世博實用聽力:問候身邊的朋友

Lawrence給Jen做媒，讓她和自己的另一位朋友William約會。

Professor: Today Lawrence and Jen have met for coffee to talk about how Jen's date with William went.

Lawrence: So Jen, what did you think of William? Did you guys have a nice time on your first date?

Jen: Oh yeah, it was great! He took me to an Italian restaurant and we had an amazing conversation. I told him about how many kids I want, and how my parents will be so excited to meet him.

Lawrence: You said all that on the first date? Alright .... Well are you two going out again?

Jen: Yeah! I called him after I got home to arrange our next date, but unfortunately his grandma is sick so he has been busy every night visiting her in the hospital.

Professor Bowman，看來這個William還真是a catch! Jen好象對他很滿意，甚至提到去見父母和生孩子的事呢！不過，第一次約會就說這么嚴肅的事兒，會把男生嚇跑的。

Professor: Judging from my personal experience, that's very possible! Did you hear that William's grandmother got sick right after his date with Jen? That's a little odd.

就是啊! Jen一約William， William就說自己奶奶病重，哪有這么巧的事？! 八成是他不想再見面，所以找的借口!

Lawrence: William told you that his grandmother is sick, huh? What exactly did he say?

Jen: He said his grandmother got cancer and has only a few weeks to live. It's really so sad! But when I talked to him on the phone, it sounded like he was holding up really well.

Lawrence: It didn't sound like he was too upset, huh? What did you tell him?

Jen: I asked if there was anything I could do to help his family, and I told him that I could be a shoulder for him to cry on.

Lawrence: Well I hate to tell you this Jen, but both of William's grandmothers passed away more than five years ago.

Professor Bowman, Lawrence說William的祖母五年前就“passed away”了， "pass away"不是去世的意思么？

Professor: Exactly. Sometimes people say that someone "passed away" because it sounds nicer than saying "died".

怪不得William在電話里holding up so well - 沒有悲慟欲絕，原來奶奶生病真是他編出來的借口!

Jen: What do you mean his grandmothers are already dead? Wait a minute, you don't think he's avoiding me, do you?

Lawrence: Well you know, claiming that your grandmother is sick is the classic excuse used to get out of doing something.

Jen: Oh man, I hate rejection. It really makes you feel terrible, especially when you really liked the person.

Lawrence: Is there anything I can do to help? Just remember that I'm there for you if you want to talk about it.

Professor, 我常聽美國人說"being there for somebody," 這到底是什么意思呢？

Professor: "Being there for someone" is staying close to him and giving him support when he is going through a difficult period.

Oh, being there for someone就是某人遇到困難時在他身邊支持他，鼓勵他。

Jen: Thanks. Sometimes talking with a friend is a great way to get over something. Do you mind if I vent a little bit?

Lawrence: Of course not. If you're feeling bad and want to let your emotions out, you can just say whatever you want to me.

Jen: Great, because I am really mad at William. I mean, what kind of an idiot wouldn't be able to appreciate a smart, beautiful woman like me? Anybody who would be friends with that guy has to be really dumb.

Lawrence: Uh, Jen .... you know I'm friends with William.

Jen: Oh right .... present company excluded, of course!

嗯，遇到挫折時，能有個朋友聽你vent傾訴真是一件幸運的事。 不過，professor, Jen說的 present company excluded 是什么意思？

Professor: When you criticize a group of people that the person you are talking to belongs to, you can say "present company excluded," which means the person you are talking to is excepted from that criticism.

哦， 就是“在場者除外”。如果你批評一群人，而聽你說話的人也是其中一員的話，你就可以說“你不算，你跟他們不一樣”。唉，Professor Bowman，學了今天這一課，我再次領(lǐng)悟到，天下烏鴉一般黑，男人全都靠不住!

Professor: Ahem??

Oh! 當然啦， present company excluded!