看老友记学英语:第四季第04集:社交舞

The One With The Ballroom Dancing

本集简介：

Joey chews out Mr. Treeger, the superintendent, for making Rachel cry; Mr. Treeger decides to evict Rachel and Monica (who have an illegal sublet of Monica's Grandmother's apartment). In order to smooth things over, Joey agrees to be Mr. Treeger's practice ballroom dancing partner. Chandler tries to end his membership at his gym; Ross goes with him for moral support but ends up joining as well. Phoebe struggles (unsuccessfully) to contain her desires for Rick, one of her massage clients; she ends up being fired and he turns out to be married.

乔伊教训了惹瑞秋不快的管理员Treeger先生。
Treeger先生决心将瑞秋和莫妮卡赶出公寓，因为公寓是以莫妮卡的祖母的名义承租的，转租给莫妮卡她们是不合法的。
为了息事宁人，乔伊答应充当Treeger先生的社交舞舞伴参加练习。
钱德想终止他在健身房的会员资格；罗斯前去予以道义援助，自己却也被拉下水。
菲比徒劳的想忘掉Rick（她的一个按摩客户）；结果她丢掉了工作，而Rick却结婚了。

视频欣赏：

经典对白之一：4-04-1
Rachel 受气后……

故事梗概

管理员treeger 和 Rachel 发生了冲突，Rachel 落泪而归。Rachel 回来后向大家告了状，说有人欺负了她，Joey 对此感到很生气，他想找 treeger 算账。不过，这账能算得清吗?

[Scene: Monica and Rachel's, Continued from earlier, Rachel is now telling everyone of her experience in the garbage room.]

Joey: Whoa-whoa, Treeger made you cry?

Rachel: Yes! And he said really mean things that were only partly true.

Joey: I'm gonna go down there and teach that guy a lesson.

Monica: Joey, please don't do that. I think it't best that we just forget about it.

Rachel: That't easy for you to say, you weren't almost just killed.

Joey: All right that't it, school is in session! (Exits and slams the door.)

讲解

首先，Joey　说的话是个双关语　(pun)，双关是一种　humorous play on
words，例如：莎士比亚的戏剧《罗密欧与朱丽叶》(Romeo and Juliet)中，Mercutio (默克提欧) 有一句台词是这样的：Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man．在这句话中，the word“grave” renders it capable of two meanings：a serious person or a corpse in his grave。而 Joey 的 teach that guy a lesson 和 school is in session 前后照应，也形成了一句很好的双关语，Joey 的意思是既要好好给老头上上课，又要给老头点教训。

在英语中，mean 这个单词的意思可以有十几种乃至几十种。如：I mean what I say．(我说到做到。)

I meant to give you this book today，but I forgot．(我本来打算今天给你这本书的，可是我忘了。)

The dark clouds mean rain．(乌云是下雨的征兆。)

My friends mean a lot to me．(我的朋友对我来说非常重要。)

Money means nothing to her．(她视金钱如粪土。)

the mean of 7，9，14 equals 10．(七、九和十四的平均数为十。)mean在这里的意思是 The average value of a set of numbers。

我们在这里不打算穷尽它的意思，主要讲一讲 mean 作形容词时的一些用法。mean 常表示“吝啬的、卑鄙的、低劣的、刻薄的”等意思，也就是miserly，stingy，selfish，unkind，spiteful，malicious，low in quality 0r grade。例如：

Peter's father was very mean：he never gave Peter any new clothes．

(Peter的父亲很小气，他从不给彼得添新衣服。) mean在这句话中，主要是指 miserly 或 stingy。

不过，值得一提的是，在俚语中，mean 有时候还表示“hard to cope with；difficult or troublesome”、“excellent；skillful”等意思，例如：

He throws a mean fast ball．(他扔了个非常好的快速球!)

She plays a mean game of bridge．(她的扑克牌玩得顶好!)

此外，mean 的复数形式 means 的意思也很多，常表示“手段、方法”，还有“钱财”的意思。例如：a woman of means是指“非常有钱的人”。

经典对白之二：4-04-2
形形色色的　Potato

故事梗概

由于种种原因，公寓管理员 treeger 同正在丢垃圾的 Rachel 发生了冲突，Joey 想替 Rachel 出头，
可事情似乎办得更糟糕，treeger 决意将 Rachel 等赶出公寓；treeger 由于体形特殊，至今仍是个 bachelor，他想找 Marge 约会，但怎么也学不会跳舞。为息事宁人，Joey 答应充当 treeger 的社交舞伴……

(Joey does so, and they both start dancing. Treeger tries to spin Joey, but ends up throwing him into the door.)

Mr. Treeger:: Ahhhh! I'm sorry!

Joey: No, it's okay, but if I'm Marge, my breasts are coming out my back.

Mr. Treeger:: Ahh, forget it! I'll never be any good at this, my mom was right, I'm just a big potato with arms, and legs, and a head.

Joey: Come on man, you're not a potato.

Mr. Treeger:: I'm sure as hell a dancer, it's no use Marge will never go for me.

Joey: Come on Treeger, don't say that. You just ahh, you just need more practice. Here, come on, let't ahh, let't try it again. Come on. (they start dancing again) Plus, it was, it was probably mostly my fault, anyway. I mean, you now, I'm not really that comfortable dancing with a? Treeger throws him) We-he!! Hey!

讲解

Friends 中，绝大部分的故事都发生在他们的 apartment 或 Central Perk里，很是享受。特别是 Chandler 和 Joey，他们还专门配了奢侈的沙发看电视。如今，楼房越来越高，但人们的户外活动却越来越少，难怪英语中出现了 couch potato 这种说法。Couch potato is an expression used to describe

someone who sits in front of the TV set all the time eating junk food，such as potato chips．就是“电视迷”。potato 和“人”真是有着不解之缘，从　big potato　(大人物)　到　small
potato　(小人物)，clean potato　指的是最好的人或者物，而　potato head　则表示“笨蛋”。例如：I am a small potato．的意思就是I am nobody．(我不过是个小人物，没什么了不起。)不过，摘录例句中的 big potato with arms and legs，and a head．显然是指“头脑简单、四肢发达的大土豆／笨蛋”。

此外，hot potato 有“烫手的山芋”之意，引申为“棘手的问题或难以处理的局面”。

在英语口语中，potato 还表示“一美元”。如：You can get this beautiful mini skirt for 100 potatoes．(你只要花100美元就可以得到这件漂亮的迷你裙。)

说起土豆，不由得想起茄子(eggplant)，中国人拍照爱齐喊“茄子”，取其口型，英语中喊的是Cheese!