Part 1 Tom Passed Away! 汤姆去世了!
Dialogue Script 1 对话原文 1
Sarah: You know, Tom's been in the hospital for a couple of days.
Mike: And I'm the one who put him there with my football moves.
Sarah: But you're not to blame for them keeping him there.
Mike: Yeah, what was all that stuff about running tests about anyway?
Sarah: I'm not sure, but we can find out. I bought some crosswords to keep him busy.
Mike: Great, then let's go visit him. I want to give him some books, too.
讲解:
1. 对话中Sarah和 Mike很担心住院了的Tom,商量着想去医院看他。Tom's been in the hospital for a couple of days. 汤姆已经住院好几天了。couple是“一对,一双”的意思,但是这里a couple of people or a couple of things是一个习语,既可以指“两个人或者两件事情”,也可以指“几个人,几件事情”,比如说:I saw a couple of men get out.我刚才看见两个人出去了。 She jogs a couple of miles every morning. 她每天早上都要慢跑几英里。
2. 那么Tom为什么住院呢,原来是Mike在跟Tom玩橄榄球的时候,没有接好球而害Tom住院的。And I'm the one who put him there with my football moves. football moves,意思是“橄榄球动作”,move这个词在这里是指“动作”,因为跟运动相关的动作通常是一连串的,所以move前面加上运动名称的时候,move通常会用复数形式。Mike之所以这么说,是因为他为了接球而撞倒了Tom,造成他被送到医院急救,所以他在相当自责。
3. 但是Sarah安慰Mike说,But you're not to blame for them keeping him there. 但是那些人不让他出院,可不能怪你。这里的them当然是指医院的医护人员了。好,现在我们来说说blame这个词。blame表示“责怪,责备”,它的用法是blame sb for sth 或者blame sth on sb,我们来各举一个例子,I don't blame you for his death. 他的死责任并不在你。She blamed the failure of their marriage on him. 她把他们婚姻的失败全部归咎于他。
4. 关于blame 还有一个习语,就是在对话中出现的be to blame for sth,表示“对某件不好的事情负责,应该受责备”,例如,He was in no way to blame. 他决不应该受到责备。Tom was to blame for the accident. 汤姆应该对那起事故负责。Mike也觉得这些医生太过分了,总是让Tom做这样那样的检验,what was all that stuff about running tests about anyway? run tests,就是指“去医院看病的时候做检验,做检查”。
5. Sarah说她也不知道这些检查是做什么用的,但是他们可以去搞清楚。Find something out表示“经过研究或者询问获知某事物”,比如说,Can you find out what time the show begins? 你能去问问演出什么时候开始吗?
6. 但如果是find sb out,意思就是“发现某人做错事,撒谎等”,举个例子,He had been cheating the taxman but it was years before he was found out. 他一直偷税漏税,但是很多年之后才被查出。
7. Sarah还给Tom准备了一些crosswords,就是那种纵横格猜字的填字游戏。keep someone busy, 是指“让某人有事情做,不至于太无聊”。Mike提议一起去医院看Tom,他也为Tom准备了几本书做消遣。
Dialogue Script 2 对话原文 2
Sarah: Hello, I was wondering if Tom Smith has checked out yet?
Recept: Just one moment. I'll check with the cancer ward desk.
Sarah: The cancer ward! Oh, my God. (to Mike) It's worse than we thought.
Recept: Ma'am, I'm sorry. The cancer ward said Mr. Smith passed away two days ago.
Sarah: That's impossible! I'm talking about Mister Tom Smith.
Recept: Yes, Ma'am. He died from complications of stomach cancer. I'm very sorry.
Sarah: (Drops the phone) I'm going to be sick!
Mike: Sarah, what's wrong? What happened?
Sarah: Tom's dead. He...had...stomach cancer. It all makes sense now.
Mike: He stomachaches, headaches, bad moods --- and he threw up at the reunion!
Sarah: He had no energy and was so pale and skinny. Why didn't see it sooner?
Mike: Maybe the hospital got the wrong person! Call Fanny! She works in that cancer ward.
Sarah: OK, I'll call her place. You go check the obituaries in the paper. If it's true, he...it must be a mistake.
