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。