李华需要一个书架，她请Larry 陪她去社区看看有没有卖旧货的。李华今天
会学到两个常用语：up for something和spot someone.

    LH： Larry，我想买个书架，你陪我去附近社区看看有没有卖旧货的，好吗？
对了，报纸上的广告说，附近就有一家，走路10分钟就到。

    LL： Sure. I'm up for it. Let's go.

    LH： Up for it？这话是什么意思？听起来好象你愿意去。

    LL： Right！ When someone says he is up for it， that just means they
are ready to do what is proposed， often some kind of social activity.

    LH：明白了，你刚才说，"I'm up for it" ，意思是你愿意跟我去社区看看
卖旧货的情况。那太好了。Larry ，如果我买到书架，你能不能帮我把它搬回去
呀？

    LL： I'm definitely not up for that. I definitely don't want to do
that.

    LH：我要是请你吃晚饭呢？Are you up for it ？

    LL： Well ， I could be up for that ， as long as the furniture isn't
too big or heavy.

    LH：瞧你，请你吃饭就原意帮我搬。当然咯，要是书桌太大，太重，你一个
人是搬不动的。可是我也不要太大的。

    LL： Li Hua ， I'd like to get some exercise today， would you be
up for going for a run later today？

    LH：跟你去跑步？好啊。 I'm up for it！我最近也一直没有运动，体重增
加了两磅，正需要锻炼呢！

    LL： I meant to ask you ， Li Hua ， we spend so much time together，
do you think your parents are up for you hanging out with me instead of
your Chinese friends？

    LH：我父母没有意见，因为跟你交往，我既可以提高英语又能更多地了解美
国生活。这是件好事呀。我倒要问问你，你的父母愿意我们两个作朋友吗？

    LL： Of course they are up for it. They like you and you help me improve
my Chinese.

    LH：我也很喜欢你爸爸妈妈呀！至于帮你学中文嘛，我看成效不大。你看，
你从来也不跟我讲中文。

    LL：Well， when I have a bigger vocabulary of Chinese characters，
I will certainly feel up for speaking Chinese with you.

    LH：你总是说等我增加词汇量后再讲。我看，你永远也开不了口！

    ******

    （嘈杂人声）

    LH： Larry，你看那家的门口摆了不少东西在卖，我们去看看。

    LL： Yeah ， I might even want to get something too ， though I didn't
bring my wallet. If I see something I like， do you think you could spot
me？

    LH：你可能要买东西，但没带钱包。你要做什么？Spot you？找你呀！

    LL： No ， that's not what I meant. If someone asks you if you can
spot him or her ， it means that he wants to know if you can lend him
some money.

    LH：噢，原来spot someone在这里是指借钱给某人。你要是看到喜欢的东西，
我当然可以借钱给你呀！可不能太贵了，否则我买书架钱就不够了。

    LL： Hey， look at that bookcase， that would be perfect for your
dormitory.

    LH：记得我刚来纽约的时候，在商店里看见过一个特别漂亮的书架，可是价
格太贵，我买不起，当时也不认识什么能够借钱给我的人。

    LL： Oh ， if only I had known you then ， I would have spotted you.
But you can buy the bookcase here now. It's a real nice one.

    LH：这个书架是挺好，价钱也不贵。我实在是需要，否则我也不买，因为，
你知道，我毕业后回国的时候，这些东西不是送掉，就是扔掉。

    LL： That's right. And you need a lot money to buy airplane ticket
and gifts for your family.

    LH：到时候我能向银行借钱吗？Can I ask a bank to spot me ？

    LL： No. Spot someone usually involves a small amount of money， while
bank loans are often a big sum.

    LH：噢，银行贷款一般数额大一些，那spot someone都是借少量的钱。

    LL：Right. Li Hua ， can you spot me for that badminton racquet over
there ？

    LH：你要买那羽毛球拍呀？才三美元呐，我可以借钱给你，没问题。不过你
必须帮我把书架抬到宿舍去。

    LL： Sure ， I'll help you since you're so nice to spot me for that
badminton racquet.

    今天李华学到了两个常用语，一个是up for something. 意思是愿意作某件
事。李华学到的另一个常用语是spot someone. 意思是借钱给某个人。