流行美语 第 31 课：sketchy; sucker

今天是四月一号愚人节。李华到处去找Michael, 有事商量。今天她会学到两个常用语，sketchy和sucker。

L：Michael，和我住在一起的小陈今天打电话到我工作的地方。她说警察到家里去找我。他们说我的签证有问题。我该怎么办？我很害怕。

M：What? I don't believe her. That story sounds sketchy.

L：你说听起来什么？你不信小陈说的话？

M：That's right. I said her story is "sketchy" . That means it is suspicious and cannot be trusted.

L：噢，sketchy就是可疑，不可信。你怎么知道小陈说的话不可信？

M： Well, for one thing, the police usually don't care about visas. They are too busy looking for serious criminals.

L：嗯，对呀，警察抓罪犯还忙不过来呢，他们才不管签证呢！移民局的人才是管签证的。这么说来，小陈的话是有点可疑，sketchy。

M：Also, I don't think the police or immigration officers would go to your house. That sounds very sketchy.

L： 对，Michael， 你可真行呐！ 要是签证有问题，移民局一般会先给我一封信，他们才不会到家去找我呢。这真是越说越不可信了。

M：But if you want to know what's really sketchy, you should remember what day it is.

L：今天是什么日子呀？噢。。。今天是四月一号愚人节！ 哟，我的老天爷呀，我没想到小陈会跟我开这个玩笑。

M：Heh heh, your roommate is pretty sketchy too, if you ask me.

L：等等，你也能说一个人sketchy? 你觉得小陈这个人不太可信？对，她的话确实是靠不住。上星期在聚会上见到的那个人，死跟着我不放，楞要送我回家，我能不能说，that guy was very sketchy?

M：Yes, that guy was very sketchy. You have to be careful around sketchy people like that.

L：对了，我得打电话告诉小陈我没上她的当， 借你的手机用一用，行吗？

M：Sure!

M：What did you say to your roommate just now? You were talking so fast in Chinese that I couldn't understand.

L：我告诉她我很生气，我不想再跟她住在一起了，我告诉她我要搬出去和她哥哥同居了。嘿，她好象真相信我说的话！

M：She believed that? She is such a sucker!

L：她是什么？你是说她sketchy，是吗？

M：No, no... a sucker is someone who believes people who lie to her, and can be easily tricked .

L：Sucker这个词我在学校里经常听到，可就不是太清楚究竟是什么意思。原来sucker 是指很容易上当，很轻信别人的人。我一开始相信了小陈的话，那我不就是个sucker咯！

M：Sure, everyone is a sucker at one time or another...

L：那倒是的，每个人有时难免会当傻瓜。我记得你在电脑上收到很多电子邮件的广告，说你可以在家工作赚很多钱，当时你还很相信这些广告呢。You were such a sucker!

M： Hey, my phone is ringing. Li Hua, it's for you. I think it's your roommate.

L：是小陈？让我跟她说话。 (李华接电话)是呀！我不管你告诉他什么。我们相爱，我们要同居。什么？我不管你说什么，我不要跟骗我的人住在一起。 (关电话)

M：Your roommate is a real sucker! She still believes your story even after talking to her brother?

L：对，他跟她哥哥通完了电话，但是还相信我要和她哥哥同居了。我看我还是给她打个电话告诉她我是在开玩笑吧，否则她会把我的东西从窗子里都扔掉的。

今天Michael 教李华学会了两个常用语，一个是：sketchy，意思是一个人，或者是一个人说的话不可信，值得怀疑；另一个是：sucker， 指一个很轻信，很容易上当的人。