情景:乔和林芝在谈论刚刚看完的一场时装秀。
Joe: Well, that was quite a show!
Lin Zhi: I'll say. I've never seen one as good as it. That final dress was amazing! I don't even know what the material was.
Joe: Some kind of silk, I think.
Lin Zhi: But the way it was folded – really great. I thought the theme was good, too – that kind of 30s style.
Joe: Not very Chinese, though.
Lin Zhi: I think it was supposed to be influenced by Scottish style – you know, the designer was talking about house parties before the war, aristocrats, that sort of decadent sexy style. I'm glad they didn't just do that pre-war Shanghai style, because that's been so common recently.
Joe: Oh, that's why they had the skirts that looked like kilts, and those half-slung things over the shoulder.
Lin Zhi: And the funny things like little furry animals.
Joe: Sporrans!
Lin Zhi: Do Scottish people really wear that kind of costume? It looks very strange, especially on the men.
Joe: No, they just wear them for very formal occasions or when doing historical things. It's like a ceremonial old-style dress. Like the qipao or something.
Lin Zhi: Oh, I see. So it's a kind of dressing-up?
Joe: Yes, for weddings and balls and so on. Normally we'd wear suits, but Scotsmen can wear kilts on some occasions. Not for business though.
Lin Zhi: Well, they looked really good - the tartan patterns on the girls. And the place was really buzzing with energy.
Joe: I'm glad you had a good time.
Lin Zhi: How did you get the tickets?
Joe: One of the girls at work has a sister who works for the designer, and so she had spare tickets, and I was the only one who was free.I'm just glad you could come.
Lin Zhi: Well, it was very nice of you, but I'm sure you would have had a good time without me.All those pretty girls, wearing very little clothing.
Joe: Maybe! But there were some boys too. And those girls are so thin.
Lin Zhi: I worry about some of them, really. They don't look healthy. Maybe they have - how do you say it?Eating disorders?
Joe: You mean like anorexia and bulimia? I hear they're pretty common among models.
Lin Zhi: Is bulimia the one where you throw up after you eat? There was a girl in my college like that.
Joe: Yeah. Anorexia you just get thinner and thinner and don't eat.
Lin Zhi: There was a girl in my school who had these kind of psychological problems. She was very pretty, but she got so thin she looked like a little girl, not a woman. I think the models have them because, you know, there is so much pressure on them to be thin, so they can fit into the dresses.
Joe: I don't really understand how those dresses work. They're gorgeous, but nobody wears things like that in real life, and the pricetags are like thousands of dollars.
Lin Zhi: Well, first of all, you have to remember that some people do wear them – movie stars, rich girls, this kind of thing. Haute couture.
Joe: What?
Lin Zhi: It means 'High dressmaking'. You know, when you have a dress made to order for a specific client. But most of the fashion shows aren't aimed at that. It's more like getting ideas and names out there, which then they can push into the ordinary stores, for clothes that normal women will buy.
Joe: Oh, I see.
Lin Zhi: And accessories – really a lot of money is in the handbags and belts and things.
Joe: How do you know so much about this?
Lin Zhi: Well, I've always been a fashionable girl …
乔:啊,这场秀真棒!
林芝:完全同意。我从来没看过这么精彩的秀。压轴的那件衣服真是叫人称奇!我甚至都不知道是什么材料做的。
乔:我觉得应该是某种丝绸。
林芝:但是它打褶的方式——真是太棒了。我觉得主题也很好——有点像30年代的风格。
乔:但是不怎么像中国的风格。
林芝:我觉得它应该受到了苏格兰风格的影响——你知道,设计师在表现战前的社交聚会、贵族,就是有点颓废的性感。我很高兴他们没有做战前旧上海的风格,最近这个风格很泛滥。
乔:哦,这就是为什么他们的裙子看起来像苏格兰短裙,肩上还搭着半垂下来的东西。
林芝:还有那些看起来像小皮毛动物的有趣的东西。
乔:毛皮袋!
