看老友记学英语:第七季第07集:罗斯在图书馆

本集简介：
The One With Ross's Library Book
Joey has a one night stand and wants Rachel to dump the girl (Erin) for him. Not only can't Rachel do it, but she and Phoebe become friends with Erin and arrange for Joey to go out with her again. Joey decides he really likes Erin, but Erin decides there isn't a future in the relationship. Ross discovers that his Doctoral Thesis is in NYU's library. When he goes to visit it, he finds that it's in a remote corner frequented by couples engaging in sexual activities. He begins to patrol that area of the library, but ends up being a culprit himself. Monica runs into Janice, who invites herself to Monica and Chandler's wedding.

乔伊一夜情之后请瑞秋帮他甩掉Erin。
瑞秋下不了手，而且她和菲比还跟Erin成了好朋友，并且安排乔伊再度跟她约会。
乔伊意识到他真的喜欢Erin, Erin却意识到这段感情不会有结果。
罗斯发现他的博士论文在纽约图书馆里。
他前去图书馆，却发现这本书放在一个角落里，情侣们常常在附近嘿咻。
于是他开始在这片地方巡逻，最后自己却也成了犯人。
莫妮卡碰到珍妮丝，珍妮丝不请自来，坚持要参加莫妮卡和钱德的婚礼。

视频欣赏：

经典对白：

7-07-1　　　难缠的Janice

故事梗概

Janice到Monica工作的餐厅就餐，两人相遇。 Janice注意到了Monica手上的订婚戒指，无奈Monica只好说出她和Chandler要结婚的事情。于是Janice自作主秣要来参加他们的婚礼。当Monica回家告诉Chandler此事后，Chandler很是头疼，因为Janice这个难缠的女人可能会在他们的婚礼上做出一些让他们出丑的举动。

Monica: Well, she actually has aboyfriend y'know herself, named Clark. Uh, shealso kinda invited herself to our wedding. Clarktoo.

Chandler: (laughs) You said no, right?

Monica: Huh?

Chandler: You said no, right?!

Monica: Well, she cornered me!She asked if the wedding was in town! I mean, what was I supposed to do?!

讲解

chandler特别希望Monica能拒绝Janice来参加他们的婚礼，但Monlca说：well，she cornered me!she askedif the wedding was in town!I mean，what was I supposed to do?(她把我逼得没办法!她问婚礼是否在城里举行!我的意思是我能怎么办呢?)

corner someone在英语中一般用来表示“将某人逼人困境；使某人走投无路；把某人难住”等意思。警匪片中我们经常会看到：The escapee prisoner wascornered and he gave himsel f up without a fight at last．(逃犯被逼得走投无路，最终只能乖乖投降)。如果教育工作者都能博学多才，那学生问问题时我们就不会尴尬地说：Your question corners me．(你这个问题可把我难住了。)现在大街上四处乞讨的人很多，更值得关注的是：Some beggar children will corner you for money．(会有一些童乞缠住你讨钱)。乞讨的人中有真有假，所以每每碰到这种情况我们还真容易被corner了。

有时并不是别人将你逼得走投无路，而是你paint yourself into a cornel(使自己陷入困境)。这条习语最初的构思出自给地板刷漆的时候，刷到最后一看，自己被堵在墙角，想出也出不来了。到普通词典查寻，你可能找不到这一条习语，但它在日常口语会话中还是经常出现的。例如：We don't want to make too many promises to them or else we mayfind we've painted ourselves into a corner．(我们不愿意对他许诺太多，否则的话，我们就很可能使自己陷入困境。)这是用于八方许诺，结果寸步难行的场合。再如：

The suspect told so many lies to the police that hefinally painted himsel f into a corner．(嫌疑犯向警察说了太多的谎话，结果不能自圆其说了。)这是用于自己的话相互矛盾因而作茧自缚的场合。

有时corner的前面经哉加finandal，difficult，embarrassing之类的形容词。如果公司过分迅速扩展业务，那它在经济方面很容易陷入困境：The company painted itsel f into a financial corner throughoverly rapid expansion．任何人陷入困境都会想办法tiptoe／sneak／creep，etc．out of thecorner(摆脱困境)，例如：The president was havinggreat difficulty tiptoeing out of the embarrassing corner into which he had painted himselfwhen he said that hc would never institute price controls to fight inflations．(总统说他决不用控制物价的方法对付通货膨胀，说这话他使自己陷入了尴尬境地，他费了九牛二虎之力才从中摆脱出来。)

无论是日常办事还是开办企业都绝对不能cut corners(偷工减料)。

这一表达法的本意是“抄近路”：Several marathoners were disqualified for cutting corners．(有几名马拉松选手由于抄近路而被取消了资格)。现在在口语中一般使用比喻意义，用于表示“千方百计压缩时间、劳力、经费等等”的意思。但在这种情况下大都带有“降低质量”的意味，也就是咱们汉语常说的“偷工减料”。如下面的例句所示，它适用于各类工作。

·In this business，we can't affordto cut corners．(我们这种买卖不容许偷工减料。)

·Recent innovation in our production line has allowed usto reduce expenditures without cutting corners．(最近在生产线上的技术革新，使我们用不着偷工减料就可以减少开支了。)

