精彩对白

Mrs Simpson: 3,2,1 and booze.

David: Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York.

Mrs Simpson: How lovely to see you both. Welcome to our little country shack¹.

Bertie's wife: I came at the invitation of the King. Your Majesty².

David: All right.

Bertie's wife: Sorry we're late.

Bertie: Very nice to see you, Mrs Simpson. Very nice. Hello David. Making... some changes to the garden I see.

David: I am. I am not quite finished yet.

Bertie's wife:  Don't tell me I behaved badly, Mr Churchill.

Churchill: On the contrary, your Royal Highness. Etiquette³ decrees royalty⁴ should be greeted by the official host: in this case: the King. Not a commoner.

Bertie's wife: Thank you.

Churchill: What is her hold on him?

Bertie's wife: I've no idea. Apparently⁵ she has certain...skills, which she learnt in an establishment in Shanghai.

Mrs Simpson: David.

David: just be a sec, darling. Excuse me.

Bertie: David, I've been trying to see you...

David: I've been terribly busy.

Bertie: Doing what?

David: Kinging.

Bertie: Really?

David: Kinging.. is a precarious⁶ business these days!

Bertie: Where is the Tsar of Russia? Where is Cousin Wilhelm?

David: You're being dreary⁷.

Bertie: Is Kinging laying off eighty staff and buying yet more pearls for Wallis while there are people marching across Europe singing “The Red Flag”?

David: Stop your worrying. Herr Hitler will sort that lot out.

Bertie: Who'll sort out Herr Hitler?

David:  Where's the bloody⁸ 23'?

Bertie: And you've put that woman into our mother's suite⁹?

David: Mother's not still in the bed, is she?

Bertie: That's not funny.

David: Here it is, Wally likes the very best.

Bertie: I don't care what woman you carry on with at night, as long as you show up for duty in the morning!

David: Wallis is not just some woman I am carrying on with. We intend to marry

Bertie: Excuse me?

David: She's filing a petition for divorce.

Bertie: Good God. Can't you just give her a nice house and a title?

David: I'm not having her as my mistress.

Bertie: The Church does not recognise divorce and you are the... head of the Church.

David: Haven't I any rights?

Bertie: Many privileges...

David: Not the same thing. Your beloved Common Man may marry for love, Why not me?

Bertie: If you were the Common Man, on what basis could you possibly claim to be King?!

David: Sounds like you've studied our wretched constitution.

Bertie: Sounds like you haven't.

David: Is that what this is all about? Bashing up? Hence the elocution lessons? That's the scoop¹⁰ around town.

Bertie: I'm trying to... to...

David: Yearning¹¹ for a larger audience are we, B-b-b-bertie?

Bertie: D-don't...

David: What's that? I'm sorry. Young brother trying to push older brother off throne... Po..Po..sitively medieval. Wallis.

Mrs Simpson: Where have you been all this time?

David: I've been talking to.

Mrs Simpson: Never mind. It's very complicated little king you're.

David: I tried to be.

妙语佳句 活学活用

1. booze: 酒宴，豪饮。这里是说“酒宴开始”。

2. country shack: 乡村小屋。Shack这里就是指“简陋的小屋，棚屋”。

Shack up with还可以表示“与某人同居”，例如：He was looking for a dame¹² to shack up with when the police picked him up.（他正在找女人鬼混的时候，警察把他逮住了。）

3. commoner: 平民。与之相对的则是aristocrat（贵族）。此外，commoner还可以表示“自费学生”或者“有共用权者”。

4. Tsar of Russia: 俄国沙皇。俄国沙皇尼古拉二世就可以称为Tsar Nicolas II of Russia。

5. dreary: 沉闷的，枯燥无味的。

例如：You can thank your lucky stars (that) you don't have to go to this dreary reception.（你真走运，不用出席那死气沉沉的招待会。）

6. sort someone out: 整治，惩罚，收拾（某人）。

下面再向大家介绍一些sort out构成的短语：

separate/sort out the men from the boys 表明╱证明谁有技能（或更勇敢等）

sort out/separate the sheep from the goats 辨别好人和坏人，区分良莠

sort something/somebody/yourself out 妥善处理某人（或自己）的问题

sort itself out 问题自行化解

sort out/separate the wheat from the chaff¹⁴ 识别优劣；分清好坏；去芜存菁

7. carry on with: 与某人调情。一般指不正当的男女关系。

8. file a petition for divorce: 申请离婚，办离婚手续。

9. elocution: 演讲技巧，演说术。

10. scoop: 抢先报道的新闻，独家新闻。

例如：She scooped¹⁵ all the national newspapers to get the story.（她抢在全国各报之前发表了这一消息。）

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