【大紀元2010年12月09日訊】夏天到了，酷暑難當，李華和Larry一起去游泳。 今天我們要學兩個常用語：few and far between和take the plunge.
LH: Larry, 這幾天怎麼這麼熱啊！ 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: 華盛頓每年夏天都這麼熱。
L: Even though summers in Washington DC can be hot, summers that are this hot are few and far between.
LH: 你說這麼熱的夏天是few and far between? 這是甚麼意思？
L: Something that is few and far between is very rare.
LH: 哦， few and far between就是很少見的意思。你是說，雖然華盛頓的夏天比較熱，但像今年這麼熱的還是很少見的。
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: 對，像卡特里娜那種威力的颶風也是很少見的。Larry, 你看天氣預報了麼？不知道甚麼時候會下雨，能涼快涼快？
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，你最近好像特別忙。怎麼那麼多工作啊？
L: Well there is a promotion 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: 現在經濟不好，能有升職的機會的確不容易，你要好好爭取！不過今天我們還是在游泳池裡好好輕鬆一下吧！ 咱們去哪個泳池？
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？這麼有錢的朋友我怎麼一個都沒有！
L: Well that’s true, friends with boats are few and far between, so you have to be careful to maintain the friendship.
LH: Larry， 你不會是因為Andy有錢才跟他當朋友的吧？
L: Of course not! But you know, Lihua, in heat like this, some friends might be more important than others.
******
Larry和李華上了Andy的船，準備在海中暢遊一番。
LH: Larry, 在游泳之前，我得問問你，這海裡到底有沒有鯊魚啊？
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！ 我不想成為鯊魚的下午茶！
L: Lihua, I understand that you are a little nervous. But sometimes you just have to take the plunge.
LH: Take the plunge? Plunge，不是往下跳的意思麼？你是說，讓我不管三七二十一，跳進海裡就好了？
L: Right! But you know, you can also say that you “take the plunge” any time you do something risky or scary.
LH: 哦，take the plunge就是冒險一試。你是說，雖然我有些害怕，但還是應該果斷地下水？
L: Right! For example, Anthony was really nervous about quitting his job and switching careers, but eventually he decided to take the plunge.
LH: 哦，Anthony在辭職和改行的問題上一直挺猶豫的，但最後他還是決定冒險一試。這麼說起來，我也有類似的經歷，我來美國留學就是這樣的！
L: Exactly! I bet 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，那可不好說，如果下面有鯊魚，我被吃了，那我來美國的決定可就是大錯特錯了！
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？你說鯊魚不愛吃中餐？不如這樣吧，Larry，你先跳下去，咱們看看鯊魚是不是比較愛吃美國飯！
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，我來啦！
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是few and far between, 表示很少見。另一是take the plunge, 意思是冒險嚐試。
