看老友记学英语:第九季第14集:相亲记

本集简介：

The One With The Blind Dates

Phoebe and Joey set up Rachel on Ross on terrible blind dates, in hopes that they'll realize by comparison how good they are together. Joey arranges for Ross to be stood up, and Phoebe arranges for Rachel to go out with Steve (the Stoned Guy). Monica and Chandler take care of Emma; when she falls asleep, they go into the bedroom to try to make a baby of their own. Joey comes into the apartment and Emma wakes up, so he takes her to his place. Once they return from the bedroom and discover Emma is gone, they panic. Joey tries to get someone to name their first child Joey, to carry on his "family name."

为让彼此认识到对方的好处，Joey和Phoebe串通，给Rachel和Ross安排最滥的相亲。
照顾Emma时，Monica母性大发，继而拉Chandler去睡房亲密接触 —— 小婴儿失踪。
Joey想方设法要传承香火。

视频欣赏：

经典对白之一：

9-14-1
Joey和Phoebe的计划

故事梗概

Ross和Rachel分别开始找Jpey和Phoebe给他们介绍新的约会对象。作为朋友，Joey和phoebe认为他俩是很好的一对，不忍心就这样看他们分开。于是他们开始计划给他们介绍什么样的对象，才能让Ross和Rachel意识到原来他们在一起的感觉才是最好的。
这样一个伟大的计划慢慢酝酿着……

Phoebe: You know what? Maybe once they start dating, and they see what's out there, they'll realise how good they are for each other.

Joey: Yeah, because it is slim pickings. I had this date last night: Yuck! But we should probably keep it down; she's still in the bedroom.

Phoebe: So, what are we gonna do? Are we just gonna go ahead and set them up with people?

Joey: I know; that just pushes them further and further apart.

Phoebe: Yeah. (BEAT) Oh, I know what we can do. We could set Ross and Rachel up on horrible dates, so that they'll realise how good they are together.

Joey: Ooh, that's a great plan!

讲解

slim picking这里指选择范同很狭窄，再来看一个例子：

Lacking of experience left him slim picking on choosing good job．
(由于缺乏经验，他选择工作的范围很狭窄。)

其实，slim作为形容词原本是形容女孩子身材苗条的，但它也经常用来修饰chance，odds，hope等词，表示“机会渺茫”。

比如Monica在以前跟她的同事Paula说过：I just wish that once，I would bring a guy home that they actually liked(我很希望我带回家的那个人老友们都能喜欢。哪怕是一次也好。)Paula回答说：Well，you do realize the odds of that happening are a little slimmer if they never get to meet the guy．
(那种几率很小，如果你永远不让他们见那个人)。

odds这个词在这句话当中其实就相当于chance，只是它更加强凋与数字有关的几率。

在这一集中set them up with people与fix him up with somebody意思一样，都是指“给某人介绍新的约会对象”。例如：

You carl bet your bottom dollar that Mrs．Smith will not allow you to sct her daughter up with the bald guy．
(我敢肯定Smith夫人不会同意让你给她女儿介绍那个秃顶的家伙的。)

Don't try to fix him up with a vain girl，because he hatcs that kind of person.
(别给他介绍虚荣的女孩，因为他讨厌那样的人。)

经典对白之二：9-14-2
Ross的第一次相亲

故事梗概

Joey和Phoebe为了使Ross和Rachel能重修阳旧好，想出一个绝好的计划：他们分别给Ross和Rachel介绍最不合适的对象。而且他们逐通知跟Ross约会的对象说相亲取消了，让Ross一人在餐厅苦等，Ross的第一次相亲居然就被人放了鸽子……

Ross: Excuse me, is there a woman waiting at the bar? Someone average height, dark hair, perhaps doing a puzzle?

Waiter: Uh, there's a drunk Chinese guy.

Ross: Well, if I'm still here in an hour, buy him a drink on me.

Waiter: Can I get you another glass of wine?

Ross: Nah, I don't know if I should. I don't wanna be drunk when I go home alone.

Waiter: Got stood up, huh?

Ross: Yeah, it's no big deal. It's just a blind date.

讲解

got stood up解释为“被朋友放鸽子／朋友失约了”，而失约的人可以称为no-show，例如：He was a no-show．(他没出现。)例如：

A：You look quite sad．What happened?
(你看起来很难过，发生了什么?)

B：Christina was supposed to be here one hour ago．But I think I have been stood up．(Christina本应一个小时前到这里，但我想我被她放鸽子了。)

和中国人的习惯差不多，西方人也会帮朋友安排类似我们“相亲”的机会，被安排认识的一对男女原先彼此互不相识，这种安排为“blind date”。有时两对男女朋友约会，称为“double-dating”，而不是指脚踩两只船。而要说某人脚踩两只船应为“He is dating another girl on the side．”on the side这句话在去餐厅用餐时也常用到，指的是主菜之外的副餐，比如说：I'd like salad with dressing on the side．(我还要一份沙拉。)或是：Would you like a baked potato on the side?(要不要再点一份烤马铃薯啊?)

