李华和larry要去健身房锻练身体。今天我们要学两个常用语：a slim chance 和 set in stone。
lh: larry, 咱们好久没去健身房了，今天总算是行动起来了，怎么样，高兴吗？
l: i'm excited about getting in shape, but not about paying gym membership fees. why can't we just run outside on the street?
lh: 这你就不懂了！健身房的会员费有一个好处，就是能迫使你坚持锻练。你想啊，你总不愿意白交钱吧！
l: well i guess that is true. for most people, there is a slim chance they will continue to exercise without some kind of motivation。
lh: a slim chance? 这是什么意思？
l: when you don't think that something is likely to occur, you can say that there is only a slim chance of it happening。
lh: 哦，就是希望不大的意思。你是说，如果没有外力推动，大部分人都不大可能自觉地坚持锻练。
l: right. for another example, i decided not to bring an umbrella today because there is only a slim chance it will rain。
lh: 意思是今天下雨的可能性不大，所以你没带伞。larry，等到了健身房，我打算先去跑步机上慢跑半个小时，希望锻练的人不多，没把跑步机都占了。
l: most people don't go to the gym right now, so there's only a slim chance it will be crowded。
lh: 那倒是。对了，你说如果你想用的运动器材都被别人占了，健身房会不会退你一些钱？
l: no way! the gym is always trying to get more of your money, so there's a fat chance of that happening。
lh: 什么？ 你说a fat chance? 这是不是和a slim chance相反，表示很有可能？
l: actually, it's used the same way. it is a sarcastic way of saying that something is very unlikely。
lh: 哦，是在说反话啊，还是表示希望不大，不太可能。
l: right. for example, my friend john is very unreliable. he said he would help me move this weekend, but there's a fat chance that he actually comes。
lh: 哦，john这个人说话不靠谱，所以他不太可能来帮你搬家。对了larry, 你说健身房会不会给咱们免费提供健身教练啊？
l: fat chance of that, lihua. the gym charges you extra for everything!
lh: larry, 你今天气儿怎么这么不顺！希望咱们明天来锻练时你能高兴点儿！
l: fat chance of that, lihua. i'm sure my muscles will be so sore tomorrow i won't even be able to walk!
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lh: larry, 我要去找跑步机了，你打算干什么？举杠铃么？
l: hmmm ... first i'm going to find a mcdonalds. i need to eat something to get some energy for my workout!
lh: 吃麦当劳？larry，你别开玩笑了！吃一堆垃圾食品，你不就白锻练了么？想有好身材就得控制饮食！
l: sure, but there are some exceptions to that rule, right? it's not set in stone。
lh: set in stone? 这是什么意思？
l: you can say that something is set in stone if it is impossible to change。
lh: 噢，就像中文里说的“板上钉钉”，表示绝对不变。你是说，虽然要保持身材通常得注意饮食，但这也不是绝对的，也有例外。
l: right. here's another example. i asked my boss if she could give me a raise, but she said that because the company wasn't doing well, my salary was set in stone for this year。
lh: 我明白了，你是说，因为公司效益不好，所以你的工资今年都不会变，涨工资没戏了。
l: right. so lihua, what do you think of this gym?
lh: 还可以吧，不过有些设备有点陈旧，有的员工态度也不太好。
l: well if you don't like it, we can always change to another gym. our decision to come here isn't set in stone。
lh: 我们先试试这家吧。对了，咱们的会员资格也可以升级吧？从普通会员变成高级会员？
l: sure! the membership isn't set in stone. i'm sure you can upgrade it without much trouble。
lh: 太好了！ larry, 我们制定一个健身计划，每个礼拜一三五都来锻练，怎么样？
l: that sounds good, but it won't be set in stone. sometimes i will have to miss a workout if i have to work late。
lh: larry，你就别拿加班当借口了！
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是a slim chance，表示不太可能。另一个是set in stone，意思是板上钉钉，绝不改变。