家住英国伦敦乡村的普通白领爱丽丝,性格淳朴简单,从小对爱情充满了憧憬,但是除了一段长达三年的单恋以外,一直没有尝试过真正的恋爱,在单恋对象宣布结婚的圣诞前夕,她的心情跌入谷底;与此同时,在美国洛杉矶的白领丽人阿曼达也遇到了爱情挫折,两人在网上聊天并商议交换到对方的生活环境去过圣诞节。大家的人生从此改变了……
发音：英式发音
语速：140词/分钟
使用方法：精听+角色扮演
Iris: I have found almost everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said, “Journeys end in lovers meeting.” Oh, what an extraordinary thought! Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I'm more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I'm constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said, “Love is blind.” Now that is something I know to be true. For some, quite 1)inexplicably, love fades. For others, love is simply lost. But then, of course, love can also be found, even if just for the night.
爱丽丝:我发现所有关于爱情的描述都是真的。莎士比亚曾说,“恋人总在旅程的终点相会”,哦,多么浪漫的想法!虽然我从来没有过这种体验,但是我更愿意相信莎翁有过。我对爱情一向比别人想得更多,也深切地相信爱情独特的力量能改变我们的人生。莎士比亚还说过:“爱情是盲目的。”这一点我肯定是真的。不知道为什么,对某些人来说,爱情是渐渐消逝的;有些人则是完全失去了爱人;但是有些人却能够轻易找到爱情,就算只是一夜情。
And then there's another kind of love, the cruelest kind, the one that almost kills its victims. It's called 2)unrequited love. Of that, I am an expert. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other, but what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one-sided affair. ①We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded, the handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space. Yes, you are looking at one such individual and I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years, the absolute worst years of my life. The worst Christmases, the worst birthdays, ②New Year's Eves brought in by tears and 3)Valium. These years that I've been in love have been the darkest days of my life, all because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who does not and will not love me back. Oh, God, just the sight of him. Heart pounding, throat thickening, absolutely can't swallow. All the usual symptoms.
当然还有另一种爱情,最残酷的那一种,足以让人痛不欲生,那就是单恋。我就是这方面的专家,大多数的爱情故事通常讲的是两个人相爱,但是像我们这种人呢?像我们这样孤独地坠入爱河的故事呢?我们是单恋的苦主,我们是被爱者当中被嫌弃的一群,更是没人疼没人爱的可怜虫,是能行走的受伤者,是在一个大停车场里没有停车特权的残障人士。是的,你现在正看着像我这样的一个女子,我死心塌地地单恋那个男人,过了三年的痛苦人生,我这一生最惨痛的日子。最差劲的圣诞节和生日,而除夕在放声大哭和狂吞镇静剂中度过。我单恋的这些日子是最黑暗的日子——因为我无可救药地爱上一个不会爱我的男人。哦,天啊,我光是看到他,心脏就狂跳、喉咙干到无法吞咽,全都是一贯的症状。
(Iris finds out that the guy she's been in love with is engaged. She's feeling depressed before Christmas Eve. She's trying to kill herself…Computer beeps. )
(爱丽丝在知道暗恋的人要结婚后,在圣诞节前,感到很沮丧,想到了吸煤气自杀……电脑有信息回复的声音。)
Iris: What am I doing? Low point. Low point.
爱丽丝:我在干嘛呀?跌到谷底,跌到谷底。
Iris: (reading Amanda's messages) I'm interested in renting your house. I'm wondering if your house is available this Christmas. Because if it is, you could be a real lifesaver. I know it's ridiculously late to be asking, but if you're at all interested, please contact me.
爱丽丝:(读阿曼达的留言)我有兴趣租你的房子。不晓得你的房子圣诞节能不能出租?因为如果可以,你就是我的救星。我知道也许太迟了,不过有兴趣的话请跟我联络。
Amanda: (reading Iris' message) I'm very interested, but the cottage is really only available for home exchange. (writing to Iris) Home exchange. What is that? (reading Iris' message) We switch houses, cars, everthing. I haven't done it before but friends of mine have.
阿曼达:(读爱丽丝的留言)我有兴趣,不过只能交换房子。(给爱丽丝留言)交换房子,是什么?(读爱丽丝的留言)我们交换房子、车子和一切。我没试过,不过我有朋友试过。
Iris: (writing to Amanda) Where are you? (to herself) Please say somewhere far away. (reading Amanda's message) L.A.?
爱丽丝:(给阿曼达留言)你在哪里?(自言自语)拜托是很远的地方。(读阿曼达的留言)洛杉矶?
