Lisa向同事Jonah抱怨,美国机场安检太麻烦。Jonah解释说:

J: Anyone could be a bad guy. Remember that guy who tried to blow up a plane with a bomb in his shoes? He got through security too easily because he had a UK passport.

L: Yeah, these days it is hard to know who to trust. And I guess I can understand if the United States is a bit overprotective.

J: Yeah, 9-11 changed America in a big way. Everyone got really freaked out…maybe too freaked out.

Jonah说,人不可貌相,现在谁都可能是坏人。Lisa表示,I can understand if the United States is a bit overprotective,就算美国的保护措施有点过份了,也可以理解。Jonah说,9-11恐怖袭击改变了美国,Everyone got really freaked out, 所有人都吓坏了。

L: I can understand that. The attacks on New York and the Pentagon were a real shock!

J: But I have to agree that maybe the U.S. went overboard with precautions. The last time I flew into New York, they told me I had to throw away a tiny bottle of aftershave! It was only a five c.c. bottle, but they said it could contain some kind of explosive material!

L: Yeah, no liquids are allowed. They even confiscated my tiny scissors! I don’t think it’s possible for a five foot woman like me to hijack a plane with tiny scissors!

J: (Chuckle) Yep. But as they say: rules are rules…no exceptions.

Jonah 说,maybe the U.S. went overboard with precautions,美国的预防措施可能确实有些过份。Overboard is spelled o-v-e-r-b-o-a-r-d, go overboard,意思是过头了。Jonah就曾被迫扔掉一小瓶刮胡水,throw away a tiny bottle of aftershave. Lisa的小剪刀也被没收过。

L: I was going to complain to the security personnel, but they looked so serious and scary!

J: Yeah, you don’t want to complain because that will get you nowhere. Just try to be as cooperative as possible. If you raise a fuss, they will arrest you!

L: Well, I hope someday the threat of terrorism will be gone and we can travel without all these hassles.

J: I’d like that too, but don’t bet on it. I don’t know if terrorism is going away anytime soon.

L: I guess I’d better learn how to live with the hassles then.

J: That’s probably the wiser choice!

Jonah告诉Lisa,抱怨也没用,that will get you nowhere. 此外,If you raise a fuss, they will arrest you! 如果你找麻烦,他们还会把你抓起来!只要恐怖威胁不消失,就只好,learn how to live with the hassles,学习如何在麻烦中生活吧!