Part 1 Mike Wasn't Studying Hard 麦克没有努力学习
Dialogue script 1 对话原文 1
Mom: Mike did WHAT?
Teacher: And this isn't the first time, Mrs. Wilson. Mike has failed his last three tests.
Mom: Oh, my goodness! He told us he was doing very well
Teacher: I wish that were the case. He just hasn't been trying very hard.
Mom: Unbelievable! I'll make sure I speak with him about this right away. Thank you.
Teacher: No problem. I'll keep an eye on his progress.
(After Mom hangs up the phone.)
Mom: Guess who just called me?
Dad: I don't know. Surprise me.
Mom: Mike's teacher called-his grades have slipped a lot recently!
Dad: What? That's not a good surprise. What can we do?
Mom: He needs a good talking to...followed by a punishment.
Dad: Let's not be too hard on him. Maybe he just needs encouragement.
Mom: I don't know. He has to be aware there are consequences when he doesn't study.
讲解：
1. 对话中，学校的老师给Mike家打来电话，告诉家长Mike最近三次考试都不及格。妈妈还不相信，老师说这已经不是第一次了。fail 在这里作动词，表示“不及格”，比如说，I failed the History test again. 我历史考试又不及格。
2. 还有fail in sth这个词组可以表示“在某事物中失败，不及格”，比如说，He passed in maths but failed in French. 他算术考试通过了，但是法语不及格。那么通过考试我们就可以用pass这个词。
3. fail还可以表示 “使失望，舍弃，辜负”，比如说，He never fails to write to his mother every week. 他每周都给母亲写信。Words fail me. 我无法用语言来表达我的感受。 Our water supply has failed us. 我们的水供应不足。
4. Mike的成绩这么差，很让妈妈吃惊，因为Mike一直告诉他们他在学校考试都考得很好。老师说，但愿如此I wish that were the case. 这是一个虚拟语气的句子了，the case 在这里表示“实情，情况”。比如说，If that is the case, you'll have to work much harder. 果真如此，你就要更加努力了。老师说最近Mike就是不够努力。妈妈说一定要马上跟Mike谈谈这件事情，speak with sb about sth就表示“跟某人就某事谈话”。
5. 老师也表示会和Mike的家长合作，密切注意Mike的学习进展。keep an eye on sth表示“特别注意，密切注意某事物”。妈妈放下电话，就跟Mike的爸爸说了这个情况。妈妈问爸爸知不知道刚才是谁打电话来呢？
6. 爸爸说不知道，给我一个惊喜吧，Surprise me. 大家知道surprise作为名词可以表示“惊奇，惊讶，意外”，这里是作为动词，表示“让某人吃惊，感到惊讶”，It wouldn't surprise me if they lost. 他们要是失败了也不足为奇。这句话也可以说成 I wouldn't be surprised if they lost.
7. 妈妈告诉爸爸，Mike最近在学校的成绩一落千丈。slip就表示“下滑，跌落”。grade就是“考试或者作业的分数，评分等级”的意思。比如说，Pupils with 90% or more are awarded Grade A. 满90分的学生评为甲等。 She got excellent grades in her exams. 她考试成绩优异。grade还表示“年级”，比如说，My daughter is in the third grade. 我女儿上小学三年级。
8. 妈妈说，Mike的成绩这么差，必须得跟他好好谈一谈了。He needs a good talking to...talk to本来是一个动词词组，这里在talk后面加上ing，就变成了名词词组，表示“找某人谈话”。
9. 妈妈说，除了谈话还要附带一点惩罚。爸爸觉得还是不要对Mike太严厉了吧，也许他需要的只是鼓励。be hard on sb 表示“对某人很严厉”。妈妈也不确定，只是Mike必须搞清楚不用功学习这件事情的严重后果。be aware of sth or be aware that 都表示“知道某事”。
Dialogue script 2 对话原文 2
Mom: Mike! Could you come here for a second, please?
Mike: Sure, Mom. What's up?
Mom: How has school been going?
Mike: School? Oh, uh, well...it's OK. You know, not too bad.
Mom: We got a call from Mr. Flynn. He said your marks have been poor lately.
