Desperate Housewives 1《绝望主妇》1（视频精讲八）

（单词翻译:单击）

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 discrete¹.

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 confession².

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

John: Everything.

Gabrielle: Including in the alley³? 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 stationary⁴.

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 dealer⁵ 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, weird⁶ 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 Christian⁸ faith and practice. The meaning is essentially⁹ the same as the criminal one - to admit one's own guilt¹⁰. 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 penance¹¹ 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 justified¹². Finally, there are the ones who simply vow¹³ 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 acting⁷ 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. Stark¹⁴, 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！