ESL Podcast 475 – Hiring a Hitman

Gus: Are you Shirley?

Shirley: Yeah, thanks for agreeing to meet me here. I’m told you’re the best sniper in the business and you can be discreet¹. I need a hitman who can do a job, then make himself scarce.

Gus: I’m your man. Tell me about it.

Shirley: There’s someone who’s been a thorn in my side, keeping me up at night, and it’s time to take him out.

Gus: Taking care of problems is my specialty². I’ll need a down payment now and the balance when I finish him off. We shouldn’t meet again, so I’ll tell you later where to make a drop.

Shirley: All right.

Gus: Good. How will I be able to spot the target?

Shirley: Here’s a picture. He’s usually in the yard in the afternoons.

Gus: You want me to kill a dog?!

Shirley: Right, he’s my neighbor’s dog and he keeps me up every night. Is that a problem?

Gus: You bet it is. Who do you think I am? People are disposable, but dogs? They’re a man’s best friend.

Shirley: Are you kidding me? You won’t take the job?

Gus: Nope, I won’t. If you want to pay good money to take out a dog, then that’s your prerogative³, but I have my standards!


Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 discreet   

adj.(言行)谨慎的；慎重的；有判断力的

参考例句：

• He is very discreet in giving his opinions.发表意见他十分慎重。
• It wasn't discreet of you to ring me up at the office.你打电话到我办公室真是太鲁莽了。

2 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

3 prerogative   

n.特权

参考例句：

• It is within his prerogative to do so.他是有权这样做的。
• Making such decisions is not the sole prerogative of managers.作这类决定并不是管理者的专有特权。