Don't bet on love ( 别拿爱情打赌) 美文共享
在英语沙龙杂志上看到的文章,很不错的. 只是找不到英文原版和中文翻译.
我找它录到电脑上与大家共享,同时希望有英文原版和中文翻译的朋友能把它们共享,
谢谢!
“Free” Meal
――Excerpt from Don’t Bet on love
一、Introduction 选文简介
《“免费”的晚餐》（Free Meal）节选自美国作家Sheri Cobb South 的小说《别拿爱情打赌》（Don’t Bet on love）。Molly除了改变Gary的形象，还要教他一些社交礼仪。为了避免Gary邀请Colette在外用餐时出乱子，Molly用自家餐具教育Gary学高雅的餐桌礼仪。可实践才能出真知，Gary主动邀请Molly到一家很讲究的西餐馆找感觉。他们像一对恋人一样一起用餐，然而准备结帐时，Gary发现钱包落在家里了，两人只好求助家人。结果如何呢？
二、Questions Before Reading阅前思考：
1. if you want to invite your girlfriend or boyfriend to dinner, what kind of restaurant you will choose?
2. In case you find your wallet missing after dinner, how do you deal with it?
三、Selection 原文摘选：
“Free” Meal
――Excerpt from Don’t Bet on love
一、Introduction 选文简介
《“免费”的晚餐》（Free Meal）节选自美国作家Sheri Cobb South 的小说《别拿爱情打赌》（Don’t Bet on love）。Molly除了改变Gary的形象，还要教他一些社交礼仪。为了避免Gary邀请Colette在外用餐时出乱子，Molly用自家餐具教育Gary学高雅的餐桌礼仪。可实践才能出真知，Gary主动邀请Molly到一家很讲究的西餐馆找感觉。他们像一对恋人一样一起用餐，然而准备结帐时，Gary发现钱包落在家里了，两人只好求助家人。结果如何呢？
二、Questions Before Reading阅前思考：
1. if you want to invite your girlfriend or boyfriend to dinner, what kind of restaurant you will choose?
2. In case you find your wallet missing after dinner, how do you deal with it?
问题点数：80、回复次数：3Top
1 楼daipeanut（满天星I'mwaitingforyourcoming with a sincere heart）回复于 2006-03-17 10:17:45 得分 0
三、Selection 原文摘选：
At a quarter of six I sat on the edge of the living room couch, nervously smoothing the full skirt of my favorite turquoise blue dress. This is not a date, I kept telling myself. This is simply a trial run for Gary’s prom date with Colette, and you’d better not forget it. But no matter how often I said it, I couldn’t help feeling thrilled.
I almost jumped out of my skin when the doorbell rang promptly at six. Determined not to appear too eager, I forced myself to remain seated and let someone else answer the door. “Hey, Molly! Gary’s here!” Mark bellowed, and a moment later Gary entered the room
I had never seen him dressed up before. He was wearing a gray suit, a pale pink shirt, and a gray and pink paisley tie. The padded shoulders of his jacket helped to fill out his beanpole frame. Gary looked absolutely wonderful, from his new haircut all the way down to hiss…
“Reeboks?” I said, staring at his sneaker-clad feet. Who else would wear sneakers with a suit? “Wouldn’t wing tips be more appropriate?”
“I can tell you’ve never tried to buy shoes for size-fourteen feet,” Gary answered with a rueful grin. “I have to take what I can get.”
I could have hugged him. Success would never spoil Gary Hadley, that was for sure! We drove to the Lamplighter, an elegant new restaurant on the other side of town. The parking lot was crowded, but Gary finally found a vacant space marked “One Hour Parking Only.”
“This ought to be okay,” he said as we got out of the car. “o matter how may forks there are, it shouldn’t take more than an hour to eat dinner.”
A white-jacketed maitre d’( = maitre d’ hotel [法]侍者总管) met us at the door and led us across the candlelit dining room to a secluded table for two after we were seated, I opened my enormous menu. My heart sank when I saw the prices printed there. If Gary was willing to shell out that kind of money for a trial run, he must have high hopes for prom night!
