ACT 3-1 我知道你是谁
【故事梗概】
在Pete Waters的农场上,Grandpa四面看看,等着Pete回来。稍后,一辆汽车来到,是另外的两个老朋友Peggy和Arnold。他们同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!
【语言点精讲】
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,别傻了,你当然认识他。他除了留了胡子以外,50年来一点也没有变样。 silly: 傻的。
recognize: 有“承认”和“认出”两义。此处用后者。
except for : 除了…外;除去,撇开。
he hasn’t changed in fifty years: 美国人最忌讳被说老了,也最喜欢别人夸自己年轻。所以这几个老朋友见面就夸对方“50年来一点也没有变样”。后面出现的“The two of you look unbelievable!”也是在称赞对方看起来样子真年轻,“叫人不敢相信!”
2. Who am I, you old rascal?
我是谁啊,你这个老家伙?
rascal: 愿意是指“无赖,恶棍,流氓”。这里是开玩笑的口气。
3. I know who you are.
我知道你是谁。
疑问句,如“Who are you?/Where is it? / What can we do?”在复合句中成为从句时,应改为陈述句形式,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.
他同他们一起走到室外一张桌子旁。
outdoor: 户外的,露天的。outdoor是形容词,相应的副词是outdoors。如“He likes outdoor life. He spends a lot of time outdoors.”与之相对的“室内”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。-- 真的吗?-- 是的。他在门上留了张条子,说他到火车站去给我们带一个惊喜来。
No. : 在这里的意思是“是的,他不在家。” 对于否定句的回答,英文的习惯和汉语的不同,要注意区别。
leave a note: 留一个便条,留张字条。便条、信件以及通知之类的上面写了什么,要用动词say。
6. He’s so funny.
他很有趣。
funny: 是个口语常用词,修饰事物时,通常指可笑的、滑稽的和古怪的。指人时,可用于褒义,亦可用于贬义。