李华跟Larry 去参加Larry 公司举办的野餐会，结果迷路了。今天我们要学
两个常用语：wild goose chase和 face the music.

    LH： Larry，你能肯定我们没走错吗？按理说早该到了啊？

    LL： I'm just following the directions my boss gave me - although ，
we should have been there a half hour ago. Let me turn around ……again.

    LH：你就该听我的，在刚才那个加油站停下来问问路。

    LL： We already asked for directions three times……I don't know why
he wanted to have the party so far out of the city. It looks like this
is nothing but a wild goose chase.

    LH： A wild goose chase ？追野鹅？我们找路还来不及呢，哪还有时间去
追野鹅？

    LL： Oh ， that's just a phrase people say when they are looking for
something they will never find. And I don't think we are going to find
this picnic ground.

    LH：哦，原来 a wild goose chase ，意思是徒劳无功的寻找，白费劲。你
老板不是告诉你路了吗？

    LL： Maybe he gave me the wrong directions？ Or maybe I wrote them
down incorrectly. I don't know， but I don't think he would send me on
a wild goose chase on purpose.

    LH：那上星期我们转了半天也没有找到你表弟足球比赛的赛场，也可以说是
a wild goose chase了？

    LL： Yep， that was a wild goose chase too. No one told me that the
game was canceled ！ I was looking for hours……

    LH：这么说，你上上个周末说要带我去一片新听别人介绍的沙滩，结果怎么
也找不到，也是 a wild goose chase ！

    LL： Lihua， you have such a good memory. Yes ， we've been on many
wild goose chases together. But ， keep in mind that you have taken me
on a wild goose chase or two in the past as well.

    LH：我也带你做过这种无用功吗？我怎么不记得？

    LL： Like last Wednesday when you sent me to get sushi from a restaurant
that was still under construction.

    LH： Oh ， yea……

    LL： Or the time we went to three different subway stations looking
for your friend when she was actually waiting at the airport……

    LH：Oh， right……

    LL： Or ， the time when……

    LH：好了好了，我承认，咱俩找路的本事都不怎么样！不过这次可既不是你
的责任，也不是我的责任。

    LL： That's right. Today， I'm going to blame the wild goose chase
on my boss giving me the wrong directions.

    ******

    十分钟过后，Larry 和李华又绕了回来。

    LH： Larry，我看今天没希望了，如果你不到，老板会不会一气之下，炒你
的鱿鱼？

    LL： We were supposed to be celebrating his birthday today at the
picnic……If I don't show up at this party， he won't be happy when he
sees me in the office. I guess I have no choice but to go face the music
at work on Monday.

    LH： face the music ？难道说你老板生气的时候喜欢听音乐吗？

    LL： No quite. To have to face the music means having to accept the
negative consequences of something you have done.

    LH：哦，to face the music 就是为自己的所作所为承担后果，你是说星期
一只好硬着头皮去见老板喽？

    LL： That is unfortunately the case. I have no choice but to see him
on Monday ， so I guess I will have to face the music.

    LH：哎，我更惨，为了跟你来野餐，我把复习的时间都搭进去了，明天考试，
I will have to face the music when I take the exam.

    LL： What ？ Oh ， no ！ I didn't know you had a test on Monday. I
would hate for you to have to face the music because of my boss' mistake.

    LH：怎么样？够哥们吧？为了陪你，我连功课都不顾了。

    LL： Oh ， we are definitely ending this wild goose chase immediately.
Maybe you will have some time to study if we head home now.

    LH： Larry，你看，快没油了，得赶紧找个加油站。

    LL： Find a gas station out here in the countryside ？ I don't know
……sounds like another wild goose chase to me.

    LH：再偏僻的地方也得有加油站啊，我们还是快找吧，一旦真没油了，我们
就必须得 face the music and walk home ，走回家了。

    LL：（Sign） I'll face the music anyway once I get my gas bill at
the end of the month. All these wild goose chases sure waste a lot of
gas ！

    今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是 wild goose chase ，意思是徒劳无功地
寻觅。另一个是 face the music ，意思是承担后果。