I decided to skip the appetizer and selected an entrée that I hoped wouldn’t strain his budget too much, then gazed wistfully at Gary, who was still absorbed in studying his own menu. In spite of his new look, he would never be handsome in the classic sense of the word, like Steve or Mark. Gary was too long and skinny for one thing, and his nose hadn’t shrunk any. If I looked closely enough, I could still find traces of the boy with the shaggy hair and the thick glasses – the boy I had fallen in love with.
Just then Gary looked up from his menu and caught me watching him “What is it, Molly?” he asked anxiously. “Have I done something wrong already?”
I smiled and shook my head. “Not a thing.” Reminding myself of the purpose of this outing, I asked, “So, is Colette going to the prom with you?” I figured he might have invited her after our cutlery session that afternoon.
“I haven’t asked her yet. What about you? Have you got a date?”
“I don’t think I’ll be going,” I said as casually as I could I had a sudden vision of myself at the prom, sitting alone on the sidelines with the other wallflowers while Colette glided across the floor in Gary’s arms. It was a pretty bleak prospect. “Oh, yeah? Have you got other plans?” Gary asked
I nodded. Of course I did. I planed to do what ay red-blooded American girl would do if the boy she loved was in the clutches of another woman – buy a box of chocolates and eat myself into a sugar-induced coma.
We ordered then, and soon our food arrived. It was delicious and the service was excellent, but I was too depressed to enjoy the meal. Gary concentrated on using the proper utensils, and I didn’t have to correct him once. But as I was eating my dessert, I noticed that Gary hadn’t touched his.
“Don’t you like the chocolate cheesecake?” I asked him. “I think it’s awfully good.”
“I haven’t tried it,” he confessed. “I can’t. I’ve run out of forks.”
We retraced our steps through the entire meal, matching each piece of silverware to the appropriate course. Sure enough, Gary was one fork short. I caught the eye of our waiter, who came to our table in an instant.
“Madame?”
“The gentleman needs a dessert fork,” I said. The waiter looked appalled and hurried off to fetch one.
“Hey, you’re pretty good at that,” Gary said, grinning at me. “I can tell you’ve had a lot of experience bossing guys around.”
I smiled to keep him from seeing how much his remark had stung. So that was what he thought of me! I was just a girl who bossed guys around. I had to admit that I’d certainly bossed him around, and look where it had led. If I hadn’t forced Gary into changing his image, Colette Carroll still wouldn’t know he was alive, and there might have been a chance for me.
The waited returned with Gary’s fork, and we finished our dessert. As we were getting ready to leave, Gary reached for his wallet. Then he looked at me with the oddest expression on his face.
“Molly, do you have any money with you?” he asked in a strange, constricted voice.
“I’ve got a few dollars and some change,” I said, reaching for my purse. “I think I can handle the tip.”
Gary laughed but there was no humor in the sound. “I’m afraid I’m going to need more than that.” He swallowed. “A lot more.”
“Gary? What’s wrong?” I asked, alarmed. By this time his face had taken on a sickly greenish cast.
“I don’t have my wallet!” he whispered. “I must have left it in my other pants!”
I thought fast. “Don’t panic! I remember seeing a pay phone in the lobby as we came in. Go call your parents and ask them to bring your wallet. Here ,” I added, pressing a quarter into his hand. “You’ll need this.”
Gary was gone only a couple of minutes. Even before he reached the table, I could tell by his stricken expression that he’d had no luck.
“There was no answer,” he reported, “and I just remember why. My dad’s company is having a dinner tonight. He and Mom probably won’t be back for hours!”
“I’m sure my parents are home,” I said, standing up. “I’ll call them right away.”
Gary grabbed my arm. “Molly, on! I can’t let your family pay for this.”
“you can pay them back tomorrow,” I said, gently removing his hand from my arm. “Back in a flash.”
