L：Michael，和我住在一起的小陈今天打电话到我工作的地方。她说警察到家里去找我。他们说我的签证有问题。我该怎么办？我很害怕。

M: What? I don't believe her. That story sounds sketchy.

L：你说听起来什么？你不信小陈说的话？

M: That's right. I said her story is "sketchy" . That means it is suspicious and cannot be trusted.

L：噢，sketchy就是可疑，不可信。你怎么知道小陈说的话不可信？

M:  Well, for one thing, the police usually don't care about visas. They are too busy looking for serious criminals.

L：嗯，对呀，警察抓罪犯还忙不过来呢，他们才不管签证呢！移民局的人才是管签证的。这么说来，小陈的话是有点可疑，sketchy。

M: Also, I don't think the police or immigration officers would go to your house. That sounds very sketchy.

L： 对，Michael，你可真行呐！要是签证有问题，移民局一般会先给我一封信，他们才不会到家去找我呢。这真是越说越不可信了。

M: But if you want to know what's really sketchy, you should remember what day it is.

L：今天是什么日子呀？噢……今天是四月一号愚人节！哟，我的老天爷呀，我没想到小陈会跟我开这个玩笑。

M: Heh heh, your roommate is pretty sketchy too, if you ask me.

L：等等，你也能说一个人sketchy？你觉得小陈这个人不太可信？对，她的话确实是靠不住。上星期在聚会上见到的那个人，死跟着我不放，楞要送我回家，我能不能说，that guy was very sketchy?

M: Yes, that guy was very sketchy. You have to be careful around sketchy people like that.

L：对了，我得打电话告诉小陈我没上她的当，借你的手机用一用，行吗？

M: Sure!

M: What did you say to your roommate just now? You were talking so fast in Chinese that I couldn't understand.

L：我告诉她我很生气，我不想再跟她住在一起了，我告诉她我要搬出去和她哥哥同居了。嘿，她好象真相信我说的话！

M: She believed that? She is such a sucker!

L：她是什么？你是说她sketchy，是吗？

M: No, no... a sucker is someone who believes people who lie to her, and can be easily tricked .

L：Sucker这个词我在学校里经常听到，可就不是太清楚究竟是什么意思。原来sucker是指很容易上当，很轻信别人的人。我一开始相信了小陈的话，那我不就是个sucker咯！

M: Sure, everyone is a sucker at one time or another...

L：那倒是的，每个人有时难免会当傻瓜。我记得你在电脑上收到很多电子邮件的广告，说你可以在家工作赚很多钱，当时你还很相信这些广告呢。You were such a sucker!

M:  Hey, my phone is ringing. Li Hua, it's for you. I think it's your roommate.

L：是小陈？让我跟她说话。（李华接电话）是呀！我不管你告诉他什么。我们相爱，我们要同居。什么？我不管你说什么，我不要跟骗我的人住在一起。（关电话）

M: Your roommate is a real sucker! She still believes your story even after talking to her brother?

L：对，他跟她哥哥通完了电话，但是还相信我要和她哥哥同居了。我看我还是给她打个电话告诉她我是在开玩笑吧，否则她会把我的东西从窗子里都扔掉的。

　　今天Michael 教李华学会了两个常用语，一个是：sketchy，意思是一个人，或者是一个人说的话不可信，值得怀疑；另一个是：sucker， 指一个很轻信，很容易上当的人。