Desperate Housewives 1《绝望主妇》1（视频精讲八）

John: Nobody's home.

Gabrielle: I know, I've been watching. I came to talk to you.

Mary Alice: Although she would need to be discrete 1.

Gabrielle: Keep working! What were you thinking, showing up at the hospital?

John: I had to see if she was okay.

Gabrielle: You need to keep a low profile right now.

John: Look, you and I are finished. From now on, I'm sticking with Danielle.

Gabrielle: Why would you say that?

John: I hate myself for what we did! Okay? I can't sleep at night! I've got to make a clean break.

Gabrielle: We weren't driving the car. We didn't chase Juanita into the street!

John: Well, she wouldn't have been there if we weren't having an affair.

Gabrielle: Oh, for God's sakes, between you and Carlos! Listen to me carefully, you didn't do anything wrong.

John: That's not what Father Crowley thinks.

Gabrielle: What?

John: I went to confession 2.

Gabrielle: Have you lost your mind? What did you tell him?

John: Everything.

Gabrielle: Including in the alley 3? Behind the truck stop?

John: Everything.

Gabrielle: Damn you!

Edie: Hello there!

Mr. Shaw: Good afternoon.

Edie: Ooh, well isn't this just as pretty as a picture book!

Mr. Shaw: Well, the plan is to put in a small condo.

Edie: You want to make some money, or you want to pussyfoot around?

Mr. Shaw: What do you suggest?

Edie: I'm thinking strip mall. I've run some numbers.

Mr. Shaw: Nice stationary 4.

Edie: Oh, it's stolen.

Mr. Shaw: What do you mean?

Edie: After my house burned down, I was staying with this neighbor, Martha Huber. That is, until the old troll threw me out. Anyway, I'd steal her stuff, she'd steal mine. Circle of life.

Mr. Shaw: So this paper is hers?

Edie: Oh, God, yes.

Mike: What?

Susan: I just came over to say I'm sorry, and I'll pay for all the damage.

Mike: Don't worry about it.

Susan: Well, so, in your mind, is the date off?

Mike: Well, you snooped around my house, and went through my stuff. Uh, yeah, in my book, that's pretty much a deal breaker.

Susan: Hold on a minute, now. I started snooping around because I found all that money by accident. And, and then, I found a gun. Are you a drug dealer 5 or something?

Mike: Is that what you think?

Susan: Well, I wouldn't know because you never let me in. You know, there's this whole part of your life that you keep completely walled off.

Mike: I have a gun for protection, I keep cash for emergencies. I'm a good guy, Susan, and you should know that. I'm, I'm not obligated to share every little detail of my life with you.

Susan: Well, every little detail is one thing. You know, weird 6 creepy secrets, that's another.

Mike: You know what, I don't want to be with someone who doesn't trust me.

Susan: Well, maybe we shouldn't be dating.

Mike: Maybe we shouldn't.

Susan: Do you mean that?

Mike: Yeah.

Susan: Well, I hope that, your, you know, little secret keeps you warm at night because you're throwing something really great away to protect it!

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. keep a low profile

所谓“做人要厚道，行事要低调”，keep a low profile 就是“Stay out of public notice, avoid attracting attention to oneself.保持低调”。例如：

The government is trying to keep a low profile on this issue.
政府力图在这个问题上保持低姿态。

Keep a low profile until the trouble over your activities is past.
在跟活动有关的麻烦事过去之前，你不要抛头露面。

2. stick with

stick with 通常的意思是“坚持做……”，例如：

-Shall we change the plan? -No, we'll stick with the original one.'
-我们变动一下计划好吗? -不行, 我们要按原计划行事。

Hang on, can we stick with that point about cubism?
等一等，我们可以继续谈谈关于立体主义的那个问题吗？

而在这个片断中，stick with 的意思是stay with， John的意思是“他将继续和Danielle 谈恋爱”。

3. make a clean break

本意是“突变（彻底的改变）”，这里的意思是“完全和Gabrielle 断绝关系”。例如：Finally, Ada decides to make a clean break with her drunkard boyfriend.

