VOA慢速英語:Gambling -- And Losing

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

現(xiàn)在是美國之音慢速英語詞匯掌故節(jié)目。

Many people believe that money makes the world go around. Others believe that money buys happiness. I do not agree with either idea. But I do admit that money can make people do strange things. Let me tell you about a person I once knew who liked to play card games for money. He liked to gamble.

很多人認為金錢讓世界運轉(zhuǎn)。其他人認為金錢可以買到幸福。我不贊同其中任何一個觀點。但我確實承認，金錢可以讓人做出荒誕的事情。讓我告訴你一個我曾認識的喜歡玩紙牌賭錢的人，他喜歡賭博。

My friend Bob had a problem because he liked to gamble at all costs. He would play at any time and at any price. To take part in a card game such as poker, my friend would have to ante up. He would have to pay a small amount of money at the beginning of the game.

我朋友鮑勃有個毛病，他喜歡不惜代價(at all costs)來賭博。無論什么時間，什么價碼他都會賭。參加紙牌賭博時，鮑勃需要先押注(ante up)。即在每局紙牌開始時押上點錢。

Bob always played with cold, hard cash --only coins and dollar bills. Sometimes my friend would clean up. He would win a lot of money on one card game. He liked to tell me that one day he would break the bank. What a feeling it must be to win all of the money at a gambling table!

鮑勃通常使用現(xiàn)金(cold, hard cash)賭博。有時他會贏錢(clean up)。他常對我說，總有一天，他會把莊家的錢全贏過來(break the bank)。把賭桌上所有錢都贏過來會是什么樣的感覺哦!

。

Other times my friend would simply break even. He neither won nor lost money. But sometimes Bob would lose his shirt. He would lose all the money he had. He took a beating at the gambling table. When this happened, my friend would have to go in the hole. He would go into debt and owe people money.

平時鮑勃一般不贏不輸(break even)。但有時候，他會輸個精光(lose his shirt)，他在賭桌上損失慘重(took a beating)。這時，他就會陷入財政困難(in the hole)，背上債務(wù)

。

Recently, Bob turned to crime after losing all his money. In his job, he kept the books for a small business. He supervised the records of money earned and spent by the company. Although my friend was usually honest, he decided to cook the books. He illegally changed the financial records of the company. This permitted him to make a fast buck. My friend made some quick, easy money dishonestly.

不久前，鮑勃在輸光錢后走上了犯罪道路。他的工作是為一家小公司管賬(kept the books)，他監(jiān)管著該公司的收支狀況。雖然鮑勃一向誠實，但這次他決定做假賬(cook the books)，也就是非法篡改該公司的財務(wù)記錄。這能讓他賺點快錢(fast buck)。

I never thought Bob would have sticky fingers. He did not seem like a thief who would steal money. But, some people will do anything for love of money.

我從沒想過鮑勃會手腳不干凈(have sticky fingers)。他看起來不像個會偷錢的人。但有些人為了錢會不惜一切。

Bob used the money he stole from his company to gamble again. This time, he cashed in. He made a lot of money. Quickly he was back on his feet. He had returned to good financial health. His company, however, ended up in the red. It lost more money than it earned. The company was no longer profitable.

鮑勃用他從公司偷來的錢又去賭。這一次，他贏錢了(cashed in)。他很快東山再起(back on his feet)。然而，他的公司最終出現(xiàn)虧損(in the red)。也就是收不抵支，不再盈利。

It did not take long before my friend's dishonesty was discovered. The company investigated and charged him with stealing. Bob tried to pass the buck. He tried to blame someone else for the deficit. His lie did not work, however. He ended up in jail. Today, I would bet my bottom dollar that my friend will never gamble again. I would bet all I have that he learned his lesson about gambling.

沒多久，鮑勃的欺騙行為被發(fā)現(xiàn)。公司經(jīng)過調(diào)查指控他盜竊。他試圖推卸責任(pass the buck)，試圖指責他人造成了赤字。然而他的謊言并未奏效，他最終進了監(jiān)獄。今天，我愿意傾囊下注(bet my bottom dollar)鮑勃不會再賭了，我打賭他一定從賭博中得到了教訓(xùn)。