LL: I can't believe we have a three-day weekend. I haven't had a break from school for so long.
LH: 是啊，要放假了，一定得好好玩玩。
LL: What are you planning on doing over the long summer?
LH: 不知道啊，不過，今天放學后我和Tracy要去吃飯，看電影，你要不要一起來?
LL: Sorry Li Hua. I have plans tonight. I'm going to shoot hoops with Jeffrey and Tom.
LH: Shoot hoops? 那是什么?
LL: Shoot hoops is a casual way of saying to play basketball.
LH: 喔，原來to shoot hoops就是去打籃球。
LL: Yes. In basketball, the main goal is to shoot hoops. If you are only playing basketball with friends or alone, in a casual manner, you can say that you are going to shoot hoops.
LH: 我明白了，打籃球主要目的是投籃得分，所以要去打籃球時就說，I'm going to shoot hoops. 那如果我要去踢足球，可以說，I'm going to kick balls嗎?
LL: No, no, no. No one says they're going to kick balls when they're going to play soccer. This way of saying to play a sport is only used in basketball.
LH: 哦，原來只有籃球可以這樣說。對了，Larry, our school is going to shoot hoops with our rival school tomorrow. We have to win! 我這樣說行嗎？
LL: Well, you generally don't say shoot hoops when you are talking about a basketball game or competition. Shoot hoops is only used for casual basketball playing.
LH: 好吧，不過Larry, 認識你這么久，我好象從來沒見你打過籃球，藏而不露嘛！
LL: No, I'm not that good at basketball. I'm just a rookie.
LH: Rookie? What's a rookie? 我那天有個朋友也說自己是投資的rookie, 我當時就沒搞懂他的意思。
LL: Haha. A rookie is a beginner, a person who is new to a field or profession.
LH: 哦，Rookie是初學者的意思，你說自己籃球打得不怎么樣，剛入門，而我那朋友則是在說自己剛開始做投資。
LL: That's right. A rookie can be used to describe any type of beginner. You can be a rookie doctor, a rookie English speaker, or a rookie violinist.
LH: 嗯，那我懂了。Larry is not only rookie at basketball, but is also rookie at driving. 你不光打籃球剛入門，開車也是新手。
LL: What do you mean by that? I've been driving for years!
LH: 沒錯，你拿到駕照雖然很久了，可你開車的技術還是跟初學者一樣，每次坐你的車我都心驚膽顫的。
LL: Well...I'm just not that good at driving. But you didn't use the word rookie correctly. Rookie is a noun; it is a person who is a beginner. However, you used the word as an adjective.
LH: 這么說，rookie是名詞，不能做形容詞用，我剛剛的用法不對呀。
LL: It's okay. Try again. Give me another example.
LH: Even though he's a rookie in BASKETBALL, he practices very hard and has become really good at the sport.
LL: That's good. You can also say he's a rookie BASKETBALL player.Or, more simply, he is a BASKETBALL rookie.
LH: 是嗎? 可以直接說一個人是rookie BASKETBALL player或者BASKETBALL rookie. 那我懂了。
LL: That's good. Can you give me an example of shoot hoops?
LH: Mmm...有了！The basketball rookie is going to shoot hoops.
LL: Yes, that's right! Hey, you're learning fast.
LH: 那當然，我學習能力很強的，But I think I'm still a rookie English speaker.
LL: Well, it takes time to become good at a language. You're doing really well already.
LH: 是嗎? 謝謝啦!
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