VOA流行美语 Unit 354:很少见&冒险尝试
日期:2012-03-16 11:13

(单词翻译:单击)

夏天到了,酷暑难当,李华和Larry一起去游泳。 今天我们要学两个常用语:few and far betweentake the plunge.

LH: Larry, 这几天怎么这么热啊! 每天都有快40度!

L: I know! I have my air conditioner turned all the way to full power, and my apartment still feels really hot.

LH: 华盛顿每年夏天都这么热。

L: Even though summers in Washington DC can be hot, summers that are this hot are few and far between.

LH: 你说这么热的夏天是few and far between? 这是什么意思?

L: Something that is few and far between is very rare.

LH: 哦, few and far between就是很少见的意思。你是说,虽然华盛顿的夏天比较热,但像今年这么热的还是很少见的。

L: Right! Here is another example. Hurricane Katrina caused a lot of terrible damage in Louisiana. Luckily, hurricanes that big are few and far between.

LH: 对,像卡特里娜那种威力的飓风也是很少见的。Larry, 你看天气预报了么?不知道什么时候会下雨,能凉快凉快?

L: Not any time soon.. we can have a nice day having fun swimming. I've been so busy lately that my chances to relax have been few and far between.

LH: 是啊,你最近好像特别忙。怎么那么多工作啊?

L: Well there is a promotion opportunity for a great job at my company. Chances like this are few and far between, so I'm working really hard to get it.

LH: 现在经济不好,能有升职的机会的确不容易,你要好好争取!不过今天我们还是在游泳池里好好轻松一下吧! 咱们去哪个泳池?

L: We're not going to the pool. My friend Andy is taking us out to swim in the ocean on his boat!

LH: 啊?你朋友Andy有船?这么有钱的朋友我怎么一个都没有!

L: Well that's true, friends with boats are few and far between, so you have to be careful to maintain the friendship.

LH: Larry, 你不会是因为Andy有钱才跟他当朋友的吧?

L: Of course not! But you know, Lihua, in heat like this, some friends might be more important than others.

******

Larry和李华上了Andy的船,准备在海中畅游一番。

LH: Larry, 在游泳之前,我得问问你,这海里到底有没有鲨鱼啊?

L: Hmmm ... probably. But to be honest, right now I am more afraid of the sun than I am of any sharks.

LH: 你不在乎,我可在乎! 我不想成为鲨鱼的下午茶!

L: Lihua, I understand that you are a little nervous. But sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

LH: Take the plunge? Plunge,不是往下跳的意思么?你是说,让我不管三七二十一,跳进海里就好了?

L: Right! But you know, you can also say that you "take the plunge" any time you do something risky or scary.

LH: 哦,take the plunge就是冒险一试。你是说,虽然我有些害怕,但还是应该果断地下水?

L: Right! For example, Anthony was really nervous about quitting his job and switching careers, but eventually he decided to take the plunge.

LH: 哦,Anthony在辞职和改行的问题上一直挺犹豫的,但最后他还是决定冒险一试。这么说起来,我也有类似的经历,我来美国留学就是这样的!

L: Exactly! I bet it was a big decision to leave China and come to America, but you decided to take the plunge. Aren't you happy you did?

LH: 哈,那可不好说,如果下面有鲨鱼,我被吃了,那我来美国的决定可就是大错特错了!

L: Trust me, Lihua. The sharks out here are few and far between. And even if there are any around, I don't think sharks like Chinese food.

LH: 哦?你说鲨鱼不爱吃中餐?不如这样吧,Larry,你先跳下去,咱们看看鲨鱼是不是比较爱吃美国饭!

L: Well, let's find out! This sun is so hot that I'm willing to take the plunge. Are you ready, Lihua?

LH: 好吧! 大海,我来啦!

今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是few and far between, 表示很少见。另一是take the plunge, 意思是冒险尝试

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重点单词
  • willingadj. 愿意的,心甘情愿的
  • rareadj. 稀罕的,稀薄的,罕见的,珍贵的 adj. 煎得
  • opportunityn. 机会,时机
  • plungev. 使投入,跳入,栽进 n. 跳入,投入 n.
  • hurricanen. 飓风,飓风般猛烈的东西 adj. 有防风罩的
  • understandvt. 理解,懂,听说,获悉,将 ... 理解为,认为
  • decisionn. 决定,决策
  • promotionn. 晋升,促进,提升
  • eventuallyadv. 终于,最后