LH: Larry， 你觉得2012年真的会是世界末日吗?

LL: I don’t know. But the movie does remind me that I have yet to finish my bucket list.

LH: Your bucket list? 世界末日前你唯一想做的事情就是买一堆桶子?

LL：No, no. A bucket list is not a list of buckets that I want to buy. It is a list of things I want to do before I die.

LH: Oh... 所以bucket list是指死以前要完成的事情的清单喽?

LL：Exactly. In ancient British language, people used "kick the bucket" to refer to death. Therefore "a bucket list" means a list of things you want to do before you die.

LH: 原来如此。 那它跟wish List很像啊。

LL：Mmm. You can say a bucket list is very similar to a wish list. However, a bucket list is mostly filled with things you want to do before you die, whereas a wish list can be anything you want to do or any object you want to buy for any occasion. But recently, a bucket list has been used for more general wishes as well.

LH: 那你的bucket list里都有哪些东西呢?

LL：I want to swim across the Atlantic Ocean, I also want to go skydiving, and...

LH: 哇...你想完成的事情也太难了吧。 Bucket list上一定要是这些高难度的东西吗? 不能简单点， 比如说，结婚?生子?

LL: What you put on your bucket list is totally up to you. However, a bucket list is usually a list of things that are unordinary that you would not normally do unless you only had a few days left on Earth.

LH: 是这样啊。 那我懂了。 所以我也可以说，visiting the seven wonders of the world is on my bucket list?

LL: Yes, that works. An example of something more simple that could make everyone’s bucket list is to make a lot of dough. Although that is more generic...

LH: 等等。 怎么会有人死前的愿望是做很多面团呢? 这也太奇怪了吧。

LL: Haha...dough here is not the dough you use to make cookies. Here it means money.

LH: Dough是金钱的意思?

LL：Yup. Dough is derived from bread, a commonly used commodity for trade in ancient times. Therefore dough is the same thing as money.

LH: Wow. I didn’t know that. 原来古时候人们把面包当钱用，所以dough又有钱的意思。 那我明白了。

LL: Terrific. Now, can you give me a sentence using the word dough?

LH: 我可以说， Recently I spent all my doughs on movies.

LL: That’s good. But dough is a plural noun, so you do not need to add a "s" at the end. You can simply say, recently I spent all my dough on movies.

LH: 喔...原来是这样说的，dough已经是复数形式，所以不用加 S。

LL: Now, how about you, Lihua? What’s on your bucket list?

LH: 这个嘛...我最大的愿望是英文说得能跟你一样好。

LL: Really? But I don’t think you can ever beat me in English...

LH: 所以这个愿望是在我的bucket list上啊。我有一生的时间可以完成!铁定可以超过你。

LL: I’m glad you have the confidence. What else is on your bucket list?

LH: 在死以前我还要donate all my dough to charity.

LL: You want to donate all your dough? And I want to make lots of it...why don’t you just donate to me?

LH: 这怎么可以。 我捐钱出去是为了帮助有需要的人。 况且那是你bucket list上的内容， 还是自己完成吧。

LL: Good. I think you know what a bucket list is now. The movie has sure got us thinking about our big wishes.

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是bucket list, 表示死前想要完成的事的清单。另一个是dough, 金钱的替代说法。