美語情景對話 第212期:騎馬 The Horse Ride

Jessica: Ashley have you ever been horsebackriding?

傑西卡：阿什莉，你騎過馬嗎？

Ashley: Yes, I've actually been horseback riding a numbr of times. My grandparents have horses and my uncle. Actually, there was this one time where I was in Idaho visiting for the summer and my uncle, my grandpa took me on a horseback ride, a whole day trip kind of thing, and you know I'm not so great at the horsebackriding thing, you know, I get a little scared. Horses are pretty big animals, and um, so we were, it was beautiful. We were in the mountains, and we were going up this hill, this trail and we got to the top. You know the weather was beautiful when we started out, of course, it always is. We get to the top of the mountain and it starts to rain. Well not only does it start to rain, it starts to pour, and we hear the Thunder in the distance, and the horses get a little scared and the one I was on got really scared, and I look around and my uncle is taking shelter under a tree, and I'm looking around and we're on the very, very top of this ridge of mountains, the top, like, the highest point, you know, and the lightning is coming and I see the only tree that hasn't been struck by lighting is the one that my uncle is under with his horse and I'm scared and the horse is going crazy and I'm holding on and I'm thinking, "Oh, my God! I'm going to die!" But we got under the tree and we got down to a lower ridge and we made it, but it was scary.

阿什莉：騎過，其實我騎過很多次馬。我祖父母和我叔叔都有馬。實際上，有一次夏天我在愛達荷州遊覽，我叔叔和我爺爺帶我去騎馬了，我們大概用了一天的時間，你知道，我不是很擅長騎馬，所以有些害怕。馬真是很大的動物，嗯，不過很漂亮。我們是在山區，所以我們騎着馬上山，並抵達山頂。你知道我們出發的時候天氣非常好，當然，一直是這樣。我們到山頂以後便開始下雨了。其實不是開始下雨，而是下起了瓢潑大雨，我們聽見了遠處的雷聲，馬有點兒受驚了，我騎的那匹馬非常害怕，我四處張望，看見我叔叔在一棵樹下避雨，我四處看了看，發現我們在非常高的山頂處，就像是最高點，你知道，閃電來的時候，我只看到一棵沒有被閃電擊中的樹，那就是我叔叔和他的馬避雨的那棵樹，我簡直嚇壞了，而我的馬就要發狂了，我一直緊緊抓着馬的繮繩，我當時在想：“天哪，我要死了！”不過我們最終躲進了樹下，而且設法去了一個較低的山脊，不過我真的嚇壞了。

Jessica: So how apt were you to go back on that horse after that?

傑西卡：那你是怎麼騎着那匹馬回去的？

Ashley: Oh, well, I went, we finished the ride, and it was fine, after that you know, mountain storms, they come and go so quickly. By the time we got down the mountain we were dry and hot from the sun. But you know, got back on the horse the next day.

阿什莉：哦，我們結束了騎馬，那很棒，在山區暴雨之後，這些馬開始走得很快。我們下山以後，就被太陽曬乾了。不過你知道，我第二天又騎了那匹馬。

重點講解：
1. a number of
若干；許多；
eg. I seem to remember that Sam told a number of lies.
我好像記得薩姆說過不少謊話。
eg. We encountered a number of difficulties in the first week.
我們在第一週遇到了一些困難。
2. start out
啓程，出發； 開始[着手]做；
eg. Let's start out before dawn.
讓我們在天亮前起身。
eg. Mother told her son to start out early and start back early.
母親告訴兒子早去早回。
3. in the distance
遠處；遠方；
eg. We suddenly saw her in the distance.
我們突然看見她在遠處。
eg. Mr. Dambar found himself gazing into the distance for a moment or two.
丹巴先生不知不覺朝遠方凝視了片刻。
4. look around
（四處）轉轉；參觀；
eg. We went to look round the show homes.
我們去參觀了一下樣板間。
eg. I'm going to look around and see what I can find.
我去四下裏轉轉，看能發現些什麼。
5. take shelter
存身；避難；躲避；
eg. We must take shelter from rain.
我們必須避雨。
eg. As the bombs came screaming down, the villagers tried to take shelter.
當炸彈呼嘯着落下時，村民都設法躲避。
6. make it
（經歷艱難困苦後）成功；
eg. I believe I have the talent to make it.
我相信自己有成功的天分。
eg. You're brave and courageous. You can make it.
你勇敢無畏，一定會獲得成功。