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2024.04.19 22:10
第八部 第十二課: flip-flop , wishy-washy
- 今天 Larry 和李華在校園裡面閒逛，校園裡到處貼滿了選舉的傳單．今天李華會學到兩個常用語： flip-flop 和 wishy-washy.
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- Hey, Li Hua who do you support for class president?
- 嗯，我覺得 Gary Lawrence 當學生會的主席應該是不錯的．他看起來啊挺老實，也很勤奮。
- Gary Lawrence? But he flip-flops all of the time. One minute he's in favor of increasing campus security and the next minute he's accusing the university of policing its students.
- Flip-flop? 那是甚麼意思啊？你說他一會兒要加強學校（校園）的安全，一會兒又批評學校過於監管學生．嗯～， flip-flop，你是說他翻來覆去的意思吧？
- Something like that. Flip-flop is a term that is often used in politics. It means that a particular person suddenly changes his/her position on an issue.
- 哦～， flip-flop 通常呢是用在政治方面．哎，但是改變想法也沒甚麼錯啊．每個人都會有改變主意的時候嘛！
- That's true, but when someone flip-flops a lot it makes him seem weak and indecisive. People will not think he is a good, strong leader.
- 那是沒錯喔．如果一個人啊經常 flip flop，別人就會覺得他不夠果斷，不能做個好領導。
- If Gary flip-flops a lot, how could he be a good student leader!
- 對喔，如果我們因為 Gary 支持加強校園安全，投了他一票．結果他當選以後，又改變立場，那不就糟了？
- Exactly. I would feel as though I had voted for the wrong person.
- 沒錯，那可真是選錯人了．哎，對了，Larry，如果我說我贊同死刑，可是後來又改變立場，反對死刑．這樣算不算是 flip-flop 啊？
- That would definitely be flip-flopping.
- 哎？可是，一些政治人物經常這樣改變立場的啊！
- That's true, but they also lose support when they do things like that. It's very negative to be accused of flip-flopping in U.S. politics.
- 還好我不是甚麼政治人物，這樣啊我就可以隨時改變立場囉！
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- Li Hua, what about Laura Wilson? Do you support her for class president even though she flip-flops all of the time? I think she is so wishy-washy.
- 嗯， Laura Wilson 是還好啦．可是她不也經常改變立場嗎？疑？你還說她 wishy-washy．那又是甚麼意思啊？
- Wishy-washy is similar to flip-flop but it's an adjective instead of a verb. To be wishy-washy is to be weak and indecisive.
- 原來啊 wishy-washy 的意思和 flip flop 差不多，只不過啊它是個形容詞．照這麼說，Larry，我是不是能說一個經常改變主意的人很 wishy-washy?
- Yes. I can also call you wishy-washy if you can't decide which candidate to support.
- 嘿！我才不是 wishy-washy 呢！我啊只是要仔細地想一想，到底把票投給誰最好！
- I know, I'm just teasing you. Can you give me another example of wishy-washy?
- 你要我舉個例子啊？… 有了，我們那個朋友 Lisa，她一直下不了決定是不是該和她男朋友分手．她呀！就是標準的 wishy-washy.
- Yes, you could call her wishy-washy because she can't make a decision and act on it.
- 說到做決定啊，我啊還沒有決定是不是該為下學期一個會議寫報告呢．要寫的話，負擔很重，可是會得到學術界的重視哎．我到現在啊還決定不了。
- Quit being wishy-washy and make a decision. If it's worth it, then it's worth it. If not, then forget about it.
- 你說得到容易哎，值得就值得，不值得就算．我並不想 wishy-washy，就是不想做錯誤的決定嘛。
- Sometimes, you have to take the risk.
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- 今天李華從 Larry 那兒學到兩個常用語，第一個是： flip-flop，意思是一個人「經常改變立場」，特別是指一些政治人物；第二個常用語是： wishy-washy，這是形容一個人「很軟弱、不果斷」。
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