美国之音《流行美语》 350(在线收听

  李华和Larry一起去买自行车。今天我们要学两个常用语:To keep an eye out for sth.和push one's luck.
  LH: Larry等你买了自行车,你可以天天骑车上班,又锻练身体又省汽油钱。
  L: Yeah, I think biking will be a lot of fun. And when it rains or snows, I'll have the perfect excuse to take the day off from work.
  LH: 这个嘛......我可没说让你以这个为理由偷懒不上班!
  L: Well, Lihua, you know I'm always keeping an eye out for a reason not to go to work.
  LH: Keeping an eye out? 什么意思?
  L: When you are looking for or expecting something, you can say that you are keeping an eye out for it.
  LH: 哦,就是特别留意的意思。你是说,你总是特别想找些理由,好不去上班。
  L: That's right!
  LH: 以后我当了老板,肯定不雇你这种员工! 你再举个例子行吗?
  L: Sure. When you're riding your bike on the road, it's important to keep an eye out for cars.
  LH: 对,骑车的时候要特别留意周围的交通状况,小心汽车。哎,说到安全,你应该买个骑车时戴的头盔。
  L: Of course. When we get to the store, I'll keep an eye out for other things I might need too, like a bell and a light.
  LH: 行。那我们去哪家店买呢?
  L: I've been keeping an eye out for some good deals, and found a sale at a store near my house.
  LH: 好吧,我们就去那儿。对了,Larry, 我听过一种说法叫"keep an eye on something." 这和keep on eye out for something有区别吗?
  L: When you keep an eye on something, you pay close attention to it, usually because something negative has happened or will happen.
  LH: 我明白了,keep an eye on something通常用在负面情况中。也就是说,因为怕某些不好的事情发生,所以紧盯着,特别注意着。
  L: Yes. For example, one of the employees at my company has been coming to work late every day, so the boss is keeping an eye on him.
  LH: 是吗?你们公司有个人上班天天迟到,所以老板已经盯上他了。这个人不就是你嘛?
  L: Of course not! I haven't bought my bike yet.
  LH: 买了自行车你也不能这么干啊! 对了,待会儿你要骑车回家么?这天好像要下雨了。
  L: Well it's dangerous to ride a bike in the rain, so we'll have to keep an eye on the weather.
  ******
  LH: Larry, 你这辆新车真好看,待会儿你就骑车回家吧!
  L: I'm really excited to ride it. But unfortunately I don't think I can ride it today, because it will probably rain.
  LH: 会么?没准不会下的,你骑吧!
  L: No, I would really hate riding in the cold rain. I'm not going to push my luck.
  LH: Push your luck? 什么意思?
  L: When you push your luck, you take a big risk in the hope that you will have good luck.
  LH: 哦,就是抱着侥幸心里去冒险。你是说,你不想抱着天不下雨的侥幸心理去骑车。
  L: Right! Here is another example. Even though everyone knows smoking will likely give them cancer, some people decide to push their luck and smoke anyway.
  LH: 可不,抽烟的人都希望自己运气好,不会因为抽烟而得肺癌。把自己的健康寄托在运气上,我可不干这种事。
  L: Speaking of risks, I should buy a helmet, too. What do you think of this one?
  LH: 这个是不错,可是太贵了,不值。
  L: I guess I could just not buy a helmet and hope I don't get into an accident, but I don't want to push my luck.
  LH: 对,要是真把脑袋撞伤了,可不是闹着玩儿的。
  L: Exactly. You know, Lihua, I really appreciate you helping me shop for this bike. I really owe you a favor.
  LH: 啊,这样吧,为了表示你对我的感激,给我买个数码相机怎么样?
  L: Don't push your luck, Lihua. I was planning to buy you lunch.
  LH: 请吃午饭?那也行啊!去哪儿吃?
  L: How about McDonalds? Remember that I took you there last weekend, too?
  LH: Larry, don't push your luck. 上礼拜就骗我吃麦当劳,这个礼拜还吃?! 今天我一定要宰你一刀,吃牛排吧!
  今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是keep an eye out for sth, 表示特别留意。另一是push one's luck, 意思是抱着侥幸心理冒险。

  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/liuxmy/137475.html