Patricia和同事Kelly要去澳門出差,準(zhǔn)備去賭場試試手氣。另一個同事John提到,自己有個朋友嗜賭成性,傾家蕩產(chǎn)。Patricia問:
P: So what happened to Joe? How is he holding up?
J: Joe is in Gamblers Anonymous right now. He sent me an e-mail the other day and he says he's doing better...but recovering from any addiction is a long process.
K: What's Gamblers Anonymous?
P: Have you ever heard of Alcoholics Anonymous or AA?
K: Not really.
J: Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization that tries to help people with alcohol problems overcome their addiction. Gamblers Anonymous does the same thing for gamblers.
K: I see, so it's sort of like rehab.
Patricia 問起Joe近況。John說,Joe現(xiàn)在加入了Gamblers Anonymous嗜賭者互誡協(xié)會。Gamblers Anonymous跟Alcoholic Anonymous嗜酒者互誡協(xié)會差不多,是幫助賭徒戒賭的組織。在英語里,有某件事情上癮可以用problem這個字,比如,He has a drinking problem. 他酗酒成性。He has a gambling problem. 他賭博成性。因此說,嗜賭者互誡協(xié)會差不多就是一種戒賭組織,it's like a rehab. Rehab is spelled r-e-h-a-b, rehab 是戒毒,戒賭中心的意思。 John 接著說:
J: That's right. Gamblers Anonymous offers a support system to gamblers who have a problem.
K: Well, I hope your friend gets better soon. So....what casino games do you usually play?
P: I've always liked card games....poker, especially. I don't like slot machines because I don't think there are any skills involved.
J: I like poker and all kinds of table games, but my favorite is Blackjack. Blackjack is a nice mix of skill and luck.
嗜賭互誡協(xié)會為賭博上癮的人提供了一個 support system 相互支持的系統(tǒng)。話說到這,Kelly問Patricia和John去賭場一般都玩些什么。Patricia說自己一般都是玩card games玩牌,不喜歡拉老虎機(jī)slot machines, 因為他覺得老虎機(jī)完全憑運氣,一點技術(shù)含量也沒有。John說,凡是table games他都喜歡玩。在賭場里,table games除了撲克牌以外,還包括 craps輪盤骰子和羅萊特 Roulette等。John還說,但是他最愛玩的還是Blackjack, 21點。
K: I think I might be able to enjoy a game or two of Poker or Blackjack. Do you think I'll get addicted?
P: Kelly, I've known you for a few years and you have excellent self-control. I don't think you'll have a problem controlling yourself.
J: Besides, you only get to go to Macau once in a blue moon. What I suggest is you set yourself a reasonable budget of money that you can afford to lose. Don't go beyond that limit.
P: A little bit of legal gambling can be a lot of fun...but we have to know when to call it a night.
K: All right. You're on! Let's hit the casinos on Friday night.
Kelly 擔(dān)心自己賭錢上癮 get addicted. John建議她給自己設(shè)定一個合理的限度,set yourself a reasonable budget that you can afford to lose. 給自己定個輸?shù)闷鸬念A(yù)算,不要超過那個限度。John還說,況且,You only get to go to Macau once in a blue moon. 去澳門的機(jī)會少之又少,once in a blue moon 是非常罕見的意思。Patricia 也說,we know when to call it a night. 我們知道什么時候該打住。Kelly 在兩人說服下,最后說,You're on. Let's hit the casinos on Friday night. 星期五去賭場,我們就這么說定了。