我们讲的英语第89期:It's a joke 荒唐可笑

重点讲解：
1. let off
对…宽大处理；
eg. Because he was a Christian, the judge let him off.
由于他是基督徒，法官便对他从轻发落。
eg. When police realised who he was, they asked for an autograph and let him off with a warning.
警察知道他是谁后，便向他要了签名，然后只给了他个警告就放他走了。
2. be worthy of
值得…的；应该获得…的；
eg. We esteem him to be worthy of trust.
我们认为他值得信任。
eg. His spirit of assiduous study is worthy of emulation.
他刻苦钻研的精神，值得效法。
3. for a start
首先；第一；
eg. You must get her name and address, and that can be a problem for a start.
你必须先打听到她的姓名和地址，而那可能就是第一个难题。
eg. It comes as a surprise to be reminded that he is 70. For a start, he doesn't look it.
有人提醒我他 70 岁了，这很令人惊讶。首先，他看上去不像。
4. apart from
除…外；此外；
eg. I have nothing more to ask you about apart from these questions.
除了这些问题，我没有别的要了解了。
eg. Apart from my host, I didn't know a single person there.
除了主人外，那里的人我一个也不认识。
5. beyond a joke
（恼人或令人担心的事）不可理喻，使人无法接受；
eg. Giving an arsonist a lighter is beyond a joke.
把打火机交给纵火犯简直是不可理喻。
eg. I'm not afraid of a fair fight but this is beginning to get beyond a joke.
“我不怕公平地打上一架，但是这玩笑有点儿开过头了。”