Mike: Uh, yeah. I guess I've had a few problems. There have been some tough tests.
Mom: Have you been studying hard, son?
Mike: Yeah, sometimes.
Mom: I find that hard to believe. What do I hear coming from your room every night?
Mike: Usually I'm playing comp---I mean, usually I'm studying.
Mom: Mike, it's OK if your grades are not always perfect. We can accept that.
Mike: Then it's OK to have bad grades sometimes, right?
Mom: No! Absolutely not! We can not accept that you don't try your best.
Mike: I do try hard!
Mom: Son, you're not being honest. Until we see an improvement, you're grounded.
Mike: Grounded? Oh, Mom! No! I need to go to Hank's tonight.
Mom: Mike, you need to make some changes.
Mike: OK, fine! I don't care, anyway.
Mom: When we see a better effort from you, the grounding will end. Until then, you'll stay at home.
讲解：
1. 对话中，妈妈找Mike谈话了。妈妈在楼下叫Mike，Mike还不知道怎么回事，问What's up? 有什么事情？这是在口语中很常用的话。朋友见面，打招呼问好的时候也可以用。
2. 妈妈问Mike最近学校的功课如何呢？How has school been going? 这里就用 school 这一个词来表示“所有在学校里发生的事情”。我们还可以问，How was the school today? 今天上学怎么样？
3. Mike一听妈妈突然提起学校，就紧张起来，含糊其词地说，一切都还好。Oh, uh, well...这些词就是用在说话支支吾吾的时候。妈妈看他不承认，就直接说刚才接到了学校老师打来的电话，说他最近成绩一直很糟糕。
4. marks 这里跟前面提到的grade一样，表示“考试分数”。Mike知道瞒不过去了，就说自己最近是有点问题，有些考试还是很难的。妈妈问他最近到底有没有用功读书，Mike说有时候有。
5. 妈妈觉得Mike的话很难让人相信。I find that hard to believe.find ...hard to believe可以用来委婉地说别人“撒谎”。我们用一个对话来作例子，---The boss finds it hard to believe that we can't sell this product. ---He should see the market. Those people don't want this all. ---老板不相信我们无法销售这项产品。---他该看看市场状况。大家根本不想要这种产品。
6. I find that hard to believe. 除了用来表示“不相信”或者“难以置信”，也可以用在其他情况，表示“不可思议”。比如说，---I find it hard to believe that you ate all the pies by yourself. ---I did. I was so hungry. ---我真不敢相信你一个人把这些派都吃了。---我是都吃了。我太饿了。
7. 因为每天晚上妈妈都能听见从Mike的房间里面传出怪怪的声音。Mike一不小心说漏了嘴，Usually I'm playing comp---又及时改口，I mean, usually I'm studying. 其实他是想说Usually I'm playing computer games. 其实我是在玩电脑游戏。
8. 妈妈也不想太强求Mike，告诉他成绩一直没有名列前茅无所谓，是可以接受的。Mike趁机说，那么成绩不好也无所谓了，是不是。妈妈说绝对不是这样，我们可以接受你成绩不好的事实，但是不能接受你没有尽全力争取。Mike还在辩解说，他已经尽力了。
9. 但是妈妈却说他没有说实话，you're not being honest. 这个句子也跟上面的I find it hard to believe. 一样，可以用来委婉地说别人“撒谎”。我们来举个例子，---I didn't steal your boyfriend. He's the one who called me. ---You're not being honest. You liked him from the start. ---我没有勾引你的男朋友。是他打电话给我的。---你撒谎。你从一开始就喜欢他。
10. 妈妈不得不采取强硬措施了，如果Mike的成绩还没有任何起色，就不准他出门了。ground这里是动词，表示“不准某人出门，禁足”。be grounded 就是“被罚禁足”的意思，grounding是名词形式。
11. Mike一听不让他出去，就着急了。他今晚还约好了要去Hank家呢。但是妈妈的态度很坚决，只要Mike努力学习，他就可以自由出门了。但是在这之前，他就得呆在家里。看来Mike不得不改变计划了。
Part 2 Time to Hit the Books 该打开书本学习了
Dialogue script 1 对话原文 1
Mom: Mike, we'd like you to start studying in the living room from now on.
