第一，情景对话

A: I have read a book. But I just remember several sentences. I wonder where they are from.

我曾读过一本书，可现在只记得几个句子了，我想知道它们是哪本书上的。

B: Tell me one sentence, maybe, I can help you.

给我说一句，我兴许记得。

A: OK, one is "His grandfather was a trooper in Monk's army, and one of the parties of dismounted dragons, which formed the forlorn hope at the storming of Dundee in 1651."

好吧，有一句是“他祖父是曼克部队的一名骑兵，而且是1651年进攻丹狄的一名敢死队队员，下马攻城的龙骑兵。”

B: Oh, let me see. Oh, I know. It is from Walter. Scott's novel: The Heart of Mid-Lothian.

噢，让我想想。噢，记起来了。是沃尔特·司考特的小说《中洛辛郡的心脏》。

A: Thanks a lot.

真谢谢你。

第二，词海拾贝

forlorn hope

exp. An undertaking that seems very unlikely to succeed. （渺茫的希望）

e.g. This plan you have is a forlorn hope and will never work out the way you want.

你的这个计划希望渺茫，永远不会以你想要的方式实现。

e.g. Going to their rescue in a rowing-boat is a bit of a forlorn hope.

乘划艇去救他们，希望不大。

e.g. I must now bring my forlorn hope into action, in order to carry my point!

我现在必须实现我的一线希望，不达目的誓不休了！

e.g. This was a forlorn hope--he was almost sure that Wilson had no friend: there was not enough of him for his wife.

这是一个渺茫的希望——他几乎可以肯定威尔逊一个朋友也没有，他连个老婆都照顾不了。