地道美语听力练习:老宅闹鬼

Oliver: I had the most hair-raising experience of my life this past weekend.
奥利弗：上周末，我经历了人生中最令人毛骨悚然的事情。

Alena: What happened?
艾莲娜：发生了什么事？

Oliver: You know that George bought an old house, right? Well, he's been telling us that it's haunted, so for a lark, a few of us decided to spend the weekend there to see if we would have any supernatural experiences.
奥利弗：你知道吗，乔治买了一间老宅？他一直说那里闹鬼，我们几个不相信，于是决定周末去那里一探究竟，看我们会不会遇上什么灵异事件。

Alena: Are you telling me that you saw ghosts?
艾莲娜：你不会告诉我你看到鬼了吧？

Oliver: I'm not sure what we saw, heard, or felt. Everything was fine when we got there, but then we started hearing strange noises and I started to get goosebumps. The other guys tried to play it off, but I know they were scared, too.
奥利弗：我不确定我们看见了什么，或者是听到，感觉到了什么。我们去的时候一切都好，之后就开始听到奇怪的声响，然后我就开始浑身起鸡皮疙瘩。其他人故作镇定地谈笑，但我知道他们也很害怕。

Alena: What did George say about the noises?
艾莲娜：乔治说那声响是怎么回事？

Oliver: He laughed when he saw us jump out of our skins, and told us we were wusses. He said he heard those noises every night and they didn't have him quaking in his boots.
奥利弗：看到我们大惊小怪的样子后，他就哈哈大笑，并说我们是胆小鬼。他说他每天晚上都会听见这声响，对他来说不足为奇。

Alena: Did anything else happen?
艾莲娜：还发生了其它什么事情吗？

Oliver: Well, when we went to bed, the house got very cold and drafty, like there was something passing by me very closely, but I couldn't see it. That sent me over the edge.
奥利弗：当然，当我们躺在床上睡觉时，屋子变得异常阴冷。就像有什么东西紧贴着我飘过去一样，但是我看不见它。我害怕地躲在床沿。

Alena: Has it ever occurred to you that George was playing a prank on you guys?
艾莲娜：你有没有想过是乔治在恶作剧呢？

Oliver: A prank? It was no prank. In the middle of the night when we saw the strange faces in the windows, even George was scared stiff. By that time, all of us were petrified. It was no prank. That house is haunted.
奥利弗：恶作剧？不是恶作剧。午夜时分，我们看到窗子上的奇怪的脸，就连乔治也吓得僵掉。那时我们都吓呆了。根本不是恶作剧，那个屋子确实闹鬼。

Alena: Ooh, a real haunted house. I'd love to spend the night there, too. Do you think George would let you stay there again and let me come, too?
艾莲娜：哦，一个真正的鬼屋。我很乐意去那里住一晚。你认为乔治会让你在那里再待一晚，把我带过去吗？

Oliver: You want me to go back to that house? Forget it! Wild horses couldn't drag me within 50 miles of that place again!
奥利弗：你想让我重回那间屋子？休想！就算是野马也不能把我拽到离那间屋子50英里内的地方。Idiom: jump out of one's skin

Meaning: if you nearly jump out of your skin when something happens, it makes you feel very surprised or shocked；You jump out of your skin when something suddenly shocks you and your whole body jumps.

吓了一跳；吓得灵魂出窍

Example:
1. The young boy jumped out of his skin when his father scared him during the night.

2. Luke was watching the clouds pass in front of the moon when I quietly snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He screamed and nearly jumped out of his skin!

Quiz: Choose the right answer.
Henry was walking through the forest, and he jumped out of his skin when
a.he saw many trees were cut down
b.his friend told a funny joke
c.a snake fell on his head