2014年ESL之日常生活 03 Having a Backup Plan

 

Having a Backup Plan 

Jerome: This is a very dangerous undertaking¹. Do you have a backup plan if anything goes wrong? 

Sandy: It’ll work. I’ve come up with contingencies² for every possible setback³. 

Jerome: It’s just that I’d like to know we have some recourse if anything goes wrong. 

Sandy: My plan is foolproof. Failure is not an option. 

Jerome: But don’t you think we should consider some alternatives? If, God forbid, anything goes wrong, it would be good to have an escape hatch, don’t you think? 

Sandy: That won’t be necessary. If anything goes wrong, it’s every man for himself. 

Jerome: What?! I thought we were in this together? What happened to, “Stick with me and you can’t go wrong”? 

Sandy: That was before I realized what a liability you are. 

Jerome: A liability?! 

Sandy: In a dangerous plan like this, there are bound to be some casualties – a sacrificial lamb or two. 

Jerome: Yes, but I didn’t know you’d double- cross me before we even got started! 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

2 contingencies   

n.偶然发生的事故，意外事故( contingency的名词复数 )；以备万一

参考例句：

• We must consider all possible contingencies. 我们必须考虑一切可能发生的事。
• We must be prepared for all contingencies. 我们要作好各种准备，以防意外。 来自辞典例句

3 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。