英文短篇故事（纽约）469 Two Lotteries in Two Nights

 　　The Mega Millions lottery¹ was worth $190 million. The Powerball lottery was worth $550 million. Irene, 84, had never bought a lottery ticket in her life. Whenever she had a few extra dollars, she bought treats for her cat. But because both lotteries² were headline news, she bought one ticket for each lottery. On Sunday, she heard that there were two winning³ tickets. They'd been sold in New York. Could one possibly be mine, she wondered. She went online. She checked her Mega ticket. She almost fainted⁴. She had won the Mega! After calming down, she checked her Powerball ticket. She almost fainted again. She had won the Powerball too! Irene became headline news. People complained. They said it wasn't fair. The chances of her winning two huge lotteries were measly. A statistician said, "She had a better chance of being struck by lightning while turning cartwheels in Times Square."

1 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。

2 lotteries   

n.抽彩给奖法( lottery的名词复数 )；碰运气的事；彩票；彩券

参考例句：

• Next to bullfights and soccer, lotteries are Spain's biggest sport. 除了斗牛和足球以外，彩票是西班牙最热门的玩意儿。 来自辞典例句
• Next to bullfight and soccer, lotteries are Spain's biggest sport. 发行彩票在西班牙是仅次于斗牛和足球的最大娱乐活动。 来自辞典例句

3 winning   

adj.获胜的，胜利的；吸引人的，有说服力的

参考例句：

• Team A has no chance of winning.A队没有获胜的可能。
• They have great hopes of winning.他们获胜的希望极大。

4 fainted   

v.晕倒，昏倒( faint的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Facer has fainted; this bucket of water should fetch him round. 费塞昏过去了，这桶水可以使他苏醒过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She all but fainted when she heard the news. 听到那消息，她差点晕过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》