Larry和李华刚刚上完美国历史课，两人正在讨论上课的内容。今天李华会学到两个常用语: out to get someone和go to bat for someone.

LL: Hey, Li Hua, did you notice how professor Smith kept asking Mary really hard questions? He really seemed out to get her.

LH: 就是啊！我也在纳闷呢！Smith教授好象在故意刁难Mary，他问她的问题恐怕谁都答不出来。真是奇怪。Larry你说教授是out to get her，那是什么意思啊？

LL: If a person is "out to get" someone else it means that he has a grudge against that person and wants to hurt or embarrass her.

LH: 哼，out to get someone 就是故意让某人难堪，和他过不去。可是Smith 教授和Mary有什么过节，为什么要这样对她呢？

LL: I heard that a student complained about Prof. Smith to the department chair. It's possible that she was the one who complained and now he's out to get her for it.

LH: 你怀疑Mary在系主任那里表示对Smith教授不满，所以教授现在要整她？哎哟！ 要是被教授盯上，故意和你过不去，那可惨了！

LL: Yeah, I can imagine that it's stressful. I've never had a professor that was out to get me, but I had a classmate that was out to get me once.

LH: 真的啊？你那个同学为什么和你过不去呢？

LL: Well, I asked out the girl he liked and she went out with me. He was so angry that he was always spreading rumors about me. He even told the girl that I had another girlfriend

LH: 那可不能怪你呀！那个女孩愿意和你约会，他就算喜欢那女孩，也不应该散布中伤你的谣言嘛！那，那个女孩她相信那些谣言吗？

LL: Of course not. She knew he was out to get me. Have you ever known anyone who was out to get you?

LH: 我啊，我也有过这种不愉快的经验。我以前那个同屋常常会故意删掉别人给我的电话留言，特别是一些重要信息内。你说，这不是故意整我吗？

LL: Yeah, she really had a grudge against you after you asked her to be quieter when she came home at night.

LH: 就是啊！自从我让她晚上回来别声音太大以后，她老是跟我过不去。这种人真不讲理。

******

LH: 我真不敢相信Smith教授居然会当着全班面骂Mary笨！

LL: But did you see how that other student went to bat for her? He told the professor that his behavior was unprofessional in front of everyone.

LH: 对，那个男同学真是有男子汉大丈夫的气概。他站起来指责教授。可是这和bat有什么关系？Bat不是球棒的意思吗？

LL: That term comes from baseball. If you go to bat for someone else it means you stand up for them and defend them.

LH: 噢！Go to bat for someone就是替某人打抱不平，就像那个男同学替Mary出头，站起来批评Smith教授一样咯！

LL: Exactly. Can you think of a time that someone went to bat for you?

LH: 嗯，有一次我骑着自行车被一个开车的人撞上，那人还怪我，说是我的错。不是你跳出来帮我忙的吗！你怎么忘了呢？我记得你还叫了警察呢。You really went to bat for me.

LL: Oh, that was nothing. I was just helping you out. I'm sure you would have gone to bat for me, too.

LH: 那当然，朋友有难，我一定会拔刀相助，替你出头啊！哦！还有一次，一个女同学在考试的时候偷看我的考卷，还向教授说是我做弊呢。

LL: Yeah, I remember that.

LH: 你为我打抱不平，跑去和教授说你看到那个女孩偷看我的考卷。

LL: Well, that was true. I did see her cheating.

LH: Larry，我真的很感谢你噢！ 你也有男子汉大丈夫的气概。

LL：Thank you!

今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是out to get someone。意思是故意和某人过不去，让他为难、难堪。另一个常用语是go to bat for someone, 是替某人打抱不平，为人出头的意思。