人生中,每个人都会经历很多大事。“金榜提名时”(上大学)当然是其中之一啦,但是并不是人人都能如愿的。假如跌倒了,记得爬起来,拍拍灰尘卷土重来,因为你年轻,你聪明,你输得起!
Chuck: Hey, is Dad OK? He looked a bit shaken up.
查克:嘿,老爸还好吧?他看起来心烦得很呐。
Sam: Nah, he’s OK. This came in the mail for you.
萨姆:没事,他很好。这封信是给你的。
Chuck: Oh, is it…yup, it is. The letter I’ve been waiting for.
查克:噢,难道是……对,真的是。我一直在等的信。
Sam: What is it? Your college acceptance letter?
萨姆:是什么?你的大学录取通知书吗?
Chuck: Yeah. This letter is going to 1)determine where I spend the next four years of my life.
查克:是的。这封信将决定我生命中接下来的四年要在哪里度过。
Sam: Well, what are you waiting for? Open it up!
萨姆:那么,还等什么呢?快打开啊!
Chuck: ①Hold your horses. Just give me a sec to prepare myself. OK, ②here goes. (Opens the letter)
查克:等一下嘛。给我一点时间准备。好了,来吧。(把信打开)
Sam: Oh. The face says it all. Bad news, huh?
萨姆:噢,你的样子已经告诉我了。是坏消息,对吧?
Chuck: What am I going to do? I had completely mentally prepared myself to be accepted. And I’d already begun packing my room. I’m supposed to be going to college. What did I do to deserve this? The world friggin’ hates me.
查克:我该怎么办呢?我已经完全作好了被录取的心理准备了。而且我已经开始在房间打包自己的东西了,我准备去上大学了呢。我做错了什么,为什么要这样对我?这个该死的世界讨厌我!
Sam: (To himself) Gee, twice in one day.
萨姆:(自言自语)天啊,祸不单行。
Chuck: What?
查克:什么?
Sam: Nothing.
萨姆:没事。
Chuck: It’s my own fault. ③I should have put my head down at school. If I got my grades up a bit higher, I would have been in for sure. ④I set myself up for this. Now I’m stuck here. I’m never getting out of this city.
查克:都是我的错。在学校的时候,我就应该埋头苦学的。要是我的分数再高一点点,我就肯定被录取了。今天的一切都是我自找的。现在开始我得呆在这儿,甭想离开这座城市了。
Sam: Hey, first of all, there is nothing wrong with the city. This is where we have grown up. This place has been good to us. And second of all, everything happens for a reason. Maybe you weren’t ready for college. You can get some work experience and life experience and then apply again next year, or whenever you are ready.
萨姆:嘿,首先,这座城市并没有错。这儿是我们成长的地方,对我们而言这是块福地。其次,事情的发生往往都是有因果联系的。也许是你还没准备好上大学。你可以先获取一些工作和生活上经验,下一年或者你准备好了的时候再申请吧。
Chuck: Gee, you are really good at this “staying positive” thing, aren’t you? ⑤But you do raise a good point. If I could get some experience in online sales and marketing, then I would absolutely 2)annihilate the course work once I get into college.
查克:哇,你对“保持积极心态”这种事情很在行呢,不是么?但你确实说到点子上了。如果我能在网络市场营销方面得到些经验,那么一旦我进大学了,拿下这门功课绝对是不费吹灰之力。
Sam: ⑥That’s the spirit. See, there is an upside to everything. Turn that frown upside down.
萨姆:这就对啦!看到了吧,任何事情都有好的方面的。别皱眉头了。
Chuck: I’m gonna call that friend of yours…Harris. He told me to call if I ever need a job. Plus I can work from home. That’ll give me time to do some personal study too and get ready for college next year.
查克:我打算给你朋友……哈里斯打电话。他说过如果我想找工作的话就找他。而且,我可以在家里工作。这样我就有时间自学和为下一年考大学作准备了。
Sam: Harris? Yeah…you should give him a call…
萨姆:哈里斯?对……你应该给他打电话……
Chuck: Please don’t tell mum and dad about this. I’ll tell them when I’m ready.
查克:请不要把这件事告诉妈妈和爸爸。我准备好的时候,会跟他们说的。
Smart Sentences
① Hold your horses.等一下嘛。
hold your horses: wait and don’t start what you want to do yet(等一下,慢)。例如:
No, hold your horses. Some people are not here yet.
别,先等一下,有些人还没来呢。
② Here goes. 来吧。
here goes: used when you are about to do or say sth. difficult or unpleasant(多在要做让人不快的事或说难以出口的话时用)。例如:
Ken muttered “here goes” and gave me the stack of reports that I had to finish by the end of the day.
肯喃喃地说“给”,然后把一大堆要在当天内完成的报告递给我。
③ I should have put my head down at school. 在学校的时候,我就应该埋头苦学的。
put sb.’s head down: work really hard on sth.(埋头做某事)。例如:
Since Kyle failed math last semester, he’s been putting his head down on the subject.
凯尔上学期数学不合格后,他一直埋头恶补这门功课。
④ I set myself up for this. 今天的一切都是我自找的。
set sb. up for sth.: bring sth. upon oneself, often disaster, embarrassment or failure(自作自受)。例如:
I knew Koven’s speech wouldn’t go well. After all, he set himself up for failure as he hardly spent anytime on it.
我就知道科文的演讲不怎么样。毕竟,这是他自找的,因为他基本上没怎么准备。
⑤ But you do raise a good point. 但你确实说到点子上了。
raise a point: to mention an opinion for others’ attention(提出看法)。例如:
Kathleen raised a few points on the matter of fairness.
凯瑟琳就公平问题提出了几点看法。
⑥ That’s the spirit. 这就对啦!
that’s the spirit: used to show approval of other’s idea(用以肯定他人的想法)。例如:
—I am not going to worry about what my opponent will do. I’ll do my best!
我不会去想对手会怎么做,我只管尽情发挥。
—That’s the spirit!
这就对了! 