My luck was no better than Gary’s. I got a busy signal, and I was almost positive that Mark was tying up the phone. I hung up, waited a few seconds, and tried again, with the same result. If I could have gotten my hands on my brother at that moment, I would have choked him. I tried two more times without success, so I finally called the operator, intending to ask for an emergency interrupt. But she informed me that nobody was talking on the phone – there was trouble on the line. By that time, several people were waiting to use the phone and giving me some pretty dirty looks. I was forced to admit defeat. I hung up the receiver, collected my quarter, and returned to the dinning room.
“Were they home?” Gary asked hopefully.
I sighed. “I don’t know. There’s something wrong with the phone, so all I got were busy signals.”
At that moment our waiter reappeared. “Will there be anything else?” he asked.
Gary and I exchanged helpless looks. Neither of us knew what to do. Finally Gary spoke. “I’d like to have a word with the manager, please.”
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2 楼yangfasheng（悟法:前面是绝路,希望在拐角）回复于 2006-03-21 08:37:45 得分 40
*************************************************************
“Free” Meal
――Excerpt from Don’t Bet on love
一、Introduction 选文简介
《拘留所之夜》（One Night in custody [k^stedi]）节选自美国作家Sheri Cobb South 的小说《别拿爱情打赌》（Don’t Bet on love）。Gary 和 Molly 为餐馆洗了两个多小时的盘子才免费解决餐费问题.正当他们疲惫地走到停车场时,才发现停车也过时了.由于他们没有驾驶执照,被警察带到了警局.在等待双方家长来保释的过程中两个人又进一步交心,更加了解对方. Gary 虽然口头不承认,但也开始表达了对 Molly 真挚的爱. 阅读时请注意体会和欣赏 Molly 的心理活动.
二、Questions Before Reading阅前思考：
1. If you were jailed, who would be the last one you wanted to inform?
2. If you were a parent, what would be your feeling when you were informed by the police that your kids were detained?
三、Selection 原文摘选：
"Oh, my aching feet!" I moaned two hours later as we left the Lamplighter through the back door." I can hardly wait to get home and take off these heels!"
Gary took my arm as we crossed the parking lot. He looked very different from the boy who had picked me up earlier that evening. His tie was loosened, his collar unbuttoned, his shirtsleeves were rolled up to the elbow, and he had slung his jacket over one shoulder.
"See? And you laughed at my Reeboks!" he teased." Seriously, Molly, thanks for helping out. But I wish you had let me call a taxi to take you home."
"How would we have paid for it?" I asked. “Anyway, it's not like I've never washed dishes before, you know."
"Yeah, but there's a difference between washing dishes for a family of four and washing dishes for a whole restaurant full of people," Gary replied." And you looked so pretty tonight, too."
My heart was too full of pleasure at Gary's compliment to mind his use of the past tense. “Gary, I don't mind," I said softly. “Honestly, I don't."
We had reached the spot where Gary had parked the car, when a man stepped out of the shadows. Moonlight gleamed on the badge he wore, and suddenly I had a sinking feeling that our troubles weren't over yet.
"This is your car, sir?"
"Uh, yes sir," Gary replied.
"Do you realize you've been parked for over three hours in a one-hour zone?" the officer continued.
"To tell the truth, I forgot," Gary admitted. “But there's a perfectly logical explanation..."
"Your driver's license is all the explanation I need." The policeman held out his hand "Oh, right." Gary automatically reached for his back pocket, then remembered his dilemma. "Oh, no!" He groaned, covering his face with his hand. "I don't have it with me, but I can explain..."
"you'd better save your explanations for the chief, kid." The policeman jerked his thumb in the direction of his squad car. "We're going to the station. You too, miss," he added.
Gary and I were silent during the short drive to the police station. Gary sat beside me in the backseat, staring gloomily out of the window. All the confidence he'd gained over the past few weeks seemed to have melted away(v.消失, 融掉). I was pretty sure he was thinking of Colette, and although I'm not usually a vindictive person, at that moment I found myself hating her.
