The english we speak(BBC教學)第91期:Why the long face 爲什麼拉長着臉
Jen: Hi I'm Jennifer and I'm waiting for Helen. I did see her in the corridor earlier, and she was looking a bit unhappy. Wait, here she is. Hi Helen!
珍：大家好，我是珍妮佛，我正在等海倫。我不久前在走廊看到她了，她看起來有點不高興。等等，她來了。你好，海倫！Helen: Hi Jen.
海倫：你好，珍。Jen: What's the matter, Helen? Why the long face?
珍：海倫，出什麼事了？你爲什麼拉長着臉？
Helen: What's wrong with my face?
海倫：我的臉怎麼了？Jen: Nothing's wrong with you. face, except that it looks a bit upset.
珍：你的臉沒問題，除了你的表情有點沮喪。Helen: But you just said I've got a long face.
海倫：可是你剛剛說我臉很長。Jen: No–what I said was…
珍：不，我剛剛的意思是……Helen: You think I've got a strange face. I KNEW I shouldn't have worn my hair like this today.
海倫：你覺得我的臉很奇怪。我知道我今天不該梳這樣的髮型。Jen: No, I asked you: "Why the long face?"
珍：不，我剛剛問你：“你爲什麼拉長着臉？”Helen: Is it my nose? Is it too big? Or maybe my chin is the wrong shape. Maybe I should just wear a bag over my head!
海倫：是我的鼻子嗎？鼻子太大了？或者是我下巴的輪廓很奇怪。可能我應該在頭上套個袋子！Jen: No, no, no–that's not what I meant! First of all, you look LOVELY today.
珍：不，不，不，我剛剛不是那個意思！首先，你今天看上去很可愛。Helen: OK… So what did you mean?
海倫：好，那你是什麼意思？Jen: In English, the expression "why the long face?" is used as an informal way of asking someone what's wrong if they look upset.
珍：這個表達是英語中一個非正式的用法，用來詢問某人爲什麼看上去很沮喪。Helen: So there's nothing wrong with my face?
海倫：所以我的臉沒什麼問題？Jen: No, there isn't. Let's hear some examples of the phrase in use.
珍：沒問題。我們來聽聽這個短語的一些例子。You've just got a new job, a new house and a new man–you should be happy! Why the long face?
你剛剛找到一份新工作，買了新房子，還有了新男友，你應該高興纔對啊！可是你爲什麼拉長着臉？Hey there, don't look so sad! Why the long face?
嘿，別這麼難過！爲什麼拉着個臉啊？Helen: So "why the long face?" is just another way of asking "what's the matter?"
海倫：所以這個短語是另一種詢問“你怎麼了”的方式。Jen: Exactly. You could also say "what's up?"
珍：沒錯。你也可以說“怎麼了？”Helen: That's very simple–you could say "what's wrong?" too.
海倫：這很簡單，也可以說“出什麼事了？”。Jen: So what IS wrong? Why do you look so miserable?
珍：那到底怎麼了？爲什麼你看起來這麼痛苦？Helen: I've just had a really bad day–everything has gone wrong. First I lost my car keys, then I was late for a meeting and I fell over and tripped and landed in a puddle on my way. It was a horrible day.
海倫：我剛剛度過了非常糟的一天，所有事都出了差錯。我先是弄丟了車鑰匙，然後我開會遲到了，我在路上被絆倒摔進了水坑裏。這一天真可怕。Jen: It sounds awful. I know, how about I tell you a joke to cheer you up–you'll like this one.
珍：聽起來真糟糕。我給你講個笑話讓你高興一下怎麼樣，你會喜歡這個笑話的。Helen: OK, why not. Let's hear it.
海倫：好啊，爲什麼不呢？我們來聽笑話吧。Jen: A horse walks into a bar. The barman says: "why the long face?"
珍：一匹馬走進一家酒吧。酒吧侍者說：“爲什麼你臉這麼長？”Helen: So the horse was unhappy? What's funny about that?
海倫：所以那匹馬不高興嗎？那有什麼搞笑的？Jen: The barman says to the horse "Why the long face?"
珍：酒吧侍者對那匹馬說“爲什麼你臉這麼長？”Helen: Why would a horse be in a bar?
海倫：爲什麼馬會進酒吧？Jen: It doesn't matter–it's a joke. It's a horse so the barman says "Why the long face?"
珍：那不重要，只是個笑話。那是一匹馬，所以酒吧侍者說“爲什麼你臉這麼長？”Helen: I don't understand.
海倫：我不明白。Jen: Well, the horse has a long face.
珍：嗯，馬的臉很長啊。Helen: So it's unhappy?
海倫：它不高興嗎？Jen: No, well, yes, but that's the joke. Horses have long faces.
珍：不是，那只是個笑話。馬的臉都很長。Helen: So why did it go into the bar again? I don't get it.
海倫：可是它到底爲什麼要去酒吧呢？我不明白。重點講解：
1. why the long face
幹嘛拉長着臉呢；
eg. Why the long face? You were laughing few moments ago, weren't you?
幹嗎拉長着臉？幾分鐘前你不是還在笑嗎？
eg. Why the long face, Frank? I've never seen you look so fed up.
弗蘭克。爲什麼板着臉？我從沒有看到你這樣不高興。
2. first of all
第一；首先；
eg. Marriage is, first of all, a contract which must be governed by justice.
婚姻首先是一種契約，它必須以公正爲制約。
eg. First of all, you should know what profession suits you.
首先，你該知道什麼職業適合你。
3. what's the matter
出什麼事了；
eg. You look fed up. What's the matter?
你滿臉不高興的樣子。怎麼啦？
eg. I don't know what's the matter, I feel wretched at one time, and buoyant at another.
我也不明白是怎麼回事，一會兒覺得喪氣，一會兒又覺得輕快。
4. what's up
出什麼事啦？出什麼問題啦？出什麼毛病啦？
eg. What's up? You look depressed.
怎麼了？你看上去很不高興。
eg. What's up? There's such a loud noise in the corridor.
出什麼事啦？走廊裏喧鬧聲那麼大。
5. what's wrong
怎麼了？
eg. You're like a cat on hot bricks 's wrong?
你今天煩躁不安，出什麼事了？
eg. Hi, Karen. What's wrong? You haven't touched your food.
嗨，卡倫，怎麼了？ 你一口飯都沒吃。
6. fall over
摔倒；跌倒；倒下；
eg. If he drinks more than two glasses of wine he falls over.
如果他喝酒超過兩杯，就會醉倒。
eg. He pretended to fall over.
他假裝跌倒。
7. how about
（用於提出建議或邀請）怎麼樣好嗎；
eg. How about going to a concert?
去聽音樂會如何？
eg. How about if we go tomorrow instead?
我們改成明天去怎麼樣？
8. cheer up
（使）高興起來；（使）振作起來；
eg. Try and cheer up a bit; life isn't that bad!
想辦法高興點兒,生活並不是那麼糟！
eg. I think he misses her terribly. You might cheer him up.
我估計他是太想念她了。也許你可以讓他打起點兒精神來。
