VOA流行美語 Unit 338:避免&大相徑庭
李華和Larry開車去機場準備坐飛機去夏威夷渡假。今天我們要學兩個常用語：a far cry和steer clear。
LH: Boy, Larry, 這次假期真是讓我望眼欲穿。前段時間每時每刻都在忙，你好長時間沒有帶我出去玩了，你簡直是失職……
LL: What do you mean? Last month we went to the movies. That was fun, wasn't it?
LH: 拜託，Larry, 帶我去看變形金剛就能過關了嗎？看兩場電影，跟去夏威夷渡假相比，簡直就是天壤之別。
LL: I guess you're right. Watching a movie is definitely a far cry from taking a vacation in Hawaii.
LH: A far cry? 這就要哭啊？我是在跟你開玩笑呢！
LL: Actually, Li Hua, when you say that something is a far cry from something else, it means that those two things are totally different.
LH: 哦，我明白了，說一件事情是a far cry from另外一件事情，就是說二者大相徑庭。這麼說，你也承認，看電影遠遠比不上去夏威夷好玩嘍？
LL: Exactly. But I have to say, I'm really excited for this vacation too. I've heard that Hawaii is really beautiful.
LH: 咱們攢錢去夏威夷是絕對正確的，雖說貴了點，可是物有所值，比隨便找個小沙灘曬太陽強多了。
LL: I agree. The small and crowded beaches near my house are definitely a far cry from the huge, beautiful beaches in Hawaii.
LH: 那當然了，別忘了，光是從舊金山到夏威夷，就要坐六個小時的飛機呢！對了，你不會爲了給我個驚喜，訂的是頭等艙吧？
LL: Are you kidding? I don't even have enough money to buy peanuts. I'm still a far cry from being able to afford first class tickets.
LH: 哎，經濟艙也湊合了。哈，我知道，那你一定是把錢都花在了五星級的酒店上...
LL: Well... the place we're staying might be a far cry from a luxury, five-star hotel.
LH: 不是五星的？那也沒關係，四星我也將就了... 要不，最少也得是個三星吧？
LL: Don't worry, Li Hua, we have a really nice tent to camp out on the beach!
LH: Larry, 你最好是在開玩笑，要我露宿沙灘，那我現在就買張機票回家去。
LL: Don't worry, I'm just kidding. We have a good hotel.
LH: 哈！我說說罷了，你還當真了。You are still a far cry from being a comedian. 你離喜劇演員的標準還差得遠呢！
Larry和李華坐了一天飛機，總算到了夏威夷。
LH: 夏威夷，我來了！Larry, 我們直奔海灘怎麼樣？
LL: Yeah, Hawaii is going to be great! I can't wait to get to the beach and spend all day sleeping in the sand.
LH: Larry, 我警告你，來夏威夷可不是爲了睡覺，我們每天的行程可都是排得滿滿的。
LL: Well, Li Hua, I think the main purpose of vacation is to relax. Let's steer clear of all those tiring activities.
LH: Steer clear? 難道說夏威夷也堵車，所以開車一定要小心嗎？
LL: Actually, to steer clear of something means you should avoid it. For example, whenever I travel, I steer clear of the food people sell on the street because I don't want to get sick.
LH: 沒錯，出門在外千萬不能亂吃東西，否則食物中毒，整個假期就全泡湯了。對了，Larry, 我們的旅館在市中心還是郊區？
LL: I always steer clear of the crowded and noisy cities when I go on vacation. Our hotel is in a very secluded and quiet area.
LH: Sounds great. 我們坐出租車去嗎？
LL: We should probably steer clear of taxis during our vacation because they are so expensive. Let's take the bus.
LH: 可是Larry, 我帶了四個大皮箱呢...
LL: Well Li Hua, you know that I always try to steer clear of doing anything to upset you. We can take a cab this ONE time.
LH: 算你聰明，作爲獎勵，在我們的日程正式開始之前，我批准你在沙灘上睡一小覺，不過記住，只有十分鐘。
LL: A ten minute nap? Well that's a far cry from a fair deal, but I guess I'll take it. What is the first activity we're doing?
LH: 衝浪！
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是a far cry from something，意思是大相徑庭。另一個是steer clear，意思是避免。
