李华和Larry星期六早上坐船去钓鱼。今天我们要学两个常用语：try your hand和getting the knack of something.
LH: Larry, 你说的一点没错，这里简直太美了。
LL: See? I told you. There’s no better way to relax after a tough week than to come out to the lake, rent a boat and try our hand at catching some fish.
LH: 什么？你不是准备鱼饵了吗，为什么还要try MY hand? 用我的手做鱼饵？我不干。
LL: No, silly! I don’t mean “use your hand.” I said “try your hand.” To try your hand at something means to give something a try that might not necessarily be successful – like trying to catch fish.
LH: Whew! 原来try your hand是试试看的意思。
LL: Right. Since we don’t often go fishing, we really don’t know how good we will be at catching fish. But that’s OK. We can try our hand at it anyway.
LH: 我明白了。那这样，你在这儿慢慢钓鱼试试看，我正好把这本书读完。
LL: But first, wouldn’t you like to try your hand at it baiting my hook? I bet you haven’t put a live worm on a hook before!
LH: Eww! 我最后一次去钓鱼还是小时候跟爷爷，那会儿都是我爷爷帮我准备鱼饵。我最怕摆弄这些扭来扭去的虫子了。
LL: Ok, fine. But you should really take this opportunity to try your hand at some new experiences!
LH: 只要你不让我去摆弄那些虫子，让我尝试什么都行！
LL: Really? I’ve got an idea. Maybe you could try your hand at massaging my neck and shoulder while I am waiting for the fish to bite.
LH: Larry, 我按摩虽然没学过，可跆拳道却略通一、二，要不要试试？
LL: 饶命啊…
******
Larry和李华在湖边待了整整一天，李华开始觉得累了。
LH: Larry, 我累死了，咱们回去吧，上岸找点东西吃。
LL: Give me just a few more minutes – I think I felt a nibble!
LH: (Groans) Larry….一整天都没钓到鱼，每次我一提走，你就说好象有鱼上钩了。
LL: Aww, but Lihua, we’re just starting to get the knack of it!
LH: Get the knack? 什么是knack? 我怎么没听说过这种鱼。
LL: No, When someone says they are getting the knack of something, it means they are starting to become better at it. We’ve been fishing all day without any luck, but I think we’re getting the knack of it now.
LH: 哦，我明白了, getting the knack of something意思就是有点入门了。你是说咱俩钓鱼有进步了，我怎么不觉得？
LL: Of course we’re making progress. You, for example, are getting better at dealing with our bait.
LH: 这倒是真了，我现在准备鱼饵已经是专家了，不过，这都要归功于你。是你经常让狡猾的鱼把鱼饵叼走，我才有这么多锻炼机会。
LL: Fine. if you want to go back so bad, why don’t you try your hand at rowing? I’ve been moving this boat around while you sit there and relax the whole day.
LH: 你让我把船划回去？可我不会划船啊，我只会原地打转。
LL: Just give it a try, it’s not that hard. I’m sure you’ll get the knack of it in no time.
(Lihua starts trying to row the boat)
LH: 哎，你当初干嘛把船划到湖中心来嘛！
LL: The guy at the dock told me all the best fishing is out over on this side of the lake. I wanted to try my hand at catching the big fish!
LH: 这船怎么就是不动啊！I’ll never get the knack of this. 我永远也学不会划船。还是你来吧。
LL: Oh, alright. But I could have sworn I felt a fish nibbling on my line! Here, take my rod. Try you hand at bringing a fish in.
LH: 没问题，只要你往回划，让我干什么多行。啊，有鱼上钩了！
LL: There you go! See, you’re already getting the knack of it! I told you I had a fish biting.
LH: 现在怎么办？你快来帮我把鱼拉上来啊！
LL: It’s OK! You try your hand at reeling it in. Just stay calm, patient and slowly reel it in…I think I see it – It’s huge!
LH: 什么鱼这么重？
LL: Wow! It’s a huge, black…boot. (sign)
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是try your hand, 意思是尝试做某件事。另一个是getting the knack of something, 意思是入门了，开始掌握基本要领了。