy person who killed people in a hotel.

L: 嗯，我听说过[惊魂记]这部电影。不过，你说我室友是个 psycho，你不是真的以为她发疯了吧？

M: Well, I guess she isn't crazy. Usually we just call someone with strange behavior, and a bad unpredictable temper, a psycho.

L: Bad, unpredictable temper，无缘无故乱发脾气，哎呀，这简直说的就是我室友嘛。Michael，再给我举几个psycho的例子好吗？

M: Well, my last boss was a real psycho. One time, I came to work one minute late, and he yelled at me in front of everyone.

L: 真的？他当着很多人的面骂你啊。这种人真是有毛病。哎，你可不可以想想看，还有什么psycho的例子呢？

M: Well, ask any American, and they'll probably tell you about some famous serial killer, they are psychos.

L: 噢，psycho也可以真的指一个心理变态的杀人狂。

M: That's right. We might call someone who kills people for no reason a psycho.

L: 这么说，我那个室友倒是没那么严重了，可我总得想办法和她好好相处，你说对不对， Michael？

M: Well, when is your apartment lease going to expire? You can always ditch your psycho roommate and find a new one.

L: 好主意，我们公寓的租约还有两个月就到期了。到时候我就可以搬出去了。

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M: Well, let's look at the roommate wanted ads in the paper.

L: 你说我们来看看"寻找室友"的广告啊。让我来看看，这条广告说Wanted: friendly, laid back female roommate to share a two bedroom apartment。Michael，这个"laid back"是什么意思啊？

M: Laid back, laid, L-A-I-D; back, B-A-C-K. Describes someone who does not get angry or excited easily. This person doesn't want a psycho roommate.

L: 噢，laid back 是形容一个人个性比较随和，不会轻易发脾气。 Michael，你觉不觉得我脾气很好，很容易相处啊？

M: Well, I guess so. Usually you are laid back. But, not always...

L: 你这是什么意思，干吗吞吞吐吐的，有话直说嘛。

M: Well, remember when you got angry at your roommate for breaking your bicycle and then blaming you?

L: 我承认那次我很生气，但那是因为我的室友先对我无理取闹啊。

M: And you certainly weren't very laid back when she tricked you on April Fool's day.

L: 就是嘛，那次也是因为她在愚人节捉弄我才惹我发脾气的。

M: Well and then your roommate.......

L: 够了，够了，别再提我的室友了，我每次生气都是被她害的。

M: You're right, Li Hua. She's the problem, not you. You'd better find a new, laid back roommate.

L: 对，我们赶快看广告吧。 你看这个广告说：Asian girl, seeks female roommate for two bedroom apartment. Call Xiaoli Chen. 我的天哪，这是我室友嘛。她居然在瞒着我登广告。真把我气死了。

今天李华学会两个新词，一个是psycho，指的是一个人行为反常，爱发脾气；另一个是laid back，就是个性比较随和的意思。