Larry 和李华刚刚上完美国历史课，两人正在讨论上课的内容。今天李华会
学到两个常用语： out to get someone 和go to bat for someone.

    LL： Hey， Li Hua ， did you notice how professor Smith kept asking
Mary really hard questions？ He really seemed out to get her. LH：就是
啊！我也在纳闷呢！Smith 教授好象在故意刁难Mary，他问她的问题恐怕谁都答
不出来。真是奇怪。Larry 你说教授是out to get her，那是什么意思啊？

    LL： If a person is "out to get" someone else it means that he has
a grudge against that person and wants to hurt or embarrass her. LH ：
哼，out to get someone就是故意让某人难堪，和他过不去。可是Smith 教授和
Mary有什么过节，为什么要这样对她呢？

    LL： I heard that a student complained about Prof. Smith to the department
chair. It's possible that she was the one who complained and now he's
out to get her for it. LH ：你怀疑Mary在系主任那里表示对Smith 教授不满，
所以教授现在要整她？哎哟！要是被教授盯上，故意和你过不去，那可惨了！

    LL： Yeah ， I can imagine that it's stressful. I've never had a professor
that was out to get me， but I had a classmate that was out to get me
once. LH：真的啊？你那个同学为什么和你过不去呢？

    LL： Well ， I asked out the girl he liked and she went out with me.
He was so angry that he was always spreading rumors about me. He even
told the girl that I had another girlfriend. LH ：那可不能怪你呀！那个
女孩愿意和你约会，他就算喜欢那女孩，也不应该散布中伤你的谣言嘛！那，那
个女孩她相信那些谣言吗？

    LL： Of course not. She knew he was out to get me. Have you ever known
anyone who was out to get you ？

    LH：我啊，我也有过这种不愉快的经验。我以前那个同屋常常会故意删掉别
人给我的电话留言，特别是一些重要信息。你说，这不是故意整我吗？

    LL： Yeah ， she really had a grudge against you after you asked her
to be quieter when she came home at night. LH ：就是啊！自从我让她晚上
回来别声音太大以后，她老是跟我过不去。这种人真不讲理。

    ******

    LH：我真不敢相信Smith 教授居然会当着全班面骂Mary笨！

    LL： But did you see how that other student went to bat for her ？
He told the professor that his behavior was unprofessional in front of
everyone.

    LH：对，那个男同学真是有男子汉大丈夫的气概。他站起来指责教授。可是
这和bat 有什么关系？Bat 不是球棒的意思吗？

    LL： That term comes from baseball. If you go to bat for someone else
it means you stand up for them and defend them.

    LH：噢！Go to bat for someone 就是替某人打抱不平，就像那个男同学替
Mary出头，站起来批评Smith 教授一样咯！

    LL： Exactly. Can you think of a time that someone went to bat for
you ？

    LH：嗯，有一次我骑着自行车被一个开车的人撞上，那人还怪我，说是我的
错。不是你跳出来帮我忙的吗！你怎么忘了呢？我记得你还叫了警察呢。You really
went to bat for me. LL： Oh ， that was nothing. I was just helping you
out. I'm sure you would have gone to bat for me ， too.

    LH：那当然，朋友有难，我一定会拔刀相助，替你出头啊！哦！还有一次，
一个女同学在考试的时候偷看我的考卷，还向教授说是我做弊呢。

    LL： Yeah ， I remember that.

    LH：你为我打抱不平，跑去和教授说你看到那个女孩偷看我的考卷。

    LL： Well ， that was true. I did see her cheating.

    LH： Larry，我真的很感谢你噢！你也有男子汉大丈夫的气概。

    LL：Thank you ！

    今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是out to get someone. 意思是故意和某
人过不去，让他为难、难堪。另一个常用语是go to bat for someone ，是替某
人打抱不平，为人出头的意思。