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EPT 美語
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第十四部 第十三課: gas guzzler , tree hugger

  • Larry 和李華要開車去一個國家公園,他們先到加油站給汽車加油。李華今天會學到兩個常用語,gas guzzlertree hugger
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  • I can't believe the price of gas these days! I am going to have to get rid of this gas guzzler.
  • 我知道,我到美國來以後啊我就從來沒見過這麼高的汽油價錢。可是,Larry,你說你要扔掉什麼?Gas guzzler?那是什麼啊?
  • To guzzle something is to drink it really fast. A gas guzzler refers to a car that gets very poor gas mileage and constantly needs to be filled up.
  • 我明白了。Guzzle 就是口渴的時候啊大口大口地喝水。所以你是說你的車耗油太多,大口大口地喝油。A gas guzzler 就是耗油量很大的汽車。
  • That's right. And looking at the price on the gas pump, I am not too happy to be driving a gas guzzler right now.
  • 嗯,好多人啊都有你這樣的想法。油價這麼高,還開耗油的車,這花錢多了,當然不高興啦。對了,你這個 gas guzzler 每加侖汽油能跑多少哩路啊?
  • Well, about 25 miles to the gallon on the highway, but only 18 miles per gallon driving around town. It isn't the worst gas guzzler out there, but I could be driving something more fuel efficient.
  • 在高速公路上開每加侖 25 英哩,在城市裡就只能開 18 英哩啊!那是比我的車要費油多了。你是該換一輛省油的車囉。
  • Well, I know there are cars on the market that get as much as 40 miles to the gallon, but they tend to be smaller cars. Bigger cars tend to be gas guzzlers, and I wanted a bigger car.
  • 當然啦,省油的車一般都是小型的車,那大車啊都是耗油的。你喜歡開大車,那就得多花錢啦。Larry,現在耗油量大的車啊一定賣不動了吧?
  • I think there will always be people who have the money to afford the gas and want to have a big gas guzzler to drive around.
  • 沒錯,就像你這樣愛開大車的人啊總是有的。Larry, 這就叫願者上鉤。不過,有的人有錢,你是窮學生耶。我啊還是喜歡開小車,省油省錢,而且還有利於保護環境呢。
  • There! The tank of this gas guzzler is finally full. After I pay the gas attendant, we can get on the road.
  • 油加滿啦?那你快去付錢啊,完啦我們就可以上路了。太棒了,我早就想去國家公園痛痛快快地玩一天了。
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  • So, Li Hua, you drive a small car because you think it's good for the environment. Are you a tree hugger or what?
  • 是啊,我剛才說了啊,我喜歡開小車,原因呢就是為了保護環境。你問我是不是個 tree hugger?抱樹的人?我是很喜歡樹,可是還沒有到要擁抱樹的程度吧。
  • A tree hugger is someone who really likes trees and the environment and is willing to do pretty much anything to protect them.
  • 我也猜想 a tree hugger 大概也就是特別喜歡樹木、關心環保的人囉。Larry,tree hugger 這個名詞是有讚揚的意思,還是含有貶義啊?
  • It isn't a bad thing - depending on who you talk to. Some people see tree huggers as standing in the way of progress.
  • 沒有壞的意思,但是呢又要看你是跟誰說話。那為什麼有的人會認為 tree hugger 會妨礙進步呢?這我不明白耶。
  • Do you remember a few years ago some tree huggers in the northwestern United States wanted to protect the forest home of the Spotted Owl?
  • 對啊,幾年前啊,在美國西北部一些環保人士為了保護貓頭鷹的棲息地啊,阻止木材公司伐木,所以就用鐵鏈子把自己捆在樹上了。
  • Yeah, and the price of lumber in the northwest went up, and people blamed the tree huggers for lost jobs in the lumber industry.
  • 原來是這樣。因為砍的樹少了,所以價格就上升了,伐木業的就業機會也少了;他們都怪環保人士啊!在這些人眼裡啊,tree huggers 顯然不是什麼讚美的稱呼了。
  • No, it’s a term used to put down or disparage people who protect nature at the expense of human comfort and industry.
  • 對這些人來說啊,tree huggers 就是犧牲人類的舒適和工業來保護自然。野生動物應該要保護嘛,這總得要有人站出來說話啊。
  • I guess so. Driving through the forest reminds me of the good things tree huggers can do.
  • 在森林裡開車啊是會讓我們想起 tree huggers。他們努力保護森林,好讓我們還有我們的子孫後代都能享用,這是很有意義的事啊。
  • I think you've answered my question, Li Hua. You ARE a tree hugger.
  • 沒錯,我就是個 tree hugger ─ 我啊,為此感到自豪呢。
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  • 今天李華學到了兩個常用語。第一個是 gas guzzler, 意思是很費油的汽車。第二個是 tree huggers, 意思是喜歡自然的人或者是致力於環保的人士
EPT 美語
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