除各类工作外，有时伙食也可以“偷工减料”。比如有的时候，为了生活费不超支，必须有几顿要简单一点。这句话用英语说就是：At times we have tc cut a corner or two on our meals in order to makeends meet．此外，正如这一例句所示，corners有时可以变换一下形式，作acorner or two；有时也可以像下一例句那样，在前边加上a few等修饰语：Wecan't possibly finish lhe work on time unless we cut a few corners．(我们如果不偷点工减点料．这活儿是不能如期完成的。)

以上都是意旨“质量低下”的例子，但万事都不是绝对的，下边的例句的意义就有所不同：

·Theboss often praised the foreman for his ability to cut corners without sacriricing product quality．(老板经常称赞工长，说他能够在不牺牲产品质量的情况下压缩生产成本。)

·Young housewives must learn to cut corners if they areto manage their households efficiently．(年轻主妇们要想使家庭的日子过得好就必须学会如何精打细算。)生病、生意萧条的时候，我们都特别盼望turn the corner(情况好转)。

比如：

·Your husband’s operation wassuccessful，but he won't turn the corner for at J east 48 hours．(给你丈夫做的手术很成功，不过，至少得48小时他才能脱离危险。)

·Raising our sales volumc bv lO％willenable us to turn the corner．

(如果把销售额提高10％，我们就能度过难关。)因此无论发生什么事情保恃一个良好的心态是很重要的，只要有confidence，patience和perseverance，相信很陕就会迎来turn the corner的那一天。

7-07-2
跟Erin结婚吧!

故事梗概

Joey和Erin共度一晚之后便想结束两人的关系，因此临走时请Rachel帮忙把他的想法委婉地告诉Erin．Rachel并没有这样做，因为她和Phoebe一致认为Erin是Joey理想的结婚对象。在两人的安排下，Joey逐渐对Erin有了感觉，而Erin的感觉却并非如此。

Rachel: Hi! Well, we were just about to take off and seea movie. Oh no!

Erin: What's wrong?

Rachel: Oh Phoebe, we forgot that party we have to go to.

Phoebe: Oh no.

Joey: (skeptical) What party?

Phoebe and Rachel: A birthday party.

讲解

Erjn来的时候phoebe告诉她：well，we were．just about to take off and see a movie.(我们正要出发去看电影。)一提到take off，大家大都会联想到类似于The plane will take off at nine．或I’d like to take off my overcoat since it's so hot这样的句子，很少有人知道take off还有“出发”的意思。

其实take off所表达的意义非常丰富，更多地了解它们会对我们英语水平的提高大有裨益。

现代都市有很多人会take themselves off to the country for a quiet weekend．(到乡村去过个清静的周末)。有时take off也可以表示“以诙谐或嘲讽的方式模仿或假扮某个人”。有个大学校友他能take off Wintston Church．1l to perfection(惟妙惟肖地模仿温斯顿·丘吉尔)。

喝东西的时候可以用take off来表示“喝光”，比如大连有个啤酒节，在庆祝现场你会发现很多人都能take off a glass of beer at one draught(一口气能喝一杯啤酒)。在The crew were taken offthe wrecked ship by the life boat．这句话中take off的意思则为“从……中营救”，因此整个句子的可以翻译成：救生艇把遇难船上的船员救走了。

如果在The 7 a．m．express to Nanjing has been taken off for winter．这样的句子见到take off它的意思则变为“中止；从……中取消”，这个句子意为：上午7时开往南京的快车冬季停止运行。再比如在餐厅吃饭，你没看菜单随口点了一个菜，服务生可能会说：Sorry，sir，it has been taken off the menu．(对不起，先生，这道菜已从菜单上取消了。)很少会有人知道

take off还有一层含义表示“夺去……的生命；杀死”，如下例所示：

Millions were taken off by the Black Plague．(那场大鼠疫夺走了数已百万计人的生命。)持续工作一段时间后我们也应该take off，抽出时间来休息或休假：He took two weeks offin August．(他在8月份休假两星期。)也有比喻意义，表示“(经济)起飞；(经济状况等)开始明显好转；开始获利”：

With the coming of winter，theproduct suddenly took off．(冬天将l临，这种产品突然畅销起来。)

把take off连在一起写便是它的名词形式takeoff，口语中常用do a takeoff on something来表示“学样逗笑”。在这里takeoff把take off into a flight of fancy(脱离现实，进入空想)中的动词take off转成了名词。这一表达法一般在模仿动作、说话腔调等惹人发笑的场合使用，在日常口语会话中经常出现。比如：The boss walked in just as he was doing atakeoff on the way he runs a meeting．(他正在模仿老板主持会议的神情逗人发笑的时候，老板走进来了。)

do a takeoff onsomething虽然和do an imitation of something都表示“模仿、学样”，但do an imitation of something并不体现逗乐的效果，而且do a takeoff on something除了制造的效果比较“有趣”之外，还有“讽刺”的意味。After the serious play was over，Mel did a takeoffon Mark Antony's famous speech from Shakespeare's　Julius Caesar．(在严肃的剧目演出终了之后，Mel模仿在Shakespeare的《尤里乌斯·凯撒》中Mark Antony的演说，逗人发笑。)

take off也常常可以单独使用，请参考下列例句：

·Don Quixote was intended as a takeoff on the Spanishnobility of the day．(《堂·吉诃德》一书的目的在于讽刺当时西班牙的贵族阶级。）

·Tom's takeoff on the president's speech had us institches．(Tom模仿总经理的讲话，让大家笑破肚皮。)