李華和Larry要去健身房鍛練身體。今天我們要學兩個常用語：a slim chance和set in stone.

LH: Larry, 咱們好久沒去健身房了，今天總算是行動起來了，怎么樣，高興嗎？

L: I'm excited about getting in shape, but not about paying gym membership fees. Why can't we just run outside on the street?

LH: 這你就不懂了！健身房的會員費有一個好處，就是能迫使你堅持鍛練。你想啊，你總不愿意白交錢吧!

L: Well I guess that is true. For most people, there is a slim chance they will continue to exercise without some kind of motivation.

LH: A slim chance? 這是什么意思？

L: When you don't think that something is likely to occur, you can say that there is only a slim chance of it happening.

LH: 哦，就是希望不大的意思。你是說，如果沒有外力推動，大部分人都不大可能自覺地堅持鍛練。

L: Right. For another example, I decided not to bring an umbrella today because there is only a slim chance it will rain.

LH: 意思是今天下雨的可能性不大，所以你沒帶傘。Larry, 等到了健身房，我打算先去跑步機上慢跑半個小時，希望鍛練的人不多，沒把跑步機都占了。

L: Most people don't go to the gym right now, so there's only a slim chance it will be crowded.

LH: 那倒是。對了，你說如果你想用的運動器材都被別人占了，健身房會不會退你一些錢？

L: No way! The gym is always trying to get more of your money, so there's a fat chance of that happening.

LH: 什么？ 你說a fat chance? 這是不是和a slim chance相反，表示很有可能？

L: Actually, it's used the same way. It is a sarcastic way of saying that something is very unlikely.

LH: 哦，是在說反話啊，還是表示希望不大，不太可能。

L: Right. For example, my friend John is very unreliable. He said he would help me move this weekend, but there's a fat chance that he actually comes.

LH: 哦，John這個人說話不靠譜，所以他不太可能來幫你搬家。對了Larry, 你說健身房會不會給咱們免費提供健身教練啊？

L: Fat chance of that, Lihua. The gym charges you extra for everything!

LH: Larry, 你今天氣兒怎么這么不順! 希望咱們明天來鍛練時你能高興點兒!

L: Fat chance of that, Lihua. I'm sure my muscles will be so sore tomorrow I won't even be able to walk!

******

LH: Larry, 我要去找跑步機了，你打算干什么？舉杠鈴么？

L: Hmmm ... First I'm going to find a McDonalds. I need to eat something to get some energy for my workout!

LH: 吃麥當勞？Larry，你別開玩笑了！吃一堆垃圾食品，你不就白鍛練了么？想有好身材就得控制飲食！

L: Sure, but there are some exceptions to that rule, right? It's not set in stone.

LH: Set in stone? 這是什么意思？

L: You can say that something is set in stone if it is impossible to change.

LH: 噢，就像中文里說的“板上釘釘”，表示絕對不變。你是說，雖然要保持身材通常得注意飲食，但這也不是絕對的，也有例外。

L: Right. Here's another example. I asked my boss if she could give me a raise, but she said that because the company wasn't doing well, my salary was set in stone for this year.

LH: 我明白了，你是說，因為公司效益不好，所以你的工資今年都不會變，漲工資沒戲了。

L: Right. So Lihua, what do you think of this gym?

LH: 還可以吧，不過有些設備有點陳舊，有的員工態度也不太好。

L: Well if you don't like it, we can always change to another gym. Our decision to come here isn't set in stone.

LH: 我們先試試這家吧。對了，咱們的會員資格也可以升級吧？從普通會員變成高級會員？

L: Sure! The membership isn't set in stone. I'm sure you can upgrade it without much trouble.

LH: 太好了！ Larry, 我們制定一個健身計劃，每個禮拜一三五都來鍛練，怎么樣？

L: That sounds good, but it won't be set in stone. Sometimes I will have to miss a workout if I have to work late.

LH: Larry，你就別拿加班當借口了！

今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是a slim chance, 表示不太可能。另一個是set in stone, 意思是板上釘釘，絕不改變。