Larry和李华在咖啡店里买咖啡。李华今天要学两个常用语，newbie和been around.

LL: Wow, it seems to be taking a long time for this guy to get our coffee made. Maybe he is a newbie.

LH: A newbie? 你说他是新来的？

LL: Right. A newbie is someone that is new to a place, activity or organization.

LH: 你说得对，他肯定是新手，好像连咖啡机还用不好呢！

LL: It is like this new guy in my office. He just started work the day before yesterday. He doesn't know where anything is.

LH: 初来乍到是最困难的时候，Larry, 你一定要帮帮这个新同事。

LL: I have been helping him, and he's doing pretty well for a newbie. He is clearly very bright and has picked up on a lot of things very quickly.

LH: 我们的咖啡来了，我们找地儿坐吧。

LL: MMMmmm...It may have taken him a while to make the coffee, but the newbie did a good job. This coffee is great!

LH: 你看，有时候对新手就是要有耐心。我还记得刚开始教中文的时候，样样东西都要学。

LL: What did you find the most difficult about being a newbie Chinese teacher, Li Hua?

LH: 当初最让我头痛的就是安排课堂活动，我总是掌握不好各项活动的时间长短。

LL: Yeah, when I was a newbie, I remember having to learn where everything was in the office and who was responsible for which aspects of my job. . .Say, Li Hua, I want to show you something on my lap top.

(Takes out lap top)

LH: 是新的电脑游戏吗？

LL: Yes, it is a fantasy role-playing game where you pretend to be a warrior or a wizard and run around attacking people and collecting treasure. I've just started the game, so I am kind of a newbie.

LH: 这里面好像还有其他人，他们也是newbies吗？

LL: No, some people have been playing the game for a long time. Their characters are very experienced, and they have fun attacking and stealing treasure from the newbies.

LH: 那你肯定也是被这些老手欺负的对象喽？我是不会玩电脑游戏，也没兴趣。

LL: You should try it, Li Hua. It is a lot of fun to play computer games, and it gets more fun when you aren't a newbie any more.

LH: 还是算了吧，在电脑游戏上面，我宁愿做个newbie.

******

LL: Well, when it comes to computer games, I've been around - if you know what I mean, Li Hua.

LH: "Been around"? 我还真不知道这是什么意思。

LL: "Been around" means to have lots of experience doing something. It is actually short for a longer expression...

LH: 我想起来了。说什么人特别老道，就是"He has been around the block."

LL: That's right! We shorten it to ''been around,'' but it basically means the same thing.

LH: 所以你说自己''have been around.'' 就是说你打过很多电脑游戏喽？

LL: That's right. I started playing computer games when I was seven years old, and I still play computer games.

LH: 对了，Larry, 我一直想问你，听说你妹妹有新男朋友了？

LL: Yes, she is dating a new guy. But I'm a little concerned. I think this guy has been around. He is much older than my sister.

LH: 有经验不见得是坏事啊！

LL: Well, he has been around, but not in a good way. I think he has dated a lot of girls and may not be as serious about my sister as she is about him.

LH: 你是怕他不当真，让你妹妹伤心吧。那你妹妹呢？她有没有交过很多男朋友？

LL: No, not really. She is still very young. I wish she would wait until she has been around a bit before deciding she wants to get engaged to this guy.

LH: 别着急，Larry, 你妹妹绝顶聪明，她肯定能做出正确的选择。你要相信她！

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是newbie, 是新手的意思。另一个是been around, 是老手的意思。