今日口语：
Larry和李华准备到银行去，李华要开一个帐户，而Larry需要取一些现金。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to be hard up和to pick on someone.
LH: Larry，我要去银行开个户头，你去银行做什么？
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: 原来你是要提现金借给朋友啊！你的朋友怎么啦？你说他hard up for cash。 Cash是现金。这个我懂，但hard up是什么意思？
LL: To be "hard up" for something means that you don't have enough of it.
LH: Hard up for something就是什么东西不够，所以你那朋友hard up for cash, 就是钱不够啦！对不对？
LL: Exactly. He's helped me when I was hard up before, so I feel that I should help him out now.
LH: 嗯，你朋友以前也借钱给你，帮过你，所以现在你帮他。这也是应该的。对了，Larry, 这个hard up除了指缺钱，还可以用在什么地方？
LL: Well, one is usually hard up for money. However, you can be hard up for time or for work, too.
LH: 如果我说I am hard up for time, 那就表示我很忙，时间不够，对不对？
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，期末考的季节，我就觉得时间不够用，书都念不完。那hard up for work不能说工作不够，只能说找不到工作喽？
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，那种需要工作却找不到工作的滋味一定很不好受。希望我毕业后不会经历hard up for work.
LL: So do I. I don't think anyone enjoys being hard up for time, money, or work.
LH：对，缺钱，缺时间，没工作都不好受。 |