VOA流行美语 Unit 117: flip-flop/wishy-washy

今天Larry和李华在校园里闲逛，校园里到处都贴满了选举传单。今天李华会学到两个常用语：flip flop和wishy-washy.

LL: Hey, Li Hua who do you support for class president?

LH: 我觉得Gary Lawrence当学生会主席应该是不错的。他看起来挺老实，也很勤奋。

LL: Gary Lawrence? But he flip-flops all of the time. One minute he's in favor of increasing campus security and the next minute he's accusing the university of policing its students

LH: Flip-flop? 那是什么意思啊？你说他一会儿要加强校园安全，一会儿又批评学校过于监管学生。嗯...flip-flop， 你是说他翻来覆去的意思吧？

LL: Something like that. Flip-flop is a term that is often used in politics. It means that a particular person suddenly changes his/her position on an issue.

LH: 噢，flip-flop经常用在政治方面。但是改变想法也没什么错啊。每个人都会有改变主意的时候嘛！

LL: That's true, but when someone flip-flops a lot it makes him seem weak and indecisive. People will not think he is a good, strong leader.

LH: 那是没错。如果一个人经常flip flop，别人就会觉得他不够果断，不能做个好领导。

LL: If Gary flip-flops a lot, how could he be a good student leader!

LH: 对，如果我们因为Gary支持加强校园安，投了他一票。结果他当选后，又改变立场，那不就糟了？

LL: Exactly. I would feel as though I had voted for the wrong person.

LH: 没错，那可真是选错人了。哎，对了，Larry，如果我说我赞同死刑，但后来又改变立场，反对死刑。这样算不算是flip-flop?

LL: That would definitely be flip-flopping.

LH: 可是一些政治人物经常这样改变立场的啊！

LL: That's true, but they also lose support when they do things like that. It's very negative to be accused of flip-flopping in U.S. politics.

LH: 还好我不是什么政治人物，这样我就可以随便改变立场咯！

******

LL: Li Hua, what about Laura Wilson? Do you support her for class president even though she flip-flops all of the time? I think she is so wishy-washy.

LH: 嗯，Laura Wilson是还好啦。可是她不也经常改变立场吗？你还说她wishy-washy。那又是什么意思啊？

LL: Wishy-washy is similar to flip-flop but it's an adjective instead of a verb. To be wishy-washy is to be weak and indecisive.

LH: 原来wishy-washy的意思和flip flop差不多，只不过它是个形容词。照这么说，Larry, 我是不是能说一个经常改变主意的人很wishy-washy?

LL: Yes. I can also call you wishy-washy if you can't decide which candidate to support.

LH: 嘿！我才不是wishy-washy呢！我只是要仔细地想一想，到底把票投给谁最好！

LL: I know, I'm just teasing you. Can you give me another example of wishy-washy?

LH: 你要我举个例子啊？哎，有了，我们的朋友Lisa，她一直下不了决定是不是该和她男朋友分手。她呀！ 就是标准的wishy-washy.

LL: Yes, you could call her wishy-washy because she can't make a decision and act on it.

LH: 说到做决定，我还没有决定是不是该为下学期的一个会议写报告。要写的话，负担很重，不过会得到学术界的重视。我到现在还决定不了。

LL: Quit being wishy-washy and make a decision. If it's worth it, then it's worth it. If not, then forget about it.

LH: 你说得到容易，值得就值得，不值得就算。我并不想wishy-washy，就是不想做错误的决定。

LL: Sometimes, you have to take the risk.

今天李华从Larry 那儿学到两个常用语。第一个是flip flop. 意思是一个人经常改变立场，特别是指一些政治人物。第二个常用语是wishy-washy，这是形容一个人很软弱，不果断。