这里还需要指出的是，也许很多英语学习者在看到blind date时，有可能将其理解为“盲目约会”或“瞎约会”，千万不要犯这样的错误，此类的短语还有很多。我们应该在平时的学习中多积累，以免在今后遇到类似短语的时候因为理解有误而闹出笑话。例如：personal remark是“人身攻击”而不是“个人评论”；sweet water是“淡水”而不是“糖水”或“甜水”；service station是“加油站”而不是“服务站”；rest room是“厕所”而不是“休息室”；dressing room是“化妆室”而不是“试衣室”或“更衣室”；French leave是“不辞而别”，而不是“法国人离开”；sporting house是“妓院”而不是“体育室”等等。

经典对白之三：

9-14-3
Ross被放鸽子后

故事梗概

Ross在餐厅等了很长时间，女主角也没有出现。侍者还问他是不是担心她曾来过，看见Ross就走了。无奈的Ross等到了那个喝醉的中国人也走了，侍者不得不再坎来到他身边，还免费送给他一份开胃蛋糕，结果是圆为餐厅员工打赌看他等到什么时候才会回家……
Waiter: I've got bad news. The Chinese guy left.

Ross: Eh, if it was meant to be, it's meant to be.

Waiter: Look; you got stood up, who cares? We're gonna show you a good time. Just sit and relax. In fact, let me bring you a crab cake appetizer on the house.

讲解

on the house字面上是“在房子上面”的意思，但这里是一个俚语，意思是“免费，店长请客”。比如说在酒吧喝酒，有时候酒保会请你喝一杯，他就会说：This one is on the house．(这杯我请客)。所以，在这个片断里，餐厅里的侍者就是免费送蛋糕给Ross。还记得在上一集里，我们提到了有关金发女郎的笑话(Blonde Joke)吗?这里还有一则跟大家分享：

A：How do you get a blonde girl on the roof?
(要怎么样才能把金发美女骗上屋顶?)

B：Tell her that the drinks are on the house．
(告诉她饮料在房子上面就可以了。)

而说到免费，有很多时候，我们想请别人吃饭，也就是最后希望自己来买单，我们一起来看看这种时候怎么用英文表达。如果你请别人吃饭、付账的时候，你可以说：
It's on me．(我请客。)
It's my treat．(我请客。)
Be my guest．(我请客。)
Let me pay the bill．(我来付账。)
Let me foot the bill．(让我付账。)
I want to treat you．(我请你。)
Let me spring for dinner．（让我请客。）

经典对白之四：

9-14-4
Rachel的约会

故事梗概

Rachel找到Phoebe给自己介绍约会对象，但是因为Phoebe跟Joey已经商量好了，计划给把和Ross分别都安排一个不满意的约会。于是Phoebe给Rachel安排了这样一次blind date，Rachel兴致勃勃地去了，但这也许是Rachel所经历过的最糟糕的约会，对方没有自信，没有情趣，什么都没有……

Rachel: Really? What's that like?

Steve: It's really fulfilling doing something you hate for no money. That's right. I have no money, I'm not funny, I live in a studio apartment with two other guys, and I'm pretty sure I'm infertile.

Rachel (awkward chuckle): Now, come on, come on, Steve. There must be something that you like about yourself.

Steve: I do like my hair.

讲解

美国住房通常有独立厨房，一个起居室，有时吃饭和看电视的地方还是分开的。一所房子通常有自己的邮箱，一个种有植物(或者有草坪)的院子，还有存放垃圾的地方。在这里把美国的各种住所给大家做个分类总结：

此处提到的“studio apartment”指一室的公寓。A studio apartment may have a separate kitchen，but the living room is also the bedroom!(一室公寓房可能有一个独立的厨房，但起居室也兼做卧室。)

“town house”叫城镇住房。A town house is a two-floor apartment．The kitchen，living room and dining room are usually on the first floor and the bedrooms are on the second noor．(城镇住房是两层的套房，厨房、起居室、餐厅通常在一层，卧室在二层。)

“apartment”叫公寓套房。An apartment is usually one living space within a building．Several apartments can be in the same building，with a snarec yard，parking spaces，and garbage．(公寓套房通常是大楼里的一个居住空间。几个套房可以都在同一座楼里，共有一个庭院、停车场地和放垃圾的地方。)

“mansion”叫宅邸。A mansion is a reaJ big house with many bedrooms and several bathrooms．(宅邸是非常大的房子，有许多卧室和几个浴室。)

“bungalow”是带走廊的平房。A bungalOW is a small house with one or two bedrooms and usually one bathroom．(平房是小房子，有一个或两个卧室，通常有一个浴室。)

“condominium”是个人所有的公寓套间。A condominium，or“condo” for short，is an apartment that is owned by the occupant，not the building owners．(个人购置的公寓套间为居住者所有，而不是整栋大楼的地产商所有。)