M: Not bad! I aced today's history test!

L：你历史测验又考糟啦？那你还那么高兴！

M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!

L：你考得很好，那太好了，Michael！最近你每天都到图书馆来念书，我知道你会考得比以前好的。你刚才用的是哪个字啊？

M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense.

L：噢，在这里，ace是个动词，过去时就是在后面加一个字母“d”，变成了aced。这个字是不是和扑克牌里的那张牌A，或者叫“尖子”的那 张牌一样的呢？

M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.

L：对，在玩扑克的时候ace往往是价值最高的一张牌，所以ace就是指某件事做的很好。那ace作为动词还能用在什么场合呢？

M: Usually we can use "ace" to describe how we did on a test, or on things similar to tests. For example, I can say I aced my last job interview.

L：噢，一般都用在和测验考试之类的情况，你上次找工作去面谈谈得很好也能用“ace”这个词。再说一遍你刚才说的那句话，好吗？

M: I aced my last job interview.

L：你大概回答问题答得很好，所以老板就要你了。

M: That's right. Li Hua, if someone is very good at something, we can call him an "ace". I can say, for example, you are an ace at taking tests.

L：I'm an ace at taking tests, 你说我非常会考试！这也不见得，我考糊的时候也有的。不过，比你少一点就是了。

M: Yes, you're right!

L：Michael，借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗？

M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?

L：你当然不在意你问我赚多少钱。当助教的工资很低，才8美元一小时。

M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!

L：Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗？你是什么意思呀？

M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"!

L：原来你的意思是我的工资很低。你说的peanuts是不是和我们吃的花生一个字吗？

M: That's right.

L：我在想另外找个工作呢。我的同学王燕在图书馆工作，一个小时就有十美元。

M: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.

L：哟，你一个小时赚13美元呐！真不公平，你赚那么多钱，而我只赚peanuts。

M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.

L：赚那么点钱是怎么过的日子呀？我还有奖学金呐，每个月给我四百美元生活费。

M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...

L：你真想要我赚花生，靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael，你真废话！

M: I'm just kidding!

　　今天李华学到两个常用语，一个是：to ace，就是某件事做得很好，特别是象考试之类的事；另一个是：peanuts，这里不是指花生，而是指数量很小，价值很低。