Larry和李华正在课间休息的时候聊天，李华会学到两个常用语：to push one’s luck和crackpot。
LH: Larry, 我已经好久都没有为我的论文做研究了。我想今天不去上Wilkins教授的课而去图书馆。
LL: I dunno, Li Hua. You’ll really be pushing your luck if you miss class again.
LH: Pushing-my-luck? Pushing是推的意思，luck是运气，我不懂耶！pushing my luck是什么意思。
LL: I said you will be pushing your luck. “To push your luck” means to take a chance when you’ve already done something risky.
LH: 噢，pushing-your-luck就是已经做了冒风险的事，可是啊！还想再进一步碰碰运气，是这个意思吗？
LL: That’s right. The first two times, the professor didn’t give you any trouble. But every time you miss a class, you are taking an even bigger risk. You are pushing your luck.
LH: 对噢，那两次没去上课，教授没说什么。要是我今天再不去上课，万一教授不高兴，我不就麻烦了吗？ Larry，你不也是这样吗？你那台车，煞车都坏了，你还到处开，不也是碰运气，希望它不出事吗？
LL: That’s right. One day, I was almost in a car wreck, so I decided to stop pushing my luck and have the brakes fixed. I was so stupid.
LH: 我还不知道你差一点出车祸呢！哎呀，你看，你非要push your luck，非要到差一点出车祸的时候才去修车。真危险！ Larry，这么说，to push one’s luck只能指冒风险，碰运气吗？
LL: Generally yes. But sometimes, if someone keeps asking you for favors, you might tell them “don’t push your luck!”
LH: 我最近就碰到这么一个人，我帮了她一点忙，她就没完没了了，要求一个接一个。下回我就可以对她说：Don’t push your luck! 对了，Larry，我还真想要你帮个忙，我能再借你的电脑用吗？这不算是push my luck吧？
LL: No, of course not. You’re welcome to use my computer.
LH: 谢谢，Larry，你总是那么大方。我今天下午能借你的车吗？
LL: Yeah, OK… I guess…
LH: 那我能不能把你的电脑搬回家用一个礼拜呢？
LL: You’re pushing your luck, Li Hua!
LH: 哈哈… 跟你开玩笑嘛！
LH: 哎哟，老天爷， Wilkins教授真是怪。他在上课的时候花了最后二十分钟给我们讲他每天吃多少维他命，为什么要吃这些维他命。
LL: What? (laughs) Don’t worry about it, Li Hua. Everyone knows Professor Wilkins is a crackpot.
LH: 他是什么？你是说他吸毒吗？
LL: No, of course not… I said that he’s a crackpot. A crackpot is a crazy person. Or maybe just someone who holds very strong, crazy opinions and ideas.
LH: 噢，crackpot是一个很怪的人，有稀奇古怪想法的人。嗨，Larry，有名的人是不是也是很怪的？
LL: Let me think… you know, most real crackpots don’t become famous. But in his time, a lot of people thought that Christopher Columbus was a crackpot.
LH: 没错，真正怪的人一般是不会成名的。可是哥伦布的情况就不一样了。当时人们认为他很怪，有神经病，因为他说航行可以围绕地球转，但是事实证明他是对的，所以他是聪敏，不能算是crackpot。
LL: I wonder if I or other students should talk to Professor Wilkins, and ask him to not talk about off-topic subjects in class. Would we be pushing our luck?
LH: 你和其他学生去跟Wilkins教授说别在上课时讲那些离题的内容？我想他不会在意的啦！
LL: What if we just told him to stop talking about his crackpot ideas in class.
LH: 你说什么？叫他别在课堂上讲他的那些神神道道的想法！Now that would be pushing your luck!
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是：to push one’s luck。意思是已经做了有点风险的事，还想进一步碰碰运气。李华学到的另一个 常用语是：crackpot。这是指那种想法很奇怪的人。