ACT 3-2 “抱歉，我失陪了。”

【故事梗概】

Susan把Harry請入房間，Harry加入了她和Marilyn的晚餐。隨后，Marilyn知趣的起身告辭，留給Susan和Harry一段獨處的時間。

Harry: Hi!

Susan: How... ?

Harry: Your downstairs neighbor let me in.

Susan: Did you go home?

Harry: I did, but everything is OK, so I decided to come back. To apologize for leaving so early, I brought you a little gift. It’s a bonsai tree for your new apartment. Hi, Marilyn. I hope it’s not too late.

Marilyn: Oh, not at all. We’re still eating.

Susan: Please, come in. Join us. It’s our meal from the restaurant. And how is your daughter?

Harry: Oh, she’s fine. It was only a tummy ache.

Susan: It’s good that you went back.

Harry: Yes, I think it’s important for me to be there since her mother died.

Susan: I agree. Aren’t you hungry?

Harry: As a matter of fact... I am hungry.

Marilyn: There’s lots of food left.

Harry: Mmm, this is delicious!

Susan: Enjoy!

Marilyn: I’m going to excuse myself. I have a lot of work to do to get ready for tomorrow. Good night, Harry. It was nice meeting you.

Harry: Bye, Marilyn.

Marilyn: Good night, Susan.

Susan: Good night, Marilyn.

【語言點精講】

1. How...?

這句話實際上要問"How did you go inside the building? "

Harry明白Susan要問什么，所以沒等Susan說完，他已回答了"Your downstairs neighbor let me in."（你樓下的鄰居放我進來的。）

2. To apologize for leaving so early, I brought you a little gift.

為了就早走了一步向你道歉，我給你帶來一件小小的禮品。

To appologize for... 為了就某事道歉...

3. It’s a bonsai tree for your new apartment.

bonsai tree是指“盆栽，盆景”。

美國人有時喜歡送給朋友一盆綠色的盆景來向朋友表示希望友誼長存。

4. I think it’s important for me to be there since her mother died.

我認為我在場是很重要的，因為她母親不在了。

since在這里是“因為，由于，既然”的意思。

5. Aren’t you hungry?

你一定餓了吧？因為Susan知道Harry沒有吃晚飯，所以她沒有問"Are you hungry?"，而是用了反問句，意思相當于You must be hungry.

6. There’s lots of food left.

在口語中，以 There 開始，表示“有...”的句子，常用單數形式there’s，盡管后面接的有可能是復數名詞。這是語言自然演變所致。書面語中仍宜區分。

7. I’m going to excuse myself.

抱歉，我失陪了。相當于"Sorry, I have to leave."

Marilyn想讓Susan和Harry有單獨交談的機會。句中"be going to do"表示比較短時期內的未來可以推定會發生的事或預訂要做的事。