聚会之后

Fred： ①So， was it just me， or did someone spike the punch last night？

Susan： Huh， I thought it tasted a bit strong. But that’s not good if someone actually did that. It’s not the same as it was in school. ②Because now， besides impairing the judgment of those driving home， there could have been a recovering alcoholic in our class who just fell off the wagon thanks to some immature prankster.

Fred： Yeah， those are certainly concerns that never seemed to plague us in our younger days. It’s a testament to the wider perspective provided us by father time.

Susan： So did you hit it off with any old flames yesterday？ I could’ve sworn I spotted a few divorcees eyeing you like their next prey.

Fred： Funny you should mention that. I did have a few admirers come over and strike up a conversation. I was a pretty easy target for a chat， since my feet were firmly planted as far from the dance floor as possible.

Susan： Well， one hurdle at a time， right？

Fred： Right. And how about yourself？ I couldn’t help but notice you and Mike looking awfully chummy over there in the corner， right next to that 50-proof fruit punch. A coincidence？ I think not.

Susan： ③You just love to twist the knife don’t you？

Fred： What do you mean？ You two seemed to pick up right where you left off in high school.

Susan： ④Well， yes and no. He’s…not the man I expected. Fred： How so？

Susan： He seemed…lacking， like there was something missing in his life， a void of some sort. And I got the impression that he was counting on me to fill that emptiness. I mean， that’s just way too much responsibility on my shoulders. Maybe， as a young girl， I found that kind of longing fervor romantic， but now it all seems a bit juvenile.

Fred： So， are you gonna go on a date with him？ Give him a chance at redemption？

Susan： Mmmm…Nah！ I’ve got my eye on someone else; an old friend， with a penchant for giving sage advice.

Fred： Sounds like a lucky guy.

Susan： You tell me， you feeling lucky？

弗雷德：那昨晚，是我還是其他什么人在宾治里加了烈酒呢？

苏珊：呵，我感觉那酒的度数是有点高。如果有人真的往里面加了烈酒就不太好了。现在可不比在学校那会儿。因为现在这样做的话，除了会削弱驾车回家人士的判断力外，还可能会令班上已经戒了酒的人酒瘾复发，那可真是多亏了那个不成熟的捣蛋鬼。

弗雷德：是啊，这些问题我们年轻的时候似乎从来就没担心过。可见岁月让我们懂得更全面地考虑问题了。

苏珊：那你昨天有没有和哪个老相好擦出火花？我敢发誓我看到几个离异的同学看你的眼神就像在物色对象。

弗雷德：你提得正好。确实有几个倾慕我的人过来和我搭讪。我一直都尽量呆在远离舞池的地方，所以我很容易成为闲聊的对象。

苏珊：嗯，慢慢来，对吧？

弗雷德：对。你呢？我不经意间发现你和迈克在那个角落里亲密得很，紧挨着那瓶25度水果宾治。你俩是碰巧凑一块吗？我觉得应该不是。

苏珊：你就爱揭人伤疤是不是？

弗雷德：你啥意思？你俩貌似自高中分手后又重新开始了。

苏珊：嗯，不好说，是，也不是。他……不是那个我要等的人。

弗雷德：怎么会呢？

苏珊：他似乎……缺了点，就好像他生命里缺了点什么，某种空缺。而我觉得他指望我去填补那个空缺。我的意思是，我感觉我承担的责任有点重。也许，当以前还是个小女孩的时候，我会觉得那种炽热的情感很浪漫，但现在只会觉得那样不太成熟。

弗雷德：那么，你打算和他约会吗？给他一个补偿的机会？

苏珊：唔……不啦！我已经看上别人了;一个老朋友，一个老爱给人忠告的老朋友。

弗雷德：看来那人运气不错。

苏珊：那你告诉我，你觉得自己运气是不是不错？

Smart Sentences

① So， was it just me， or did someone spike the punch last night？ 那昨晚，是我還是其他什么人在宾治里加了烈酒呢？

spike the punch： add alcohol to the punch（往宾治里加酒，通常是烈酒）。例如：

Jack， don’t you dare spike the punch. These people have a long drive home after the party.

杰克，你别想往宾治里加酒，派对之后这些人要开车行驶很长的路才到家。

② Because now， besides impairing the judgment of those driving home， there could have been a recovering alcoholic in our class who just fell off the wagon thanks to some immature prankster. 因为现在这样做的话，除了会削弱驾车回家人士的判断力外，还可能会令班上已经戒了酒的人酒瘾复发，那可真是多亏了那个不成熟的捣蛋鬼。

fall off the wagon： resume drinking alcohol again after quitting（戒酒后再喝酒）。例如：

Both my brothers got clean for two years and have never fallen off the wagon.

我的两个哥哥滴酒不沾两年了，一直没有再喝过。

③ You just love to twist the knife don’t you？ 你就爱揭人伤疤是不是？

twist the knife： do or say sth. to make an unpleasant situation more unpleasant（揭他人疮疤）。例如：

Can you please stop talking about your acceptance to Yale？ It’s twisting the knife for poor David—he failed his college entrance exam.

拜托你能不能别再说你被耶鲁大学录取的事？可怜的大卫的大学入学试考砸了，你这是在揭他的疮疤。

④ Well， yes and no. He’s…not the man I expected. 嗯，不好说，是，也不是。他……不是那个我要等的人。

yes and no： used when you can’t give a definite answer because the answer is in some ways yes and in other ways no（不能说定，是也不是）。 例如：

—Are you excited to see your old love after all these years？

过了这么多年再见到你的旧爱，是不是很兴奋？

—Yes and no. It’s a bit complicated.

是，也不是。这事有点复杂。