I gave a little sigh of pure helplessness, and Gary turned at the sound, giving me a slightly forced smile as he reached for my hand. He gave it a quick squeeze, and didn't release it until we arrived at the police station.
Once inside, we were each allowed to make one phone call. Fortunately, we were both able to get through to parents this time. I hadn't realized just how awkward it would be until I heard Dad's voice on the other end of the line. How do you break the news that your parents have to come and pick you up at the police station?
Somehow I managed a brief explanation, and when I hung up, our arresting officer led us to the desk sergeant on duty.
"All right, what happened?" the desk sergeant asked.
...
The sergeant turned back to Gary. “Were you able to reach your parents when you called just now?"
"Yes, sir," Gary said. "They're on their way."
"Mine are coming, too" I added in case anybody was interested.
"Fine. If you can show me a valid driver's license, I'll tear up both tickets. Meanwhile(n.其间, 其时,此时,同时), I'll have to hold you in custody until your parents arrive."Top
3 楼yangfasheng（悟法:前面是绝路,希望在拐角）回复于 2006-03-21 08:37:55 得分 40
Officer Cummings led us to a small room he called a holding pen(holding pen 候宰栏), but it sure looked like a jail cell to me. He stepped back and allowed us to enter, then pulled the door closed behind us.
I sank down(sink down 沉落) onto the bench that ran along(run along v.离开, 把...送去) one wall, then took of my high-heeled shoes and stretched my aching legs out in front of me. Gary packed back and forth like a caged animal, running his hands through his hair.
"You might as well sit down," I said at last. "You'll wear a path in the floor."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." He sat down beside me on the bench, leaning forward(探身过去) with his elbows propped on his knees and his chin in his hands.
As I watched him, I found myself wishing our parents wouldn't hurry to our rescue too soon. Colette might have Gary tomorrow, but at least for tonight, he was all mine. A night in a jail cell with Gary suddenly seemed wonderfully romantic, and it was definitely something that he would never be able to share with Colette.
"I'm so sorry about all this, Molly," Gary said, breaking the silence. "I can't seem to do anything right!"
"Oh, Gary, please don't apologize." I reached out and touched his arm. "It wasn't your fault. And I thought you were terrific back there at the Lamplighter, talking to the manager." Steeling(坚硬起来的) myself to say the despised(轻视) name, I added, "I bet Colette would have been proud of you."
Gary gave a humorless laugh. "Yeah, right."
"Well, she should be! After an evening like this, any girl would be proud to go out with you! Look at(考虑, 着眼于) it this way. How many people know what it's like behind the scenes at the fanciest restaurant in town? How many people get to ride in the back of a squad car? How many people have adventures like these when they go out on dates?"
Too late, I remembered that this was not a date, and lapsed into embarrassed silence(to lapse into silence 慢慢便沉默了).
Gary slipped his arm around my waist. "You are a good sport, Molly," he said softly, and then he bent (bend v. 弄弯, 使弯曲) his head and kissed me lightly on the cheek.
At that moment Officer Cummings reappear, jingly(叮玲响的) the keys to our cozy cell. "Hadley and McKenzie, your folks(人们, 亲属(复数), 民族) are here," he said.
I reached for my shoes, glad of(对...感到高兴) an excuse to hide my face from Gary before my expression gave me away. A good sport, he'd called me. I didn't want to be a good sport. I wanted to be the girl Gary loved -- but Gary loved Colette Carroll.
The rest of the evening seemed sort of anticlimactic after all we'd been through. I was quiet during the drive home, but my mind was racing with thoughts of Gary and me – and Colette. The minute Gary had kissed me, I knew I couldn't go on coaching him and then just turn him over to Colette. I would have to tell Mark that from now on Gary was on his own -- even if it meant telling Mom and Dad about the speeding ticket. Funny, but that didn't seem nearly as big a deal as it had just a few hours earlier. I guess going to jail has that effect on a person.
custody v 扣留；监禁
The criminal was taken into custody by the police.
