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现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 958讲。我是杨琳。<美国习惯用语>
M:我是 Douglas Johnson.
女:我有个好消息！我们的园艺俱乐部终于又要聚会了！前段时间，我们的成员之间闹了点不愉快。有些人想继续种植原来的花草，而另外一些人希望引进新品种，两派意见谈不拢，弄得我们差点散伙。不过最后大家还是达成一致，和好如初。这让我想到一句习惯用语，那就是:
M:Clean slate. Clean is spelled c-l-e-a-n; and slate; s-l-a-t-e, slate.
大家都知道，clean是干净的，slate是石板的意思。连起来，Clean slate, 干净的石板，引伸出来就是“尽弃前嫌，重新开始”的意思。像上面的例子中，俱乐部成员最终克服了彼此间的矛盾，尽弃前嫌，重新开始。在下面这个例子中，Jeremy未来如何？我们来听听他的朋友是怎么说的:
M:"Jeremy had a terrible gambling problem. He got into such bad debt that he lost his house and his car. Eventually, he received counseling. And a court allowed him to declare bankruptcy. That's given him the CLEAN SLATE he needed. He's slowly rebuilding his life."
[这段话是说: 杰里米以前赌博上瘾，结果欠了很多债，房子和车子都没了。最后，他接受了心理咨询，法院也允许他宣布破产，这给了他重新开始的机会。他正在慢慢地重新建立自己的生活。 ]
女:他其实很幸运。很多嗜赌的人都有类似问题，而银行不会让每个人都宣布破产。这个词也让我想到现在美国国会山上的政治辩论。公众对政治家争吵不休，而又无法达成任何结果很不满意，我想下次选举，可能很多议员都会失去席位! A CLEAN SLATE might be just what it will take to meet the voters' expectations. 选民们希望选举出新的议员，重新开始。
好了，让我们再来听听刚才那段话:
M:"Jeremy had a terrible gambling problem. He got into such bad debt that he lost his house and his car. Eventually, he received counseling. And a court allowed him to declare bankruptcy. That's given him the CLEAN SLATE he needed. He's slowly rebuilding his life."
上面我们说到，如果你不满意代表自己的议员，下次不选他就是了。可是，如果你对自己的家人心存不满，要怎么办呢？或许下面的例子能给你一些启发，让我们来听听看:
M:"My sister and I used to argue constantly. Sometimes we wouldn't speak to each other for days. Then our mom was diagnosed with cancer. And we decided that we didn't want to go on fighting with each other anymore. We started with a CLEAN SLATE. What happened in the past was behind us."
[这段话是说: 我妹妹和我过去经常吵架，有时一连好几天彼此谁也不理谁。可自从知道妈妈被诊断出得了癌症后，我们就决定再也这样没完没了地争吵了。过去的都过去了，我们决定重新开始。]
女:是啊，有时候从不幸的事情里面，也会在其他方面得到好的结果。上面的例子里，如果这两个姐妹的妈妈不生病，她们可能一直都这样吵吵闹闹。They decided to leave the past behind them and start with a clean slate. 她们决定尽弃前嫌，重新开始。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:
M:"My sister and I used to argue constantly. Sometimes we wouldn't speak to each other for days. Then our mom was diagnosed with cancer. And we decided that we didn't want to go on fighting with each other anymore. We started with a CLEAN SLATE. What happened in the past was behind us."
今天我们学习的习惯用语是CLEAN SLATE，意思是“尽弃前嫌，重新开始”。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是 Douglas Johnson。谢谢各位的收听。
A:Kat, let's start with a clean slate. 快把刚才的不愉快忘了吧！
B:Haha, it's alright 杨琳。I was up all night trying to finish this report, so I'm a little bit cranky today.
A:Awww, 原来是这样！我也是，一睡不好就影响情绪，容易发飙。不过我一般需要9个小时的婴儿睡眠，所以开夜车对我来说简直就是不可能！
B:Well, as I said, I'm an expert at this. Basically, you have to prepare a lot of fruits and vegetables, and most importantly, tons of coffee!
A:你还真是经验挺足哈！正好，今天咱们的美语怎么说就要教这个开夜车，咱们赶快来学学有关熬夜的词儿吧！
B:Let's listen!
MC:Jessica 在北京学中文，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: 开夜车。
Jessica:怡茹, why do you look so tired?
YR:这几天又复习又考试，累得我眼睛都快睁不开啦! 昨天晚上，我复习了一个通宵啊! I drove a night car!
Jessica:You drove a night car?
YR:对啊! 我开了一宿夜车! 难道不是这么说的？
Jessica:哈哈，you should use the phrase "pull an all-nighter." It means you spent the whole night studying or working to meet a deadline.
YR:哦，整宿学习工作不睡觉，就是 pull an all-nighter. 唉! 都怪我平时没好好复习，期末考试前只能临时抱佛脚!
Jessica:You're not alone, Yiru! A lot of college students pull all-nighters for exams. You can also use the phrase "cram session." It means an intense period of study before a critical exam.
YR:C-r-a-m, cram, 是仓促备考的意思，所以 a cram session 就是考前的突击复习。正说呢，My study group will have a cram session this afternoon for tomorrow's exam. Hopefully we can get everything done before midnight so that I don't have to pull an all-nighter again!
Jessica:Take it easy, Yiru. Isn't your exam tomorrow an open-book test?
YR:Open-book test? 哦，你是说开卷考试吧？没错，这门是开卷，可老师对开卷考试的答案要求更高。我可不想考砸了!
Jessica:You won't bomb it. You're a smart girl!
YR:你说“bomb"--那不是轰炸的意思么？我猜这就是说没考好，对么？
Jessica:Exactly.
YR:那要是不及格，挂科了，怎么说呢？
Jessica:Then you can use the verb "flunk", f-l-u-n-k, flunk. It means you fail to pass an exam.
YR:I don't want to flunk my exam, so—I gotta go!
Jessica:Before you go, tell me what you've learned today!
YR:第一，开夜车，通宵学习工作，叫 pull an all-nighter; 考试前的突击复习叫 cram session;
第二，开卷考试是 open-book test;
第三，考试考砸了用动词 bomb, 不及格则用 flunk!
这次的"美语怎么说"就到这里了。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给Jessica, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com
A:Open-book exam, 开卷考试，这个我喜欢！
B:Well actually, open-book exams can be hard. I prefer closed-book exams with a cheat-sheet.
A:Cheat-sheet? 这难道是……小抄?
B:呵呵，我可不会教大家作弊! A cheat sheet is a certain sized card that you can write all your formulas on, so you don't have to remember them by heart!
A:原来这就是公式卡！真人性化！我记得我高中的时候，成天背数学公式，脑袋都要爆炸了！
B:Yeah. Remembering formulas can be annoying. But apart from the pop quizzes and homework, high school can be fun as well! Just think of all the parties and gossip!
A:哈哈，也是。在今天的美语三级跳里，咱们就去体会一下美国的高中生活与我们的有什么不同！
High School:beginner