Mike: It's too noisy in there.
Mom: Don't worry. We'll make sure the house is quiet when you study.
Mike: I like my room better when I have to study stuff.
Mom: You have to prove to us that you are big enough to study by yourself.
Mike: Aw, Mom!
Mom: If you start getting "A's", you can study in your room again. And "B's" will end your grounding.
Mike: Awww! It's too difficult for me to get "B's"!
Mom: You have to put your mind to it. Your father and I can help you when things are difficult.
Mike: But I don't like studying. It's boring!
Mom: Mike, everyone goes through this.
Mike: You guys don't study!
Mom: Are you kidding? We did the exact same thing as you when we were your age.
讲解：
1. 对话中，妈妈在督促Mike做作业。从现在开始，Mike必须在客厅里做作业，这样家长就能看到Mike到底在做什么了。from now on表示“从现在开始”，那么from then on就表示“从那时起”。
2. Mike嫌客厅里面太吵，妈妈说不用担心，只要是Mike念书的时候，一定会让屋里静悄悄的。Mike还在继续找借口，说他念书的时候比较喜欢在自己的房间。妈妈还是不让步，说Mike必须向家长证明他已经大到可以自己念书了。
3. big在这里表示“长大了的”，跟old差不多，比如我们可以说，He's big enough to go out without his parents. 他已经长大了，不用父母陪着出门了。我们还可以说He's old enough to go out without his parents. big还可以表示“年龄更大的”，我们可以说my big sister或者my big brother，就是我的姐姐或者我的哥哥。
4. Mike觉得在妈妈的监督下学习真的很烦，但是妈妈坚持说，等Mike开始拿A，就可以再回自己房间念书，如果拿B的话，就会取消禁足令了。大家对这里的A 和B一定不会陌生了吧，在这里A和B指“成绩的等级”。A为优秀，相当于九十分以上，B为甲等，相当于八十到八十九分。Mike觉得自己要拿到B等就已经非常困难了。
5. 妈妈说，You have to put your mind to it.你就得专心致志了。put one's mind to sth 表示“致力于某事，专心于某事”。如果Mike学习有困难，爸爸和妈妈都会帮助他。但是Mike抱怨说他就是不喜欢学习，太无聊了。
6. 妈妈安慰他说，每个人都会经历这个阶段的。go through 这个词组表示“经历某事”。可是Mike 觉得这些大人们就不用学习。 妈妈说，Are you kidding? We did the exact same thing as you when we were your age. 开什么玩笑，我跟你一样大的时候，也要做一模一样的事情。
Dialogue script 2 对话原文 2
Mike: I wish I was an adult too. Then I wouldn't have to study.
Mom: Not everything in life is fun and games, Mike.
Mike: This isn't fair! My friends don't have to study.
Mom: Honey, you need to have a better attitude.
Mike: Who can be happy about studying?!
Mom: Think of it this way...you have to study no matter what, so just try to be happy when you do.
Mike: That's easy for you to say! You're an adult.
Mom: Being an adult has nothing to do with it. People who think positively live happier lives.
Mike: You think so?
Mom: I know so! Plus, moms and dads know what their children are going through.
讲解：
1. Mike也希望自己是一个成年人，那样一来就不用再学习了。妈妈开导他说，人生并不是每一件事情都是轻轻松松的。fun and games 表示“轻松愉快的事情”。
2. Mike说这不公平，他的那些朋友就不用学习。妈妈觉得他应该要有好一点的态度。Mike还抱怨说谁会喜欢学习呢。妈妈劝他不妨这样想，无论如何都得念，所以念书的时候就高兴一点吧。
3. Think of it this way...表示“不如这样想吧”，这个句子一般用在说服别人的时候，也就是建议对方“换另一种角度来看”，我们来举个例子，---I hate going to school. ---Think of it this way...if you don't, you'll never get a good job. ---我讨厌上学。---从这个角度看吧，如果不上学，就找不到好的工作。
4. 使用Think of it this way...的另一种场合就是在“解释原因”的时候，表示别人只要从你的角度想事情，自然就会了解你的看法了。举个例子，---I'm having a hard time understanding why the company is failing. ---Think of it this way...the boss doesn't know what he's doing. ---我不明白公司为什么失败。---你就这样想吧…老板根本不知道自己在干嘛。
5. no matter what 表示“无论如何”。 Mike还是不高兴，That's easy for you to say! You're an adult. 你说得倒轻松！你是大人了。妈妈说，这和是不是大人无关，想法积极的人活得更快乐。positively是副词，表示“积极地”，那么think positively就表示“积极正面思考”。
6. Mike还是半信半疑，妈妈真的是这么想的吗？妈妈很肯定的告诉他，她知道就是这样。而且，父母都知道自己的孩子都在经历哪些事情，也是很理解孩子的。
Dialogue script 3 对话原文 3
Mike: Mom, can I go to Robby's home after dinner?
