文化面面觀：鉆石為什么昂貴

考考你：小試牛刀

本片段劇情：Ben和他的廣告競爭對手打賭他能讓任何一個正常的單身女人愛上他，此時Spears發現了在酒吧尋找“十天”男友的Andie，于是她故意指定Andie為Ben的追求目標，并把這次鉆石廣告當作賭注。

 

影片對白

Green: Selling a diamond to a woman is like making her fall in love. She has to feel giddy, desirous, adventurous, and desperate.

Spears: Take a look around this room, Phillip. Most of the women in this bar are looking for just that.

Ben: Exactly. The skills required to market diamonds are the same as those needed to make a woman fall in love, yes.

Spears: I'm not talking about lust. A woman in lust wants chocolate. A woman in love...wants diamonds.

Ben: Yeah, I'm not talking about lust, either, ladies. I'm talking about deep, meaningful, head-over-heels, his and her towels, Iet's grow old together, L-O-V-E. Look, I love women. I do. Whether they're four, 40, or my 88-year-old grandmother, I respect women, all right? And I also listen...to women, and that's why I can sell myself to any woman, anywhere, anytime.

Spears: Make a woman fall in love with diamonds, Benjamin...or with you?

Ben: Eh, either one.

Ben’s boss: Well, that's cocky, Ben.

Ben: No, not cocky--confident.

Spears: I'd like to see you prove that.

Ben: You would?

Spears: The agency's cohosting a party for the DeLauers at the Astor Museum. The party's a week from Sunday. Do you think you could make a woman fall in love with you by then?

Ben: Ten days?

Green: Any woman, anywhere, anytime?

Ben: Any single, available, straight woman--yes.

Spears: Yes. I'm not trying to trick you, Ben. In fact, we'll choose a woman right here, right now, in this bar, and then you decide.

Green: Ooh.

Ben: So, who's the lucky girl?

Green: Okay...Let's see here. Ooh, there's that blonde babe in the leopard print.

Ben’s boss: Whoa, ho, ho!

Green: She looks like fun.

Ben: Be nice, ladies.

Green: Or... wow, Miss Babylon Five. Now, she's on the prowl.

Spears: No. Her.

Ben: Her who?

Spears: Her, in the gray dress. Blonde hair. Pretty smile.

Green: Her?

Ben: Done.

Spears: What?

Ben: Done.

Ben’s boss: Done.

Andie: See the guy next to the horrible guy in the green shirt that I would never even consider? Okay?

Jeannie: Hmm! Very cute.

Andie: Right?

Jeannie: Good.

Andie: All right? Here I go!

Ben: Okay, you're on. But here are the stakes. After I win this bet, this pitch is mine.

Spears: Agreed.

Ben: Phil?

Ben’s boss: Agreed. You come to that party with a girl that's really in love with you, Ben...you can make the pitch to the DeLauers.

Green: But, Phillip, you can't...

Ben’s boss: I've made up my mind. To the DeLauers.

Ben: To the DeLauers.

Spears: Cheers.

Ben’s boss: Cheers.

Green: Cheers.

妙語佳句 活學活用

1.giddy: 暈眩的，眼花的。影片中Green是指戀愛會讓一個女人失去理智，頭腦不清。giddy也可以指身體感覺到的暈眩。例如：It makes me giddy to go on a merry-go-round.（我騎旋轉木馬要頭暈。）giddy也可以指“輕率的，輕佻的，輕浮的”，例如：a giddy young girl（輕佻的年輕姑娘）。

2. lust: （強烈的）性欲。影片中Spears認為充滿性欲的女人想要的是巧克力，但是墜入愛河的女人想要的卻是鉆石。lust還有“渴望，欲望”的意思。例如：an insatiable lust for personal power（對個人權利貪得無厭的欲望）。

3. head-over-heels: 是詞組head over heels的形容詞形式。

head over heels: <口>完全地，深深地，非常。例如：be head over heels in debt（債臺高筑）。也可以說成heels over head。影片中Ben強調他所談論的是深深的愛情，而非性欲。

head over heels還有“頭朝下的，顛倒的”的意思。例如：He fell head over heels into the gully.（他一個跟斗跌進了溝里。）

此外，head over heels還可以表示“紛亂地，魯莽地，匆促地”。看一下例子：

The children all tried to come in the door at once, head over heels.

孩子們推搡著，想一下子擁進屋來。

4. cocky: 驕傲自大的，過于自信的。

5. print: 印花布服裝。

6. on the prowl: 躁狂地尋求性伴侶。影片中Green看到一個女人正在酒吧里來回穿梭，尋找男性伴侶。on the prowl還有“潛行，四處巡覓，徘徊”的意思。例如：an investor on the prowl for profits（四處尋求利潤的投資者）。

prowl一詞作為動詞既有“潛行，搜尋”的意思，也有“徘徊，閑逛”的意思。請看例子：

Many wild animals prowl at night.（許多野獸夜出潛行覓食。）

I prowled around a farmer's field admiring the bridge.

我在一片農田里流連徘徊，對那座橋贊賞不已。

文化面面觀：鉆石為什么昂貴

考考你：小試牛刀