【大纪元1月2日讯】Larry周末去找李华。今天我们要学两个常用语：the cat is out of the bag和kick the bucket.
LL: Hi Li Hua, how’s it going?
LH: 挺好的，总算又考完了一门。你怎么样？
LL: I’m doing pretty well. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you…
LH: 你先别说，让我猜猜，你要带我出去渡假？
LL: What？How’d you know?! Who let the cat out of the bag?
LH: What? 什么叫”let the cat out of the bag?”
LL: Who told you?
LH: 哈哈，当然是你妹妹Susie.
LL: I can’t believe she told you!
LH: Well. I guess she let the cat out of the bag.
LL: Did she ever! I can’t believe she let the cat out of the bag!
LH: 你还不了解Susie吗，她肚子里什么事情也藏不住。
LL: I see that now.
LH: 你以后有什么要保密的事，千万不能告诉她。
LL: I guess Susie is not a good candidate for being a spy.
LH: 她要当间谍，第一天就把自己先出卖了！
LL: Oh well, so the cat is out of the bag, I want to take you on a vacation.
LH: 好啊！带我去渡假我当然愿意，可总得有点儿理由吧？
LL: Well, that project just finished and my boss offered me a few weeks off to relax since we all worked so many hours on it. Plus I just got a bonus for the work.
LH: 又放假，又发奖金。这可真是双喜临门。
LL: It’s pretty good. I’m just glad that now I have some time to relax.
LH: 那你有没有想好去哪里呢？
LL: I was thinking that we could go down to Miami, you know, just relax by the beach. I think it would be a pretty good way to get away from it all for a little bit.
LH: 迈阿密的阳光，我来了！
LL: It’s a shame you weren’t surprised though, now I know not to tell someone who might let the cat out of the bag next time.
******
李华第二天见到Larry. Larry看上去情绪十分低落。
LH: Larry, 你怎么了，脸色这么难看，发生什么事情了吗？
LL: My second grade teacher apparently just kicked the bucket.
LH: 你小学二年级老师kicked the bucket? 她的脚没受伤吧？
LL: No, kicked the bucket means she died.
LH: 哦，原来kick the bucket是去世的意思。对不起，你一定很难过吧？
LL: Well, She always had some health problems. To be honest, I’m surprised she lived to be as old as she did. She was probably in her 60s when I had her.
LH: 不管怎么说，自己以前的老师去世，心里一定还是很不好受。
LL: Yeah, it is a little sad, and a little strange. I hadn’t thought of her in years.
LH: 那你是怎么听说她去世的消息呢？
LL: Someone from my hometown posted it on my facebook wall.
LH: 没想到，脸谱网还能起到发讣告的作用。
LL: Yeah, it is kind of weird that someone would use facebook as an obituary. Usually people like to write about having kids online. But this is the first time I heard about someone kicking the bucket.
LH: 不说这些不高兴的事了。Larry, 晚上要不一起去看电影？
LL: OK. Anything in particular?
LH: 我随便，听你的。
LL: I guess I’d like to see a comedy or something light.
LH: So you don’t think about your teacher having kicked the bucket?
LL: Well I guess, but also just because I feel like seeing a comedy.
LH: 对了，Larry, 要不要听个小秘密？
LL: A secret? Of course.
LH: Jenny和Mark订婚了。
LL: WOW! That’s great news!
LH: 别嚷别嚷。他们还没有正式宣布呢。You have to promise you won’t let the cat out of the bag!
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是the cat is out of the bag， 意思是泄露秘密。另一个是kick the bucket意思是去世。 (http://www.dajiyuan.com)
