ACT 1-1 “ 我想聽聽您的意見。”
【故事梗概】
在Stewart家的起居室里，Marilyn正在設計一件連衣裙。她停下來一會兒，和Ellen談心。她和Richard將要有孩子了，買自己的房子另住的事提上了議事日程。就此事她想聽聽Ellen的意見。
Marilyn: Ellen, I’d like your opinion.
Ellen: About what?
Marilyn: Well, Richard and I feel that with a baby coming we need to have our own place to live.
Ellen: Oh.
Marilyn: Well, what do you think about Richard and me looking for a small house or an apartment at this point in our lives?
Ellen: We love having you here, and there is room and … and when the baby comes, the baby can stay in your room for a while.
Marilyn: Richard feels we need to find a small house.
Ellen: I remember when I was pregnant with Richard Philip and were living with Grandma and Grandpa. Philip was a young doctor, and he kept talking about having a house of our own. It’s natural.
Marilyn: What did you do?
Ellen: We looked at a lot of houses.
Marilyn: Did you find one?
Ellen: Oh, not at first. We couldn’t afford it. Grandpa wanted to lend us the money to buy one, but Philip is too independent. He didn’t want to borrow any money.
Marilyn: Sounds like Richard.
Ellen: They’re all alike. Richard is a real Stewart. He’s independent and sometimes just stubborn.
【語言點精講】
1. I’d like your opinion.
我想聽聽您的意見。這是一種征求別人的意見，詢問某人的看法的表達方式。
2. About what?
我的什么意見？ 在這里相當于“My opinion about what?”
口語中，當上下文意思比較清楚時，句中可省略重復的部分。
3. Well, Richard and I feel that with a baby coming we need to have our own place to live.
哦，Richard和我覺得，我們快要有孩子了，需要有自己的房子住。
with a baby coming: 指快要生孩子了。
our own place: 這里指的是“a house belonging to ourselves”，自己的房子。
4. Well, what do you think about Richard and me looking for a small house or an apartment at this point in our lives?
呃，Richard和我在我們生活中的這個時候找一所小住宅或者一處公寓房子，你認為怎么樣？
What do you think about…? : 你覺得…怎么樣？你認為…怎么樣？在征求別人的意見時可以使用這個句型。
at this point: 在這個時刻。相當于at this time.
5. We couldn’t afford it.
我們買不起。
afford: 買得起，承擔得起(費用等)。常接在 can, could 或 be able to 后面。
6. Grandpa wanted to lend us the money to buy one, but Philip is too independent. He didn’t want to borrow any money.
爺爺要想借給我們錢買一所房子，可是Philip獨立性太強了。他不想借錢。
lend : 借出，借給。borrow: 借入，借來。
7. Sounds like Richard.
聽起來像 Richard一樣。用來表明 某人的行為方式像另一人的。
8. They’re all alike.
他們斯圖爾特家的人都是一個樣子。
alike: 在這里作為表語形容詞，用于be，look，sound等系動詞或半系動詞后面，表示“一樣的，相同的，相似的”。
