精彩对白

Amelia: Here we are.

Ghost Writer: Oh, here we are.

Amelia: I'm sorry. I think I'm over it, and then suddenly I realize I'm not.

Ghost Writer: Are you sure this is all right?

Amelia: Of course. My invitation said plus one.

Ghost Writer: Only I wondered if you might've wanted to bring your husband.

Amelia: That didn't work out. I hadn't appreciated quite how bored he was with being my plus one. Shall we go in?

Ghost Writer: Yeah.

Amelia: Amelia Bly, plus one.

Waitress: Thank you.

Ghost Writer: That was a bit of a turn-up, for the books, you calling me.

Amelia: I heard you weren't invited, and l thought you should be here.

Ghost Writer: Ghosts are never invited to the launch party, as a rule. We're an embarrassment¹. Like a mistress at a wedding. Sorry. I brought you a present.

Amelia: Thank you. That's very funny.

Ghost Writer: I thought, seeing as you were so keen to hold onto it, you might like it as a souvenir.

Amelia: Between you and me, it wasn't us, it was the Americans. They thought the book was a potential threat to national security.

Ghost Writer: But there's nothing in it.

Amelia: Something about the beginnings. I think that's what I heard.

Ghost Writer: The beginning?

Amelia: No, beginnings. The beginnings.

Ghost Writer: Beginnings?

Amelia: You all right?

Ghost Writer: Do you know that man? The one who's speaking to Ruth.

Amelia: Paul Emmett?

Ghost Writer: What's he doing here?

Amelia: Well, he was Ruth's tutor at Harvard when she was a Fulbright scholar. Why shouldn't he be here?

Ghost Writer: Do you mind if l have that back a second? I'm.. .

"Langs are Scottish folk, originally."

"Wife and child in tow, l decided² to.. ."

"I decided to settle."

Ruth: I miss Adam all the time. But never more than tonight. Not just 'cause we're meeting to launch his wonderful new book and he should be here to share the joy of his life story with us, but because he was so brilliant at making speeches and I'm so terrible.

"Langs are Scottish folk."

"Wife and child, Langs are Scottish."

 "Wife, Langs. Lang's wife."

"Lang's wife Ruth was recruited as a ClA agent by Professor Paul Emmett of Harvard University."

Ruth: Well, you'll be relieved to hear I'm not making a speech this evening. I just want to thank our wonderful publishers, Marty Rhinehart and John Maddox, and our attorney and friend, Sidney Kroll. And finally, but especially, Mike McAra. Mike, our thoughts are with you. In these very difficult few months, I've drawn³ great comfort from this book, from knowing that, despite the terrible double tragedy of losing both of them, Mike and Adam did at least live long enough to complete it. And I really believe that, as people read these pages, Adam's voice will keep on coming through for generations to come, eloquent⁴, strong and full of hope. Thanks to his words, he is with us still. If I've left out anyone's name, I hope you'll forgive me. But now I must make a toast. To the memory of a great man and a great patriot⁵, a wonderful husband and a devoted⁶ father. To Adam!

All: To Adam!

妙语佳句 活学活用

1. over it: 从某件事的阴影中“走出来了”，阿米莉亚的意思是“我以为我不会再难过了”。

2. My invitation said plus one: 我的邀请函可以带一个人。

3. turn-up: 意想不到的事，也可以说是turn-up for the book。

例如：The champion beaten in the first round? That's a turn-up for the book!（那冠军在第一回合中就败了? 真想不到哇！）

下面再向大家介绍几个turn up构成的短语：

turn your nose up at something 看不起；对……嗤之以鼻

turn up like a bad penny 人（不愿碰上的）却总出现；冤家路窄

come up/turn up trumps⁷ 打出王牌；做有助于获得（意外）成功的事

turn up the thumb 表示赞成

4. launch party: 这里指“新书发布会”。

5. wife and child in tow: 拉家带口地，in tow意思是“拖着，在一起”。

6. attorney: 律师（尤指代表当事人出庭者），或者（业务或法律事务上的）代理人。

美国官职中的“检查长”也可以用这个词表示，例如state attorney（州检查官）。

7. eloquent: 雄辩的，有口才的。

8. make a toast: 敬酒，为某人或某事敬酒则为make a toast to someone/something。

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