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Good morning , my buddies. I'm so glad to meet you via network. I'm hoping that we could spend a wonderful morning together.大家好，我是Juliet, 很高兴又和大家在空中见面了。希望能和您在此度过一个美好的清晨。
【直击主题】
This morning I'd like to talk about an idiom which can express little possibility of doing something. What's it ? Let's listen to a simple situation dialogue.
A : Do you thing you can get the project?
B : It's a chance in a million. I hear John is interested in it.
A : I see. After all , John is the boss's son.
B : But, anyway, I will have a try .
【答疑解惑】
Okay, guys , have you spotted it? It is " A CHANCE IN A MILLION". "A chance in a million" 直译就是“一百万中的一次机会”，wow , a million一百万，才得到a chance, it's really hard to get it and it's really takes time. So the Chinese for it are : 很小的机会，微乎其微的机会，一丝机会，一种粗俗的说法还可以说成是：狗屎运。
【咬文嚼字】
What's more, a chance in a million is an phrase belonging to a noun form. And in a million is preposition phrase which modifies "chance". As we know, 既然是介词短语修饰限定了前面的名词，some people maybe think that " a" should be changed to " the". Nope, do don't think so for an idiom is a set expression from people's life , which can't be judged if it's right or wrong in grammar rules sometimes. This is just what I want to emphasize. 这正是我要强调的一点，a chance in a million 中的 in a million 是介词短语，作后置定语，修饰前面的 chance, 照常理来说，就然有了修饰与限制，那么就应该定冠词 the， 而不是不定冠词 a. 但是我们要知道习语使人们在生活中的口头语言，很多是无法用语法规则去言论他的对错的。So it's fine that we just keep it in our mind by rote : a change in a million.
【学以致用】
How should we use it? Since it's a phrase of a noun form, verbs can be put in front of it as object . For example: HVE A CHANCE IN A MILLION which equals to have almost no chance or GIVE A CHANCE IN A MILLION. 意思是有个微乎其微的机会，给予很小的机会。Let's look at example sentences. We haven't a chance in a million of winning. 我们胜利的机会微乎其微。Political experts gave him little chance of winning the nomination, because most Democrats didn't know him. 政治家说他赢得提名的机会很小，因为大部分的民主党人士不认识他。 Since it is a phrase of a noun form, it can be used as predicative. For example : It's a million of chance.这是个千载难逢的机会。
【拓展视野】
Of course we have many ways to take place of " a chance in a million " . Let's have a summary.
1 a poor chance
For example: A chance of getting the job were por, so the young man felt gloomy about the future. 得到这份工作的机会很小, 所以这位青年人感到前途渺茫。
2 a slim chance
For example: Her chance of success is slim. 她成功的机会很小。
3 little chance ( 备注： 这个短语前面不要加 a .)
For example: On the face of things, Ms Menchú has little chance of winning. 从许多方面看，门楚夫人获胜的机会都很小。
4 little possibility
For example: There's little posibility of being the case or coming about. 还是有很小的机会存在或发生的。
5 The odds against somebody.
For example: The odds are against us. 我们成功的机会很小。
