李华到Larry住的地方去送一本书，发现鱼缸里的金鱼不见了。今天李华会学到两个常用语：bite the dust和funky. (来源：英语杂志 http://www.EnglishCN.com)

LH: 哎，Larry，你的金鱼到哪儿去了?

LL: Oh, he bit the dust yesterday. I found him floating in the tank. I'm really bummed out about it.

LH: 你的金鱼怎么了？Bit the dust? Bit是bite的过去时。意思是：咬； 那dust是尘土的意思。咬尘土？ 噢，你是说你的鱼死啦？

LL: That's right! That fish was a few years old, so I think he might have just died of old age.

LH: 那只鱼在你这儿好几年啦？怪不得你显得闷闷不乐！Larry，要不要我陪你再去买条金鱼？

LL: I'm thinking about going to buy a new fish today, but I want to clean out the tank first. I don't want the new fish to bite the dust, too.

LH: 没错，买新的鱼以前最好把鱼缸打扫干净，不然新的鱼也可能会死掉的。

LL: It's possible. I really don't want to take any chances.

LH: 对，一条鱼价钱也不便宜，可别冒风险。对了，Larry，你知道吗？John的奶奶几天前去世了，那我是不是能说：she bit the dust the other day。

LL: Wait a second, Li Hua, I don't think you want to say that your friend's grandma bit the dust. It's not very polite or respectful.

LH: 噢，bite the dust这个说法用在人的身上是不礼貌的！那我还真是得小心。

LL: It's okay to say my fish bit the dust or some bad guy in a movie bit the dust, but you probably don't want to say that about your friend's family member.

LH: 嗯，我懂了。To bite the dust可以指鱼，可以指电影里的坏蛋，可是千万不要在朋友的家人去世的时候用这个说法。

LL: You've got it! Now let's go buy a fish.

******

LH: Larry, 你为什么不买那条鱼？它的鳍好大而且颜色好漂亮！我从来没见过色彩这么鲜艳的鱼呢！

LL: Yeah, he is kind of funky. I don't think I've ever seen another fish like that either.

LH: 等等，什么是funky? 是不是很酷的意思?

LL: Funky has several meanings, but in this case, it means cool, unique, and unusual.

LH: 噢，在这里，funky就是指很酷、很独特的意思。没错，这条鱼真的很特别。这鱼放在你的鱼缸里一定很漂亮！

LL: Hold on, that funky little fish is pretty expensive. Why don't we get a cheap little goldfish instead?

LH: 小的金鱼是便宜点，可是颜色就没有这么特别了啊！

LL: I happen to like goldfish. I can buy one of those goldfish with the funky bubbles behind its eyes.

LH: 你是说那条眼睛后面长两个大球的金鱼呀？我还是喜欢那条很漂亮的鱼，那条funky fish。

LL: Well, I appreciate your opinion, but this is going to be my fish.

LH: 那也是，别听我的。这是你的鱼，你得天天看的。Larry，你看，那边那个人穿的衣服真是与众不同。我觉得很怪，是不是也很funky？

LL: Yeah, he definitely has his own sense of style. It looks as though he's here to buy a fish, too.

LH: 对，每个人都有自己穿衣服的风格。说不定他会买那条很漂亮的鱼！

LL: That's a possibility. Now, come on, forget about that fish and help me pick out a goldfish, the funkier the better.

今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是bite the dust, 就是死掉的意思，不过通常不用在人身上，因为那样说不太礼貌。另一个常用语是funky。意思是很酷、很独特。