How to Say It in American English
JESSICA 在北京学汉语,她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教她。今天是怡茹要问的:抢手货。
JESSICA:Hey 怡茹,how's it going?
YR:Oh, hey JESSICA..我...我好困阿...困死我了...
JESSICA:You really look tired. Didn't you sleep well last night?
YR:Sleep well? 我压根就没睡!!! 我男朋友昨天拉着我陪他去买iPhone 4S, 可现在这最新的iPhone特抢手! 对了,JESSICA,这种大家都想要的抢手货用美语怎么说啊?
JESSICA:You can say it sells like hotcakes. Hotcakes is spelled h-o-t-c-a-k-e-s, hotcakes. If you say something sells like hotcakes, it means it is sold quickly and in large numbers.
YR:没错! The new iPhone 4S sold like hotcakes! 新的iPhone 4S 绝对是抢手货!
JESSICA:There's actually another way of saying it, you can say: the new iPhone 4S is flying off the shelf! Shelf is spelled s-h-e-l-f, shelf, 是货架的意思。Fly off the shelf, 就是说一件东西卖得特别好。
YR:店员还特别告诉我们,当天晚上他们会进新货,建议我们半夜就去排队,这样就能保证一大早开门的时候买到最新的iPhone了...所以我们大半夜就搬着小椅子守在苹果店门口……
JESSICA:You camped out last night!
YR:Camp out?
JESSICA:Camp, c-a-m-p, 是露营的意思,camp out means that you stay outdoors all night in front of the store! 也可以说是露营!
YR:哈哈,没错! 我们就好像去露营一样,在苹果店门口呆了整整一夜! 这种事只有我男朋友这种科技发烧友才干得出来!
JESSICA:看来你男朋友还真是个tech-head! Tech是technology的简称,tech-head 脑袋里全是tech,就是科技发烧友!
YR:Totally! My boyfriend is such a tech-head!
JESSICA:好,言归正传,说说你今天都学到了什么!
YR:第一:形容一件东西抢手说something sells like hotcakes, 或者 something is flying off the shelf.
第二:为买东西通宵露营,叫camp out;
第三:科技发烧友是tech-head.
A:Every Thanksgiving, there are people camping out in the cold night.
B:Yes. Some people are doing that to snatch up hot deals, but others just want to be part of the Thanksgiving shopping frenzy.
A:没错,感恩节夜里在商店外露营排队大概也是美国文化的一景吧! 而且现在有Cyber Monday, 网上也有好多减价超值的东西,不用排队啦!
B:很对! But now let's go back to the old-fashioned way of shopping--going to a store and asking for help from an assistant.
A:那,是要买什么呢?
B:I don't wanna buy anything. I just want to rent a car!
GoEnglish:Driving (Beginner)