VOA流行美語 Unit 333:格格不入&重在參與
李華和Larry因爲暴風雪，都不用去上班，倆人商量該乾點什麼。今天我們要學兩個常用語：fish out of water和have a crack at something。
LH: Larry，下大雪真是太好了，堆雪人、打雪仗比上班好玩多了。
LL: Yeah it's really nice that we don't have to go to work or class. But I am a little worried that I might freeze to death in the snow!
LH: 凍死在雪裏？你也太誇張了吧。下雪天兒其實 一點兒都不冷，多穿兩件衣服就行了。
LL: Li Hua, I'm from the southern United States, where it never snows. I feel like a fish out of water in all this snowy weather.
LH: 你說什麼？感覺自己象是a fish out of water? 這是什麼意思呢？
LL: When you are in a strange environment, or feel like you are out of place, you can say that you feel like a fish out of water.
LH: 哦，a fish out of water感覺好象離開水的魚一樣不自在，跟周圍陌生的環境格格不入。
LL: Exactly! For example, Roger grew up living in the city, so he felt like a fish out of water when his girlfriend took him on a camping trip.
LH: 我剛從中國到美國來讀書的時候，那才叫不適應呢！
LL: Right! I bet when you came to America for the first time and were in a totally new environment, you felt like a fish out of water.
LH: 絕對的！不過，我很快就認識了很多象你這樣的好朋友，沒過多久就適應了。So I don't feel like a fish out of water anymore.
LL: That's great, Li Hua! You know, I felt that way too when I visited New York. I grew up in a small town, so I really felt like a fish out of water in the big city.
LH: 不提過去那些事兒了，快穿上衣服，我們出去玩雪！
LL: Ok, Li Hua. If I freeze to death, will you tell my parents that I love them?
LH: 好了，Larry，別鬧了。在雪地裏玩兒一會兒是死不了人的！
LH: Larry，你想先玩什麼？是堆雪人還是滑雪橇？
LL: I've got a great idea! Let's build an army of snowmen. We will make a snow version of the Terra Cotta Warriors!
LH: 兵馬俑？Larry，你知道兵馬俑一共有多少個嗎？我們還沒堆完，雪就化光了。
LL: Come on, we'll never know for sure unless we try! Let's have a crack at it.
LH: Have a crack at it? 這是什麼意思啊？
LL: When you try to do something that is not very likely to succeed, you can say that you "have a crack at it." Crack is spelled c-r-a-c-k.
LH: 你是說，明知不太可能用雪堆出兵馬俑來，你還是想試試看， to have a crack at it?
LL: Right! Or for example, even though I knew it was unlikely that I would win American Idol, I decided to have a crack at it anyway and try out for it.
LH: 慢着慢着，你去參加美國偶像的選秀了？我怎麼不知道。Larry, 我瞭解你唱歌的水平，你當選美國偶像的機會，恐怕還不如我們用雪堆出個兵馬俑來的機會大呢！
LL: Don't worry, even though I might not have a great voice, I can make up for it with my hot dance moves.
LH: 你的熱舞？那就更可怕了。不過言歸正傳，Larry, 我以前聽人說過“take a stab at something”這跟have a crack at something是一個意思嗎？
LL: Yes. They mean the same thing.
LH: 那你能不能給我舉個不會讓我做惡夢的例子？
LL: Sure. My math teacher gave the class a really hard problem to do. Even though he knew we probably wouldn't be able to do it, he told us to take a stab at it anyway.
LH: 這位數學老師真夠損的，明知學生做不出來，還要他們去試。那我可以說，明知教你跳舞是浪費時間，可我還是決定要take a stab at it?
LL: Very funny. Now come on, let's start making these snowmen!
LH: Larry，你還是自己堆吧，我要去那邊山坡上滑雪了。
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是fish out of water，意思是在陌生的環境裏覺得格格不入，不自在。另一個是have a crack at something，或是take a stab at something，意思是明明知道可能不會成功，可還是要去嘗試一下。
