英语博客-北美风情 254 That’s so sketchy

 　　Here’s an episode¹ all about bad and uncomfortable feelings. Have you ever been around a person who you didn’t trust? Or maybe you entered a building and for some reason you didn’t feel safe. It can be hard to describe what makes something seem sketchy², dodgy, or shady³, but we know it when we feel it! Check out this episode, we promise it’s safe and you can trust our explanations.

　　Maura:So, something or a person or a place could be called sketchy.

　　Andrew:Absolutely. And this is something that’s just not clear. This place, or this person, this thing, you just have a sort of strange feeling towards it. You can’t trust it completely.

　　Maura:Right. This might be a time when you don’t feel safe around a certain person or in a certain place. It’s just a bad feeling, kind of like an instinct⁴.

　　Andrew:Yeah. It’s almost like, if you’re describing a sketchy person, that you think that maybe that person doesn’t have a good intention; they’re gonna do something bad towards you.

　　Maura:So sketchy can also be used to describe a place. And when I think of a sketchy place, I think of dark streets with buildings that have broken windows and people walking around who maybe look a little bit dangerous. That’s how I would describe a sketchy place.

1 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

2 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

3 shady   

adj.成荫的，多荫的，可疑的，靠不住的

参考例句：

• This is a shady avenue.这是条林阴大道。
• He's a rather shady person.他是个相当靠不住的人。

4 instinct   

n.本能，直觉；生性，天性

参考例句：

• We all have a strong survival instinct.每个人都有强烈的求生本能。
• Birds learn to fly by instinct.鸟儿学飞是出于本能。