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2025.11.04 23:27
第九部 第十一課: to be hard up , to pick on someone
- Larry 和李華今天準備到銀行去，李華啊要開一個帳戶，而 Larry 呢要取一些現金．今天李華會學到兩個常用語： to be hard up 和 to pick on someone.
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- Larry，我要去銀行開個戶頭，你去銀行做什麼啊？
- 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.
- 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，但是 hard up 是什麼意思啊？
- To be "hard up" for something means that you don't have enough of it.
- 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？
- Exactly. He's helped me when I was hard up before, so I feel that I should help him out now.
- 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啊？
- Well, one is usually hard up for money. However, you can be hard up for time or for work, too.
- 如果我說 I am hard up for time，那就表示我很忙，時間不夠，對不對啊？
- Right. I'm usually hard up for time during exams. I have so much studying to do that I hardly even sleep.
- 我也是哎，只要到了期中考，期末考的季節啊，我就覺得時間不夠用，書都唸不完了．那 hard up for work 不能說工作不夠，只能說找不到工作囉？
- I'm hard up for work means that I really need a job, but I'm having a hard time finding one.
- 嗯，那種需要工作啊卻找不到工作的滋味一定很不好受哦，希望我畢業後不會經歷 hard up for work。
- So do I. I don't think anyone enjoys being hard up for time, money, or work.
- 對，缺錢、缺時間、沒工作都不好受。
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- Did you see those two children in the bank? The little boy was awful; he kept picking on his sister.
- 就是哎，那個小男孩兒真不聽話，吵吵鬧鬧的．你說他 picking on his sister，那是什麼意思啊？
- 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.
- Pick on someone 就是「欺負、招惹別人」，或者啊「老是批評別人」的意思．那個小男孩兒不斷拉他姐姐的頭髮，還說她醜，真是很讓人討厭．我小時候啊我哥哥也喜歡捉弄我，他總是踩我的腳，卻說是我踩他！
- Well, at least your brother stopped doing that when he got older. My parents still pick on each other.
- 你說什麼啊，你的爸媽也老是互相指責啊？
- 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.
- 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啊，你爸爸也真是的！
- 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.
- 那倒是喔，三十多年都是這樣，要改啊恐怕也難．可是，你說他們喜歡這樣做，這不太可能吧！
- 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.
- 我想啊他們有的時候是開玩笑．你爸聽什麼音樂，你媽還要管啊？肯定是開玩笑的．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！
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- 今天李華學到了兩個常用語，第一個是： to be hard up for something，就是「缺乏某樣東西」，通常用來指「缺錢或者沒有時間」．另一個常用語是： pick on someone，意思是「批評別人」或者是「欺負別人」。
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