马上,英语二级考试就要到了。伴随而来的就是口语的考试。这让很多人都犯了愁。作为口语不好的人,这将会是很大的一个坎,我们很多人都死在了这个坎上。所以,下面我为大家找到了二级考试口语的原材料,大家可以对照练习一下,增加自己的口语感觉。 

      夏天到了,酷暑难当,李华和Larry一起去游泳。 今天我们要学两个常用语:few and far between和take the plunge.

  LH: Larry, 这几天怎么这么热啊! 每天都有快40度!

  L: I know! I have my air conditioner turned all the way to full power, and my apartment still feels really hot.

  LH: 华盛顿每年夏天都这么热。

  L: Even though summers in Washington DC can be hot, summers that are this hot are few and far between.

  LH: 你说这么热的夏天是few and far between? 这是什么意思?

  L: Something that is few and far between is very rare.

  LH: 哦, few and far between就是很少见的意思。你是说,虽然华盛顿的夏天比较热,但像今年这么热的还是很少见的。

  L: Right! Here is another example. Hurricane Katrina caused a lot of terrible damage in Louisiana. Luckily, hurricanes that big are few and far between.

  LH: 对,像卡特里娜那种威力的飓风也是很少见的。Larry, 你看天气预报了么?不知道什么时候会下雨,能凉快凉快?

  L: Not any time soon.. we can have a nice day having fun swimming. I've been so busy lately that my chances to relax have been few and far between.

  LH: 是啊,你最近好像特别忙。怎么那么多工作啊?

  L: Well there is a promotion opportunity for a great job at my company. Chances like this are few and far between, so I'm working really hard to get it.

  LH: 现在经济不好,能有升职的机会的确不容易,你要好好争取!不过今天我们还是在游泳池里好好轻松一下吧! 咱们去哪个泳池?

  L: We're not going to the pool. My friend Andy is taking us out to swim in the ocean on his boat!

  LH: 啊?你朋友Andy有船?这么有钱的朋友我怎么一个都没有!

  L: Well that's true, friends with boats are few and far between, so you have to be careful to maintain the friendship.

  LH: Larry, 你不会是因为Andy有钱才跟他当朋友的吧?

  L: Of course not! But you know, Lihua, in heat like this, some friends might be more important than others.

  ******

  Larry和李华上了Andy的船,准备在海中畅游一番。

  LH: Larry, 在游泳之前,我得问问你,这海里到底有没有鲨鱼啊?

  L: Hmmm ... probably. But to be honest, right now I am more afraid of the sun than I am of any sharks.

  LH: 你不在乎,我可在乎! 我不想成为鲨鱼的下午茶!

  L: Lihua, I understand that you are a little nervous. But sometimes you just have to take the plunge.

  LH: Take the plunge? Plunge,不是往下跳的意思么?你是说,让我不管三七二十一,跳进海里就好了?

  L: Right! But you know, you can also say that you "take the plunge" any time you do something risky or scary.

  LH: 哦,take the plunge就是冒险一试。你是说,虽然我有些害怕,但还是应该果断地下水?

  L: Right! For example, Anthony was really nervous about quitting his job and switching careers, but eventually he decided to take the plunge.

  LH: 哦,Anthony在辞职和改行的问题上一直挺犹豫的,但最后他还是决定冒险一试。这么说起来,我也有类似的经历,我来美国留学就是这样的!

  L: Exactly! I bet it was a big decision to leave China and come to America, but you decided to take the plunge. Aren't you happy you did?

  LH: 哈,那可不好说,如果下面有鲨鱼,我被吃了,那我来美国的决定可就是大错特错了!

  L: Trust me, Lihua. The sharks out here are few and far between. And even if there are any around, I don't think sharks like Chinese food.

  LH: 哦?你说鲨鱼不爱吃中餐?不如这样吧,Larry,你先跳下去,咱们看看鲨鱼是不是比较爱吃美国饭!

  L: Well, let's find out! This sun is so hot that I'm willing to take the plunge. Are you ready, Lihua?

  LH: 好吧! 大海,我来啦!

  今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是few and far between, 表示很少见。另一是take the plunge, 意思是冒险尝试。