VOA流行美語 Unit 296:黔驢技窮&直言不諱地指責
LL: It's not just that I'm missing my wallet. I'm also at my wit's end at work. My boss has given me five new projects to do next week, and I haven't even finished the old ones yet.
LH: 啊？老闆分配給你五個新項目，難怪你會一臉官司。我也一樣，每次週末去看我父母，他們都沒完沒了地叮囑我，該穿什麼衣服，如何待人接物，趕緊換個更好的男朋友。一天下來，I feel like I'm at my wit's end.
LL: Wait, what is that last thing that they tell you?
LH: Huh?...沒什麼重要的。告訴你個訣竅，每次我事情多得忙不過來的時候，我就會列個單子，把所有要乾的事情都寫下來。
LL: That's a good idea, but I have a better one. Since I can't find my wallet, I'll just let you pay for dinner, and we can just bring back some leftovers to feed to my neighbor's dog. OK?
LH: Hmm ... 也就是說，如果我花錢把你和鄰居家的狗餵飽，你的問題就迎刃而解了，you won't be at your wit's end anymore? 聽起來好象不太划算。不過算了，請客就請客，我都快餓瘋了。
Larry和李華在餐館裏。
LH: 怎麼這麼久還不上菜？我們都點了一個小時了。餓死我了。
LL: Me too. If it doesn't come soon, I'm going to find the manager and give him a piece of my mind.
LH: Give him a piece of what? 向經理投訴我支持，給他東西就不必了吧。
LL: Actually, when you give someone a piece of your mind, it means that you tell them how angry you are at them.
LH: 原來你是說，給餐館經理a piece of your mind意思就是讓他知道我們對他們的服務有多麼的不滿意。
LL: Exactly. And if after this long wait the food is really bad, I just might go back into the kitchen and give the cook a piece of my mind too.
LH: Wow, Larry, 看來你真是需要好好休息一下了。來，深呼吸，再吃塊麪包。
LL: You're right Lihua. I would love to go on vacation, but my boss just gave me a lot of work to do, remember? I'd like to give her a piece of my mind, but I don't want to get fired.
LH: 你可千萬不能跟老闆發火。萬一被炒了魷魚，You would really be at your wit's end.
LL: Well at least then I could take a vacation.
LH: 菜怎麼還不來！都是因爲你說喜歡在這家餐館的兒童菜單上畫畫，我們纔會到這兒來。幸好我現在心情還不錯，否則，I might give you a piece of my mind.
LL: Lihua, I would rather wrestle a tiger than face your anger.
LH: 你是說我比熊還兇嗎？
LL: Haha ... Look, the waiter is coming over with our food.
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是at my wit's end，意思是束手無策，黔驢技窮。另一個是give somebody a piece of your mind，意思是直言不諱地指責別人。