4. pussyfoot around

意思是“犹豫，怀疑，观望”，例如：Stop pussyfooting around and say what you mean. 别那么缩手缩脚的, 说说你到底是什么意思吧。

5. strip mall

A mercantile establishment consisting of a row of various stores and business and restaurants along a road or busy street; usually opening on a parking lot. 从阵容上看，有点类似我们的商业街。

6. snoop around

这里的意思是“偷偷窥探”，例如：The man has been snooping around outside my house for the whole day. 那个男人一整天都在窥视我家。

Snoop around 还有“巡逻”的意思，例如：
The house perfects often snoop around our campus at night. 学生纠察队经常夜间在校园里巡逻。

6. wall off

本意是“用墙隔开”，这里Susan的意思是“Mike 把生活的大部分都（用墙）保护起来，不让外人知道”，例如：Linda walls off her life to protect herself.

文化面面观

Confession 忏悔——宗教的仪式，心灵的需要

Confessional

Confession of sins is an integral part of the Christian 8 faith and practice. The meaning is essentially 9 the same as the criminal one - to admit one's own guilt 10. Confession of one's sins, or at least of one's sinfulness, is seen by most churches as a pre-requisite for becoming a Christian.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, acknowledgment of sinfulness, in public or private, regarded as necessary for divine forgiveness. In the Temple period, Yom Kippur included a collective expression of sinfulness, and the day continues in Judaism as one of prayer, fasting, and confession. The early Christian Church followed John the Baptist's practice of confession before baptism, but soon instituted confession and penance 11 for the forgiveness of sins committed after baptism. The fourth Lateran Council (1215) required annual confession. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches consider penance a sacrament, but most Protestant churches do not.

思想火花

如何对待自己犯下的罪行，每个人有不同的看法。在这一集的结尾，Mary Alice 说到：There is a widely read book that tells us everyone is a sinner. Of course, not everyone who reads this book feels guilt over the bad things that they do. In contrast, there are those who assume more than their share of the blame. There are others, who sooth their consciences with small acts of kindness. Or by telling themselves their sins were justified 12. Finally, there are the ones who simply vow 13 to do better next time, and pray for forgiveness. 任何做法不过是为了获得心灵上的安定。比较起来，改过和弥补也许是最好的了吧？

考考你

将下面的句子译成英语。

1. Look, you and I are finished. From now on, I'm sticking with Danielle.
2. Well, every little detail is one thing. You know, weird creepy secrets, that's another.

Desperate Housewives 1《绝望主妇》1（精讲之七）考考你 参考答案

1. Of course Andrew is acting 7 out. He has every right to be angry.
安德鲁当然会行事冲动。他有理由生气。

2. Mrs. Stark 14, you handle this however you see fit.
斯达克夫人，您看怎么合适就怎么处理吧。

3. Well he better be good, because when I'm finished with you, you won't have a cent to your name!
他最好强一点，不然等我们离婚以后你将不名一文！

点击收听单词发音  






1
discrete

  
 


adj.个别的，分离的，不连续的


参考例句：





The picture consists of a lot of discrete spots of colour.这幅画由许多不相连的色点组成。
Most staple fibers are discrete,individual entities.大多数短纤维是不联系的单独实体。












2
confession

  
 


n.自白，供认，承认


参考例句：





Her confession was simply tantamount to a casual explanation.她的自白简直等于一篇即席说明。
The police used torture to extort a confession from him.警察对他用刑逼供。












3
alley

  
 


n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路


参考例句：





We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。












4
stationary

  
 


adj.固定的，静止不动的


参考例句：





A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。












5
dealer

  
 


n.商人，贩子


参考例句：





The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。












6
weird

  
 


adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的


参考例句：





From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。












7
acting

  
 


n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的


参考例句：





Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。












8
Christian

  
 


adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒


参考例句：





They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。












9
essentially

  
 


adv.本质上，实质上，基本上


参考例句：





Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。












10
guilt

  
 


n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责


参考例句：





She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。












11
penance

  
 


n.（赎罪的）惩罪


参考例句：





They had confessed their sins and done their penance.他们已经告罪并做了补赎。
She knelt at her mother's feet in penance.她忏悔地跪在母亲脚下。












12
justified

  
 


a.正当的，有理的


参考例句：





She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。












13
vow

  
 


n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓


参考例句：





My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。












14
stark

  
 


adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地


参考例句：





The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。