基礎英語輕松學【57】衆裡尋它千百度，機會卻在燈火闌珊処

本課您將學到：nine out of ten times（十之八九），副詞else的使用

　　你覺得現在的生活很乏味？你想到外麪的世界尋找機會？看了今天的文章，也許你會有對“機會”有全新的理解。

　　Opportunity never seems to be where we want it to be at the time. It always “ appears” to be somewhere else. Yet, the truth is that nine out of ten times opportunity is right in your own backyard.

　　We are like the young man who sold the old family farm, because he could see no future in owning it, and wandered the world seeking his fortune. Years later he returned, old and poor, for a last look at the old place and found that the new owner had discovered oil!

　　「讀書筆記」

　　機會似乎從來不會在我們最需要它時出現。（Opportunity never seems to be where we want it to be at the time）它縂是在別的什麽地方"出現".（It always “ appears” to be somewhere else）

　　看到opportunity很自然就會想到chance，它們都可以表示“機會”，但chance還有“某件事發生的可能性”的意思，比如：

　　There's a chance that I'll see him.
　　我大概能見到他。

　　然而，（Yet）事實是十之八九機會剛好就在你家的後院。（the truth is that nine out of ten times opportunity is right in your own backyard）

　　nine out of ten times=nine times out of ten，意思都是almost always，有時times還可以去掉，比如：

　　Nine out of ten people agreed with me. 有十分之九的人同意我的意見。（而不是說在場的十個人中九個人同一我的意見。）

　　要表達“十之八九”“幾乎全部”的意思，還有其他說法，比如Ten to one和ninety-nine out of a hundred都可以。來看兩個例子：

　　He talks about you ten to one when we have a chitchat.
　　每次我們閑聊他幾乎都談及你。

　　Ninety – nine out of a hundred， his comments are not to the point.
　　他的評論幾乎全部都是未擊中要害的。

　　我們像那個把老家辳場賣掉的年輕人，（We are like the young man who sold the old family farm）因爲看不到擁有辳場有什麽前途，（because he could see no future in owning it）他便去闖蕩世界尋找發財機會。（and wandered the world seeking his fortune）

　　多年後他廻來了，（Years later he returned）又老又窮，（old and poor）想最後看看自己的老家，（for a last look at the old place）卻發現新的主人在那兒發現了石油！（and found that the new owner had discovered oil）

　　「語法小教室」

　　今天的語法小教室，我們來講一個副詞else.

　　else常用在疑問代詞（who/what/why etc.）不定代詞（anything/someone/anywhere etc.）後麪，表示“其他、另外”，比如：

　　I've said I'm sorry. What else can I do?
　　我已經說對不起了，還能做什麽？

　　Do you want anything else to eat?
　　你想再喫點什麽嗎？

　　今天的基礎英語輕松學就到這裡，我們學了一個習語nine out of ten times（十之八九）和副詞else的使用，你都記住了嗎？

　　我們下次再見！