月度归档： 2022年8月

本栏目是由世博英语Starry_Night原创编写！

第二十一篇

Monica 刚被提升为厨师长兼采购主管，兴奋异常的她要和大伙一起出去庆祝一下(go out and celebrate)，并且说要找个好点的地方 (someplace nice)。好地方就意味着好价钱，在一家档次比较高的餐厅吃完饭后，大伙又谈到了钱的问题：

Rachel: (to Joey and Phoebe) Ok, look you guys, I really don’t want to get into this right now. I think it’ll just make everyone uncomfortable.
Phoebe: Fine. All right, fine.
Joey: Yeah.
Chandler: You can tell us.
Ross: Hello, it’s us, all right? It’ll be fine.
Monica: Yeah!
Joey: Ok, um, uh, we three feel like, that uh, sometimes you guys don’t get that uh… We don’t have as much money as you.
Monica: Ok.
Ross: I hear ya.
Chandler: We can talk about that.
Phoebe: Well, then…Let’s.
Ross: Well umm I, I just never think of money as an issue.
Rachel: That’s cause you have it.
Ross: That’s a good point.
Chandler: So um, how come you guys haven’t talked about this before?
Joey: ‘Cause it’s always somethin’, you know, like with Monica’s new job, or the whole Ross’s birthday hoopla.
Ross: Wha—Whoa, hey, I don’t want my birthday to be the source of any kind of negative—there’s gonna be a hoopla?

【世博视角】

朋友之间谈到钱的问题时总会让人有些不自在，尤其是当自己囊中羞涩的时候，所以Rachel 说她不想在此刻提这事（Ok, look you guys, I really don’t want to get into this right now. I think it’ll just make everyone uncomfortable.）。而Ross，Monica和Chandler三人觉得朋友之间嘛有什么不能谈的，于是Joey 在支吾了老半天之后，终于憋出他、Rachel和Phoebe三人的心声，那就是 “we three feel like, that uh, sometimes you guys don’t get that uh… We don’t have as much money as you.” 说完之后，情况果然有些尴尬，大伙一时都不知说什么好，Ross最后来了一句“Well umm I, I just never think of money as an issue. (我从来没想到钱会个问题)” 真是站着说话不腰疼，他薪水不错，当然不用愁钱，所以Rachel马上抢白道“That’s cause you have it.” Ross 也意识到自己说错话，于是就说“That’s a good point.” point 作为名词其最基本的意思就是 “尖端，尖点”，数学符号中的小数点也是point, 证券市场中上升或下降了几个点也可以用point表示，如：The pound fell several points on the Stock Market today. 此外， point 还经常用来表示 “论点、观点、要点” 等等，比如有人就某个问题滔滔不绝地说了老半天但就是没切中要害，这时你就可以问“What’s your point?” 或者也可以这样说 “We haven’t got all day, so please get to the point.” 要是对方说了一个观点你觉得很对，就可以用Ross所说的那句“That’s a good point ”或者是“You’ve got a point.” 还有I see/take your point or point taken也是一个常用的表达法，它表示虽然你并不赞同对方的某些观点，但你能理解对方为什么这么说。

Chandler觉得有些奇怪为什么Joey他们以前从没提起过“经济困难”的问题，所以就问 “So um, how come you guys haven’t talked about this before? ” Joey 回答说是因为老是有事情发生，比如Monica的新工作啦，Ross要过生日啦，在这种时候说没钱不免有些扫兴。听到他们要给自己过生日，而且还是hoopla, Ross有点抑制不住自己的兴奋了。hoopla 这个词在英国是用来指那种投环套物的游戏，在美国它主要用来表示一种“喧闹或兴奋”，或者是媒体对于某件事情的大肆传宣，例如：

A lot of hoopla surrounded the arrival of the pop star.
In spite of all the media hoopla, the public has shown little interest in the space program this year.

*本篇所讲到的地道表达法：

come/get to the point
I see/take your point or point taken
you’ve got a point or that’s a point
hoopla

本栏目是由世博英语Starry_Night原创编写！

第二十篇

Ross 的生日快到了，Chandler已暗地里为他准备好了“节目”：

Chandler: Ok, while Ross is on the phone, everybody owes me 62 bucks for his birthday.
Phoebe: Um, is, is there any chance that you’re rounding up? Y’know, like from 20 ?
Chandler: Hey, come on, we got the gift, the concert, and the cake.
Joey: Do we need a cake?
Chandler: Look guys, I know it’s a little steep.
Rachel: Yeah, whoosh! (Imitates going over a cliff with her hand.)
Chandler: But it’s Ross.
Phoebe: It’s Ross.
Joey: Yeah, you’re right.
Chandler: Alright, okay, I’ll see you guys later, I gotta go.

【世博视角】

乘Ross在打电话的时候(while Ross is on the phone), Chandler向其它几个老友提到了为Ross过生日的费用问题，他说：“你们每人欠我62块钱（everybody owes me 62 bucks for his birthday.）“钱” 我们都知道是money, 但在口语中老美们经常用的是buck这个字，比如 “挣钱”就可以说成make a buck / make a few bucks。注意到没有？buck是个可数名词，因此它也可以用来代替 a dollar, 那么1美元就是one buck。顺便说一下，如果是1000美元的话，通常不说1000 bucks, 而是 one grand。再来看几个和buck有关的例句：

Everyone’s trying to think of ways to make a few bucks.
This guy makes serious money, I mean big bucks.

