Larry 和李華準備到銀行去，李華要開一個帳戶，而Larry 需要取一些現金。
今天李華會學到兩個常用語：to be hard up 和to pick on someone.

    LH： Larry，我要去銀行開個戶頭，你去銀行做什么？

    LL： Well ， my friend is a little hard up for cash right now ， so
I'm going to withdraw some money and let him borrow it.

    LH：原來你是要提現金借給朋友啊！你的朋友怎么啦？你說他hard up for
cash.Cash 是現金。這個我懂，但hard up 是什么意思？

    LL： To be "hard up" for something means that you don't have enough
of it.

    LH： Hard up for something就是什么東西不夠，所以你那朋友hard up for
cash，就是錢不夠啦！對不對？

    LL： Exactly. He's helped me when I was hard up before， so I feel
that I should help him out now.

    LH：嗯，你朋友以前也借錢給你，幫過你，所以現在你幫他。這也是應該的。
對了，Larry ，這個hard up 除了指缺錢，還可以用在什么地方？

    LL： Well ， one is usually hard up for money. However， you can be
hard up for time or for work， too.

    LH：如果我說I am hard up for time ，那就表示我很忙，時間不夠，對不
對？

    LL： Right. I'm usually hard up for time during exams. I have so much
studying to do that I hardly even sleep.

    LH：我也是，只要到了期中考，期末考的季節，我就覺得時間不夠用，書都
念不完。那hard up for work不能說工作不夠，只能說找不到工作嘍？

    LL： I'm hard up for work means that I really need a job， but I'm
having a hard time finding one.

    LH：嗯，那種需要工作卻找不到工作的滋味一定很不好受。希望我畢業后不
會經歷hard up for work. LL： So do I. I don't think anyone enjoys being
hard up for time， money， or work.

    LH：對，缺錢，缺時間，沒工作都不好受。

    ******

    LL： Did you see those two children in the bank ？ The little boy
was awful ； he kept picking on his sister. LH：就是，那個小男孩真不聽
話，吵吵鬧鬧的。你說他picking on his sister ，那是什么意思？

    LL： Oh ， to pick on someone is to annoy or to be mean to that person.
The little boy kept picking on his sister by calling her ugly and pulling
her hair. LH： Pick on someone就是欺負，招惹別人，或者老是批評別人的意
思。那個小男孩不斷拉他姐姐的頭發，還說她丑，真是很讓人討厭。我小時候我
哥哥也喜歡捉弄我。他總是踩我的腳，卻說是我踩他！

    LL： Well ， at least your brother stopped doing that when he got
older. My parents still pick on each other. LH：你說什么，你的爸媽也老
是互相指責？

    LL： They just criticize each other over stupid things. For example，
my dad likes to pick on my mom about her cooking. He thinks she's a terrible
cook. LH：你媽媽幫全家人做飯已經夠辛苦了，你爸爸居然還批評她做飯做得不
好。你爸爸也真是的！

    LL： I know ， but they have been picking on each other for thirty
years and old habits are hard to break. To be honest， I think they enjoy
it. LH：那倒是，30多年都是這樣，要改恐怕也難。可是，你說他們喜歡這樣做，
這不太可能吧！

    LL： Sometimes， they are joking. When my mom picks on my dad about
the kind of music he listens to ， I know she's just joking. Other times，
I think they are just being grouchy. LH ：我想他們有時是開玩笑。你爸聽
什么音樂，你媽還要管吶？肯定是開玩笑。當然，有的時候互相鬧別扭也是可能
的。人都有情緒不好的時候嘛！