讲解:
1. 对话中Sarah和Mike打电话去医院询问Tom的情况,却被告知Tom几天前死于癌症并发症,这样Sarah和Mike难以置信。开始的时候Sarah说,I was wondering if Tom Smith has checked out yet? 我想知道Tom Smith出院了没有。wonder if 在这里用来提出要求,是一种礼貌的表达方式,比如说,I wonder if/ whether you could do me a favor. 我能不能请你帮我个忙。check out 是指“退房或者付款”,对话中是指“出院”。那“入住,办理登记手续” 等等就是check in。
2. 医院的服务人员说要问问癌症病房服务台,就是cancer ward desk,ward指“病房,医院里的通常容纳六个或六个以上病人的房间”,也可以指“特殊病房,医院里处理某种特殊病人的房间”,比如说a maternity ward就是指“产科病房”。Sarah一听要去查询癌症病房,就知道事情不妙,对Mike说,It's worse than we thought. 比我们想象的还要糟糕。服务人员回复说,Tom两天前就去世了,表示“去世,过世”这里用的是pass away,是一种比较隐讳的用语。
3. Sarah不敢相信,她说,I'm talking about Mister Tom Smith. 我说的是Tom Smith先生,而不是其他的人。但是得到的答案还是一样的,Tom已于两天前死于胃癌并发症,He died from complications of stomach cancer. 这里complication的意思是“并发症”,是一个医学术语了。比如说,Complications set in, and the patient died. 病人因为出现并发症而死亡。
4. Sarah听了这个消息,无比的震惊,I'm going to be sick! 我快要吐了,其实感到恶心的情况有很多种,比较特殊的是,美语里也会用I'm going to be sick! 这句话来表达哀伤,因为美国人认为人在非常伤心的时候会感觉恶心,这是个很自然的生理现象。不过一般情况下,看到令人作呕的东西,也句话也同样适用,比如说,---This movie only shows people getting killed. ---Let's turn it off. I think I'm going to be sick. ---这部电影只看得到杀人。---关掉它,我想我快要吐了。
5. Mike看到Sarah很不舒服,急忙问发生什么事情了,Sarah说,Tom死了,他有胃癌,现在一切都说得通了,It all makes sense now. 在这句话当中,make sense是一个常用短语,表示“事情合情合理,让人明白”的意思,所以碰上什么困惑的事情,最后总算解决了,搞清楚了,我们就可以说It all makes sense now. 我们来用一个对话做例子:---Andy and Joan were so happy before, but since they met Tammie, they fight constantly. ---It all makes sense now, Andy's in love with Tammie! ---Andy 和Joan以前在一起很开心,但自从认识了Tammie,他们就经常吵架了。---现在全说的通了,Andy 爱上了Tammie。
6. 那么是哪些事情都说得通了呢?Tom经常胃疼,头疼,脾气也很坏,在同学聚会上还吐了,他没有精神而且苍白消瘦,原来这一切都证明了Tom病的不轻,Sarah很后悔他们为什么没有早发现。大家比较熟悉的是stomachache 和headache这两个词作名词,在对话中,这两个词却成了动词,分别表示“胃疼”和“头疼”。throw up,这个词组表示“呕吐”,I'm going to throw up. 和上面提到的I'm going to be sick.一样,都表示“我快要吐出来了”。
7. Mike还是不愿意相信Tom已经得癌症死了,也许是医院搞错了,他建议给另一个朋友Fanny打电话,因为Fanny就在那个癌症病房区工作。Sarah说还会打电话到她家,那么打电话到某人家就是call one's place。
8. Sarah还建议Mike去查一查报纸上的讣闻,在美国呢,被通知参加葬礼的方式有这么几种,一是收到家属寄发的“白贴”,也就是funeral card,另一种就是看到报纸上的“葬仪启事”,就是death notice 或者funeral notice,或是登在报纸上的“讣闻”,也就是对话中的obituary。
9. 那么在写法上呢,白贴和葬仪启事差不多,都是说明死者过世的时间以及通知葬礼的时间和地点,而讣闻则可能会提到死者的生平事迹等等。Sarah真不愿意相信Tom的死是真的,还安慰自己说,It must be a mistake. 这一定是个错误。