林芝:苏格兰人真的是这种打扮吗?看起来很奇怪,尤其是在男士身上。
乔:不,他们只在非常正式的场合或者举行历史庆典的时候穿。它像一种礼仪性的旧式服装。像旗袍之类的。
林芝:哦,明白了。那它就有点盛装打扮的意味?
乔:是,在婚礼上、舞会上等等。在某些场合我们通常会穿西装,但是苏格兰男士就能穿苏格兰短裙。但是商业场合不会。
林芝:啊,这些女孩穿起来真好看——那些彩色格呢样式。这地方真是让人兴奋啊。
乔:我很高兴你玩得开心。
林芝:你怎么弄到票的?
乔:有位女同事的妹妹帮设计师做事,她有多余的票,而我是唯一有空的人。我很高兴你能来。
林芝:哦,你真好,但是我肯定没有我你也会玩得很开心。那么多美女,还穿得那么少。
乔:有可能!但是也有一些男的啊。那些女孩可真瘦。
林芝:我还真替她们其中一些人担心。她们看起来不怎么健康。可能她们有——你们怎么说来着?饮食紊乱?
乔:你是说神经性厌食症和贪食症?我听说这些病在模特中很常见。
林芝:神经性贪食症是你吃完东西之后就吐出来是吧?我大学时有个女孩就是这样。
乔:是的。厌食症就是你越来越瘦,不想吃饭。
林芝:我学校有个女孩就有这种心理疾病。她特别漂亮,但是她太瘦了——看起来像个小女孩而不像女人。我觉得模特们会得这种病是因为,你知道,她们承受很大的压力要保持身材,这样才能穿下这些衣服。
乔:我真是不明白这那些服装是怎么赚钱的。它们很漂亮,但是现实中又没有人会穿成那样,而且价格好像要上千美元。
林芝:哦,首先,你得记得确实有些人穿啊——电影明星、富家女等等这类人。高级订制时装。
乔:什么?
林芝:它的意思是“高级的服装制作”。你知道,就是你按照某个特定的客户的要求制作服装。但是大多数时装秀的目的不是这个,更像是从这些秀当中为一般女性会购买的服装获取灵感和名称,然后可以再在普通商店推出。
乔:哦,我明白了。
林芝:还有配饰——那些皮包啊、腰带啊这类的东西利润很大的。
乔:关于这些你怎么知道这么多?
林芝:那个,我可一直都是个时尚达人……
Notes
1. be supposed to
意为“应该、被期望”。
例句:Everyone is supposed to wear a seat-belt in a car.
每个人在汽车里都应该系安全带。
The train was supposed to arrive half an hour ago.
火车本应在半小时之前到达。
2. dress up
意为“穿上特殊服装、打扮、梳理”。
例句:They all dressed up to take part in the New Year's party.
他们都穿上盛装, 去参加除夕晚会。
She dressed the children up.
她把孩子们打扮得漂漂亮亮。
3. be buzzing with
意为“因(兴奋等)而喧闹”。
例句:The room buzzed with excitement.
房间里发出一片兴奋的嚷嚷声。
The office is buzzing with rumors.
办公室里嘁嘁喳喳地议论著谣言。
4. throw up
意为“把……向上抛(推、举)、呕吐 、放弃”。
例句:All the crowd cheered and threw their hats up in the air.
整个人群都欢呼起来, 把帽子抛向空中。
Just the thought of eating snakes makes me want to throw up.
只要一想到吃蛇, 我就想呕吐。
She began studying medicine, but threw up after seeing her first operation.
她开始学医, 但见习了第一次手术后, 便放弃了学医。
5. fit into
意为“(使)适合、 (使)合乎……的时间(空间)、与……融为一体”。
I fear I will not fit into any future.
我怕我会与未来的任何社会都格格不入。
This stopper won't fit into the bottle.
这个塞子塞不进这个瓶子。
6. aim at
意为“瞄准、针对、以……为目标、打算”。
例句:He drew his pistol and aimed at the enemy soldier.
他拔出枪对准敌兵。
He aimed at the apple and orange.
他想要苹果和橘子。