VOA流行美语 Unit 106: racket/That does it

今天Larry和李华在学校的书店里买书。李华会学到两个常用语：racket和That does it!

(Bookstore SFX)

LH: Hey, Larry, 你不是想买下学期的课本吗？那还不趁我们在书店赶紧买了？

LL: I want to buy them, but these prices are ridiculous! The textbook business is such a racket!

LH: 你想买书，可是又嫌这些书太贵呀？你还说出版课本的行业怎么啦？什么是a racket?

LL: That's right. I said the textbook business is a racket. A "racket" is an unfair criminal business that makes lots of money, like gambling or extortion.

LH: Oh, racket这个词在这里的意思是“牟取暴利”，就好比赌博和诈骗一样的非法行为。Larry，你的意思是这些课本定价过高，就象是在敲诈勒索，有那么严重吗？

LL: Absolutely! Look at this! This history book costs $90?! The publishers know we have no choice but to buy the book, so the prices are really high. What a racket!

LH: 哎哟，还真是的。这本历史书要卖九十美元，是够贵的。那些出版商明明知道我们没别的办法，只能买这些书，所以把价钱定这么高。这真是像敲诈勒索。那Larry, 你觉得还有什么是racket呢？

LL: I think that cable TV is a racket. There's only one company in town; they are always raising prices, and all the channels worth watching cost extra. It's a racket!

LH: 对呀，我们这儿只有一家提供有线电视的公司。他们老是涨价。可是Larry, 看不看电视问题不大。你知道吗 - 有的医院还趁人之危，敲诈勒索孕妇呢！

LL: Really? What do you mean exactly?

LH: 比方说，我听说有的医院让孕妇做一些不必要的检查，收的钱还非常多，那些孕妇不懂，只能听医生的。这真是和诈骗一样。

LL: Wow, now that's a real racket.

******

LL: Oh man, look at this! $85 for a book of old essays on U.S. Politics? That does it! I'm buying my textbooks online.

LH: 这本美国政治论文集要卖85美元？你说 - "That does it"? 这是什么意思？

LL: Well, when someone says "That does it", he means that he is so upset that he is no longer willing to accept something.

LH: 噢，"That does it"就是一个人对某件事非常生气，以致到了宁可放弃的地步。 哎，那不就相当于中文所说的“得了，算了吧”？Larry, 你是说这些课本要价太高，所以你干脆不在这儿买，到因特网上去买了？

LL: That's right! If a situation gets so bad that you cannot stand it, you can yell "that does it!", and then do something about the problem.

LH: Hmm... 要是你实在觉得忍无可忍，你就可以大声说：That does it!哎，Larry, 我好象明白这个用法了，可是你能不能再给我举个例子呢？

LL: Well, for example, if an employee always comes to work late, one day the boss might say "You're late again? That does it! You're fired!"

LH: Ah. 这正是我对我表妹说的话。她每天上班都迟到。我对她说总有一天他老板会觉得忍无可忍。你的老板会说：“得了，你今后别来上班了。”原来在英文里就可以说："That does it! You're fired!"

LL: Now you know how to use "That does it!" Why don't you give me an example.

LH: 有了，Larry，有一天你会在照镜子的时候对自己说， "That does it! 我一定要减肥了！"

LL: (Angry) That does it, Li Hua! I told you to stop making fun of my weight.

LH: Hey! 别生气，Larry! 我是跟你开玩笑呢！而且我发现你最近好像瘦了。你是不是在吃什么减肥食品啊？

LL: A special diet? No way! All those diet books and special foods are a racket. I just decided to exercise regularly and eat less junk food.

LH: 这话我同意，那些减肥书和减肥食品都很贵，主要是为了骗钱，其实最重要的是锻炼身体，少吃零食。Good for you, Larry!

今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是racket, 意思是价格太高，就象敲诈勒索一样。另一个常用语是That does it! 中文里可以说“得了，不干了！”