李华和Larry 在讨论晚饭吃什么。他们会用到两个常用语：turn a new leaf
和take baby steps.

    Larry ： I'm starving ， Lihua！ What should we eat for dinner today？

    LH：晚饭？只要不吃你的最爱 -汉堡包和薯条 -就行！

    Larry ： What are you talking about ？ I wasn't planning on eating
fast food ！

    LH：我才不信呢。不是汉堡包，那一定是炸鸡！

    Larry ： Nope. Lihua， I know I used to eat a lot of unhealthy fast
food in the past， but now I've turned a new leaf - I'm never going to
eat fast food again ！

    LH： You turned a leaf？什么意思？

    Larry ： To turn a new leaf means to start over fresh - to totally
get rid of bad habits and start over new again.

    LH：哦，to turn a new leaf，就是甩掉坏习惯，从头开始，

    Larry ： Right. Lately， my bad eating habits have been making me
feel just awful. So ， I decided to turn a new leaf and start eating only
fresh ， healthy foods - starting today.

    LH：你说，因为你一直吃垃圾食品，感觉身体状态很差，所以你要痛改前非，
从今天开始吃健康食品！太好了， Larry！

    Larry ： Lihua， I have been gaining a little weight lately …… But，
that will all change now that I turned a new leaf and started living a
healthy lifestyle ！

    LH：哈，你要从头开始，过健康生活！ Larry，你真能做到么？

    Larry ： No problem ， Lihua！ When I make a decision ， I stay with
it！

    LH：是么？我昨天刚买了一大袋你最喜欢的薯片，既然你已经走上了健康生
活之路。这些薯片，就由我替你消灭吧！

    Larry ： Ah ？ You mean ， you bought some Lays Double - Cheese and
Sour Cream Potato Chips ？

    LH：对啊，就是你最喜欢吃的，双层奶酪加酸奶油口味！好可惜啊，早知道
你turned a new leaf ，我就不浪费钱了。

    Larry ： Well ， wait a minute， Lihua. We can't just let your money
go to waste. Maybe I can just eat a little bit now to hold me over until
we have dinner……

    LH：什么？你想在吃饭前先来些薯片垫垫底？你刚才还说从今天起再也不吃
垃圾食品了呢！

    Larry ： Oh ， Lihua！ But I can't just turn a whole new leaf all
at once - that would be too difficult. Maybe I can just take baby steps
towards my goal.

    LH：你是说，你不可能一下子把生活方式全改变，所以得take baby steps.
我猜，这就是慢慢来，循序渐进，对么？

    Larry ： Yes！ I could make slow progress towards my goal. You know，
like taking small baby steps.

    LH：可你的“慢慢来”是指多慢？不会要10年吧！

    Larry ： Lihua， if I take baby steps ， even though the whole process
will take a lot more time ， it will be a lot less difficult. It's like
getting into a swimming pool. First ， you have to put your foot in to
see if the water is cold. Then， put both legs in. Then ， slowly ……

    LH：这也太慢了！直接跳进游泳池，多痛快！

    Larry ： I don't know how to swim ！

    LH：行啦，Larry ！我看你不用慢慢来，拖拖拉拉地更难受！

    Larry ： With that bag of chips calling my name over there， I'm already
in pain ， Lihua！ I gotta have some！

    LH：啊？Larry ，你的健康生活呢？这么快就放弃啦？

    （抢薯片袋的声音）

    Larry ： Give me that bag ！ I promise I'll only eat a little bit ！
I'm making baby steps towards my goal of eating healthy ！

    LH：哼，给你给你！

    Larry ： Thank you very much！ Man， I haven't had these in so long
- hey ， wait a minute. These are ……dried banana chips？

    LH：没错，这些是干香蕉片！ Larry， I've turned a new leaf in my live
as well.

    Larry ： Huh？ What leaf？

    LH：我以前总是纵容你，给你买垃圾食品，现在，我也要从新来过。我发誓
：以后再也不给你买这些不健康的吃的了。咱们就一起努力吧！

    今天李华学了两个常用语，一个是to turn a new leaf，意思是“从新开始，
痛改前非”。另一个是take baby steps ，意思是“慢慢来，循序渐进”。