我室友是一名汽車銷售員。由於他每個月都要完成一定的銷售額，所以一到月底壓力就特別大。不過他每次都使勁加班，剛剛好到月底之前完成規定的銷售額。他的這種情況讓我想到了一個習慣用語。那就是：eke out.
Eke是個動詞，意思是節約使用，勉強度日, 而eke out其實就是竭力維持的意思。上面例子中，我室友每次都剛剛好完成銷售任務, he was able to eke out a few more car sales. 他竭盡全力多賣幾輛車。下面例子裡這個人選擇裡自己熱衷的職業，但卻難免囊中羞澀。我們來聽聽看：
My sister-in-law has always been drawn to helping the poor. Her job as a social worker, though, doesn't pay very well. She barely covers her expenses every month. Still, she'd rather eke out a living doing what she likes than living comfortably from a job that's unrewarding.
我嫂子特別熱衷於幫助窮人。但作為一名社會福利工作者，她的工資並不高。她每個月只能剛剛好應付基本的生活支出。但是，她寧願做自己喜歡的工作，勉強度日，也不願做一份沒有精神回報的工作，只為能舒服地生活。
我真是太佩服她這種精神了！不過確實是這樣，如果你熱愛自己的工作，那麼工作就變成了一種享受。就像我叔叔，很多人出大錢想要收購他的農場，但是他說，他無法想像不養牛，不餵雞的生活。To many people, he ekes out an existence. Yet he feels that he lives quite richly. 對很多人來說，他是在勉強度日。但是他自己卻覺得生活特別滿足。
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上面我們講到了eke out, 勉強維持。不知道我們的聽眾朋友裡有沒有籃球迷？下面這個例子跟籃球有關，讓我們來聽聽看賽場上發生了什麼另人驚嘆的情況：
Fans of the Daredevils have been rewarded with some amazing basketball playing this season. You see, their team kept looking like they were heading for another defeat. Then, they would somehow outmaneuver their opponents to win the game. The way they've been eking out one victory after another, they may be making it to the finals after all!
Daredevils球隊的球迷這個賽季可真是過足了球癮。每次比賽看起來就要輸了的時候，他們好象都能採取靈活攻略，出其不意，贏得比賽。按他們這麼打下去，一場接一場地贏球，說不定他們還真能進決賽呢！
哈哈，我想他們的球迷肯定特別高興！我不是個體育迷，不過我是個哈利波特迷！最近我剛剛看完了哈利波特系列的最後一部！太精彩了！不過你知道嗎？這個系列的作者J.K.羅琳曾經一度生活在貧困線上？J.K. Rowling was eking out a living while on welfare before she started her famous Harry Potter series. 她開始寫作哈利波特系列前，曾經依靠福利勉強度日。