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(fā)現(xiàn)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(biāo)，并把這次鉆石廣告當(dāng)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(xué)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(zhuǎn)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(rèn)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(quán)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(diào)他所談?wù)摰氖巧钌畹膼矍椋切杂?/p>
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(nóng)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
