Part 2 Dormitory Issues

Billy問班上的尖子生Joni借筆記應付即將到來的考試，Joni則認為Billy平時太過懶散，沒把精力放在學習上。情急之下的Billy終于向她大倒苦水……

（Joni is on her way to meet Jack for lunch， when she is stopped by Jacks friend Billy.）

Billy： Hey Joni， wait up！

Joni： Hey Billy！ Why didnt you show up for Professor Smiths literature class this morning？ He covered all the material thats gonna be on the first big test of the year next week.

Billy： I know， I know. Thats actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I saw on the online 1）syllabus that the test was coming up， and your boyfriend Jack happened to mention…

Joni： Hes not my boyfriend！ Were just friends， with benefits...

Billy： Sorry… I just heard you were doing well in that class， and I was hoping I could copy your notes to help me study before crunch time.

Joni： I…I dont know.

Billy： Whats the big deal？ Its not like Im asking you for a 2）kidney or anything.

Joni： Well， were almost a month into our first 3）semester， and you havent showed up for a single class. I always see you around campus， but never actually in class. What gives？

Billy： ①Its hard to explain， and I really dont wanna get into it right now. ②Can you just trust me when I say that Im trying to turn things around？

Joni： How about this？ If you can give me a good reason why you havent been to class， then Ill not only let you copy my notes， Ill let you join our study group.

Billy： Well…First off， my roommate Tim， who sleeps on the top 4）bunk right above me， is seeing this girl. I think her name is Sandy. Anyway， the two of them stay up late every night getting to know each other rather loudly， which obviously makes it impossible to sleep. So getting up in time for our 8：30 English Lit class is no easy task.

Joni： Geez， that must be pretty uncomfortable for you…

Billy： It is， but thats just the start. Another roommate， Greg， has no idea how to respect peoples personal boundaries. ③Ive walked in on him， more than once， 5）rifling through my stuff， using my iPad， even playing catch outside with my baseball glove. I told him I wasnt mad， but that he should at least ask before using my stuff.

I dont even trust him alone in the room when Im not around.

Joni： Wow…That is a serious issue. I think you handled it well， but you cant just spy on him everyday. You should really talk things out. As for the class notes...I guess I can let you copy them， but just this once. And youd better come to our study group on the fourth floor tonight. Also， you could try changing to a later class. I heard a rumor that Mr. Smith has an 6）opening in his afternoon class， cause one girl was so homesick that she dropped out and moved back home.

Billy： Wow！ ④I guess when one door closes， another opens. Thank you so much Joni！ Youre a life-saver. ⑤How can I ever make it up to you？

Joni： You could bring snacks for tonights study 7）session.

Billy： You got it！

Smart Sentences

① Its hard to explain， and I really dont wanna get into it right now. 這很難解釋，我現在也不想細說。

get into sth： explain sth. in detail（詳細說明某事）。例如：

We all wanted to know what happened at the accident， but Nancy didnt want to get into it.

我們都想知道事故究竟是怎么回事，但南希不想細說。

② Can you just trust me when I say that Im trying to turn things around？ 如果我說想扭轉局勢，你能相信我嗎？

turn sth. around： change or reverse sth.s direction（轉變方向，變化）。例如：The book looks really bad. I dont think the new management can turn the companys downturn around.

公司賬目看來真的很糟糕，我覺得新的管理層也不能扭轉公司的下降趨勢。

③ Ive walked in on him， more than once， rifling through my stuff. 我不止一次回到宿舍，碰巧看到他拿走我的東西。

walk in on sb.： enter the room when sb. is doing sth. private（不經意地在他人不愿意讓人知道的時候進入房間）。例如：Amy walked in on her brother when he was reading her diary.

艾美弟弟在看她的日記時，她碰巧走了進去。

④ I guess when one door closes， another opens. 我想天無絕人之路。

When one door closes， another opens.： when you lose one opportunity， you often find a different one， a proverb（天無絕人之路，失去一個機會往往會出現另一個機會；諺語）。例如：

Dont worry about not being accepted by any university. When one door closes，another opens. You never know what youll find outside of higher education.

沒被大學錄取也別著急，天無絕人之路，誰知道高等院校的墻外有什么好事呢？

⑤ How can I ever make it up to you？我該怎么報答你呢？

make it up to sb.： pay sb. back for his/her kindness or return sb.s favor（報答，補償）。例如：

Thank you so much for the ride. I have to make it up to you. What about a ticket to the Mayday concert？

太謝謝你送我過來了，我得好好報答你。五月天演唱會的票可以嗎？