Larry 和李華剛上完課，現在在一面喝咖啡，一面聊天。今天李華會學到兩
個常用語：off one's rocker和silent treatment.

    （Bar noise ）

    LH： Larry，我看你一直盯著那邊那個女孩。你為什么不走過去跟她聊一聊
呢？

    LL： Are you kidding？ She'll think I'm off my rockerif I just walk
over and start talking to her.

    LH：你走過去跟她講話，她會認為你是什么？Off your rocker ，那是什么
意思啊？

    LL： To be "off one's rocker" means to be crazy. I'm afraid she'll
think I'm crazy ， or at least really weird ， if I start talking to her
for no reason.

    LH：噢！所以off one's rocker就是指一個人特別怪，行為反常。嗨，你要
是覺得和陌生人說話很奇怪，那你才真的是off your rocker 呢！

    LL： I don't know ， I guess I'm just a little shy about it ， okay？

    LH：你這么害羞，難怪總是錯失良機！算了，你要膽子那么小，我也沒辦法。
哎，Larry ，你看那邊那個人才真的有點不正常。

    LL： Who？

    LH：就是坐在角落里的那個人，你看他還在唱歌呢！

    LL： Yeah ， he looks like he's a bit off his rocker， but he's probably
just really drunk.

    LH：就是，也許他是喝醉了。Larry ，我今天不能玩太晚。明天早上9 點鐘，
歷史課的教授要給大家補課。

    LL： 9：00 am on a Saturday morning ？ Your professor is either completely
off his rocker or he just likes to torture his students.

    LH：星期六早上給大家補課不是挺好嗎？你認為這教授是瘋啦！我看你才是
off your rocker.Larry ，班上沒有一個同學認為那教授這樣做有什么不正常，
更沒有人認為他是為了要折磨學生。

    LL： Ok ， ok. But to me， anyone who likes to go to class on Saturday
morning is off his rocker.

    ******

    LL： Hey， I forgot to tell you that my sister is giving me the silent
treatment. She's mad at me for telling our mom about her new boyfriend.
LH：你把你妹妹交男朋友的事告訴你媽，難怪你妹妹對你發火。你說她還給你silent
treatment ，那是什么意思？

    LL： To give someone "the silent treatment" is to refuse to talk to
that person. My sister is refusing to talk to me because she's mad at
me. LH：噢，我懂了。Silent treatment就是不理你，不跟你說話。這么說，你
妹妹也不接你電話咯？

    LL： No ， she wouldn't even speak to me when I was home last weekend.
LH：我最討厭這種態度了。不講話，能解決問題嗎？

    LL： Exactly. If my sister is giving me the silent treatment， then
how are we supposed to talk over the problem？

    LH：我還記得，當我告訴我媽我決定要來美國念書時，她氣得一個月不和我
說話。

    LL： She probably wasn't really mad at you. She was just upset that
you would be so far away. LH：我知道，她不是真的生我的氣，而是不舍得我
到這么遠的地方來念書。可是不說話有什么用啊！

    LL： Sometimes giving someone the silent treatment is a good idea ，
though. There are a couple of people I avoid talking to because I know
that they like to gossip. LH：那倒也是。碰上那種喜歡嚼舌頭的人，最好不
和他們說話。去年我的同屋就是這樣的人，所以我一個學期都不跟她說話，給她
silent treatment.

    LL： Hey， Li Hua ， you learn fast ！