影片對白  People are instinctively drawn to partners who are their near equal in looks.

 

9. force on

這個片語的意思是“強加于，強迫……接受”，Emma kept forcing her friend Harriet on Mr. Elton 意思就是“艾瑪一直強迫她的朋友哈里特接受埃爾頓先生。”

10. pair up

很好理解，就是“make a pair of, match”，比如：I always have trouble pairing up their socks. 把他們的襪子湊成雙總是讓我很煩惱。

這個片語也可以寫成 pair off，比如：Jean mentally paired off her guests whenever she planned a party. 每次吉恩籌辦聚會，她心里都會把客人們配成一對一對的。

文化面面觀

《艾瑪》Emma by Jane Austen

《艾瑪》被看成是簡?奧斯汀最成熟的一本小說。里面的人物，沒有完美，都有這樣那樣的小缺點，顯得真實可愛。小說反映了那些中產階級的生活狀態，無所事事，每天就是東家長，西家短，看不起比自己低的階級。這也是當時英國社會的風貌。

Emma is a comic novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1816, about the perils of misconstrued romance. The main character, Emma Woodhouse, is described in the opening paragraph as "handsome, clever, and rich" but is also rather spoiled. Prior to starting the novel, Austen wrote, "I am going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like."

Emma Woodhouse is a young woman in Regency England. She lives with her father, a valetudinarian who is principally characterized by excessive concern for the health and safety of his loved ones. Emma's friend and only critic is the gentlemanly Mr Knightley, her "neighbour" and brother of her sister's husband. As the novel opens, Emma has just attended the marriage of Miss Taylor, her old governess and best friend. Having introduced Miss Taylor to her future husband Mr Weston, Emma smugly takes credit for their marriage, and decides that she rather likes matchmaking.

Against Mr. Knightley's advice, she next tries to match her new friend, Harriet Smith (a sweet but none-too-bright girl of seventeen, described as "the natural (i.e. illegitimate) daughter of somebody" to the local vicar, Mr Elton, first persuading her to refuse an advantageous marriage proposal from a respectable young farmer, Mr Martin. Her matchmaking scheme goes awry when it turns out that Mr Elton, a social climber, wants to marry Emma herself— not, as she had hoped, the poor and socially inferior Harriet. After Emma rejects his proposals, Mr Elton goes on holiday. Harriet fancies herself heartbroken, though Emma does her best to convince her that Mr Elton (who will reveal himself to be more and more arrogant and pompous as the story continues) is beneath them both.

An interesting development for Emma is the arrival in the neighbourhood of Frank Churchill, Mrs Weston's stepson, whom she has never met but in whom she has a long-standing interest. Mr Elton returns with another newcomer--a vulgar wife who becomes part of Emma's social circle, even though the two women loathe each other. A third new character is Jane Fairfax, the reserved but beautiful niece of Emma's impoverished neighbour, the loquacious Miss Bates (another comical character who serves to lighten the scene). Jane, who is very accomplished musically, is Miss Bates's pride and joy; Emma, however, envies her talent and somewhat dislikes her. Jane had lived with Miss Bates until she was nine, but Colonel Campbell, a friend indebted to her father for seeing him through a life-threatening illness, then welcomed her into his own home, where she became fast friends with his daughter and received a first-rate education. On the marriage of Miss Campbell, Jane returned to her relations, ostensibly to regain her health and prepare to earn her living as a governess.

In her eagerness to find some sort of fault with Jane — and also to find something to amuse her in her pleasant but dull village — Emma indulges in the fantasy, shared with Frank, that Jane fancied Miss Campbell's husband, Mr. Dixon, and that it is for this reason she has returned home, rather than going to Ireland to visit them. This suspicion is further fueled by the arrival of a piano for Jane from a mysterious, anonymous benefactor.

The plot becomes quite complex as Emma tries to make herself fall in love with Frank simply because everyone says they make a handsome couple. Emma ultimately decides, however, that he would suit Harriet better after an episode where Frank saves her protégée from a band of Gypsies. During this time, Mrs. Weston wonders if Emma's old friend Mr Knightley might have taken a fancy to Jane. Emma promptly decides that she does not want him to marry anyone, but rather than further exploring these feelings, she claims that she wants her nephew Henry to inherit the family property. When Mr. Knightley scolds Emma for a thoughtless insult to Miss Bates, she is privately ashamed, and tries to atone. Around this time, Emma is further discomfited when she learns that Jane and Frank have been secretly engaged for almost a year. When Harriet confides that she thinks Mr. Knightley is in love with her, jealousy forces Emma to realize that she loves him herself. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Knightley proposes to Emma, Harriet reconciles with her young farmer, and everyone lives happily ever after. (wikipedia)

考考你

將下面的句子譯成漢語。

1. All the tennis players had to pair off for a round of doubles matches.

2. I'm afraid you've just entirely missed the point.

3. People are instinctively drawn to partners who are their near equal in looks. The pretty marry the pretty, the ugly the ugly.

The Jane Austen book club《奧斯汀書會》精講之二 考考你 參考答案

1. 嘿，你通過律考以后給我個電話好嗎？

Now, you give me a call when you pass the bar exam.

2. 我叔叔一時沖動買下了那房子。

My uncle bought the house on an impulse.

 

影片對白  People are instinctively drawn to partners who are their near equal in looks.

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(英語點津Annabel編輯)