Popular American - #105
流行美語-第一百零五課
to push one's luck
crackpot
Larry 和李華正在課間休息的時候聊天,李華會學(xué)到兩個常用語:to push one's luck和crackpot。
LH: Larry, 我已經(jīng)好久都沒有為我的論文做研究了。我想今天不去上Wilkins教授的課而去圖書館。
LL: I dunno, Li Hua. You'll really be pushing your luck if you miss class again.
LH: Pushing-my-luck? Pushing是推的意思,luck是運氣,我不懂耶!pushing my luck是什么意思。
LL: I said you will be pushing your luck. "To push your luck" means to take a chance when you've already done something risky.
LH: 噢,pushing-your-luck就是已經(jīng)做了冒風(fēng)險的事,可是??!還想再進一步碰碰運氣,是這個意思嗎?
LL: That's right. The first two times, the professor didn't give you any trouble. But every time you miss a class, you are taking an even bigger risk. You are pushing your luck.
LH: 對噢,那兩次沒去上課,教授沒說什么。要是我今天再不去上課,萬一教授不高興,我不就麻煩了嗎? Larry,你不也是這樣嗎?你那臺車,煞車都壞了,你還到處開,不也是碰運氣,希望它不出事嗎?
LL: That's right. One day, I was almost in a car wreck, so I decided to stop pushing my luck and have the brakes fixed. I was so stupid.
LH: 我還不知道你差一點出車禍呢!哎呀,你看,你非要push your luck,非要到差一點出車禍的時候才去修車。真危險! Larry,這么說,to push one's luck只能指冒風(fēng)險,碰運氣嗎?
LL: Generally yes. But sometimes, if someone keeps asking you for favors, you might tell them "don't push your luck!"
LH: 我最近就碰到這么一個人,我?guī)土怂稽c忙,她就沒完沒了了,要求一個接一個。下回我就可以對她說:Don't push your luck! 對了,Larry,我還真想要你幫個忙,我能再借你的電腦用嗎?這不算是push my luck吧?
LL: No, of course not. You're welcome to use my computer.
LH: 謝謝,Larry,你總是那么大方。我今天下午能借你的車嗎?
LL: Yeah, OK... I guess...
LH: 那我能不能把你的電腦搬回家用一個禮拜呢?
LL: You're pushing your luck, Li Hua!
LH: 哈哈... 跟你開玩笑嘛!
******
LH: 哎喲,老天爺, Wilkins教授真是怪。他在上課的時候花了最后二十分鐘給我們講他每天吃多少維他命,為什么要吃這些維他命。
LL: What? (laughs) Don't worry about it, Li Hua. Everyone knows Professor Wilkins is a crackpot.
LH: 他是什么?你是說他吸毒嗎?
LL: No, of course not... I said that he's a crackpot. A crackpot is a crazy person. Or maybe just someone who holds very strong, crazy opinions and ideas.
LH: 噢,crackpot是一個很怪的人,有稀奇古怪想法的人。嗨,Larry,有名的人是不是也是很怪的?
LL: Let me think... you know, most real crackpots don't become famous. But in his time, a lot of people thought that Christopher Columbus was a crackpot.
LH: 沒錯,真正怪的人一般是不會成名的??墒歉鐐惒嫉那闆r就不一樣了。當(dāng)時人們認為他很怪,有神經(jīng)病,因為他說航行可以圍繞地球轉(zhuǎn),但是事實證明他是對的,所以他是聰敏,不能算是crackpot。
LL: I wonder if I or other students should talk to Professor Wilkins, and ask him to not talk about off-topic subjects in class. Would we be pushing our luck?
LH: 你和其他學(xué)生去跟Wilkins教授說別在上課時講那些離題的內(nèi)容?我想他不會在意的啦!
LL: What if we just told him to stop talking about his crackpot ideas in class.
LH: 你說什么?叫他別在課堂上講他的那些神神道道的想法!Now that would be pushing your luck!
今天李華學(xué)到兩個常用語。一個是:to push one's luck。意思是已經(jīng)做了有點風(fēng)險的事,還想進一步碰碰運氣。李華學(xué)到的另一個 常用語是:crackpot。這是指那種想法很奇怪的人。