Larry到李华住的地方，去看她新领养的猫咪小雪球。今天李华会学到两个常用语：mental和pro. LL: Snowball is adorable! She's so little and fluffy! LH: 就是啊，我的猫咪小雪球是很可爱，可它也够疯的。你看看它把我的家具抓成什么样了！ LL: Oh, don't worry. Your cat isn't mental. All cats love to scratch furniture. You just need to give her a scratching post to scratch instead. LH: 你是说有办法让小雪球不再抓我的家具？噢！谢天谢地。我明天马上去买你说的那种专门让猫抓的柱子。不然，我的家具都要完蛋了。对了，你刚才说小雪球不是mental,那是什么意思啊？ LL: To be "mental" means to be crazy. LH: Mental就是发疯，疯狂的意思。所以你觉得小雪球很正常，一点也不疯啊？ LL: She's just being a kitten. You need to get her a scratching post. She also might be doing this because she's lonely when you're gone. LH: Larry, 看不出来你对猫还有一套呢！你说小雪球太孤单了，才会到处抓，你该不是要我再领养一只猫和它做伴吧？你要真是那么想，那你可真的是mental，疯了！ LL: Well, maybe you could adopt an older cat that's a little calmer. LH: 再领养一只大猫？你出什么馊主意呀！我绝对应付不了两只猫。那样，我会被逼疯的，成了mental。 LL: Okay, well then try getting her something to scratch. You should cut her claws, too. LH: 对呀！我前天是要给小雪球剪指甲，可它像疯子一样，一直叫，一直抓我，最后还躲到床底下。 LL: Hmmm....maybe you need some professional help. When you take her to the vet to get her shots, then the vet can help you cut her claws. LH: 我也希望兽医能帮忙。我真不知道怎么帮猫剪指甲。不过我怕小雪球到时候发疯抓人，连兽医都会受不了。 LL: Don't worry, I'm sure the vet sees mental cats all day long. ****** LH: 小雪球现在好多了。我带它看过兽医，也找了几本有关养猫的书。我现在比较懂得怎么照顾它了。 LL: See, you're already becoming a pro. Pretty soon, you'll be able to handle a whole house full of cats. LH: 哎哟！一只猫已经够我头疼的了，一屋子的猫？甭提了！你刚才说我可以变成pro, 那又是什么意思？ LL: Pro is short for "professional." If you say someone is a pro, it means that she is really good at something. LH: 原来，pro就是专业的意思。嗯，我还不敢说自己在这方面很专业啦！ LL: That's understandable. You can't become a pro overnight. It takes time and practice. LH: 当然喽！要当专业人员可不是一天一夜的事，需要花很多时间来实践，积累经验。 LL: Hey, I'm sure that Yao Ming got frustrated once in a while when he was training to become a pro basketball player. LH: 姚明在训练过程中还会烦恼？ 他根本不用练球，他是一个“天生的”篮球好手！ LL: Hey, even naturally talented people have to work hard to become a pro. LH: 嗯，我从小就梦想成为职业排球运动员。能够在沙滩上打排球一定是件很过瘾的事！ LL: I'm sure it's not as much fun as it seems. Pro sports players have to work hard and they travel a lot. There's a lot of pressure on them to perform well. LH: 是没有象我们想像的那样好玩。训练是很辛苦的，还要到处旅行，压力好大。可是，这些职业选手能赚大钱。那些美式足球和篮球明星，年薪都上百万呢！ LL: Don't you wish you'd get that much money for being a pro at caring for Snowball? LH: 唉！专业管理宠物有什么好处？唯一的报酬就是有一只快乐健康的猫！ 今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是mental,是指发疯，疯狂的意思。另一个常用语pro是指专业人员。