Michael和李华已经从华盛顿返回纽约。今天是星期六，他们一起到纽约的Meadowlands去看冰球。Michael和李华这两个大学生，一个讲英文，一个讲中文，旁边的人听起来很奇怪，可是他们自己已经习惯了这种方式。今天他们在谈话中会用两个常用语：keep cool和screw up。
L：Michael，谢谢你带我到Meadowlands来看冰球，Meadowlands可是有名的地方呐！而且我从来还没有看过冰球呢！
(Starting buzzer)
M: Sometimes these games get really rough!
L：我也听说了，他们说冰球比赛有时很粗暴，经常会打架。
M: Wow, look at them! It‘s only five minutes into the game and they are already pushing and shoving.
L：是啊，他们已经开始推推攘攘，真的打起来了。人们都说冰球比赛有时会很粗暴，但是才开始五分钟就打架，这可是不多见。
M: Yeah, they really need to keep cool out there.
L：Michael, 这是冰球，在冰上打球，当时是冷的咯，你在说什么呀？
M: Li Hua, that‘s not what I meant. Keep cool means to calm down。Keep, means to hold and cool, meaning cold.
L：噢，keep cool就是要冷静一点，你是说这些球员不要火气那么大，需要保持冷静。对，他们要是老打架，最好的球员就会被禁止打球的。
M: Yeah. Another example, remember last week when you got into an argument with the professor over your mid-term grade?
L：我才不会忘记上星期的事呐。那个教授给我期中考试打那么低的分数，我当然要跟他争嘛。
M: Right now Li Hua, you need to keep cool.
L：是，一说起这件事，我就会生气。得了，得了，不谈这个了吧！
M: I can‘t believe how poorly they are playing.
L：你说他们打得不好呀？说实话，我根本看不懂。我只知道当地的球队输了三分，这就输了很多啦！
M: Yeah, they have really managed to screw up this game.
L：“Screw up”，我不懂，这是什么意思？
M: "Screw up" means not to play well. The home team is certainly messing up.
L：噢，“Screw up”就是打得不好。
M: "Screw up," it means to mess up.
L：是不是只能说打球时，或参加运动比赛时犯了错误？
M: No, it can be used to describe a lot of things. For example, I screw up on tests all the time.
L：噢，你考试老考糟也能用screw up来表示呀！这么说，“screw up”可以用的范围很广。要是说一个人工作没有做好呢？
M: He screwed up at work.
L：你老是和别人的关系搞不好，也能说是screw up吧？
M: Yes, that‘s why I don‘t date anymore. Because I screw up all the time.
L：原来是因为老跟别人搞不好关系，所以你就不交女朋友了。Michael，你也别跟自己太过不去了。
M: I do screw up a lot; I make mistakes all the time.
L：我们都犯错误的，谁能不犯错误啊！
M: Look, they are playing like that! What is wrong with these players.
L：嗨，这些球员真的很糟糕，你看，他们已经输了四分啦！
M: I hate this! They can‘t manage not to screw up tonight.
L：Michael, 尽管他们screw up，我们还是要keep cool! 也许还有希望扭转局势。
李华今天从Michael那儿学到了两个常用语，一个是：keep cool，意思是：冷静一些，别太激动；另一个常用语是：screw up，意思是把事情弄糟了。