請從以下三段對話，猜猜 John 和Bill 誰是老中，誰較可能是老美：

(A)
Mary: “Hey, I saw you two falling asleep in class!”
John: “Yeah. I burned the midnight oil last night preparing for my final exam.”
Bill: “Yeah. I stayed up late last night preparing for my final exam.”

解答：從burn the midnight oil這個我們國高中時期學到的片語，就知道對話者John十之八九是個老中，Bill才可能是美國人，因為美國人說「熬夜」，多半用簡單的stay up late帶過。

(B)
Mary: “You need to relax. How about getting a massage?”
John: “Great idea. That’s just what I need for my aching body.”
Bill: “Great idea. That’s just the ticket for my aching body.”

解答：老中 John 表示「那正是我所需要的」，多半會說that’s just what I need。而擁有足夠俚語詞量的老美Bill，較有可能用that’s the ticket。這句可以追溯自19世紀的慣用語。

(C)
Mary: “I have to say that both of you are great students.”
John: “Thank you.”
Bill: “Could I have that in writing?”

解答：也許是文化使然，老美習慣以更詼諧有趣的話語來作回應，譬如受到Mary的稱讚，老中John規規矩矩地回答「謝謝」，老美Bill則會用「我可否把這句話記下來」幽默以對。