美国之音《流行美语》 354

　　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 between和take the plunge².
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 promotion³ 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 maintain⁴ 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 risky⁵ 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 decided⁶ 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 bet¹ 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。

1 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

2 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

3 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

4 maintain   

vt.支撑；赡养，抚养；维持，保有

参考例句：

• He has to maintain a large family on a small salary.他不得不依靠很少的工资养活一家人。
• We must do our best to maintain sales at their usual rate.我们要尽力使销售额保持在平日的水平上。

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。