Michael这个美国学生今天好象什么事都不太顺当。他的中国同窗李华也发现他好象有苦衷。到底是什么事呢?你听了Michael和李华的对话就知道了。他们在对话中会用到两个美国年青人常用的说法，一个是to bomb;另一个是to mess up。
L：Michael，怎么啦?你好象有苦衷。
M: I think I just bombed my history test. I don't think I'm going to pass.
L：噢，你怕适才历史考试会不及格。嗨，没需要，这又不是大考。Michael，你适才说什么“bombed my history test”，bomb不是炸弹，或是爆炸吗?你可不要开这样的玩笑，此刻巨匠对平安问题都很敏感。
M: No, I said I bombed my test, that means I did very poorly, and probably will get a very low mark.
L：考得欠好，分数低，这我都听懂了，就是阿谁词bomb用在这里有点怪。我想，这就是中文里说的考试考糊了。那除了考试外还能用在哪里呢?
M: Well, sometimes we might say a movie or a play "bombed". That means that no one wanted to see it, and it probably lost a lot of money.
L：噢，还可以指片子，或话剧太次，没有人要看，卖座率太低。我上礼拜去看了一次片子，剧院琅缦慊几小我。后来我才看到报纸评论嗣魅这部片子太糟了。我能不能说：“The movie I saw last week bombed”?
M: Sounds like it bombed to me. Remember the play we went to a few weeks ago? The actors were terrible!
L：对，你说几个礼拜前往看的那场话剧，有几个话剧演员简直是太糟了。That play really bombed!我说得对不合错误?
M: Absolutely! Hey listen, Li Hua, can we please change the subject? I don't want to think about failure right now. What would you like to eat? It's my treat.
L：你不要再谈这种丧气的工作，没问题!要请我吃饭，行，我吃沙拉和三明治。不外，Michael，你真是得省得钱，若是老是考试不及格，研究院会把你解雇的!
M: Please! Don't mention tests!
L：跟你开玩笑嘛!
M: Ah, here's my hamburger. Ack! They messed up my order! There are onions on this burger!
L：你说什么呀?他们把你的汉堡包怎么啦?M: I told them not to put onions on my burger, but they forgot. Therefore I said that they "messed up my order". I can also just say "they messed up."
L：噢，你叫他们不要出洋葱，他们忘了。所以，to mess up就是做错了事，对吗?
M: That's right. Also, "to mess up something" can mean to break or damage something.
L：噢，to mess up something还可以指把什么工具弄坏了。昨天，和我同房间的学生问我借自行车，等她还我的时辰，自行车的链子 断了。我是不是可以说：“She messed up my bike”?
M: Sure! Hey, you'd better tell her to buy you a new chain.
L：对啊，我是让她去买新链子，可是她说都是我欠好让她差一点没 出严重的车祸。
M: What? She broke your bicycle, and she's angry at you? That's just wrong!
L：她就是那样的人，上回她把借来的电视机给弄坏了。
M: She messed up the TV she borrowed? You don't need a roommate like her.
L：虽然她弄坏了我的自行车，其他方面她仍是很好的。嗨，Michael，你能帮我修自行车吗?
M: Well, I'm really out of luck today. I bombed my test, they messed up my burger, and now I have to repair your bike!
L：这也算什么晦气呀!没几分钟你就修好了。我先感谢你了!
M: Ok, ok!VgQ365考试网