李华和Larry 在夏威夷渡假。今天我们要学两个常用语：pale in comparison
和 blown away.

    LH： Larry，我简直不能相信今天是我们在夏威夷的最后一天了！真舍不得
走。

    L ： I know ！ I feel like we just got here ， and now we already
have to think about going back home.

    LH：所以我们得珍惜这最后一天，咱们来点刺激的，空中跳伞怎么样？

    L ： Sky diving ？ Wow， that would be really crazy ！ All of our
other activities would pale in comparison with sky diving.

    LH： Pale in comparison ？什么意思？

    L ： You can say that something pales in comparison when it is much
smaller or less significant than something else.

    LH：哦，pale in comparison就是远远不如，逊色很多。你是说，和空中跳
伞相比，我们在夏威夷玩儿的其它东西就逊色多了，简直太没劲了。

    L ： Exactly！ Or for another example ， I could say that John decided
to accept a new job at a different company because his old salary paled
in comparison with the one he was offered.

    LH：你是说， John 跳槽到一家新公司，因为人家给他的薪水比原来公司的
高得太多了。

    L ： Right！ But I don't know about sky diving Lihua. It sounds really
dangerous.

    LH：不用害怕！你就是走在大马路上，也可能摔跟头啊！难道你因为担心这
个就不出门走路了？

    L ： True ， but I think the danger of walking down the street pales
in comparison to the danger of sky diving.

    LH：好吧。那咱们去坐直升机好了，可以鸟瞰美丽的夏威夷！

    L ： I agree. I think the natural scenery back home pales in comparison
with the incredible natural scenery here.

    LH：那当然了！不过，虽然夏威夷景色怡人，但物价也比其它地方贵。咱们
坐直升机肯定得花好多钱。

    L ： You're right. The prices of things back home really pale in comparison
with the prices in Hawaii.

    LH：但是咱们都来了，不去肯定会遗憾的！

    L ： I think you're right. Let's do it！

    ******

    LH： Larry，怎么样？这趟直升机之旅很棒吧？

    L ： Yeah ， that was great ！ I was really blown away by how beautiful
the natural scenery was.

    LH： Blown away ？被风吹走？你没被吹走啊。

    L ： Actually Lihua ， when you say that you were blown away by something，
that means that you were really amazed.

    LH：哦，原来be blown away 就是感到震惊的意思。你是说，咱们在空中看
到的美景彻底让你瞠目结舌。

    L ： Right！ Here is another example. When I went to the Sichuan restaurant，
I knew that the food would be a little spicy. But I was really blown away
by just how spicy it was！

    LH：哦，虽然你本来就知道四川菜辣，但直到真把川菜吃到嘴里后，才发现
它们可比你想象的辣多了。对了，Larry ，那天咱们去钓鱼，我的垂钓技术有没
有让你blown away，对我刮目相看呢？

    L ： Lihua， I'm sorry to say that I was not blown away by your fishing
skills. Just catching one big fish on your first try is beginner's luck.

    LH：抓到鱼是我运气好？才不是呢！对了，我还听人说过"blow their mind"
这也是一个意思么？

    L ： Exactly. For example ， I had seen pictures of the Grand Canyon
in books. But when I finally went there ， seeing it in person really
blew my mind.

    LH：大峡谷的美景的确会让人叹为观止！对了，上次我做的麻婆豆腐也让你
惊艳了吧！

    L ： Absolutely ！ When I tasted your mapo tofu for the first time，
it completely blew my mind. I couldn't believe how delicious it was.

    LH：你还挺会说话。对了，我们下午得早点出发去机场，别遇到堵车。

    L ： I know ！ I was blown away by how crowded the airport was when
we landed.

    LH：不过比起纽约的交通，这里就算不错了。

    L ： Oh sure， the lines at the airport here pale in comparison to
big US cities.

    LH：说到纽约，马上就要回去了，又得上班了，真烦人。

    L ： Lihua， I have just one rule for going on vacation ： never mention
work！

    今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是pale in comparison，表示不能比，逊色
很多。另一个是blown away，意思是大吃一惊。