李华正在家里批改中文班学生的考卷。Larry 来找他。今天李华会学到两个
常用语：flunk 和lose sleep over.

    （Paper rustling sounds ）

    LH：（sighs ）唉，这两个学生又不及格了。这学期他们已经是第三次考试
不及格了！

    LL： What ？ You're flunking them ？ I thought I told you to go easy
on your poor students.

    LH：你在说什么啊？flunk them？什么是flunk ？

    LL： I said you are going to flunk the students. That means you're
going to give them a failing grade.

    LH：噢！flunk 就是给他们不及格分数啊，那你还真说对了。你看看他们的
考卷！这能及格吗？

    LL： Heh， let me see …… whoa ， that guy even wrote his own Chinese
name wrong！ If he can't even get that right， he's almost definitely
going to flunk！

    LH：就是嘛！连自己的中文名都写错。我只能给他不及格了。等等，Larry ，
你先是说我flunk 这些学生，给他们不及格，现在又说他们自己要flunk.这到底
是谁要flunk 谁啊？

    LL： The word flunk can mean both "to give a failing grade to" as
well as "to fail a course". So if you flunk that student， he will flunk
the class. Got it ？

    LH：噢，我懂了，flunk 既可以指给学生不及格的分数，也可以指学生自己
考不及格。那Larry ，你是不是也有过不及格的时候啊？

    LL： What ？ No way ！……well， almost. Actually ， I almost flunked
my first beginner's Chinese class. But I managed to pass with a C.

    LH：我的天啊！只拿到C ？你啊！八成和我这些学生一样懒散，不认真。我
要是你的中文老师，绝对让你不及格的！

    LL： Hey， I did my best！ My first Chinese teacher even tutored me
on her own free time. If it weren't for her ， I would have flunked ！

    LH：嗯，那是你运气，老师愿意帮你补课。我也愿意帮这些学生补习，可是
他们经常连课都不来上，我能怎么办？

    LL： They don't come to class ？ What a couple of idiots. Well， go
ahead and flunk them， then.

    ******

    LH：（Sighs ）唉！我真不知道该怎么处理那两个学生的成绩。

    LL： Yeah ， I'd go ahead and just flunk them. Don't lose any sleep
over it ， they deserve it.

    LH：你要我别怎么样？睡不着觉？你在说些什么啊？

    LL： When I say lose sleep over something ， I mean not to worry about
it a lot.

    LH：噢，你这么说我就懂了。Lose sleep over something 就是说你非常担
心某件事情，而到了睡不着觉的地步。Larry ，你真以为我会为这两个学生担心
到失眠呐？

    LL： Of course not. When we use this phrase ， we are just exaggerating.
I know you won't really lose sleep over something like this.

    LH：原来lose sleep over 是有点夸张的说法。我虽然还不到失眠的程度。
可是有时候我真觉得当一个老师压力好大，有好多责任呢！

    LL： Most of your students seem to be doing pretty well ， right？
You aren't losing any sleep over the other students ， are you？

    LH：没有！我有一些学生非常聪明，也很用功。

    LL： That's good. That means the other two students are just irresponsible.
There's no need to lose sleep over them failing your class.

    LH：对了，就这两个学生有问题。他们不及格也是他们自己的责任。Larry ，
我听说你前几天回绝了一个工作机会。怎么回事呀？

    LL： That ？ Oh ， I'm not losing any sleep over that decision. I
just don't have time for that job ， I had no other choice.

    LH：没事就好。时间太紧张就别再给自己增加负担，读书还是比较重要的。

    LL： That's right. I'd rather have a low income than flunk a class.
That's the kind of thing I could really lose sleep over ！

    LH：我真希望我所有的学生都像你一样，宁可钱少，也不能不及格。

    今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是flunk ，意思是老师给学生不及格分数，
或是学生考不及格。另外一个常用语是lose sleep over something ，是为某件
事担心而到了失眠的地步。