L：Michael，发生什么事儿啦，为什么有这么多警察在这儿啊？

M: The police just busted someone for trying to steal my neighbor's car.

L：你说警察把那个小偷怎么样了？把他打伤了吗？

M: No, they busted him. Busted, B-U-S-T-E-D. Busted is the past tense of to bust; it means to catch someone doing something they shouldn't be doing.

L：噢，原来busted someone for doing something就是干坏事的人被抓到了。

M: That's right. You can say "They busted him for something", or you can just say "they busted him".

L：Michael，你认识那个小偷吗？

M: Sure! They busted the man who lives in the apartment above mine!

L：他就住你家楼上啊？

M: Yes, I saw the police put him into a car and drive away.

L：哎呀，好可怕。原来你楼上一直住着个小偷。哎，Michael，bust 这个词是不是只能指警察抓罪犯呢？

M: Not at all. Anyone who catches someone doing something wrong is busting them.

L：噢，我们普通人抓到别人干坏事也可以说“busted someone doing something wrong”。哎，我可不可以说“The teacher busted my classmate for cheating on the English test.”

M: Yes, that's perfect. When you were little, did anyone ever bust you for doing something wrong?

L：当然了。有一回我逃课去逛街被阿姨看到告诉了我妈妈，害得我挨了一顿骂。

M: That's not too bad. Once when I was in school, the teacher busted me for selling candy to my classmates.

L：啊？你向同学兜售糖果，幸亏你被抓到了，要不然不知道你还会干什么坏事呢。

L：Michael，想想真是奇怪，你楼上住了个罪犯你居然一直都不知道。

M: Yeah, but I'm not surprised. I always thought that guy was a creep.

L：A creep? 是小偷的意思吗？

M: No, that's not what I said. I said he's a creep, C-R-E-E-P. A creep is someone who looks and acts in a way that makes people suspicious and uncomfortable.

L：噢，a creep 就是指一个人鬼鬼祟祟，令人怀疑。那你为什么觉得那个人是个creep呢？

M: Well, he was never a friendly neighbor. He was always frowning, and wouldn't say hello to people. That's one reason I thought he was a creep.

L：可是这也不能说他就是个creep 啊。因为有很多人平常都是皱着眉头，从来不和别人打招呼，可是不一定有什么坏心啊。

M: Sometimes he would try to sell us things. And even though we refused to buy his stuff, he just wouldn't leave us alone. That's why my neighbors didn't like him. They all thought he was a little weird.

L：啊，他还硬向你们推销东西。难怪你们怀疑他有什么不良动机。所以你才说他是个creep。

M: You've got it. You give me an example.

L：我们班有个男生很讨厌，所有的女生都觉得他是个creep。

M: Ok. Why is he a creep?

L：他看人的眼神不对头，还有啊，他脸上总是一副皮笑肉不笑的表情，喜欢和女生开那种很肉麻的玩笑。

M: Yes, he definitely sounds like a creep to me.

L：哎，Michael，我今天早上看到你和Alice在咖啡厅喝咖啡，你早上不是有上课吗？

M: Oh, you busted me! Please keep quiet about that, ok? I told my professor I had to visit a sick aunt in the hospital.

L：什么？你这个人哪，迟早有一天会被教授抓到你说谎。

　　今天李华学会两个新词，一个是busted，就是做坏事被抓到的意思，另一个是creep，指的是一个人的行为举止鬼鬼祟祟。