Larry 和李华准备到银行去，李华要开一个帐户，而Larry 需要取一些现金。
今天李华会学到两个常用语：to be hard up 和to pick on someone.

    LH： Larry，我要去银行开个户头，你去银行做什么？

    LL： Well ， my friend is a little hard up for cash right now ， so
I'm going to withdraw some money and let him borrow it.

    LH：原来你是要提现金借给朋友啊！你的朋友怎么啦？你说他hard up for
cash.Cash 是现金。这个我懂，但hard up 是什么意思？

    LL： To be "hard up" for something means that you don't have enough
of it.

    LH： Hard up for something就是什么东西不够，所以你那朋友hard up for
cash，就是钱不够啦！对不对？

    LL： Exactly. He's helped me when I was hard up before， so I feel
that I should help him out now.

    LH：嗯，你朋友以前也借钱给你，帮过你，所以现在你帮他。这也是应该的。
对了，Larry ，这个hard up 除了指缺钱，还可以用在什么地方？

    LL： Well ， one is usually hard up for money. However， you can be
hard up for time or for work， too.

    LH：如果我说I am hard up for time ，那就表示我很忙，时间不够，对不
对？

    LL： Right. I'm usually hard up for time during exams. I have so much
studying to do that I hardly even sleep.

    LH：我也是，只要到了期中考，期末考的季节，我就觉得时间不够用，书都
念不完。那hard up for work不能说工作不够，只能说找不到工作喽？

    LL： I'm hard up for work means that I really need a job， but I'm
having a hard time finding one.

    LH：嗯，那种需要工作却找不到工作的滋味一定很不好受。希望我毕业后不
会经历hard up for work. LL： So do I. I don't think anyone enjoys being
hard up for time， money， or work.

    LH：对，缺钱，缺时间，没工作都不好受。

    ******

    LL： Did you see those two children in the bank ？ The little boy
was awful ； he kept picking on his sister. LH：就是，那个小男孩真不听
话，吵吵闹闹的。你说他picking on his sister ，那是什么意思？

    LL： Oh ， to pick on someone is to annoy or to be mean to that person.
The little boy kept picking on his sister by calling her ugly and pulling
her hair. LH： Pick on someone就是欺负，招惹别人，或者老是批评别人的意
思。那个小男孩不断拉他姐姐的头发，还说她丑，真是很让人讨厌。我小时候我
哥哥也喜欢捉弄我。他总是踩我的脚，却说是我踩他！

    LL： Well ， at least your brother stopped doing that when he got
older. My parents still pick on each other. LH：你说什么，你的爸妈也老
是互相指责？

    LL： They just criticize each other over stupid things. For example，
my dad likes to pick on my mom about her cooking. He thinks she's a terrible
cook. LH：你妈妈帮全家人做饭已经够辛苦了，你爸爸居然还批评她做饭做得不
好。你爸爸也真是的！

    LL： I know ， but they have been picking on each other for thirty
years and old habits are hard to break. To be honest， I think they enjoy
it. LH：那倒是，30多年都是这样，要改恐怕也难。可是，你说他们喜欢这样做，
这不太可能吧！

    LL： Sometimes， they are joking. When my mom picks on my dad about
the kind of music he listens to ， I know she's just joking. Other times，
I think they are just being grouchy. LH ：我想他们有时是开玩笑。你爸听
什么音乐，你妈还要管呐？肯定是开玩笑。当然，有的时候互相闹别扭也是可能
的。人都有情绪不好的时候嘛！