影片對白

John: Nobodys home.

Gabrielle: I know, Ive been watching. I came to talk to you.

Mary Alice: Although she would need to be discrete.

Gabrielle: Keep working! What were you thinking, showing up at the hospital?

John: I had to see if she was okay.

Gabrielle: You need to keep a low profile right now.

John: Look, you and I are finished. From now on, Im sticking with Danielle.

Gabrielle: Why would you say that?

John: I hate myself for what we did! Okay? I cant sleep at night! Ive got to make a clean break.

Gabrielle: We werent driving the car. We didnt chase Juanita into the street!

John: Well, she wouldnt have been there if we werent having an affair.

Gabrielle: Oh, for Gods sakes, between you and Carlos! Listen to me carefully, you didnt do anything wrong.

John: Thats not what Father Crowley thinks.

Gabrielle: What?

John: I went to confession.

Gabrielle: Have you lost your mind? What did you tell him?

John: Everything.

Gabrielle: Including in the alley? Behind the truck sTOP?

John: Everything.

Gabrielle: Damn you!

Edie: Hello there!

Mr. Shaw: Good afternoon.

Edie: Ooh, well isnt this just as pretty as a picture book!

Mr. Shaw: Well, the plan is to put in a small condo.

Edie: You want to make some money, or you want to pussyfoot around?

Mr. Shaw: What do you suggest?

Edie: Im thinking strip mall. Ive run some numbers.

Mr. Shaw: Nice stationary.

Edie: Oh, its stolen.

Mr. Shaw: What do you mean?

Edie: After my house burned down, I was staying with this neighbor, Martha Huber. That is, until the old troll threw me out. Anyway, Id steal her stuff, shed steal mine. Circle of life.

Mr. Shaw: So this paper is hers?

Edie: Oh, God, yes.

Mike: What?

Susan: I just came over to say Im sorry, and Ill pay for all the damage.

Mike: Dont worry about it.

Susan: Well, so, in your mind, is the date off?

Mike: Well, you snooped around my house, and went through my stuff. Uh, yeah, in my book, thats pretty much a deal breaker.

Susan: Hold on a minute, now. I started snooping around because I found all that money by accident. And, and then, I found a gun. Are you a drug dealer or something?

Mike: Is that what you think?

Susan: Well, I wouldnt know because you never let me in. You know, theres this whole part of your life that you keep completely walled off.

Mike: I have a gun for protection, I keep cash for emergencies. Im a good guy, Susan, and you should know that. Im, Im not obligated to share every little detail of my life with you.

Susan: Well, every little detail is one thing. You know, weird creepy secrets, thats another.

Mike: You know what, I dont want to be with someone who doesnt trust me.

Susan: Well, maybe we shouldnt be dating.

Mike: Maybe we shouldnt.

Susan: Do you mean that?

Mike: Yeah.

Susan: Well, I hope that, your, you know, little secret keeps you warm at night because youre throwing something really great away to protect it!

妙語佳句，活學活用

1. keep a low profile

所謂“做人要厚道，行事要低調”，keep a low profile 就是“Stay out of public notice, avoid attracting attention to oneself.維持低調”。比如：

The government is trying to keep a low profile on this issue.
政府力圖在這個問題上維持低姿態。

Keep a low profile until the trouble over your activities is past.
在跟活動有關的麻煩事過去之前，你不要拋頭露面。

2. stick with

stick with 一般的意思是“堅持做……”，比如：

-Shall we change the plan? -No, well stick with the original one.
-大家變動一下計劃怎么樣? -不可以, 大家要按原計劃行事。

Hang on, can we stick with that point about cubism?
等一等，大家可以繼續談談關于立體主義的那個問題嗎？

而在這個片斷中，stick with 的意思是stay with， John的意思是“他將繼續和Danielle 談男女朋友”。

3. make a clean break

本意是“突變（徹底的改變）”，這里的意思是“完全和Gabrielle 斷絕關系”。比如：Finally, Ada decides to make a clean break with her drunkard boyfriend.

4. pussyfoot around

意思是“猶豫，懷疑，觀望”，比如：STOP pussyfooting around and say what you mean. 別那樣縮手縮腳的, 說說你到底的意思是吧。

5. strip mall

A mercantile establishment consisting of a row of various stores and business and restaurants along a road or busy street; usually opening on a parking lot. 從陣容上看，有點類似大家的商業街。

6. snoop around

這里的意思是“偷偷看探”，比如：The man has been snooping around outside my house for the whole day. 那個男性一整天都在窺視我家。

Snoop around 還有“巡邏”的意思，比如：
The house perfects often snoop around our campus at night. 學生糾察隊常常夜間在校園里巡邏。

6. wall off

本意是“用墻隔開”，這里Susan的意思是“Mike 把生活的大多數都（用墻）保護起來，不讓外人了解”，比如：Linda walls off her life to protect herself.

文化面面觀

Confession 懺悔——宗教的儀式，心靈的需要

Confessional

Confession of sins is an integral part of the Christian faith and practice. The meaning is essentially the same as the criminal one - to admit ones own guilt. Confession of ones sins, or at least of ones sinfulness, is seen by most churches as a pre-requisite for becoming a Christian.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, acknowledgment of sinfulness, in public or private, regarded as necessary for divine forgiveness. In the Temple period, Yom Kippur included a collective expression of sinfulness, and the day continues in Judaism as one of prayer, fasting, and confession. The early Christian Church followed John the Baptists practice of confession before baptism, but soon instituted confession and penance for the forgiveness of sins committed after baptism. The fourth Lateran Council required annual confession. The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches consider penance a sacrament, but most Protestant churches do not.

思想火花

怎么樣對待自己犯下的罪行，每一個人有不一樣的怎么看。在這一集的結尾，Mary Alice 說到：There is a widely read book that tells us everyone is a sinner. Of course, not everyone who reads this book feels guilt over the bad things that they do. In contrast, there are those who assume more than their share of the blame. There are others, who sooth their consciences with small acts of kindness. Or by telling themselves their sins were justified. Finally, there are the ones who simply vow to do better next time, and pray for forgiveness. 任何做法不過是為了獲得心靈上的安定。比較起來，改過和彌補或許是最好的了吧？

考考你

將下面的句子譯成英語。

1. Look, you and I are finished. From now on, Im sticking with Danielle.
2. Well, every little detail is one thing. You know, weird creepy secrets, thats another.

Desperate Housewives 1《絕望主婦》1（精講之七）考考你 參考答案

1. Of course Andrew is acting out. He has every right to be angry.
安德魯當然會行事沖動。他有理由生氣。

2. Mrs. Stark, you handle this however you see fit.
斯達克夫人，你看如何適合就如何處置吧。

3. Well he better be good, because when Im finished with you, you wont have a cent to your name!
他最好強一點，不然等大家離婚將來你將不名一文！