VOA流行美語 Unit 105: to push one's luck/crackpot

VOA流行美語 Unit 105: to push one's luck/crackpot

Larry 和李華正在課間休息的時候聊天，李華會學到兩個常用語：to push one's luck和crackpot。

LH: Larry, 我已經好久都沒有爲我的論文做研究了。我想今天不去上Wilkins教授的課而去圖書館。

LL: I dunno, Li Hua. You'll really be pushing your luck if you miss class again.

LH: Pushing-my-luck? Pushing是推的意思，luck是運氣，我不懂耶！pushing my luck是什麼意思。

LL: I said you will be pushing your luck. "To push your luck" means to take a chance when you've already done something risky.

LH: 噢，pushing-your-luck就是已經做了冒風險的事，可是啊！還想再進一步碰碰運氣，是這個意思嗎？

LL: That's right. The first two times, the professor didn't give you any trouble. But every time you miss a class, you are taking an even bigger risk. You are pushing your luck.

LH: 對噢，那兩次沒去上課，教授沒說什麼。要是我今天再不去上課，萬一教授不高興，我不就麻煩了嗎？ Larry，你不也是這樣嗎？你那臺車，煞車都壞了，你還到處開，不也是碰運氣，希望它不出事嗎？

LL: That's right. One day, I was almost in a car wreck, so I decided to stop pushing my luck and have the brakes fixed. I was so stupid.

LH: 我還不知道你差一點出車禍呢！哎呀，你看，你非要push your luck，非要到差一點出車禍的時候纔去修車。真危險！ Larry，這麼說，to push one's luck只能指冒風險，碰運氣嗎？

LL: Generally yes. But sometimes, if someone keeps asking you for favors, you might tell them "don't push your luck!"

LH: 我最近就碰到這麼一個人，我幫了她一點忙，她就沒完沒了了，要求一個接一個。下回我就可以對她說：Don't push your luck! 對了，Larry，我還真想要你幫個忙，我能再借你的電腦用嗎？這不算是push my luck吧？

LL: No, of course not. You're welcome to use my computer.

LH: 謝謝，Larry，你總是那麼大方。我今天下午能借你的車嗎？

LL: Yeah, OK... I guess...

LH: 那我能不能把你的電腦搬回家用一個禮拜呢？

LL: You're pushing your luck, Li Hua!

LH: 哈哈... 跟你開玩笑嘛！

******

LH: 哎喲，老天爺， Wilkins教授真是怪。他在上課的時候花了最後二十分鐘給我們講他每天吃多少維他命，爲什麼要吃這些維他命。

LL: What? (laughs) Don't worry about it, Li Hua. Everyone knows Professor Wilkins is a crackpot.

LH: 他是什麼？你是說他吸毒嗎？

LL: No, of course not... I said that he's a crackpot. A crackpot is a crazy person. Or maybe just someone who holds very strong, crazy opinions and ideas.

LH: 噢，crackpot是一個很怪的人，有稀奇古怪想法的人。嗨，Larry，有名的人是不是也是很怪的？

LL: Let me think... you know, most real crackpots don't become famous. But in his time, a lot of people thought that Christopher Columbus was a crackpot.

LH: 沒錯，真正怪的人一般是不會成名的。可是哥倫布的情況就不一樣了。當時人們認爲他很怪，有神經病，因爲他說航行可以圍繞地球轉，但是事實證明他是對的，所以他是聰敏，不能算是crackpot。

LL: I wonder if I or other students should talk to Professor Wilkins, and ask him to not talk about off-topic subjects in class. Would we be pushing our luck?

LH: 你和其他學生去跟Wilkins教授說別在上課時講那些離題的內容？我想他不會在意的啦！

LL: What if we just told him to stop talking about his crackpot ideas in class.

LH: 你說什麼？叫他別在課堂上講他的那些神神道道的想法！Now that would be pushing your luck!

今天李華學到兩個常用語。一個是：to push one's luck。意思是已經做了有點風險的事，還想進一步碰碰運氣。李華學到的另一個 常用語是：crackpot。這是指那種想法很奇怪的人。