今天是星期六，Larry 和李華要和另外一個同學Jim 一塊兒去吃午飯，然后
再去看電影。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：to dump someone 和babemagnet.

    LL： Li Hua ， Jim sounded really bummed on the phone. His girlfriend
just dumped him and I don't think he's handling it very well. LH： Jim
在電話上聽起來情緒很壞？他女朋友把他怎么啦？Dumped him？什么是dump？

    LL： Well ， first they had a fight and then she dumped him. To dump
is to break up with someone. LH ：噢，原來dump someone就是不要和某人在
一起了。也就是Jim 的女朋友把他給甩了。是呀，男女朋友分手是挺難受的。

    LL： Yeah ， I can't believe she dumped him after they'd been together
for two years. It's really a shock. LH：我聽了也很驚奇。他們在一起已經
兩年了，Jim 脾氣又那么好，為什么他女朋友要把他甩了？為什么要dump him？

    LL： I don't know. He wouldn't tell me the reason why she dumped him.
LH：他不原意告訴你為什么。對，有的人是不原意跟別人談這種細節。會不會Jim
的女朋友愛上別人了？

    LL： That's possible， but it's not really any of our business. We
should just try and cheer him up while we're with him. LH ：對，這是他
們之間的事。我們不必過問。我們今天就想辦法讓他高興一點就好了。哎，Larry
，你有沒有被女朋友甩過？ Have you ever been dumped ？

    LL： I really don't want to talk about that ， Li Hua. If I have been
dumped， it's not something I'm proud of. LH：你不想告訴我。我能理解，
被別人甩了確實不是什么值得驕傲的事。這么說，你被甩過。You have been dumped.
為什么？

    LL： Li Hua ！ I told you that I don't want to talk about it. LH：
對不起，對不起。我只是好奇。你人那么好，為什么你的女朋友會甩了你。我只
是覺得很難想像而已。

    LL： Don't worry about it. Hey， look ， we're almost at Jim's place.

    ******

    LH：嘿，Larry ，剛才吃飯的時候，你說Jim 是個babe magnet ，他聽了好
像開心一點。Babe magnet 到底是什么意思啊？

    LL： A babe magnet is a man who attracts lots of women， the way a
magnet attracts metal. I was trying to make him feel better.

    LH：噢，我懂了，babe就是指女孩子，而magnet就是磁鐵，所以一個babe magnet
就是很能吸引女孩的人。你這么說是為了安慰Jim.意思是他很快就會找到新女朋
友了，是不是？

    LL： Exactly. If he feels good about himself and thinks about future
possibilities ， then he won't be so depressed about getting dumped.

    LH：沒錯。只要Jim 對自己有信心，覺得前途有希望，他就不會太難過了。
而且Jim 真的是一個babe magnet 啊！他長的一表人才，又聰明，對人也好。我
想很多女孩都會喜歡他！

    LL： Hey， Li Hua ， if you think he's such a babe magnet ， then
why don't you go out with him ？

    LH： Larry！你在說什么嘛！我說Jim 是個好人并不意味著我就要和他談戀
愛啊。

    LL： I know ； I'm just teasing you. Besides， even if Jim is an irresistiblebabe
magnet， I don't think it's a good idea to go out with him right now.

    LH：我同意。他現在情緒不好。最好等一段時間再開始談戀愛。Larry ，有
沒有人告訴你，你也算得上是個babe magnet ？

    LL： I don't need anyone to tell me I'm a babe magnet. I already know
it.

    LH：是嗎？口氣還真不小嘛，你早知道自己是個babe magnet 啊？

    LL： Yep. Women love me. They told me I'm a babe magnet.

    LH：（Giggling）你要真是個babe-magnet ，那你怎么會被甩的呢？

    LL： Li Hua ， I told you ……

    LH：開個玩笑嘛！