VOA流行美語 Unit 131: to be hard up/to pick 

VOA流行美語 Unit 131: to be hard up/to pick on someone

Larry和李華準備到銀行去，李華要開一個帳戶，而Larry需要取一些現金。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：to be hard up和to pick on someone.

LH: Larry，我要去銀行開個戶頭，你去銀行做什麼？

LL: Well, my friend is a little hard up for cash right now, so I'm going to withdraw some money and let him borrow it.

LH: 原來你是要提現金借給朋友啊！你的朋友怎麼啦？你說他hard up for cash。Cash是現金。這個我懂，但hard up是什麼意思？

LL: To be "hard up" for something means that you don't have enough of it.

LH: Hard up for something就是什麼東西不夠，所以你那朋友hard up for cash, 就是錢不夠啦！對不對？

LL: Exactly. He's helped me when I was hard up before, so I feel that I should help him out now.

LH: 嗯，你朋友以前也借錢給你，幫過你，所以現在你幫他。這也是應該的。對了，Larry, 這個hard up除了指缺錢，還可以用在什麼地方？

LL: Well, one is usually hard up for money. However, you can be hard up for time or for work, too.

LH: 如果我說I am hard up for time, 那就表示我很忙，時間不夠，對不對？

LL: Right. I'm usually hard up for time during exams. I have so much studying to do that I hardly even sleep.

LH: 我也是，只要到了期中考，期末考的季節，我就覺得時間不夠用，書都念不完。那hard up for work不能說工作不夠，只能說找不到工作嘍？

LL: I'm hard up for work means that I really need a job, but I'm having a hard time finding one.

LH: 嗯，那種需要工作卻找不到工作的滋味一定很不好受。希望我畢業後不會經歷hard up for work.

LL: So do I. I don't think anyone enjoys being hard up for time, money, or work.

LH：對，缺錢，缺時間，沒工作都不好受。

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LL: Did you see those two children in the bank? The little boy was awful; he kept picking on his sister.

LH: 就是，那個小男孩真不聽話，吵吵鬧鬧的。你說他picking on his sister，那是什麼意思？

LL: Oh, to pick on someone is to annoy or to be mean to that person. The little boy kept picking on his sister by calling her ugly and pulling her hair.

LH: Pick on someone就是欺負，招惹別人，或者老是批評別人的意思。那個小男孩不斷拉他姐姐的頭髮，還說她醜，真是很讓人討厭。我小時候我哥哥也喜歡捉弄我。他總是踩我的腳，卻說是我踩他！

LL: Well, at least your brother stopped doing that when he got older. My parents still pick on each other.

LH: 你說什麼，你的爸媽也老是互相指責？

LL: They just criticize each other over stupid things. For example, my dad likes to pick on my mom about her cooking. He thinks she's a terrible cook.

LH: 你媽媽幫全家人做飯已經夠辛苦了，你爸爸居然還批評她做飯做得不好。你爸爸也真是的！

LL: I know, but they have been picking on each other for thirty years and old habits are hard to break. To be honest, I think they enjoy it.

LH: 那倒是，30多年都是這樣，要改恐怕也難。可是，你說他們喜歡這樣做，這不太可能吧！

LL: Sometimes, they are joking. When my mom picks on my dad about the kind of music he listens to, I know she's just joking. Other times, I think they are just being grouchy.

LH: 我想他們有時是開玩笑。你爸聽什麼音樂，你媽還要管吶？肯定是開玩笑。當然，有的時候互相鬧彆扭也是可能的。人都有情緒不好的時候嘛！

今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是to be hard up for something, 就是缺乏某樣東西，通常用來指缺錢或沒時間。另一個常用語是pick on someone, 意思是批評別人，或者是欺負別人。