VOA常速英语:Halloween Recalls Radio Drama Which Spread Panic in US

短语讲解：

1. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it.

force oneself to强迫自己做某事
例句：The suggestion was sensible, and yet I could not force myself to act on it. 
这个建议是切实可行的，可是我不能强迫自己去执行。
look at看, 注视
He looked at me with scorn.
他轻蔑地看了看我。

2. It’s rising up now, and the crowd falls back.

fall back后退, (对方因被击败而)退却
例句：The crowd fell back to let the doctor through.
人群退后让医生走过去。

3. So we got to wondering: Could the same thing happen today?

get to开始
例句：They soon got to talking to each other.
他们很快就聊起来了。

4. Today we’d probably laugh at the notion that Martians were coming.

laugh at嘲笑, 取笑
例句：No one laughed at her when she failed.
当她失败时, 没人讥笑她。

5. But what if the invaders were ruthless terrorists, and - as in 1938 - thousands tuned in a tad late and missed the announcement that this was all make-believe?

tune in调整频率(至…), 调整(收音机、电视)
例句：Tune in to London tomorrow night at seven.
明晚七点调到伦敦电台收听。

6. We’ve seen so many action thrillers that we would take it for granted that this was merely another one.

take for granted认为…理所当然, 想当然
例句：I take it for granted that they have arrived there already.
我还以为他们已经到那儿了。

7. And we’d quickly switch to a news source we trusted and see that nobody else was bothering to cover this catastrophe.

switch to切换到;转到,转变成
例句：Shall we switch to another channel?
我们换一个频道好吗？

8. Besides, terrorism is such a real menace in our world today that TV producers and popular websites would never dare toy with our nerves on a subject so chilling.

toy with摆〔玩〕弄…; 非严肃地考虑…
例句：You shouldn't toy with great issues.
你不该拿重大问题当儿戏。