李华和Larry因为暴风雪，都不用去上班，俩人商量该干点什么。今天我们要学两个常用语：fish out of water和have a crack at something.
LH: Larry, 下大雪真是太好了，堆雪人、打雪仗比上班好玩多了。
LL: Yeah it’s really nice that we don’t have to go to work or class. But I am a little worried that I might freeze to death in the snow!
LH: 冻死在雪里？你也太夸张了吧。下雪天儿其实 一点儿都不冷，多穿两件衣服就行了。
LL: Lihua, I’m from the southern United States, where it never snows. I feel like a fish out of water in all this snowy weather.
LH: 你说什么？感觉自己象是a fish out of water? 这是什么意思呢？
LL: When you are in a strange environment, or feel like you are out of place, you can say that you feel like a fish out of water.
LH: 哦，a fish out of water感觉好象离开水的鱼一样不自在，跟周围陌生的环境格格不入。
LL: Exactly! For example, Roger grew up living in the city, so he felt like a fish out of water when his girlfriend took him on a camping trip.
LH: 我刚从中国到美国来读书的时候，那才叫不适应呢！
LL: Right! I bet when you came to America for the first time and were in a totally new environment, you felt like a fish out of water.
LH: 绝对的！不过，我很快就认识了很多象你这样的好朋友， 没过多久就适应了。So I don’t feel like a fish out of water anymore.
LL: That’s great, Lihua! You know, I felt that way too when I visited New York. I grew up in a small town, so I really felt like a fish out of water in the big city.
LH: 不提过去那些事儿了，快穿上衣服，我们出去玩雪！
LL: Ok, Lihua. If I freeze to death, will you tell my parents that I love them?
LH: 好了，Larry, 别闹了。在雪地里玩儿一会儿是死不了人的！
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LH: Larry, 你想先玩什么？是堆雪人还是滑雪橇？
LL: I’ve got a great idea! Let’s build an army of snowmen. We will make a snow version of the Terra Cotta Warriors!
LH: 兵马俑？Larry, 你知道兵马俑一共有多少个吗？我们还没堆完，雪就化光了。
LL: Come on, we’ll never know for sure unless we try! Let’s have a crack at it.
LH: Have a crack at it? 这是什么意思啊？
LL: When you try to do something that is not very likely to succeed, you can say that you “have a crack at it.” Crack is spelled c-r-a-c-k.
LH: 你是说，明知不太可能用雪堆出兵马俑来，你还是想试试看， to have a crack at it?
LL: Right! Or for example, even though I knew it was unlikely that I would win American Idol, I decided to have a crack at it anyway and try out for it.
LH: 慢着慢着，你去参加美国偶像的选秀了？我怎么不知道。Larry, 我了解你唱歌的水平，你当选美国偶像的机会，恐怕还不如我们用雪堆出个兵马俑来的机会大呢！
LL: Don’t worry, even though I might not have a great voice, I can make up for it with my hot dance moves.
LH: 你的热舞？那就更可怕了。不过言归正传，Larry, 我以前听人说过”take a stab at something”这跟have a crack at something是一个意思吗？
LL: Yes. They mean the same thing.
LH: 那你能不能给我举个不会让我做恶梦的例子？
LL: Sure. My math teacher gave the class a really hard problem to do. Even though he knew we probably wouldn’t be able to do it, he told us to take a stab at it anyway.
LH: 这位数学老师真够损的，明知学生做不出来，还要他们去试。那我可以说，明知教你跳舞是浪费时间，可我还是决定要take a stab at it?
LL: Very funny. Now come on, let’s start making these snowmen!
LH: Larry, 你还是自己堆吧，我要去那边山坡上滑雪了。
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是fish out of water, 意思是在陌生的环境里觉得格格不入，不自在。另一个是have a crack at something, 或是 take a stab at something, 意思是明明知道可能不会成功，可还是要去尝试一下。