“侥幸心理”要不得

　　李华和Larry一起去买自行车。今天我们要学两个常用语：To keep an eye out for something和push one's luck.

　　LH: Larry，等你买了自行车，你就可以天天骑车上班，又锻练身体又省汽油钱。

　　L: Yeah, I think biking will be a lot of fun. And when it rains or snows, I'll have the perfect excuse to take the day off from work.

　　LH: 这个嘛……我可没说让你以这个为理由偷懒不上班!

　　L: Well, Li Hua, you know I'm always keeping an eye out for a reason not to go to work.

　　LH: Keeping an eye out? 什么意思?

　　L: When you are looking for or expecting something, you can say that you are keeping an eye out for it.

　　LH: 哦，就是特别留意的意思。你是说，你总是特别想找些理由，好不去上班。

　　L: That's right!

　　LH: 以后我当了老板，肯定不雇你这种员工!你再举个例子，行吗?

　　L: Sure. When you're riding your bike on the road, it's important to keep an eye out for cars.

　　LH: 对，骑车的时候要特别留意周围的交通状况，小心汽车。哎，说到安全，你应该买个骑车时戴的头盔。

　　L: Of course. When we get to the store, I'll keep an eye out for other things I might need too, like a bell and a light.

　　LH: 行。那我们去哪家店买呢?

　　L: I've been keeping an eye out for some good deals, and found a sale at a store near my house.

　　LH: 好吧，我们就去那儿。对了，Larry, 我听过一种说法叫"keep an eye on something." 这和keep on eye out for something有区别吗?

　　L: When you keep an eye on something , you pay close attention to it, usually because something negative has happened or will happen.

　　LH: 我明白了，keep an eye on something通常用在负面情况中。也就是说，因为怕某些不好的事情发生，所以紧盯着，特别注意着。

　　L: Yes. For example, one of the employees at my company has been coming to work late every day, so the boss is keeping an eye on him.

　　LH: 是吗?你们公司有个人上班天天迟到，所以老板已经盯上他了。这个人不就是你嘛?

　　L: Of course not! I haven't bought my bike yet.

　　LH: 买了自行车你也不能这么干啊!对了，待会儿你要骑车回家么?这天好像要下雨了。

　　L: Well it's dangerous to ride a bike in the rain, so we'll have to keep an eye on the weather.

　　******

　　LH: Larry, 你这辆新车真好看，待会儿你就骑车回家吧!

　　L: I'm really excited to ride it. But unfortunately I don't think I can ride it today, because it will probably rain.

　　LH: 会么?没准不会下的，你骑吧!

　　L: No, I would really hate riding in the cold rain. I'm not going to push my luck.

　　LH: Push your luck? 什么意思?

　　L: When you push your luck , you take a big risk in the hope that you will have good luck.

　　LH: 哦，就是抱着侥幸心里去冒险。你是说，你不想抱着天不下雨的侥幸心理去骑车。

　　L: Right! Here is another example. Even though everyone knows smoking will likely give them cancer, some people decide to push their luck and smoke anyway.

　　LH: 可不，抽烟的人都希望自己运气好，不会因为抽烟而得肺癌。把自己的健康寄托在运气上，我可不干这种事。

　　L: Speaking of risks, I should buy a helmet, too. What do you think of this one?

　　LH: 这个是不错，可是太贵了，不值。

　　L: I guess I could just not buy a helmet and hope I don't get into an accident, but I don't want to push my luck.

　　LH: 对，要是真把脑袋撞伤了，可不是闹着玩儿的。

　　L: Exactly. You know, Lihua, I really appreciate you helping me shop for this bike. I really owe you a favor.

　　LH: 啊，这样吧，为了表示你对我的感激，给我买个数码相机怎么样?

　　L: Don't push your luck, Li Hua. I was planning to buy you lunch.

　　LH: 请吃午饭?那也行啊!去哪儿吃?

　　L: How about McDonalds? Remember that I took you there last weekend, too?

　　LH: Larry, don't push your luck. 上礼拜就骗我吃麦当劳，这个礼拜还吃?今天我一定要宰你一刀，吃牛排吧!

　　今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是keep an eye out for something表示特别留意;另一是push one's luck,意思是抱着侥幸心理冒险。