【大紀元2011年07月15日訊】今天Larry和Li Hua一起去聽講座。上課前聊起了彼此的興趣。Li Hua要學習兩個常用語：glued to one’s seat和at the end of one’s rope。
LH: Larry, 老師上次佈置的作業你做了嗎？第五題怎麼寫呀？
LL: Number 5…number 5…I didn’t do that one either.
LH: 第五題你也不會啊，那怎麼交差啊…
(Larry looks around the room and sees Amy)
LL: Hey! We can ask Amy. She probably knows how to do this problem.
LH: Amy? 可你怎麼知道她肯定會做呢? 搞不好她也跟我們一樣。
LL: But she’s always glued to her seat during the lectures. I’m sure she gets good grades because she pays so much attention.
LH: 你說她每次講座都粘在椅子上？有人惡作劇嗎？
LL: No, not literally glued to her seat. To be glued to one’s seat means to be so interested and involved with something that one doesn’t move at all.
LH: 哦，我明白了，你的意思是說Amy is always glued to her seat, 她上課聽得特別專心，一動不動，所以學得一定不錯，那我們真地可以去問她！
LL: That’s right. That’s exactly what I was trying to say, Li Hua.
LH: 那我可不可以說，如果我看到白馬王子, I will be glued to my seat? 我一定會深深地被他吸引，無法動彈的…
LL: Mmm…you really dream about meeting Prince Charming all day long, don’t you? Usually, the term “to be glued to one’s seat” is only used to describe an activity. For example, you can be glued to your seat when you’re playing your favorite video game, or watching a suspenseful movie etc.
LH: 是嗎..所以這句話通常是用在形容對某件事情的熱情，比如說，Larry is always glued to his seat when he reads children’s books! 這樣造句對嗎?
LL: Yeah that’s right. Except did you really have to mention children’s books? I just like them because my mom used to read to me all the time.
LH: 哈哈，當然要提到你有多麼愛讀兒童故事書啊。這是我能想到的Larry唯一的嗜好，要不然你說說看，自己有更熱愛的事情嗎？
LL: Okay, let me think! There’s got to be something that better represents my intellectual interests…
(Long pause)
LH: 想不出來吧？你還是放棄吧。
LL: Fine. I guess I’m at the end of my rope.
LH: 什麼？你說”I’m at the end of my rope”是什麼意思啊怎麼連繩子都跑出來了？你可別想不開啊。
LL: To be at the end of your rope means to be out of options. It means you’re stuck in a bad situation.
LH: 原來是指你無路可退的意思。你看，我比你自己還要瞭解你，兒童故事書是你的最愛，還是承認吧。
LL: OK, quit laughing. It’s just a little hobby of mine that I read children’s books. I doubt your interests are any better. Hmmm let me think…you like to dance, you like to go shopping, you like to…
LH: 哎，不用想了! 不管你怎麼想，一定想不到一個跟讀兒童故事書一樣奇怪的興趣。You’re at the end of your rope Larry!
LL: You’re right, I am at the end of my rope. But once again, reading children’s books is just a good memory I have from childhood.
LH: 奇怪, 班上好安靜喔.
(Larry looks at watch)
LL: Class already started! Hey, what about that question on the homework? We have to turn it in today!
LH: 什麼？？已經開始上課了？ 那我們的功課怎麼辦呢？
LL: I guess we’re at the end of our ropes…
今天李華從Larry那兒學到兩個常用語。一個是glued to one’s seat, 是指一個人非常專注於某件事情，集中精力，一動不動。另一個at the end of one’s rope意思是走頭無路，沒有其它的選擇。