Richard: Olive, tell him about your routine while you're doing this.

Olive: Okay. Little Miss Chili¹ Pepper is a beauty contest for everyone in Albuquerque, but you have to be six or seven and you have to be a girl.

Sheryl: This is our sister.

Richard: Cindy.

Sheryl: Spring break. Dwayne went to see his dad in Florida for two weeks and Olive went to Laguna to see her cousins. She made it to the top of the regionals out there.

Olive: I was in second place.

Frank: Well, what do you think your chances are?

Olive: I think I can win, because some of the other girls...they've been doing it longer, but I practice every day.

Frank: Yeah. Good luck.

Richard: Not about luck, Frank. Luck is the name losers give to their own failings. It's about wanting to win, willing yourself to win. You've got to want it badder than anybody else.

Olive: I do.

Richard: Then you're gonna be a winner.

Sheryl: Richard.

Richard: It's the truth. You know, actually, there is a message from Cindy on the machine. Something about Little Mrs. Sunshine. Sunshine.

Olive: What? Little Miss Sunshine?

Richard: Yeah.

Olive: What?

Cindy: Sheryl, it's Cindy. Remember when Olive was here last month? She was runner-up in the regional Little Miss Sunshine? They just called right now and said that the girl who won had to forfeit² her crown. I don't know why. Something about diet pills. But anyway, now she has a place in the state contest in Redondo Beach!

Olive: Oh, my gosh! I won! I won! I won! I won!

Richard: Finish your dinner!

Olive: I'm finished!

Richard: What happened?

Sheryl: I'm just calling to- Cindy! Yeah, we just got it. Yeah, she basically went crazy.

Olive: I won! I won! I won!

Sheryl: No, I didn't get that. The machine cut you off. Okay. Redondo Beach. This Sunday? Wh-are you guys going? Yes. Can you put it off?

Richard: They have to. They have to.

Sheryl: Where does that leave us?

Richard: We can't do it. We can't.

Sheryl: No, no, no, I understand that, Cindy. Yeah.

Richard: They-

Sheryl: I just- no, I'll just figure it out. Okay, bye-bye.

Richard: It's this Sunday? Why can't Jeff and Cindy take her?

Sheryl: They have some equestrian³ thing in Santa Barbara.

Richard: You know, they do that horse shit every single weekend.

Sheryl: Well, it's the nationals. They're taking both horses, so apparently⁴ it's a big deal.

Richard: What about Olive?

Olive: Little Miss Sunshine! Little Miss Sunshine! I won! I won! I'm going! We're going!

Richard: You promised?

Sheryl: We'll fly out and come back Monday.

Richard: How are you gonna get around out there?

Sheryl: We'll rent a car.

Richard: And stay at a hotel?

Sheryl: We can afford it.

Richard: Sheryl, this is our seed money.

Sheryl: Well, if I had a little help bringin' it in. You know-

Richard: Don't start that.

Sheryl: It all goes to your nine steps!

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Spring break

A period of recess⁵, usually lasting⁶ one week, during the spring term at school. 美国的学制，一学年通常包括四个学期：Fall Term, Winter Term, Spring Term and Summer Vacation。Spring break 是在春季学期放的假。

2. Cut off

这里的意思是"Interrupt the course or passage of, intercept"，例如：The operator cut us off.

此外，cut off 常用的意思还有：
1）Stop suddenly, discontinue，例如：He quickly cut off the engine.
2) Shut off, bar，例如：Their phone was cut off when they didn't pay the bill.

The drama was cut off by a news flash about tornado⁷ warnings.
Tom's father threatened to cut off his allowance.

3. Get around

这里 get around 的意思为"Travel from place to place"，例如：It's hard to get around without a car. 这个用法可以引申为"社交积极地、活跃地"，例如：Mary is never without a date--she really gets around.

4. Seed money

直译为"种子基金"，指的是"Money used or needed to set up a new business or enterprise. " Seed money may be utilized⁸ to conduct research, develop the prototype for a product, or determine if an idea is workable or economically viable⁹.

5. Bring in

"To yield, as profits or income赚得（钱、利益等）"的意思，例如：My part-time job doesn't bring in much, but I enjoy it.

上一篇：Little Miss Sunshine《阳光小美女》（二） 下一篇：Little Miss Sunshine《阳光小美女》（四）