【大紀元2012年03月29日訊】最近李華看到朋友Kevin經常向大家要用過的吸管，覺得奇怪，便決定和Larry一起探個究竟。李華會學到兩個常用語：shady和to stock up。
LH: Larry, Kevin在做甚麼啊?
LL: Hmmm…that’s a good question.
LH: 他最近總是在收集大家不要的吸管。啊！他們家是不是破產了。所以要收集吸管，再拿去賣啊？
LL: I don’t think so, Li Hua. If they really went broke, he would just sell his Mercedes or iPhone.
LH: 說的也是。他看起來還是特有錢的。
LL: But it’s a bit shady what he’s doing. Why would someone collect straws?
LH: 你說shady是甚麼意思啊？
LL: Shady means suspicious or questionable. Kevin collecting a bunch of straws is definitely suspicious.
LH: Shady是可疑的意思。我也這麼覺得。那我們要不要問他看看？
LL: Rather than asking him, why don’t we sit back and observe him for a couple of days, and see what he’s up to.
LH: 你說要觀察幾天？ 好啊！我們就做一回偵探！
******
第二天李華看到Larry.
LH: Larry! Kevin 今天沒有再要吸管了耶。他好像完成了他的任務。那我們要怎麼找出真相呢？
LL: He’s not collecting straws anymore? Is he doing anything else that’s shady?
LH: 你說他有沒有做其他可疑的事…有了！他最近一直到美術教室的儲藏室去。會是在做甚麼呢？
LL: The art classroom? Maybe that’s where he stocks up all the straws! He wants to use those to create some artwork!
LH: 你說stock up… 是儲藏的意思嗎？
LL: Yes. To stock up means to store. He probably already put all the straws he’s collected in the storage room, and he is now trying to create an artwork.
LH: 你說他已經把收集到的吸管通通放到儲藏室了，現在要用那些吸管來做美術作品？
LL: Yup. That has to be it.
LH: 不可能啦！他沒有選修美術呀。我跟他上的課幾乎一模一樣，我很清楚的。
LL: Hmmm..really? That’s even more shady then.
LH: 但Larry, 我很好奇。為甚麼shady是可疑的意思呢？跟suspicious這個字也沒甚麼關係啊。
LL: A shade is a place that is dark. Usually, things that are suspicious are done in the dark. Therefore, we say someone or something is shady when that thing or person is very suspicious.
LH: 哇，原來是這樣，因為shade是指陰暗處，而做壞事的人通常都是在暗地裡做事，所以很引人懷疑。
LL: That’s right.
LH: 不過Kevin的事還是要弄個水落石出，我實在很好奇。
LL: Let’s wait another day and see. Maybe we’ll know tomorrow!
LH: 好吧！明天見。
******
第三天，李華提早來到學校，遠遠看到Larry剛跟Kevin講完話。
LH: Larry!
LL: Li Hua! You’re here so early today.
LH: 是啊。你在做甚麼呢？Why do you look all shady?
LL: I look shady?? What are you talking about?
LH: 我剛才明明看到你和Kevin在悄悄說話，Does it have anything to do with the straws that Kevin stocked up?
LL: Ohh that?! Shhhhh. I was just talking to Kevin to see what he was up to.
LH: 你趁我不在的時候去問Kevin?! 幹嘛不叫上我一起，真不夠意思。
LL: But guess what I found out?
LH: 快說說看！
LL: Here, follow me! Let’s go into the classroom where we can sit down and talk.
李華跟Larry一起走進教室, 等在教室裡的很多一起喊”Happy Birthday李華!”
LH: 天啊！Larry, 你們原來是用吸管做了這條船給我當生日禮物！我還以為….
LL: Well, we had to give you a surprise, but you realized Kevin was stocking up on straws. I had to pretend not to know.
LH: 謝謝啦！ 現在終於知道Kevin為甚麼鬼鬼祟祟得在收集吸管了！
今天李華從Larry那兒學到兩個常用語，一個是shady,「可疑」的意思。另一個是to stock up, 也就是「儲藏」。