罪犯被警方拘留。
jail (n. 监狱,拘留所,vt. 监禁,拘留 )
detain (v. 拘留,扣押, 留住, 阻止)
moan (呻吟; 悲叹[泣], 抱怨, 悲痛; 发出呻吟声, 呼啸)
park n公园, 停车场, 炮场 vt.停放(汽车等)(有特殊用途的一块土地：a parking lot.停车场)
earlier(早的,初期的)
tie n 带子, 线, 鞋带, 不分胜负, 关系, 领带, 领结, 平局
vt.
系, 打结, 扎, 约束, 与...成平局
vi.
被用带(或绳子等)系住, 结合, 打结, 不分胜负
(loose [lu:s]松脱； 解开,放松, 松开)
collar(v 衣领； 硬领)
unbuttoned(adj.解开钮扣的,无拘束的)
(shirtsleeve n.衬衫袖子，衬衣袖子)
(sling vt 吊挂,(自由地)悬挂；)
elbow([el'bou]n.肘),
roll up v.袅袅上升, 卷起, 到达, 出现, 积累成
roll up one's sleeve v. 卷起袖子, 准备行动
Reeboks n.(南非) 短角羚 a sneaker 运动鞋
tease vt 逗弄,取笑；嘲弄,戏弄
Seriously adv. 认真地, 真诚地
Thanks for helping me.感谢你帮助我。
help out 帮助(某人),帮助(某人)解决困难[做某事]
pay for v.偿还, 赔偿
Anyway adv.用任何方法、方式 adv.[口]从任何观点来看,无论如何,不管怎样
Compliment n. 称赞, 恭维, 致意, 问候, 道贺
vt.称赞, 褒扬, 恭维
Tense [tens] adj. 紧张的, 拉紧的
v. (使)紧张, (使)拉紧
honestly adv. 真诚地, 公正地
spot n. 班点, 污点, 地点, 场所, 现场
v. 沾污, 弄脏, 侦察
vt. 认出, 发现
step out v. 暂时离开, 外出娱乐, 下台, 辞职, 加快脚步
shadow n.阴影, 影子, 影像, 预兆, 庇护, 隐蔽处, 阴暗, 少许
vt. 遮蔽, 使朦胧, 预示, 尾随
Moonlight n. 月光
gleam n.微弱的闪光, 一丝光线, 瞬息的一现
vi. 闪烁, 隐约地闪现
vt. 使发微光, 使闪烁
badge n. 徽章, 证章
sink vi 减[衰]弱, 沮丧, 消沉; 沦落
His heart sank at the thought of war.
想到战争他的情绪显得十分低沉。
trouble n. 烦恼, 麻烦, 动乱, 纠纷, 疾病, 故障, 问题
vt. (使)烦恼, 麻烦, 打扰, 麻烦自己, 费神, 费心
reply n. 答复, 报复, 答辩
vi. 答复, 回击, 报复, 答辩 vt. 回答
to tell the truth adv. 说实话
officer n. 政府官员, 军官, 警官, 船长 vt. 指挥
admit v. 容许, 承认, 接纳
perfectly adv. 完美地；正确地；圆满地
logical adj. 合乎逻辑的, 合理的
explanation n. 解释, 解说, 说明, 辩解, 互相讲明
expectantly(期待地, 期望地).
squad car n. 警察巡逻车
chief n.首领, 领袖, 酋长, 长官, 主要部分, 最有价值的部分
adj.主要的, 首要的, 首席的, 主任的
n. 领袖；首长；首领
the chief of police警察局长
police station n. 警察分局,派出所
backseat n. 后座, 次要位置
run through v. 跑着穿过, 刺, 戳, 贯穿, 匆匆处理, 划掉, 挥霍
turn over v. 打翻, 营业额达到, 周转, 移交给, 反复考虑, 翻身, 折腾, 翻阅
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