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，不过，今天放学后我和Tracy要去吃饭，看电影，你要不要一起来?

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，原来to shoot hoops就是去打篮球。

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，打篮球主要目的是投篮得分，所以要去打篮球时就说，I'm going to shoot hoops. 那如果我要去踢足球，可以说，I'm going to kick balls吗?

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，原来只有篮球可以这样说。对了，Larry, our school is going to shoot hoops with our rival school tomorrow. We have to win! 我这样说行吗？

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，不过Larry, 认识你这么久，我好象从来没见你打过篮球，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? 我那天有个朋友也说自己是投资的rookie, 我当时就没搞懂他的意思。

LL: Haha. A rookie is a beginner, a person who is new to a field or profession.

LH: 哦，Rookie是初学者的意思，你说自己篮球打得不怎么样，刚入门，而我那朋友则是在说自己刚开始做投资。

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. 你不光打篮球刚入门，开车也是新手。

LL: What do you mean by that? I've been driving for years!

LH: 没错，你拿到驾照虽然很久了，可你开车的技术还是跟初学者一样，每次坐你的车我都心惊胆颤的。

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: 这么说，rookie是名词，不能做形容词用，我刚刚的用法不对呀。

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: 是吗? 可以直接说一个人是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: 那当然，我学习能力很强的，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: 是吗? 谢谢啦!