VOA流行美語 Unit 303:打死不願意&不能通融

李華陪Larry去買車。今天我們要學兩個常用語：caught dead和deAl breaker.

LL: Thanks for helping me shop for a car, Li Hua. It's always good to have advice from someone you trust when making a big purchase.

LH: 別客氣。你昨天上網給我看了你要買的車，我就知道你需要有人給你出謀劃策。

LL: You didn't like the pictures? I think that bright purple pickup truck would have been great!

LH: 那輛皮卡是不錯，可你要開亮紫色的車，先得換個女朋友才行。

LL: What do you mean? You wouldn't be caught dead riding in a purple pickup truck?

LH: Caught dead? 我的意思是說那輛車顏色太醜，難道安全也有問題嗎？

LL: Actually, no. When you say you wouldn't be "caught dead" doing something, it means that you would never do it, because it would be really embarrassing if someone saw you.

LH: 沒錯，我絕不會坐那麼難看的車。I wouldn't be caught dead riding in a purple pickup truck. 要是讓別人看見，那我可真是沒臉見人了。

LL: Oh come on...I do lots of things with you that normally I wouldn't be caught dead doing for you.

LH: Oh yeah? Like what?

LL: Well normally I wouldn't be caught dead singing in public, but last weekend I agreed to go to the karaoke bar with you.

LH: 別裝了，我從來沒見有人唱Ricky Martin的歌唱得那麼投入的。

LL: Alright, maybe I enjoyed it a little bit. But don't tell anyone. I wouldn't be caught dead doing that in front of my male friends.

LH: 言歸正傳，你不如買輛雙人自行車，咱倆可以一起騎？

LL: Are you kidding? Two-person bikes are so lame. I wouldn't be caught dead riding one of those.

LH: 你什麼時候變得這麼沒情趣了！不想唱卡拉OK，不想騎自行車 know, normally I wouldn't be caught dead with such a boring guy. 我一般情況下是絕不會跟這麼乏味的男孩子交往的。

LL: Are you kidding? Nobody who has a purple pickup truck can be considered boring.

LH: Larry, 你覺得這輛車怎麼樣，又省油，又安全。

LL: Yeah, but just look at how boring it is. It's plain white, and it's not a convertible.

LH: 買車可是件大事，你不能光看車的外表，還得考慮實用性。

LL: Yeah, but look. It doesn't even have a sunroof. I would still buy it even though it's not bright purple, but I'm afraid the sunroof is a deal breaker.

LH: 什麼是deal breaker?

LL: A deal breaker is a critical condition that must be met in order for you to do something.

LH: 你的意思是，不是敞篷車沒關係，不是亮紫色也沒關係，這些都可以湊合，但是如果沒有天窗，那就絕對沒商量嘍？

LL: That's right. Or say you were thinking of dating a guy. He might be really nice, good looking and funny, but if he lived with his parents, that would probably be a deal breaker.

LH: 在中國，男朋友跟父母住在一起是很常見的。這我可以接受，但是如果他開的是一輛亮紫色的汽車，那乾脆免談。That would definitely be a deal breaker.

LL: Really? Well in my case, I'm afraid a poor taste in cars would definitely be a deal breaker for me.

LH: 你生氣了？我是開玩笑的。雖然我不願意坐紫顏色的車，但你自己開，我還是沒意見的。

LL: Well that's good. I need a car that can fully express my individuality. I wouldn't be caught dead in one of these boring, ordinary cars.

LH: 你如果真的這麼喜歡紫色的話，那就買，我支持你。

LL: You know what Li Hua, I think you're right.

LH: 不過你可想好了，一定要能負擔得起保修費用才行。

LL: If it breaks down, I will just live in the back. That's how much I love that purple truck.

LH: 好，那咱們可得講清楚，我的男朋友可以住在父母家，但絕不能睡在車裏。That is definitely a deal breaker!

今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是caught dead意思是打死也不願意。另一個是deal breaker，意思是不能通融的條件。