写在前面：
来到美帝之后，每天忙于实验室的工作，真正用来学习英语的时间并不多，可能有人会问了，你在老美的地盘，怎么会没时间学英语呢？说起来，并不像我之前想象的那样，在这样一个英文环境里，每天都可以和labmates说英文，其实，工作的时候，大家都在埋头自己的bench work，没时间瞎扯淡，到了下班时间，一个个溜得贼快，一天下来，其实并没有说多少英文。无奈之下，找了一两个English partner每周有固定的时间练习一下口语，并且建议我可以通过看美剧学英文，于是，准备在这里记录一下自己看美剧学英文的笔记，同时，也算是打卡吧。
推荐《摩登家庭 Modern Family》，每集不长，大约25分钟左右，讲述了3个家庭的日常生活，是一部诙谐的情景喜剧，充满了家庭的温馨。OK，先来大致了解一下这3个家庭吧(from online resource)。
The Dunphy Family
Claire - Late 30s, uptight suburban mom, tries to make everyday special for her kids, needs control.
Phil - Late 30s, real estate agent, upbeat, goofy，thinks he's cooler than he is.
Haley - 16 years old, social, fashion-conscious, rebellious, has a wild streak.
Alex - 13, smart, cynical, insightful for her age.
Luke - 10, immature, simple, not the brightest bulb.
The Pritchett-Delgado Family
Jay - 60s, successful businessman, divorced. Recently married Gloria, struggles to stay young for her.
Gloria - 30s, Columbian, beautiful, strong, quick-tempered. Protective mother. Divorced 6 months ago.
Manny - 12, Gloria's son, Jay's stepson. Old soul, sensitive, passionate, a young romantic.
The Mitchell and Cameron's Family
Mitchell - Mid to late 30s, gay, lawyer, emotionally restrained, worrier.
Cameron - Mid 30s, gay, free with emotions, lIves in the moment, surprisingly strong.
Lily - Baby girl, adopted from Vietnam.
pilot = 1. n. a single television show that is made as test to see if a television series based on the show would be popular and successful.在这里这个词是指一部电视剧用来做测试的一集，看看是否受欢迎是否成功。2. n. a person who flies an airplane, helicopter, etc. 3. a person who steers or guides a ship into and out of a port or in dangerous waters.
Why are you guys yelling at us when we're way upstairs? = 我们远在楼上，你们喊也没用。
yell at = 冲sb叫喊，通常用在生气的时候。yell /ˈjɛl/
Haley抱怨爸妈大早上在楼下喊孩子们吃早饭而不是短信告诉自己，这里的way是个副词adv，表示程度大大地，远远地，这一集里还有一处类似的用法，Claire认为Haley的裙子太短了：It's way too short.
类似的还有
He is way ahead of the other runners.
The car is way too expensive.
banister /ˈbænəstɚ/= n. a structure like a fence with a bar on top that is built along the side of a set of stairs
The children love to slide down the banister.
out of control = no longer possible to manage, 失控
Claire承认自己青春期是叛逆的，失控了。 I was out of control growing up.
Mitchell & Cameron 想要一个孩子，开始，他们想让他们的一个蕾丝边朋友做代孕妈妈surrogate /ˈsɚrəgət/ = n. a person or thing that takes the place or performs the duties of someone or something else. surrogate mother 代孕妈妈
飞机上，Mitchell对小Cam说，大家在逗弄Lily, 用的是 fawn over sb，fawn /ˈfɑːn/ = to try to get the approval of an important or powerful person by giving that person praise, special attention, etc. 通常用fawn over/ on sb
类似的还有
The waiters were fawning (all) over the celebrity.
a sports star surrounded by fawning fans
Mitchell被Cream Pufffs刺激到了，说了一段话，”This baby would have grown up in a crowded orphanage if it wasn't for us cream puffs.” 虚拟语气的用法 subjunctive mood
爱不分种族信仰，这句话该怎么说，这里有一个例子。Love knowns no race, creed.
You would have stopped that goal if you weren't staring at that little girl. 另一句虚拟的用法，mark。
It toughens him up a little bit. 让他变得坚强点 toughen sb up
如果我自己说，我很清醒，我会说“I am very awake.”剧中Mitchell是这样说的，“She's still wide awake.”
expect the baby不是期望有个孩子，而是指怀孕了，怀了孩子，剧中意为等待领养通过。
说三道四用英文怎么说，剧中有个栗子：They'd say something judgmental.
I invited them over for dinner tonight.非常简单的一句话，但如果我说，唯一不同的地方是我说的句子里不会有over。为此，我特意问了美国的朋友，给我的答案是，用over特指邀请去自己家中，语气比较随意，类似的栗子还有Haley邀请心仪的高年级男孩来家里，I'm having a friend over today.
给某人一个下马威 You have to scare him.
Gloria给比她年纪大很多的丈夫正能量，劝他不要沮丧了，是这样说滴Stop being a gloomy goose and stop being so hard on Manny. "gloomy goose" 指沮丧的人，自卑悲观的人；另外，be hard on sb, 对某人严格
make a fool of sb = 使某人出洋相，出糗
sheriff \ ˈsher-əf \ = the principal law-enforcement officer in a county （美国）县的司法长官
freak out = 极度兴奋的，疯了； freak sb out = 吓到某人了
drama queen = 小题大做的人
screw up = 把事情搞砸了， 拧紧
fair or stormy weather, 个人感觉应该是顺境或逆境的意思吧，不过翻译成风风雨雨感觉更好一些