《绝望的主妇》精讲389

Beautiful lawns, spacious¹ homes, happy families.

漂亮的草坪，华丽的豪宅，幸福的家庭。

These are the hallmarks of suburbia. But if you look beneath the veneer² of gracious living...

这些都是郊区居民的特点。但如果你仔细观察这祥和表象的背后，总会发现有争斗在延续...

You will see a battle raging, a battle for control.

为争夺控制权的争斗。

You see the combatants everywhere, engaged in their routine skirmishes...

你会发现随处都有斗争者，在一切日常的冲突中...

Fighting fiercely to have dominion³ over the world around them all the while knowing...it's a battle they will lose.

激烈的对抗以求得对周边环境的控制,即使他们知道,他们肯定会输掉。

Oh, hey, honey, um, just stick that anywhere. I'll take care of it.

哦，亲爱的，你可以随便放在什么地方。我会收拾的。

Wow. It's really piling up.

堆积这么多了。

Oh, uh, don't worry. I have a system.

哦，别担心。我自有处置方案。

Really?

真的？

Yeah, every two days, I clean.

是的，每两天，我打扫一次。

Two days.

两天。

Yeah, I let the mess accumulate for two days, and then I clean until it's sparkling, and then, uh, the cycle starts all over again.

是的，我让这团乱麻先堆积两天，然后我再把它收拾得白净到发亮，然后整个循环继续。

And why have I never seen the sparkling part?

那怎么...我没看见循环中“发亮”的环节？

Well, because by the time you get home from work, the boys have messed everything up again.

因为你回家之前，这些小子就把所有东西都弄乱了。

See, that's what I would call a flaw in the system.

瞧？这就是我所说的方案的缺陷。

What are you doing?

你在干什么？

I think I'm asking you to clean the house.

我以为我在要求你把屋子打扫干净。

Really? Because it sounds to me like you're criticizing me.

真的吗？因为在我看来，你在批评我。

No. No, no, no, no. No. I'm not saying it has to be sparkling.

不。不，不，不对，没有。我没有说必须要白净到发亮。

How many times did I come home to a mess and I never said a word?

多少次我回到家看见一团糟，我可没说一句话。

Please, don't take this the wrong way. I think you are doing a terrific job, but let's be clear.

别，千万别误会我的意思。我觉得你的活儿干得很出色，但我们说明白好了。

When you came home,it was to clutter⁴.

你回来的时候，家里是有些乱糟糟。

I mean, come on,this is...more than that.

我是说，但是，这些...可不只乱糟糟。

1 spacious   

adj.广阔的，宽敞的

参考例句：

• Our yard is spacious enough for a swimming pool.我们的院子很宽敞，足够建一座游泳池。
• The room is bright and spacious.这房间很豁亮。

2 veneer   

n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰

参考例句：

• For the first time her veneer of politeness began to crack.她温文尔雅的外表第一次露出破绽。
• The panel had a veneer of gold and ivory.这木板上面镶饰了一层金和象牙。

3 dominion   

n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图

参考例句：

• Alexander held dominion over a vast area.亚历山大曾统治过辽阔的地域。
• In the affluent society,the authorities are hardly forced to justify their dominion.在富裕社会里，当局几乎无需证明其统治之合理。

4 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。