Mom: Have you finished your homework yet?
Mike: Oh, Mom! Not yet.
Mom: What do you think I'm going to say?
Mike: "You have to finish your homework first before you go out to play."
Mom: I couldn't have put it better myself! Now hit those books.
(One hour later)
Mom: How's the homework coming along, son?
Mike: It's OK, Mom. But sometimes it's really tiring to finish all my work.
Mom: Welcome to the real world, son.
Mike: What do you mean by that, Mom?
Mom: Well, as the old saying goes, "Work before play." That will never change throughout your life.
Mike: I'm starting to get the idea.
讲解：
1. 晚饭之后Mike想去Robby家，妈妈问他功课做完了吗？Mike很不情愿地说还没有呢。不用问也知道妈妈会说什么了吧，Mike替妈妈说了出来，你出去玩之前，要先做完功课。
2. 妈妈点点头，说I couldn't have put it better myself! 我自己都没有办法说的那么好。put 在这里表示“说，表达”，比如说，She put it very tactfully. 她话说得很有技巧。How can I put it?我该怎么说呢？
3. 妈妈接着说，Now hit those books. 现在去用功看书吧。hit the books 这个短语最常挂在学生的嘴边，表示“该看书了，该用功了”。但是只要是需要花精神读资料、做研究的时候，都可以用到这个短语，不一定只用到学生身上。比如说，---I want to learn the roads of this city. ---You need to hit the books. Now where did I leave that map? ---我想了解这个城市的街道。---那你得做点功课。我把那份地图放到哪去了？
4. hit the books这个短语还可以已经很久没念书，需要“重拾书本”的时候。还是用一个对话作例子，---The manager told us to learn how to use that new computer software. ---I guess it's time to hit the books. ---经理叫我们学习使用那种新的电脑软件。---看来是重拾书本的时候了。
5. 一个钟头过去了，Mike的作业做的怎样了呢？Mike觉得还不错，但是有时候要做完所有的功课好累哦。妈妈说，Welcome to the real world, son. 欢迎到现实世界来。这是什么意思呢，就是说现实总是残酷的，欢迎别人来到现实世界，表示要和他一起面对世界的残酷，而不是世界的美好。这个句子最常用来回应别人的抱怨，当有人不知人间疾苦，说些大小姐、大少爷才会说的话，就可以语带讽刺地用这句话回应。比如说，---Life isn't fair. I never seem to have time to do what I really like to do. ---Welcome to the real world. ---生活真不公平。我几乎从来没有时间做我真正想做的事情。---欢迎来到现实世界。
6. Welcome to the real world. 这句话也可以做字面上的意思解释，但是语气会显得夸张。比如说，---Welcome to the real world of fun and excitement. ---I didn't realize it was so nice in this city. ---欢迎来到货真价实的精彩刺激世界。---我之前都不知道这个城市这么美好。Mike不太理解Welcome to the real world.这句话的含义，问What do you mean by that, Mom? 也就是What do you mean by saying that? 那是什么意思呢？
7. 妈妈解释说，俗话说得好，Work before play. 先苦后乐。我们也可以说成先苦后甜。这个道理是一辈子都不会改变的。现在Mike开始了解了。get the idea，表示“了解，弄明白”，跟get it 差不多。