平时我们在算钱的时候免不了会出现几毛几分这样的零钱，为了方便我们经常会把零头部分去掉以求个整数，用英语来表示的话就是round down，比如：The total came to $10.04, but she rounded it down to $10. 而在上面的对话中，Phoebe用的却是round up, 她觉得62块钱这数字太高了，所以就调侃Chandler说：“是不是有可能你把20块给整成62块了？（Um, is, is there any chance that you’re rounding up? Y’know, like from 20 ?）” 哈，Phoebe说起话来就是这样离谱，20块钱到62块钱哪是什么round up呀，分明就是rip off (欺诈) 嘛！所以Chandler一听马上喊冤道：“Hey, come on, we got the gift, the concert, and the cake.”

生日礼物、蛋糕、再加上音乐会，花费的确不小，Chandler自己也承认说：“Look guys, I know it’s a little steep.” steep这个词的本意是指斜坡、楼梯等的陡峭，但它也可以用来形容价格过高或要求不合理，例如：

We enjoyed our meal at the restaurant, but the bill was a bit steep.
The membership fees at the golf club are pretty steep.
“She expects me to take her children to school for her every day.” “That’s a bit steep.”

Chandler话音刚落，Rachel就用手模拟了一座悬崖峭壁来表示62块钱可不只是a little steep, 最后Chandler只能说：“But it’s Ross.”为了朋友有人还两胁插刀呢，花点钱算得了什么？

*本篇所讲到的地道表达法：

make a buck / make a few bucks
round down / up
steep

本栏目是由世博英语Starry_Night原创编写！

第十九篇

Chandler的秘书需要请假几周，于是Phoebe就临时顶替了她的工作。第一天上班回来Phoebe告诉Chandler说他以前的同事们（现在是他的下属）不喜欢他，这令Chandler大感意外。

Phoebe: Ooh, oh, I’ve gotta go. Whoa, oh, head rush. One more, and then I have to go. (sits down, and then raises again) Cool!
Rachel: Where are you going?
Phoebe: Um, oh, I’ve got a birthday party, with some work people.
Chandler: Work people? Nobody told me.
Phoebe: No, I know. That’s a part of the whole, you know, them-not-liking-you-extravaganza.
Chandler: You know, I don’t get this. A month ago, these people were my friends. You know, just because I’m in charge doesn’t mean I’m a different person.
Phoebe: Well, then you should come tonight. You know, just hang out with them. Let them see what a great guy you still are.
Chandler: You think I should?
Phoebe: I really do, yeah.
Chandler: Okay.
Phoebe: Okay.
Chandler: Okay.
Phoebe: Oh, but, could we not go together? I,I don’t wanna be the geek that invited the boss.

【世博视角】

大家肯定有过这样的经历，在一个地方蹲久了或是坐久了，然后一下子站起来的话会感到头晕得厉害，这种感觉就是Phoebe所说的head rush。她急着要和那些同事们去参加一个生日聚会 (I’ve got a birthday party, with some work people.) 这时Chandler跳出来说：“和同事？没人告诉我嘛 (Work people? Nobody told me.)” 这不正好说明那些同事们不喜欢Chandler吗？要不然怎么会不邀请他呢？所以Phoebe 才说：“That’s a part of the whole, you know, them-not-liking-you-extravaganza.” extravaganza是指场景壮观，服饰华丽的娱乐表演，每逢特殊日子我们在电视上就能看到这样的节目；Phoebe故意用这么一个“大词”来起到一个夸张的效果。Chandler果然深感郁闷，他说：“I don’t get this.” 很简单的一个字get在这里表示的是understand的意思，又比如别人讲了一个笑话给你听，一边说时还一边乱笑，可你听完之后并不觉得有什么好笑之处，这时你就可以说：I didn’t get the joke. What’s so funny about it? Chandler 搞不懂的是：一个月以前那些人还是他的朋友, 现在虽然他任主管了，但这并不意味着他就变成另外一个人了。再听一下他是怎么来说这段话的, “A month ago, these people were my friends. You know, just because I’m in charge doesn’t mean I’m a different person.” in charge就是主管的意思，比如我们要问“谁主管这里？”，就可以说：Who’s in charge here? Philip’s in charge of our marketing department. 另外，在Chandler所说的话中还有一个非常好的表达法值得我们来效仿，那就是 just because …doesn’t mean, 例如：

Just because he’s rich, it doesn’t mean he’s better than us.
Just because I’m lending you my dress for tonight, that doesn’t mean you can borrow it whenever you want to.

看到Chandler这么郁闷，Phoebe就建议他和她一起去参加聚会，让大家了解他依旧是原来的他 (Well, then you should come tonight. You know, just hang out with them. Let them see what a great guy you still are.) hang out 也是口语中经常会用到的词组，表示经常在某个特定的地方或是和某些特定的人消磨时间，比如：

She knew all the clubs where he usually hung out.
On the weekend I like to just hang out with my friends.

虽然Phoebe私自邀请了Chandler, 但临出门时她还是对他说：“Oh, but, could we not go together? I,I don’t wanna be the geek that invited the boss.” 聚会上不请自到的人大多不太会受到欢迎，更何况那人还是平时的顶头上司，因此我们不难理解Phoebe为什么要提那样的 “请求”了。

*本篇所讲到的地道表达法：

head rush
I don’t get it.
in charge (of)
just because …doesn’t mean
hang out