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2025.11.04 21:02
第十二部 第二課: deadbeat , cool it
- Larry 和李華在海灘享受溫暖的陽光．不過李華有點兒心事，因為她的朋友 Joe 向她借了錢，卻一直沒有還．今天李華會學到兩個常用語： deadbeat 和 cool it。
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- Li Hua, relax and enjoy the day. Joe isn't a deadbeat. He'll pay you back as soon as he can.
- 我也希望 Joe 會還我錢啊．你說 Joe 不是一個 deadbeat，那是什麼意思啊？
- A deadbeat is someone who does not pay his/her debts or fulfill his/her obligations. Joe is not a deadbeat. He always pays people back.
- A deadbeat 就是一個故意賴帳的人．你說 Joe 不是那樣的人，可要是他一直不還我錢，那我該怎麼跟他提這件事，又不傷他的自尊心呢？這事兒真麻煩！
- You're right; money is an awkward subject. I usually just avoid lending people money altogether. That way I don't have to worry about deadbeats.
- 唉，我也不喜歡借錢給別人啊，可我是真的想幫他忙啊。
- Yeah, I know what you mean. Just be careful who you help in the future: there are a lot of deadbeats out there.
- 我知道，下回啊我再要借錢給別人，一定會格外小心，因為借錢不還的人還是有的．對了， Larry，我還聽過別人說 deadbeat dads．那是什麼意思啊？
- Well, after a divorce, a man is supposed to send money to his ex-wife to help her support their children. A man who doesn't send money is a "deadbeat dad."
- 哦～，我懂了， A deadbeat dad 就是離婚以後不肯負擔孩子撫養費的父親。
- Exactly. I know a guy whose father was a deadbeat dad. The poor guy's mother had to work three jobs to support her children.
- 這個媽媽要做三份工來撫養她的孩子，就是因為爸爸不肯撫養孩子啊．難道法律都不懲罰這些不負責任的父親嗎？
- Well, the courts can tell a deadbeat dad that he needs to pay child support, but that doesn't mean that he actually will.
- 什麼！法庭告訴他們要付錢，他們不付也沒事兒呀？喝，真是糟糕！
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- Wow! Those kids over there are really loud. I wish they'd cool it.
- 那些孩子啊是挺吵的．你要他們怎麼著， cool it？那是什麼意思啊？
- I wish they would "cool it" means calm down. It can also mean to stop what one is doing.
- 喲～， cool it 就是安靜下來，或者停止做某件事的意思．你的意思是要那些孩子別再吵了。
- Exactly. I wonder where their parents are? I'm surprised that their parents haven't told them to cool it yet.
- 就是啊，那些孩子啊在那裡鬼吼鬼叫好一會兒了．他們的爸媽到底聽見了沒啊？怎麼不好好管教自己的孩子呢？
- It's hard to enjoy the day with such noisy kids around. I'm considering going over there myself and telling them to "cool it."
- 啊？你想自己過去叫那些孩子安靜一點啊？我不知道這樣做好不好呢。
- Why not? Their parents obviously aren't going to do it and those kids are ruining the day for a lot of people.
- Larry，也許啊你該冷靜一點， cool it，別跟那些孩子一般見識了．不然，我們可以搬到遠一點的地方坐嘛。
- Yeah, that's probably a good idea.
- 來吧，我們把東西收一收，搬到海灘的另一邊去好囉。
- Okay, let's go.
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- 今天李華學到了兩個常用語．第一個是： deadbeat，是指「借錢不還，想賴帳的人」．另一個常用語是： cool it，是指「安靜下來，或者是停止做某件事」。
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