今天李華從 Michael那兒學到了兩個新詞 redneck 和 in the sticks.

    M： Come in！

    L： Hi Michael！ 真抱歉，我沒先告訴你就來了。你的電話一直占線， 所以我沒法打電話給你。

    M： That's no big deal. I was on the phone with my friend Bob who lives in Georgia. He is such a redneck！

    L： 原來這樣。對了，你把你朋友叫什么來著？你說他是什么�。�

    M： I said he's a redneck， R-E-D-N-E-C-K.

    L： 一個紅的脖子？ 這是什么意思��？

    M： A redneck is someone from the countryside who lives a country lifestyle.

    L： 所以你叫一個人 redneck就是說他是鄉(xiāng)下人或很土氣。哎，這樣 說別人很不禮貌吧。

    M： Well， maybe. If you call someone a redneck， it means you think that they are not very cultured or sophisticated.

    L： 你就因為你朋友住在鄉(xiāng)下，你就開他玩笑說他是redneck ，未免不太好吧。

    M： I'm not really making fun of him. Some people are proud to be rednecks. Bob likes to call himself that.

    L： 你說叫他redneck，Bob他還很得意呀。那我就不懂了。在中國，大多數住在鄉(xiāng)下的人都巴不得往城里跑呢。

    M： Well， the U.S. is different. Being a redneck doesn't mean being poor or uneducated. It is a way of living， I guess.

    L： 那么rednecks到底像什么呢？你來說說。

    M： Let me see， how can I describe them？ When we say someone is a redneck we mean they are from the south， and speak with a southern accent.

    L： 現在我懂了， redneck呢一般是指美國南方人，或者說話有南方口音的人。不過說真的，那些南方口音我真的聽不太懂。

    M： Also， rednecks like life in the countryside. They enjoy sports such as hunting or fishing. They like living in areas with lots of open space.

    L： Hmm， rednecks他們不住在城市，他們更享受鄉(xiāng)下的生活。

    M： Exactly. Also， most rednecks have blue-collar jobs， or work on a farm. By the way， Li Hua， be careful how you use this word. Some people might get angry if you call them a redneck.

    L： 哎，對了，Michael，你那個紅脖子朋友Bob為什么事打電話給你 啊？

    M： Well， he asked me if I wanted to visit him this summer. I'm not sure if I really want to go though.

    L： 真的嗎？ 為什么你不想去呢？

    M： He lives out in the sticks. There's nothing for me to do out there.

    L： 他生活在那兒？The sticks 是什么地方�。�

    M： Oh， when I say in the sticks， that just means in a rural area， far from a big city.

    L： 噢，原來是指鄉(xiāng)下啊。哎喲，只不過離開城市幾天，這樣你也受不了啊？

    M： Well， I am used to city life. I don't know how to fish or hunt， and I really don't like farm work. I don't think I would like living in the sticks.

    L： 你覺得你不適合鄉(xiāng)下的生活啊，不過偶爾去呼吸一下新鮮空氣不是挺好的嗎？

    M： I guess. Maybe I should visit him.

    L： 要是有人自稱是 redneck 的話，他也許覺得生活在鄉(xiāng)下 in the sticks 也是很值得自豪的了？

    M： Actually， the phrase in the sticks is not very polite. You shouldn't tell someone that they live in the sticks unless you are just joking with them.

    L： 奧，說別人 live in the sticks 并不是很好，除非你是在開玩笑�。�

    M： You are right. Usually when you say something is in the sticks you mean it is far from anything civilized.

    L： 其實美國人并不懂得什么是真正的鄉(xiāng)下。就算他們住在鄉(xiāng)下好了， 只要一開車就到城里了嘛。

    M： That's true. Still， some places out in the sticks are pretty far from a big city， even if you drive a car.

    今天李華學到了兩個新詞：redneck 和 in the sticks .Redneck 是指鄉(xiāng)下人。 In the sticks 則是指遠離城市的農村地區(qū)。