L：Hey Michael，我回来了。我的天哪，你连客厅都刷啦？你只要刷卧房就够了，我没想要你做这么多的。

M: That's O.K. The work was pretty easy. I guess I got carried away.

L：什么？你怎么啦？你说你得到什么啦？

M: I said I got carried away. "Got" is the past tense of "get" and "carried" is the past tense of "carry".

L：好了，那“got carried away”到底是什么意思？

M: "To get carried away" means to be so focused on doing something that you don't notice anything else, and lose track of time. It can also mean "to do something more than is necessary."

L：噢，我懂了。这句话是说：因为你太专心做一件事上所以忘了其它的事，连不需要的也都做了。

M: You've got it. I was so absorbed in my work that I got carried away. I didn't notice how long I had been working. When I finished, I saw that it was already three o'clock!

L：嗯，我真希望我能你这样专心工作。我最恨刷油漆这种活了。对了，Michael，这个“got carried away”除了用在工作上，我可不可以用在其它地方呢？

M: Sure! We can use it for a lot of things. For instance, the other day I went shopping for clothes. At first, I had only planned to spend 50 dollars to buy some pants and a shirt. But I got carried away and spent 250 dollars.　

L：噢，所以当你got carried away的时候，表示你已经忘乎所以了，对不对？

M: That's right. For instance, I was cooking spaghetti sauce the other day. I really like garlic, so I decided to put a lot in. But I got carried away, and put in way too much.

L：Phew，我原来是不想说的，怪不得你嘴里一股大蒜味，真是呛人哪。这样说来，有的时候get carried away也有贬意啊，对不对？

M: Sure it can. Why don't you give me an example of how being carried away can be used negatively?

L：那还不简单，有一次我请我朋友帮我油漆卧房，结果他got carried away连客厅也一块儿给我刷了。

M: Well, that sounds right. But why is that a bad thing?

L：他因为太got carried away，结果忘记我的起居室原来是要漆蓝色，不是白色的。

M: D'oh!

L：Michael，你今天做的也真够多的了，我真的很谢谢你啦。

M: No problem. I think you are right. Let's call it a day.

L：啊，你说要我们做什么？今天你还想要做什么呢？

M: No no, I said "Let's call it a day". That means: let's stop working for today and go home.

L：可是我已经在家了啊!

M: You know what I mean! To "call it a day" just means to decide it is time to quit working, and to relax or go home. Now I think we should call it a day and go get something to eat.

L：我早就知道你一定会提到吃的。好吧，你想去那儿？

M: Hmm, why do you take me to your favorite restaurant in Chinatown.

L：那真是好主意。我知道那里有个很好的饭店。我们可以叫只鸭子，然后呢，再来一些菜，怎么样？

M: Whoa, don't get carried away, Li Hua. You're not that rich.

　　今天Michael为李华油漆房子，李华学到了两个新词儿：to get carried away和to call it a day。To get carried away意思是：因为做事太专心忽略了其它的事。To call it a day指的是一天工作到此为止。