李華和Larry 收拾東西準備一起去海邊。今天我們要學兩個常用語：on the
same page 和come around.

    LL： Are you almost ready Lihua ？ If we don't leave soon we're going
to get stuck in traffic.

    LH：馬上就好，我要帶的東西太多了，iPod、書、象棋……

    LL： What do you need all that stuff for？ We're going to the beach
to swim and build sand castles， not sit around and read. We can do all
those things at home.

    LH：用沙子蓋城堡，你幾歲了！

    LL： You're never too old for sand castles： But just so we're on
the same page ， I'm planning on spending all my time swimming， so it
may be hard for you to play checkers by yourself.

    LH： On the same page 是什么意思啊？

    LL： When you are on the same page with someone it means that you
are in agreement， or that you both have the same understanding of the
situation.

    LH：我明白了， on the same page 就是想法一致的意思。在這里說on the
same page ，意思就是說到海邊玩些什么，我們要意見一致。

    LL： That's right. Or ， say I thought that we were going to stay
all weekend ， and you thought we were just going for the day. We would
need to talk about our plans and get on the same page before we left.

    LH： Oh I see. Well Larry ， just so we are on the same page，我可
有言在先，去玩是兩個人的事，可不能你一個人說了算。你如果一定要去蓋沙城
堡，那你一個人去好了。

    LL： Alright， alright. Don't get so mad. I was just suggesting that
we build sand castles. We can play some checkers too.

    LH： Oh thank you ， Larry. 我就知道跟你好好講道理，你一定會明白。

    LL： Just so we're on the same page ， I don't consider threatening
not to come "gentle persuasion."

    LH：嗨，隨你怎么說吧，反正你同意聽我的，就好了。

    LL： Alright， do we have everything？ Oh boy ， I almost forgot my
Batman life preserver ！

    LH：蝙蝠俠的救生圈？Just so we're on the same page， Larry，你帶著
那么幼稚的救生圈在沙灘上走來走去，我可假裝不認識你！

    ******

    Larry 和李華開車去海邊。

    LL： Oh Lihua ， all this driving has really made me tired. Why don't
you take a turn behind the wheel？

    LH： Larry，你才開了二十分鐘就累了！難道接下來兩個小時都要我開嗎？

    LL： Please ， Lihua？ If you do the driving， we can play checkers
for as long as you want.

    LH： OK ， fine.

    LL： Great！ I knew you'd come around.

    LH：什么叫come around ？

    LL： If people disagree with you， but you gradually change their
mind so that they agree with you， you can say that they "came around."

    LH：我明白了，一開始我不愿意開車，可是你用下棋引誘我，終于把我說服
了，這就叫come around ，沒錯吧？

    LL： That's right. Or say I want to stop for breakfast， but you want
to drive straight to the beach. At first you might refuse to stop ， but
if I complained long enough ， I bet eventually you would come around.

    LH： Meaning that I would agree to stop ？

    LL： Exactly.

    LH：你別說，我還真有點兒餓了。你說得對，咱們停下來吃個早飯再走吧。

    LL： See， I knew you'd come around. And just so we're on the same
page， the only place I want to stop is McDonalds so I can get a happy
meal.

    LH：去麥當勞吃兒童套餐？我堅決反對。我要去IHOP，這可是原則問題，你
別想說服我。I am not going to come around on this one.我已經同意開車了，
不能再讓步了。

    LL： Alright alright， I guess that's fair.

    LH：你剛才說要待一個周末，是當真的嗎？你明天不是還要去機場接你妹妹
嗎？

    LL： I convinced her to take a taxi instead. At first she insisted
that I pick her up， but after I told her about my great plans to go to
the beach with you， eventually she came around.

    LH：去海邊玩兒可比幫家里人做事重要多了，在這個問題上，你的立場還是
挺鮮明的。

    LL： You know ， that's exactly what I told her ， but she didn't
seem to understand. I guess we're just not on the same page.

    今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是on the same page意思是意見一致。另一
個是come around ，意思是被別人說服，改變想法。