李華和Larry 在夏威夷渡假，倆人出海釣魚。今天我們要學兩個常用語：off
the hook和go overboard.

    LH： Larry，我總算明白你為什么這么喜歡釣魚了，撒下誘餌，就歇著了。

    LL： Yeah ， isn't fishing great？ You get to just sit out in the
boat and relax all day.

    LH：那好，如果一條魚都釣不到的話，你可得負責任。

    LL： Believe me ， Lihua. If we don't catch anything and have to eat
pizza for dinner， I know you won't let me off the hook.

    LH： Let you off the hook ？你是指魚鉤嗎？

    LL： Right！ When you let someone off the hook， you forgive them
for doing something wrong ， or allow them to escape a difficult situation.

    LH：哦，off the hook就是不用承擔責任。 To let someone off the hook
意思就是放過某人，就好象是讓魚脫鉤了一樣。

    LL： Exactly. Here is another example ： Even though I didn't do my
homework， my teacher let me off the hook because I was sick the day before.

    LH：就是說老師因為體諒到你是因為生病而沒做作業，所以決定不追究你。

    LL： Yeah. Or remember last year when I forgot your birthday？ You
still haven't let me off the hook for that.

    LH： Larry，你居然把我生日忘得一干二凈，我當然要記你一輩子。對了，
Larry ，我們的船什么時候還啊？

    LL： We have it until 2 in the afternoon.

    LH：那可沒剩多少時間了。我們稍微晚一點沒關系吧？

    LL： Actually ， I don't think the rental company will let us off
the hook. They said we have to pay an extra fee if we return the boat
late.

    LH：這么說，我們就要抓緊時間了。也不知道這些魚都跑到哪里去了！

    LL： I don't know. The manager of our hotel said this is the best
place for fishing. If he was wrong， I'm not going to let him off the
hook.

    LH：就是啊，如果害我們白跑一趟的話…… Wait ！ Larry，好象有魚咬鉤
了。

    LL： Quick， Lihua， pull it in ！

    ******

    李華釣到了一條大魚。

    LH： Wow， Larry，看來我天生就是釣魚的材料。你看第一次就戰果累累。
這就叫不鳴則已，一鳴驚人！

    LL： Yeah Lihua ， I'm really impressed ！ You must have a real talent
for fishing.

    LH：你覺得，我是不是應該退掉回程的機票，索性留在夏威夷當漁民算了？
否則我釣魚的才華豈不是白白浪費了嗎？

    LL： Well ， it's only one fish. I wouldn't go overboard.

    LH： Go overboard ？你不會是叫我下到海水里去摸魚吧？

    LL： Actually Lihua ， you can say that somebody goes overboard whenever
they do or say something excessive.

    LH：哦，to go overboard 就是采取過激行動的意思，你是勸我不要意氣用
事、釣到一條魚就改行當漁民嗎？

    LL： Exactly. Here's another example. When I was looking for a hotel
in Hawaii ， I know I wanted to stay somewhere nice. But I didn't want
to go overboard and rent a room for $500 per night.

    LH：對，500 塊錢一晚上的旅館對我們來說確實太奢侈了。說正經的，Larry，
你估計這條魚有多重？我猜得有100 磅。

    LL： It's a big fish， but I think 100 pounds is going a little overboard.
It's probably 30 pounds.

    LH：反正是夠大個兒的。我準備把魚的頭骨帶回去做紀念。

    LL： Lihua， I think that's going a little overboard. Why don't we
just take a picture so that you can remember your catch ？

    LH：一點也不好玩。要不，我們多照幾張照片，寄給當地報社，看他們愿不
愿意采訪我們。

    LL： Lihua， let's not go overboard. There are probably lots of other
people who catch fish this big， so it isn't really a new story.

    LH：那我起碼要寄給我爸媽。好了，咱們快回去吃魚吧！

    LL： But I haven't caught anything yet！ Let's stay until I catch
a fish too.

    LH：要不要我向你傳授一下我的經驗啊？第一堂課可以免費！

    LL： Haha …… Thanks Lihua ， In return， I will teach you one more
vocabulary word ： beginner's luck！

    今天李華學了兩個常用。一個是off the hook，意思是逃脫責任。另一個是
go overboard，意思是過份的，過激的。