实战口语情景对话 第1249期:Black Friday 黑色星期五

Aimee: OK, so hey Todd, so I have a question. I've noticed recently in the U.K. that this holiday called Black Friday has appeared, and this is a new thing for us. I don't really know why it has appeared. I think it is American. Shops just give super discounts in November and people are going crazy for like TVs and stuff. Do you have experience with this?
艾米：嘿，托德，我有个问题。我注意到最近英国出现了“黑色星期五”这个节日，这对我们来说是件新鲜事。我不太清楚为什么会出现这个节日。我想那是美国节日。商店在11月大减价，人们疯狂地去抢购电视等产品。你经历过吗？

Todd: Yeah, unfortunately, I think it is one of our worst exports. Like I am not a fan of Black Friday. We've had it now probably for like ten or twenty years. I can't remember but it started where the department stores would have these massive sales on Friday which is the day after Thanksgiving, which is always on a Thursday in November.
托德：不幸的是，我认为这是我们美国最糟糕的出口输出品。我并不喜欢“黑色星期五”。这个节日在我们国家的历史大概有10或20年。我不记得是什么时候开始的了，百货商店会在感恩节之后的周五大减价，感恩节是11月的第四个星期四。

Aimee: Ah, that's the connection. OK, after Thanksgiving.
艾米：啊，那就是关联点。在感恩节之后。

Todd: Right, and I think it was called Black Friday because that was the day that the stores could show that they had a profit for the year, or something like that.
托德：对，我认为那天被称为“黑色星期五”的原因是，商店在那天会得到当年的利润，或是类似的情况。

Aimee: OK, so it's blatantly all about money?
艾米：好，所以一切都和钱有关吗？

Todd: Oh, totally and originally, what they would do is they would entice people with really good bargains, but then they kept ratcheting up the bargain, so now they have these really, really low teaser products, like they only offer ten TVs or something like that for like twenty bucks.
托德：哦，完全如此，最初他们会通知人们有廉价商品出售，不过后来他们开始不断增加减价品，所以现在他们会提前公开低价产品，比如只有10台电视机或其他商品卖20美元。

Aimee: Oh, so it's like a limited, a really limited supply of really good deals?
艾米：哦，所以是有限制的，低价产品的数量是有限制的。

Todd: Yeah, and so then what you do is you get these huge crowds that converge on these stores, and then they open the doors and people rush in and literally it's a free-for-all. You have fights and it's so crazy.
托德：对，所以有大量人群聚集在商店，商店一开门，人们就会冲进去，可以说那完全是一场混战。人们甚至会打起来，非常疯狂。

Aimee: I've seen that. I've seen videos and clips, and it started happening in the U.K. now.
艾米：我看到过那种情况。我看过视频片段，现在英国也有这种情况出现了。

Todd: Oh, no!
托德：哦不！

Aimee: And I can't believe it that people can be so greedy.
艾米：我简直无法相信人们能如此贪婪。

Todd: And especially what's bothersome is that you're with your family on a holiday. You're having a good time, and then you go to war practically. You know what I mean?
托德：尤为烦人的是，你在和家人一起度假。你在享受美好时光，而后来你卷入了战争中。你知道我的意思吗？

Aimee: Yeah, with strangers.
艾米：知道，和陌生人的战争。

Todd: Yeah.
托德：对。

Aimee: Or your neighbor even. It doesn't matter who it is, just fighting over a cheap TV.
艾米：或者甚至是和邻居。无论是和谁，只是为了一台便宜的电视机而打架。

Todd: I mean, I'm proud to say I've never been to a Black Friday.
托德：我可以自豪地说，我从来没在黑色星期五促销时买过东西。

Aimee: Me neither. Me neither.
艾米：我也是，我也是。

Todd: So I guess that's hypocritical for me to say that because you know, since I've never been to a Black Friday. I've only seen it, but I just don't like going to shopping malls and to, like, department stores very much - big box stores. I'm just not a shopper.
托德：我想我这么说可能有些虚伪，不过我从没在黑色星期五促销时买过东西。我只是看到过那种情况，我只是不太喜欢去购物中心和百货商店那种大型商场。我不是购物狂。

Aimee: So you prefer online shopping?
艾米：你更喜欢网上购物吗？

Todd: I just prefer not shopping at all. Like I don't care like what I dress or how I dress. So, like, I buy my clothes at a supermarket. You know. I know, I'm not the most fashionable person, but as for Black Friday, you know, I think a lot of times, parents want to get stuff for their kids, you know, they want to get that special gift. Maybe I think that's what attracts a lot of the crowds.
托德：我一点儿也不喜欢购物。我不在意我穿的什么或是怎么穿。我会在超市买衣服。我不是最时尚的人，至于黑色星期五，我想很多时候家长想给孩子们买东西，给孩子们买特别的礼物。我认为那可能是吸引大量人群的原因。

Aimee: Yeah, it is, you know, once Thanksgiving is over then it's the buildup to Christmas, so of course there's the stress of preparing everything in time for that. It's hard to resist really good bargains, I guess if you're trying to be careful with your money. You're trying to be sensible or there's those gifts that, you know your child really wants, so I can understand people feel a lot of pressure to do that.
艾米：对，没错。感恩节一结束，就要为圣诞节做准备了，人们面临着按时准备好一切的压力。而且如果人们要谨慎花钱的话，那很难抵抗住便宜商品的诱惑。你试图保持理智，可是你的孩子们有想要的玩具，所以我可以理解，人们有很大压力。

Todd: I mean, some of the stores, look like they've been through a hurricane after the crowds go through it. It's crazy.
托德：在购物人群离开以后，有些商店看上去像经历了一场飓风。非常疯狂。

Aimee: It does sound awful. Doesn't sound like my idea of a good time.
艾米：听起来的确很糟糕。那可不是我对快乐时光的理解。

Todd: No. Now there is one option though if you don't want to face the crowds and all the hysteria, you can do what's called Cyber Monday.
托德：不是。不过如果你不想面对人群和那种疯狂的状态，还有一种选择，你可以选择“网购星期一”。

Aimee: OK.
艾米：好。

Todd: Do you have Cyber Monday?
托德：你们国家有“网购星期一”吗？

Aimee: No, I'm not familiar with it.
艾米：没有，我不太熟悉这个。

Todd: So Cyber Monday - I think it's the Monday after Black Friday - and you just get all the deals online over a 24 hour period.
托德：“网购星期一”是“黑色星期五”之后的那个周一，24小时内你可以在网上买到打折品。

Aimee: OK, is like this remainder, leftover stock? Or is this like a new ...?
艾米：好，这使我想到了库存尾货。还是这是新的……

Todd: No, this is just the online stuff, so I think it's just, you know, the Amazons and all the online stores, that they want to have their deals that people can buy.
托德：不是，就是在线购物，亚马逊网站和其他在线商店想吸引人们购物。

Aimee: They wanted a piece of the action, basically.
艾米：可以说他们也想分一杯羹。

Todd: Yeah, yeah. Exactly so they can make it super, super ...
托德：对，对。完全正确，这样他们就可以制造超级……

Aimee: It's too much!
艾米：那太过了！

Todd: Yeah.
托德：对。

Aimee: It is all too much.
艾米：太过了。

Todd: I know, we should have like a, you know, I don't know, a cut back on spending. But if you cut back on spending, then you're hurting the economy, right, so ...
托德：我知道，我们应该削减开支。但是如果削减开支，那就会损害经济，所以……

Aimee: I know. It's true.
艾米：我知道。你说得没错。

Todd: Yeah!
托德：对！