純正地道美語第350期(外教講解):Being Tidy and Messy 整潔和邋遢

Being Tidy and Messy 整潔和邋遢

A：It is beyond me how you and Oscar can be roommates. You’re very tidy and he’s, well, a slob.

我真不明白你和Oscar怎麼能成爲室友的。你如此整潔，而他那麼邋遢。

B：It’s not always easy, but we’re making it work.

確實不容易，但是我們做到了。

A：Isn’t Oscar really messy all the time? Whenever I see him, his clothes are rumpled and his hair is unkempt.

難道Oscar不是一直很邋遢嗎？我每次見到他，都是衣服皺巴巴，頭髮亂蓬蓬的。

B：His room is really cluttered, but he keeps the common areas in passable condition. I do have to straighten up fairly often, and I sometimes have to pick up after him, but that’s because I’m pretty nitpicky.

他的房間確實亂七八糟，但是公共區域還是可以接受的。我確實需要經常清理，有時甚至跟在他後面收拾，但那是因爲我很挑剔。

A：That’s very tolerant of you.

你太寬容了。

B：Well, we have set up a system so that if things get too messy, I have some recourse.

我們制定了規章制度，如果太亂了，我有追索權。

A：Really, what’s your system?

你們的規章制度是什麼呢？

B：Oscar and I agreed that every time he leaves a big mess, I can fine him.

我和Oscar一致同意，每次他把房間弄得太亂，我可以罰款。

A：That seems kind of drastic, but maybe it works for you guys.

這聽上去非常嚴厲，不過或許對你們男孩子來說管用。

B：Yeah, it keeps the place pretty clean.

是的，這樣可以讓我們的房間非常整潔。

A：Still, knowing Oscar, you must have had to fine him a lot.

不過，根據我對Oscar的瞭解，你肯定罰了他很多次。

B：Let’s just say that my next vacation will be in Monte Carlo!

我只想說，我下一次度假想去蒙特卡羅。

nd me 難以理解。 If something is, for example, beyond understanding or beyond belief, it is so extreme in some way that it cannot be understood or believed. 例如：

What Jock had done was beyond my comprehension...
我無法理解喬克的所作所爲。

icky 吹毛求疵的

ighten up 清理

We'd better straighten up the house before they get back.
我們最好在他們回來之前把房子收拾好。

urse 追索權

Your only recourse is legal action.
你的唯一依靠就是訴諸法律。

of 稍微，有點兒，有幾分

I'm feeling kind of tired.
我感到有點累。

tic adj. 激烈的；猛烈的；（法律等）嚴厲的； 極端的

Our China is also undergoing rapid and drastic change.
我們中國也處在急劇的變動中間。