Part 3 The Student Becomes the Teacher

Jesse： Hey Jessica！

Jessica： Hey.

Jesse： Come on in. Have a seat.

Jessica： Thanks.

Jesse： So？ How was your week？ What’ve you been up to？ Breaking any hearts？

Jessica： Hehe， no， just had lots of homework and exams.

Jesse： Speaking of which， do you have the homework I gave you last week？

Jessica： You mean that journal entry？ Yeah， I did it. But， the thing is， I kind of forgot it at home. Jesse： Really？ ①Are you trying to pull a fast one？

Jessica： I don’t think I am…

Jesse： Cuz I think I know when someone is trying to put one over on me. I bet next， you’re gonna say that your dog ate your assignment， or your computer crashed.

Jessica： No. I swear.

Jesse： I wanna believe you， but you should know that I am the 1）preeminent master of all things 2）mischievous， and that includes 3）lame excuses.

Jessica： I’m sorry. I promise I’ll bring it next time.

Jesse： ②Well， I guess I’ll have to take your word for it. Don’t disappoint me.

Jessica： I won’t. I promise.

Jesse： OK then， tell me about your week.

Jessica： Um…I actually did really well on my English exam. The teacher said I’ve improved by leaps and bounds.

Jesse： That’s awesome！ I’m so proud of you！

Jessica： Thank you. It felt really great when I found out. It shows that all the practice and hard work have paid off.

Jesse： ③I’m telling you， I see full-on 4）literary 5）stardom in your future.

Jessica： I wouldn’t go that far…

Jesse： No joke. You’ve got the talent， for one， but you’ve also got the drive， and that’s the key to success. Jessica： I hope so.

Jesse： Don’t worry. ④I know you are going against the grain， by focusing on creative writing as a career， that imagination of yours is really gonna take you places in life.

Jessica： Oh？ What kind of places？

Jesse： Places far beyond the horizon. ⑤The world is your oyster， young apprentice. All you gotta do is go out and reach for the stars.

Jessica： But what if I fail， and fall short of the stars？

Jesse： It means you better try again—and again， and again. After all， failure is the mother of all success. No one gets things right on the first try. And for those who do succeed right off the bat， it just means that their goals weren’t lofty enough to begin with.

Jessica： Hmmm， that actually makes sense！

Jesse： You seem surprised.

Jessica： I just never knew you were so full of wisdom. Jesse： What can I say？ I guess I’m basically like a lazier， hairier Buddha.

Jessica： But I saw you kill a bug the other day. And then you did a celebration dance around the table.

I don’t think Buddha would approve of such actions.

Jesse： ⑥Well， Ms. smarty pants， it seems things have come full circle—for now the student has become the teacher. CS

Smart Sentences

① Are you trying to pull a fast one？ 你是想欺騙我嗎？

pull a fast one： successfully deceive sb. （作弄，欺騙）。例如：

Don’t try to pull a fast one on Mrs. Black. She knows what you’re doing.

不要想騙布萊克夫人，她能看出來。

② Well， I guess I’ll have to take your word for it. 我不得不相信你說的是真話。

take sb’s word for it： believe what sb. says（相信某人說的是真話）。例如：

I took his word for it when he said he could translate Spanish.

他說他會翻譯西班牙語，我就相信了。

③ I’m telling you， I see full-on literary stardom in your future. 告訴你，在你身上我看到了未來的文學之星。

I am telling you： used to emphasize what you are saying（用以強調你正在說的話）。例如：

If you continue to behave the way you do now， I’m telling you， you will not pass the class.

我告訴你，如果你繼續你現在的表現，你不會通過這門課的。

④ I know you are going against the grain， by focusing on creative writing as a career， but that imagination of yours is really gonna take you places in life. 把創作性寫作當成事業，我知道你非比尋常，你的想象力真的會讓你找到人生中的位置。

go against the grain： sth. that is unusual or unconventional（不同尋常）。例如：

Nowadays， women having children in their late 30s does not go against the grain.

如今，女性快四十了才生孩子不是什么新鮮事。

⑤ The world is your oyster， young apprentice. 年輕人，世界是你的。

The world is one’s oyster： sb. is free to do whatever he/she chooses in life（可隨心所欲）。例如：

You are young and talented. The world is your oyster.

你們年輕，有才華，想干什么都可以。

⑥ Well， Ms. smarty pants， it seems things have come full circle—for now the student has become the teacher.好吧，聰明的小姐?，F在看來繞了一圈又回來了——學生變成了老師。

a smarty pants： sb. who displays their intelligence in an annoying way（自作聰明的人）。例如：

Shelly， the smarty pants， will be the first to tell us where we went wrong.

自以為是的雪莉肯定會第一個告訴我們哪里出錯了。

come full circle： return to the original position or state of affairs（兜了一圈回到原處）。例如：

Things have come full circle now that loose pants are back in fashion.

現在寬大的褲子又時髦起來，時尚轉了一圈又回來了。