The english we speak(BBC教學)第115期:Sinking Feeling 不祥的預感
Li: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Li.
李：大家好，歡迎收看地道英語節目。我是李。Neil: And I am Neil. Li, let me tell you about this strange dream I had yesterday… we weren't here. We were somewhere else, in another country…
尼爾：我是尼爾。李，我跟你說說我昨晚做的奇怪的夢吧，在夢裏我們並不在這裏。我們在其他地方，在另一個國家……(Sound of dreamy music)
（夢幻般輕柔的音樂）
Neil: We were lucky to find these cheap tickets and fly here to the United States, weren't we? This is a wonderful place, Li.
尼爾：我們很幸運地得到了這些便宜的機票，然後飛來了美國，不是嗎？李，這真是個很棒的地方。Li: Yes, this is a wonderful place!
李：是啊，這地方真棒！Neil: …where we found a boat and decided to sail on this river! Blue sky, blue water… Don't you feel at one with nature, Li?
尼爾：我們找到了一艘船，然後決定在這條河上航行！藍藍的天，藍藍的海水……李，你能感到和大自然融爲一體了嗎？Li: Of course, yes, I do feel in harmony with nature. But we've been sailing for a while now and I'm not sure where we are… Where are we, Neil?
李：當然了，我當然感受到同大自然融爲一體了。可是我們已經航行了一段時間了，我不確定我們現在在哪裏……尼爾，我們在哪兒？Neil: I'm not sure either. What I can say is that… this boat is rocking a lot, isn't it? …
尼爾：我也不知道。我能說的就是……這艘船搖晃的很厲害，不是嗎？Li: Yes, but it must be normal.
李：是，不過這很正常。Neil: … and I must confess I'm not a very strong swimmer…
尼爾：我必須要承認，我並不擅長游泳……Li: Don't think about it Neil, just admire the view.
李：尼爾，別想那些，只要欣賞風景就好。Neil: But I have a sinking feeling!
尼爾：可是我有不祥的預感！Li: A sinking feeling Neil?! What's going on? Are your feet wet? Can you see water coming into the boat?
李：尼爾，你有下沉的感覺？！怎麼了？你是弄溼了嗎？你看到船進水了？Neil: No, there's no water in the boat. Having a sinking feeling is what you say in English when you realise something bad is happening or about to happen.
尼爾：不是，船裏沒有進水。在英語中sinking feeling的意思是你意識到有某些不好的事情要發生。Examples
例子Man 1: I bought shares in that company but the stock market has just crashed! I have a sinking feeling that I've lost all my money!
男1：我買了那家公司的股份，可是股市崩盤了！我有不祥的預感，我可能會損失掉所有的錢！Woman: The meal in this restaurant was very tasty but I have a sinking feeling that I've forgotten my wallet at home and I don't have money to pay the bill!
女：這家餐廳的食物非常美味，可是我有不好的預感，我好像把錢包落在家裏了，我可能會沒有錢結賬！Man 2: Oh the main player in the team has just got a red card! I've a sinking feeling that my team is going to lose this match!
男2：隊裏的主力隊員剛得了張紅牌！我有不祥的感覺，我們隊可能會輸掉這場比賽！Li: So, what is this sinking feeling that you have, Neil? If it's not the boat, what is it?
李：那尼爾，你那不祥的預感是什麼？如果不是船，那是什麼？Neil: Well, while we were admiring the view a few minutes ago I saw a sign over there on the bank of the river that said: Niagara Falls. I've heard this name somewhere and I don't think it's good. I don't remember why but…
尼爾：幾分鐘前我們在欣賞風景的時候，我看到河岸那邊有個標誌寫着：尼亞加拉瀑布。我以前聽說過這個地方，我覺得那並不是很好。不過我不記得原因了……Li: What?! Niagara Falls! Did you say that? It has a vertical drop of some 50 metres, Neil! Do you know that?
李：什麼？！尼亞加拉瀑布！你剛剛是說了這個嗎？這個瀑布的垂直高度有50米，尼爾！你知道嗎？Neil: Yes, now I remember! I saw it in a movie! I have a sinking feeling! Grab this life jacket, Li!
尼爾：對，現在我記起來了！我在電影裏看到過！我有不祥的預感！李，抓住那件救生衣！Li: Thank you. Now I have a sinking feeling too!
李：謝謝你。現在我也有不祥的預感了！Neil: Here we goooooooooooooooo!
尼爾：要來了！Li: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
李：啊！(Sound of alarm clock)
（鬧鈴聲）Neil: And that's when I woke up, Li.
尼爾：李，我就夢到這些，然後我就醒了。Li: That's good, Neil. But now I have a sinking feeling.
李：尼爾，很好。不過現在我有個不祥的預感。Neil: Why is that?
尼爾：是什麼？Li: We have been so distracted chatting about your dream that we've missed our train and we will be late for work! Let's run and get a taxi. Come on. Bye!
李：我們一直在分心聊你做的夢，所以我們錯過了火車，我們上班要遲到了！快，跑起來，我們去打車吧。快點。再見！Neil: Bye!
尼爾：再見！重點講解：
1. in harmony with
融洽，和睦；
eg. His ideas were no longer in harmony with ours.
他同我們的想法不再一致了。
eg. They were vegetarians and lived in harmony with nature and other creatures.
他們是素食者，生活在一種與自然和其他生物融洽的環境裏。
2. sinking feeling
不祥預感；
eg. He had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
他內心深處突然有一種不祥之感。
eg. I've got taht sinking feeling again.
我再次有種不安的感覺。
3. be late for
遲到；來不及；
eg. He was late for school, as was often the case with him.
他上學遲到已是家常便飯了。
eg. We'll be late for the meeting if we stay any longer.
再不走我們開會就要遲到了。
