Larry 和李華正在商量要去看哪部電影。李華想看一部新的法國片，但是Larry
卻想看別的電影。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：rattleon和third degree. LH：
Larry ，我真的很想看那部法國電影嘛！

    LL： I'm sorry， Li Hua ， but I don't like French movies. The characters
always rattle on and on about philosophy and nothing interesting ever
happens. LH ：你說法國電影怎么啦？Rattle on 那是什么意思？

    LL： To rattle on about something means to talk about it for a long
time without really saying anything interesting or important. LH： To
rattle on 就是嘮叨個沒完沒了，可是又沒說出什么有意思的，或重要的事。你
說法國電影都在滔滔不絕地談哲學，才不是這樣呢！我之所以喜歡法國電影就是
因為他們探討的都是很重要的議題，而且也不是象你說的rattle on and on.

    LL： I think they do. LH：那你喜歡看英國電影嗎？我知道最近在上演一
部新的英國片。

    LL： Sorry， but I think British movies are the same as French movies.
The characters rattle on about fashion， manners， and society and don't
really do anything. LH：什么！你覺得英國片也經(jīng)常夸夸其談地說時裝、禮貌、
社會風尚，可是卻沒有什么行動？嗨，那你是不是只愛看武打片？

    LL： No ， but I do prefer a movie in which people act on their beliefs
rather than just rattling on about them. LH ：你喜歡電影里的角色要為自
己的信仰努力，而不喜歡它們嘮嘮叨叨的空談。那我同意！那你到底想看哪一部
電影嘛？

    LL： I wasn't rattling on. I was just expressing my opinion. How about
this movie about the American Revolution？ Is that okay with you？

    LH：那部有關美國革命的電影啊？可以啊，不過我希望電影里的人不要滔滔
不絕地講愛國主義，該不會都rattle on and on吧？

    LL： Maybe a little ， but there should be a lot of action， too.

    ******

    LH： Larry，你跑哪里去了，怎么這么晚才來嘛！我買好電影票在這里等你
等了20分鐘了！

    LL： Hey， don't give me the third degree ！ I'm a little late because
my mom called ， that's all.

    LH：原來是你媽媽打電話給你。對了，你又說我什么啦，我給你third degree？

    那是什么意思？

    LL： To give someone the third degree means to question that person
aggressively in order to get him/her to confess to something.

    LH： To give someone the third degree 就是盤問某人的意思。我可沒有
盤問你的意思。我只是等你等了很久，都快發(fā)火了嘛！

    LL： Sorry. I didn't expect my mom to call. My mom gave me the third
degree， too. She wanted to know why I haven't called her in such a long
time.

    LH：你媽也質問你為什么這么久沒打電話回家。那你是怎么跟她說的？

    LL： I just told her that I've been really busy. The truth is that
I avoid calling her ， because every time I do call her ， she gives me
the third degree about something.

    LH：你也別這樣，我想你媽不是真的在罵你，或生你的氣；她只是很關心你，
很擔心你嘛！

    LL： You're probably right， but sometimes she asks so many questions
that it really feels like I'm getting the third degree.

    LH：如果你怕你媽問東問西的，也許你應該經(jīng)常打電話給她。這樣她就不會
這么操心，也不會老是追問你一堆問題嘍！Then she won't give you the third
degree. LL： You know ， Li Hua ， that's a good idea ！

    今天李華學到兩個常用語。第一個是rattle on ，這是形容嘮嘮叨叨，講一
些無關緊要的事情。另外一個常用語是third degree，這是有質問，盤問的意思。