流行美语 第139课 - Mental / Pro
时间：2019-01-11 作者：英语课 分类：美国之音《流行美语》
Larry到李华住的地方，去看她新领养的猫咪小雪球。今天李华会学到两个常用语：mental和pro 1.
LL: Snowball is adorable! She's so little and fluffy 2!
LH: 就是啊，我的猫咪小雪球是很可爱，可它也够疯的。你看看它把我的家具抓成什么样了！
LL: Oh, don't worry. Your cat isn't mental. All cats love to scratch furniture. You just need to give her a scratching post to scratch instead.
LH: 你是说有办法让小雪球不再抓我的家具？噢！谢天谢地。我明天马上去买你说的那种专门让猫抓的柱子。不然，我的家具都要完蛋了。对了，你刚才说小雪球不是mental,那是什么意思啊？
LL: To be "mental" means to be crazy.
LH: Mental就是发疯，疯狂的意思。所以你觉得小雪球很正常，一点也不疯啊？
LL: She's just being a kitten. You need to get her a scratching post. She also might be doing this because she's lonely when you're gone.
LH: Larry, 看不出来你对猫还有一套呢！你说小雪球太孤单了，才会到处抓，你该不是要我再领养一只猫和它做伴吧？你要真是那么想，那你可真的是mental，疯了！
LL: Well, maybe you could adopt an older cat that's a little calmer.
LH: 再领养一只大猫？你出什么馊主意呀！我绝对应付不了两只猫。那样，我会被逼疯的，成了mental。
LL: Okay, well then try getting her something to scratch. You should cut her claws, too.
LH: 对呀！我前天是要给小雪球剪指甲，可它像疯子一样，一直叫，一直抓我，最后还躲到床底下。
LL: Hmmm....maybe you need some professional help. When you take her to the vet 3 to get her shots, then the vet can help you cut her claws.
LH: 我也希望兽医能帮忙。我真不知道怎么帮猫剪指甲。不过我怕小雪球到时候发疯抓人，连兽医都会受不了。
LL: Don't worry, I'm sure the vet sees mental cats all day long.
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LH: 小雪球现在好多了。我带它看过兽医，也找了几本有关养猫的书。我现在比较懂得怎么照顾它了。
LL: See, you're already becoming a pro. Pretty soon, you'll be able to handle a whole house full of cats.
LH: 哎哟！一只猫已经够我头疼的了，一屋子的猫？甭提了！你刚才说我可以变成pro, 那又是什么意思？
LL: Pro is short for "professional." If you say someone is a pro, it means that she is really good at something.
LH: 原来，pro就是专业的意思。嗯，我还不敢说自己在这方面很专业啦！
LL: That's understandable. You can't become a pro overnight 4. It takes time and practice.
LH: 当然喽！要当专业人员可不是一天一夜的事，需要花很多时间来实践，积累经验。
LL: Hey, I'm sure that Yao Ming got frustrated 5 once in a while when he was training to become a pro basketball player.
LH: 姚明在训练过程中还会烦恼？ 他根本不用练球，他是一个“天生的”篮球好手！
LL: Hey, even naturally talented people have to work hard to become a pro.
LH: 嗯，我从小就梦想成为职业排球运动员。能够在沙滩上打排球一定是件很过瘾的事！
LL: I'm sure it's not as much fun as it seems. Pro sports players have to work hard and they travel a lot. There's a lot of pressure on them to perform well.
LH: 是没有象我们想像的那样好玩。训练是很辛苦的，还要到处旅行，压力好大。可是，这些职业选手能赚大钱。那些美式足球和篮球明星，年薪都上百万呢！
LL: Don't you wish you'd get that much money for being a pro at caring for Snowball?
LH: 唉！专业管理宠物有什么好处？唯一的报酬就是有一只快乐健康的猫！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是mental,是指发疯，疯狂的意思。另一个常用语pro是指专业人员。
- The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
- Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？
- Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
- The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。
- I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
- Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。
- She stayed overnight in the hotel. 她在旅馆过了一夜。
- Our success is not won overnight. 我们的成功不是一夜之间得来的。
- It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
- The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》