【大紀元10月1日訊】期終考試今天全部結束，Larry和Li Hua準備開個party來慶祝一番。Li Hua會學到兩個常用語：without a hitch和chow down。
(household utensil noise)
LH: Larry, 你看我們準備的東西夠不夠啊？這是我第一次請朋友來開party，要是東西不夠吃，那就糟糕啦！
LL: Calm down, Li Hua. I’m sure the party will go off without a hitch.
LH: 你說我們的party會怎麼樣 – without a hitch – 那是什麼意思啊？
LL: Oh, if something “goes without a hitch”, it means that everything goes smoothly and nothing will go wrong.
LH: 對，hitch這個字也可以解釋為「障礙」，那something goes without a hitch, 就是「進展順利」。
LH: Larry，你的意思就是我們的party will go off without a hitch，肯定能辦好，不會有問題…那我可不可以說：There won’t be any “hitches”？
LL: No, No, Li Hua, you can’t use it that way. You can only say that something “goes without a hitch.” This is an idiomatic expression. You can’t generally substitute the word “hitch” for “problem.”
LH: 啊，原來something “goes without a hitch”是一個習慣用語，不能把hitch 和problem兩個交替來使用。那想說什麼事一帆風順，我們就只能說：什麼事情goes without a hitch.
LL: Okay, Li Hua, now that you understand the phrase, can you give me an example?
LH: 我來想一想。有了。最近這次考試我覺得我考得不錯 – My exams went without a hitch.
LL: I wish I were as confident as you are. Now, can you give me another example of how to use “without a hitch”?
LH: 嗯…我最近申請了暑期裡到一個公司去工作。他們約我上星期去面談。我覺得那個面談進行得挺順利的，所以 – It went off without a hitch.
LL: Hey congratulations!
LH: Thank you, Larry. 哎喲，我們趕快準備吧。客人馬上就要到了！
******
(party SFX)
LL: See, everybody is enjoying the party, I told you it would be fine.
LH: 嗯，大家好像都玩得挺開心。我原來還擔心吃的不夠呢，現在看來說不定還做多了！
LL: I don’t know about that. Some people are really chowing down. Hey, look at Jim, he’s eating one hot dog after another!
LH: 就是啊，我也注意到Jim挺喜歡吃熱狗的，可是你說什麼？ 這兒有的人是在chowing down? 什麼是chow down啊？
LL: Well, “chow” is slang for “food” and to chow down is to eat a lot and to do it enthusiastically.
LH: 噢，chow這個字在口語裡可以表示「食物」。那麼chow down就是「吃得很多，而且還興致勃勃的」。那不就有點兒像我們中文裡說的「狼吞虎嚥」嗎？
LL: Yep. Look, Jim has finished his hot dog. He’s now moved on to eating a piece of cake. He’s definitely chowing down. He acts as though he hasn’t eaten in days.
LH: 對，Jim他剛吃完熱狗，現在又在吃蛋糕了 – He is really chowing down. 好像幾天沒吃飯一樣的。哎，對了，Larry, 這也說明我們準備的東西受歡迎哪！
LL: That’s right! See, Li Hua, I told you that the party will go off without a hitch.
LH: 哎，Larry, 說了這麼半天了，你都吃什麼啦？
LL: What have I chowed down? Well, I have been busy helping you and haven’t got time to eat yet.
LH: 哎喲，真是抱歉，你光顧著幫我招待客人，自己都還沒顧上吃呢！
LL: That’s OK. I think we should chow down now before all of the good stuff is gone!
LH: 好啊，那我們趕緊開吃吧，要不然好東西都沒了！
今天李華從Larry那兒學到兩個常用語。一個是without a hitch, 表示事情「進展順利」。另外一個是chow down, 相當於中文裡所說的「狼吞虎嚥」。
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