ACT 3-1 我知道你是誰
【故事梗概】
在Pete Waters的農場上,Grandpa四面看看,等著Pete回來。稍后,一輛汽車來到,是另外的兩個老朋友Peggy和Arnold。他們同Grandpa打招呼。
Arnold: Don’t tell me. Please don’t tell me. I recognize you ...
Peggy: Oh, don’t be silly, Arnie. Of course you recognize him. Except for the beard, he hasn’t changed in fifty years. It’s Malcolm Stewart!
Arnold: I know it’s Malcolm Stewart. You haven’t changed much in fifty years.
Grandpa: Peggy -- Peggy Pendleton! You’re Peggy Pendleton!
Arnold: Who am I, You old rascal? You don’t recognize me, do you?
Grandpa: I know who you are. You’re Arnold Franklin! I know who you are!
Peggy: You look wonderful, Malcolm!
Grandpa: [He walks with them to an outdoor table.]Sit down. Sit down. Pete isn’t home.
Arnold: Really?
Grandpa: No. He left a note on the door saying he was going to the railroad station to pick up a surprise.
Peggy: He’s so funny. Always full of surprises, even fifty years later.
Grandpa: The two of you look unbelievable!
【語言點精講】
1. Oh, don’t be silly, Arnie. Of course you recognize him. Except for the beard, he hasn’t changed in fifty years.
噢,Arnie,別傻了,你當然認識他。他除了留了胡子以外,50年來一點也沒有變樣。 silly: 傻的。
recognize: 有“承認”和“認出”兩義。此處用后者。
except for : 除了…外;除去,撇開。
he hasn’t changed in fifty years: 美國人最忌諱被說老了,也最喜歡別人夸自己年輕。所以這幾個老朋友見面就夸對方“50年來一點也沒有變樣”。后面出現的“The two of you look unbelievable!”也是在稱贊對方看起來樣子真年輕,“叫人不敢相信!”
2. Who am I, you old rascal?
我是誰啊,你這個老家伙?
rascal: 愿意是指“無賴,惡棍,流氓”。這里是開玩笑的口氣。
3. I know who you are.
我知道你是誰。
疑問句,如“Who are you?/Where is it? / What can we do?”在復合句中成為從句時,應改為陳述句形式,例如:
I know who you are.
I don’t know where it is.
Ask him what we can do.
4. He walks with them to an outdoor table.
他同他們一起走到室外一張桌子旁。
outdoor: 戶外的,露天的。outdoor是形容詞,相應的副詞是outdoors。如“He likes outdoor life. He spends a lot of time outdoors.”與之相對的“室內”是“indoor, indoors”。
5. Pete isn’t home. -- Really? -- No. He left a note on the door saying he was going to the railroad station to pick up a surprise.
Pete不在家。-- 真的嗎?-- 是的。他在門上留了張條子,說他到火車站去給我們帶一個驚喜來。
No. : 在這里的意思是“是的,他不在家。” 對于否定句的回答,英文的習慣和漢語的不同,要注意區別。
leave a note: 留一個便條,留張字條。便條、信件以及通知之類的上面寫了什么,要用動詞say。
6. He’s so funny.
他很有趣。
funny: 是個口語常用詞,修飾事物時,通常指可笑的、滑稽的和古怪的。指人時,可用于褒義,亦可用于貶義。