Sleepless in Seattle 西雅图夜未眠（精讲之一）

影片对白

Walter: The tall one with red hair is your cousin Irene...

Annie: You'll recognize her by the disappointed look on her face.

Walter: Who is married to Harold, whoran off withhis secretary.

Annie: But came back because Irene threatened toput the dog to sleepif he didn't.

Walter: Your brother Dennis is a professor at Johns Hopkins, who's married to Betsy.

Annie: The most competitive woman in the world.

Walter: I don't see how I'm going to remember all this.

Annie: Oh, well, Walter, you will.

Walter: Your uncle Milton lost all of his money...

Annie: and some other peoples'...

Walter: in a pyramid scheme. Don't mention theIRSor the federal business system.

Your mother is Barbara. Your father is Cliff.

Annie: My father has electric trains.

Walter: Really? Am I what they had in mind?

Annie: Oh, Walter they're going to love you!

妙词佳句

1. run off with sb.

在很多部电影中都听到过这句话，虽然在日常生活中没有用过，但是大家还是知道的好。它的意思就是“和……私奔”，或者再柔和一点：因为感情的关系和另外的一个人生活在一起了。比如“杰克和他的前女友在一起了”就可以说成是 Jack¹ ran off with his ex-girlfriend.

2. put the dog to sleep

这句话的表面意思是“把那只狗给弄睡了”，实际上可不是这么回事。这里的dog 可不是狗的意思。在美国俚语中dog可以指丑女人。整句话的意思就是“把那个女人给干掉”。
我们来举个例子：
如果你还不娶我的话，我就把那女的给杀掉。
If you don't marry me, I'll put the dog to sleep.

3. IRS: Internal Revenue Service

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)是美国财政部的一个机构，职能是执行税收法。Revenues are collected through individual income taxes; corporation taxes; excise², estate, and gift taxes; and social security taxes.

文化面面观

What is a Pyramid Scheme?

Pyramid schemes now come in so many forms that they may be difficult to recognize immediately. However, they all share one overriding³ characteristic. They promise consumers or investors⁴ large profits based primarily on recruiting others to join their program, not based on profits from any real investment or real sale of goods to the public. Some schemes may purport⁵ to sell a product, but they often simply use the product to hide their pyramid structure. Pyramid Scheme就是我们汉语中说的传销。没有人能从中赚到钱，除了背后的组织者。在此部电影中Annie的舅舅就是因为这个而被抓了。

There are two tell-tale signs that a product is simply being used to disguise a pyramid scheme: inventory⁶ loading and a lack of retail⁷ sales. Inventory loading occurs when a company's incentive⁸ program forces recruits to buy more products than they could ever sell, often at inflated⁹ prices. If this occurs throughout the company's distribution system, the people at the top of the pyramid reap substantial profits, even though little or no product moves to market. The people at the bottom make excessive payments for inventory that simply accumulates in their basements. A lack of retail sales is also a red flag that a pyramid exists. Many pyramid schemes will claim that their product is selling like hot cakes. However, on closer examination, the sales occur only between people inside the pyramid structure or to new recruits joining the structure, not to consumers out in the general public.

Pyramids are quite seductive because they may be able to deliver a high rate of return to a few early investors for a short period of time. Yet pyramid is illegal because they inevitably¹⁰ must fall apart. 传销最终都是以失败告终的，因为它不可能永无止境的接收新会员，而一旦计划失败，很多会员，也就是处在金字塔最底层的人就会损失掉很多钱，甚至会是倾家荡产。

考考你

1. 什么是pyramid scheme。

2. 在美国俚语中dog 除了有狗的意思，还有什么意思？

《死亡诗社》（精讲之六）考考你 参考答案

1. 他们俩之间的恋情很快就风平浪静了。
The romance between them soon blew over.

2. 鼓励十六七岁的孩子去自由地思考是不是有一定的风险？
Is it a little risky¹¹ to put up the boys around 16 or 17 to independent thinking?

3. 这个小人出卖了我们，这下我们都完了！
The rat sold us out! We are all fried now!

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 excise   

n.(国产)货物税；vt.切除，删去

参考例句：

• I'll excise the patient's burnt areas.我去切除病人烧坏的部分。
• Jordan's free trade zone free of import duty,excise tax and all other taxes.约旦的自由贸易区免收进口税、国内货物税及其它一切税收。

3 overriding   

a.最主要的

参考例句：

• Development is of overriding importance. 发展是硬道理
• My overriding concern is to raise the standards of state education. 我最关心的是提高国民教育水平。

4 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

5 purport   

n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是...

参考例句：

• Many theories purport to explain growth in terms of a single cause.许多理论都标榜以单一的原因解释生长。
• Her letter may purport her forthcoming arrival.她的来信可能意味着她快要到了。

6 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

7 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

8 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

9 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

11 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。