Duplex 双层公寓（精讲之二）

影片对白

Kenneth: When I told you I had a particular building in mind for you. This is the one I was talking about. It's a historical home on one of the best blocks in all of Brooklyn.

Alex: Remember what we talked about.

Nancy: I know,poker¹ face.

Kenneth: Built-ins, built-ins.

Nancy: Oh, the kitchen's a little small.

Kenneth: Well,rip offthis awful room divider, and you've got an eat-in kitchen. And over here you have your library.

Alex: Wow.

Nancy: For your books.

Kenneth: Oh, you like books?

Alex: I have a little collection of first-edition novels.

Nancy: Alex is a writer.

Kenneth: The parlor².

Nancy: Oh, my God.

Alex: So, this staircase. This leads to where?

Kenneth: I thought you realized. This is a duplex.

Nancy: As in two floors for the price of one?

Kenneth: I believe it's right there in the listing sheet.

Alex: So, why was it sealed off? Were there, like,a slew³ ofmurders up there or something?

Kenneth: No, there's just a sweet, little old lady that lives upstairs.

Nancy: A tenant⁴?

Kenneth: Mm-hmm.

Alex: So, rent control means we can't kick her out, right?

Nancy: Alex! 

Kenneth: That's a legitimate⁵ question. No, you cannot evict⁶ her. She has to decide to leave or, God forbid... Poor thing hasn't been feeling well lately. She's gotta be close to 100 years old.

妙词佳句，活学活用

1. poker face
非常好用的一个短语，是指不显露出任何表情的时候用的。打个比方，“在砍价的时候，千万不要露出任何喜欢的表情”就可以说成：When you are making a bargain, you'd better keep a poker face.

2. rip off
A：rip something off
这个短语有两个含义，第一层含义也就是本文当中所提到的“拆掉”。此外，我们说“脱衣服”也可以用它：rip off the T-shirt。
B：是最为常用的俚语之一，意思是steal something。比如：“有些人以偷东西为生”就可以说：Some people rip off the goods from the supermarket to make a living.

3. a slew of
意思是“很多”，用起来的时候也很简单，比如“今天我有很多课”就可说：I've got a slew of classes for today.

文化面面观

Rent control

Rent control has been in force in a number of major American cities for many decades. The best-known example is New York, which still retains rent controls from the temporary price controls imposed during World War II. But this policy, meant to assist poorer residents, harms far more citizens than it helps, benefits the better-off, and limits the freedom of all citizens. In many cities, policymakers understand that controls drive out residents and businesses. Thus many exempt⁷ significant portions of housing from controls, creating shadow markets, yet as controls hold down rents for some units, costs for all other rental⁸ housing skyrockets. And tenants⁹ in rent-controlled units fear moving to more desirable neighborhoods since the only units available for rent are very high-priced. ( With no doubt, rent control is a good thing, at least from someone's point of view, but nowadays some tenants even take advantage of the rent control law by getting the free tenant lawyers to escape from paying the rent. And this does give rise to the dissatisfaction of some landlords who adopt the way of evictions to get rid of the tenants).

考考你

1. 在做商业谈判时，千万不要露出任何表情。
2. 他骗了我，还偷走了我的钱包。
3. 我们还有好多店没逛呢！

1 poker   

n.扑克；vt.烙制

参考例句：

• He was cleared out in the poker game.他打扑克牌，把钱都输光了。
• I'm old enough to play poker and do something with it.我打扑克是老手了，可以玩些花样。

2 parlor   

n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅

参考例句：

• She was lying on a small settee in the parlor.她躺在客厅的一张小长椅上。
• Is there a pizza parlor in the neighborhood?附近有没有比萨店？

3 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

4 tenant   

n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用

参考例句：

• The tenant was dispossessed for not paying his rent.那名房客因未付房租而被赶走。
• The tenant is responsible for all repairs to the building.租户负责对房屋的所有修理。

5 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

6 evict   

vt.驱逐，赶出，撵走

参考例句：

• The lessor can evict the lessee for failure to pay rent.出租人可驱逐不付租金的承租人。
• The government always says it's for the greater good when they evict farmers from their land.当政府把农民从他们的土地赶出去的时候，总是号称是为了更大众的利益。

7 exempt   

adj.免除的；v.使免除；n.免税者，被免除义务者

参考例句：

• These goods are exempt from customs duties.这些货物免征关税。
• He is exempt from punishment about this thing.关于此事对他已免于处分。

8 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

9 tenants   

n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者

参考例句：

• A number of tenants have been evicted for not paying the rent. 许多房客因不付房租被赶了出来。
• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。