L：Michael，怎么啦？你好象有心事。

M: I think I just bombed my history test. I don't think I'm going to pass.

L：噢，你怕刚才历史测验会不及格。嗨，没必要，这又不是大考。Michael，你刚才说什么“bombed my history test”，bomb不是炸弹，或是爆炸吗？你可不要开这样的玩笑，现在大家对安全问题都很敏感。

M: No, I said I bombed my test, that means I did very poorly, and probably will get a very low mark.

L：考得不好，分数低，这我都听懂了，就是那个词bomb用在这里有点怪。我想，这就是中文里说的考试考糊了。那除了考试外还能用在哪里呢？

M: Well, sometimes we might say a movie or a play "bombed". That means that no one wanted to see it, and it probably lost a lot of money.

L：噢，还可以指电影，或话剧太次，没有人要看，卖座率太低。我上星期去看了一次电影，剧院里没几个人。后来我才看到报纸评论说这部电影太糟了。我能不能说：“The movie I saw last week bombed”？

M: Sounds like it bombed to me. Remember the play we went to a few weeks ago? The actors were terrible!

L：对，你说几个星期前去看的那场话剧，有几个话剧演员简直是太糟了。That play really bombed！我说得对不对？

M: Absolutely! Hey listen, Li Hua, can we please change the subject? I don't want to think about failure right now. What would you like to eat? It's my treat.

L：你不要再谈这种丧气的事情，没问题！要请我吃饭，行，我吃沙拉和三明治。不过，Michael，你真是得省点钱，要是老是考试不及格，研究院会把你开除的！

M: Please! Don't mention tests!

L：跟你开玩笑嘛！

M: Ah, here's my hamburger. Ack! They messed up my order! There are onions on this burger!

L：你说什么呀？他们把你的汉堡包怎么啦？

M: I told them not to put onions on my burger, but they forgot. Therefore I said that they "messed up my order". I can also just say "they messed up."

L：噢，你叫他们不要放洋葱，他们忘了。所以，to mess up就是做错了事，对吗？

M: That's right. Also, "to mess up something" can mean to break or damage something.

L：噢，to mess up something还可以指把什么东西弄坏了。昨天，和我同房间的学生问我借自行车，等她还我的时候，自行车的链子 断了。我是不是可以说：“She messed up my bike”？

M: Sure! Hey, you'd better tell her to buy you a new chain.

L：对啊，我是让她去买新链子，可是她说都是我不好让她差一点没 出严重的车祸。

M: What? She broke your bicycle, and she's angry at you? That's just wrong!

L：她就是那样的人，上回她把借来的电视机给弄坏了。

M: She messed up the TV she borrowed? You don't need a roommate like her.

L：虽然她弄坏了我的自行车，其他方面她还是很好的。嗨，Michael，你能帮我修自行车吗？

M: Well, I'm really out of luck today. I bombed my test, they messed up my burger, and now I have to repair your bike!

L：这也算什么倒霉呀！没几分钟你就修好了。我先谢谢你了！

M: Ok, ok!

　　今天李华学到两个常用语，一个是：to bomb，另一个是：to mess up。