美語情景對話 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，託德，我有個問題。我注意到最近英國出現了“黑色星期五”這個節日，這對我們來說是件新鮮事。我不太清楚爲什麼會出現這個節日。我想那是美國節日。商店在11月大減價，人們瘋狂地去搶購電視等產品。你經歷過嗎？

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.

託德：不幸的是，我認爲這是我們美國最糟糕的出口輸出品。我並不喜歡“黑色星期五”。這個節日在我們國家的歷史大概有10或20年。我不記得是什麼時候開始的了，百貨商店會在感恩節之後的週五大減價，感恩節是11月的第四個星期四。

Aimee: Ah, that's the connection. OK, after Thanksgiving.

艾米：啊，那就是關聯點。在感恩節之後。

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.

託德：對，我認爲那天被稱爲“黑色星期五”的原因是，商店在那天會得到當年的利潤，或是類似的情況。

Aimee: OK, so it's blatantly all about money?

艾米：好，所以一切都和錢有關嗎？

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.

託德：哦，完全如此，最初他們會通知人們有廉價商品出售，不過後來他們開始不斷增加減價品，所以現在他們會提前公開低價產品，比如只有10臺電視機或其他商品賣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，低價產品的數量是有限制的。

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.

託德：對，所以有大量人羣聚集在商店，商店一開門，人們就會衝進去，可以說那完全是一場混戰。人們甚至會打起來，非常瘋狂。

Aimee: I've seen that. I've seen videos and clips, and it started happening in the U.K. now.

艾米：我看到過那種情況。我看過視頻片段，現在英國也有這種情況出現了。

Todd: Oh, no!

託德：哦不！

Aimee: And I can't believe it that people can be so greedy.

艾米：我簡直無法相信人們能如此貪婪。

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?

託德：尤爲煩人的是，你在和家人一起度假。你在享受美好時光，而後來你捲入了戰爭中。你知道我的意思嗎？

Aimee: Yeah, with strangers.

艾米：知道，和陌生人的戰爭。

Todd: Yeah.

託德：對。

Aimee: Or your neighbor even. It doesn't matter who it is, just fighting over a cheap TV.

艾米：或者甚至是和鄰居。無論是和誰，只是爲了一臺便宜的電視機而打架。

Todd: I mean, I'm proud to say I've never been to a Black Friday.

託德：我可以自豪地說，我從來沒在黑色星期五促銷時買過東西。

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.

託德：我想我這麼說可能有些虛僞，不過我從沒在黑色星期五促銷時買過東西。我只是看到過那種情況，我只是不太喜歡去購物中心和百貨商店那種大型商場。我不是購物狂。

Aimee: So you prefer online shopping?

艾米：你更喜歡網上購物嗎？

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.

託德：我一點兒也不喜歡購物。我不在意我穿的什麼或是怎麼穿。我會在超市買衣服。我不是最時尚的人，至於黑色星期五，我想很多時候家長想給孩子們買東西，給孩子們買特別的禮物。我認爲那可能是吸引大量人羣的原因。

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：對，沒錯。感恩節一結束，就要爲聖誕節做準備了，人們面臨着按時準備好一切的壓力。而且如果人們要謹慎花錢的話，那很難抵抗住便宜商品的誘惑。你試圖保持理智，可是你的孩子們有想要的玩具，所以我可以理解，人們有很大壓力。

Todd: I mean, some of the stores, look like they've been through a hurricane after the crowds go through it. It's crazy.

託德：在購物人羣離開以後，有些商店看上去像經歷了一場颶風。非常瘋狂。

Aimee: It does sound awful. Doesn't sound like my idea of a good time.

艾米：聽起來的確很糟糕。那可不是我對快樂時光的理解。

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.

託德：不是。不過如果你不想面對人羣和那種瘋狂的狀態，還有一種選擇，你可以選擇“網購星期一”。

Aimee: OK.

艾米：好。

Todd: Do you have Cyber Monday?

託德：你們國家有“網購星期一”嗎？

Aimee: No, I'm not familiar with it.

艾米：沒有，我不太熟悉這個。

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.

託德：“網購星期一”是“黑色星期五”之後的那個週一，24小時內你可以在網上買到打折品。

Aimee: OK, is like this remainder, leftover stock? Or is this like a new ...?

艾米：好，這使我想到了庫存尾貨。還是這是新的……

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.

託德：不是，就是在線購物，亞馬遜網站和其他在線商店想吸引人們購物。

Aimee: They wanted a piece of the action, basically.

艾米：可以說他們也想分一杯羹。

Todd: Yeah, yeah. Exactly so they can make it super, super ...

託德：對，對。完全正確，這樣他們就可以製造超級……

Aimee: It's too much!

艾米：那太過了！

Todd: Yeah.

託德：對。

Aimee: It is all too much.

艾米：太過了。

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 ...

託德：我知道，我們應該削減開支。但是如果削減開支，那就會損害經濟，所以……

Aimee: I know. It's true.

艾米：我知道。你說得沒錯。

Todd: Yeah!

託德：對！

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重點講解：
1. ratchet up 使）有一定上升；（使）有一定提高；
例句：He fears inflation will ratchet up as the year ends.
他害怕通貨膨脹會在年終更加嚴重。
2. converge on 彙集；集中；聚集；
例句： Hundreds of coaches will converge on the capital.
數百輛長途汽車將會在首都彙集。
3. be careful with 節約的；節省的；
例句：You will have to make a special effort to train your child to be careful with her pocket-money.
你得格外注意培養孩子的節儉意識，零花錢要省着花。
4. be familiar with 熟悉；熟知；
例句：He is familiar with export procedure.
他熟悉出口手續。
5. a piece of the action （通常爲了賺錢或提高影響力）插手，參與；
例句：They know the continent is growing fast and they want a piece of the action.
他們知道這塊大陸正在飛速發展，都想從中分得一杯羹。