华尔街高级英语 Lesson 62

79. So, Annie, you called the meeting. What’s on your mind?
80. The thing is, I feel that far too many people have been coming around here lately,
81. and a lot of them we hardly know. And what with that story in “The Sunday Post”, well, to be honest with you,
82. I just don’t feel very safe right now.
83. So what do you want to do about it?
84. I want to propose¹ a rule: that we just don’t allow any outsiders to come into the house, for the next few weeks at least.
85. What, not even friends?
86. No, not even friends. There is nothing to stop us going over to their places.
87. Well, it sounds a bit drastic², but I do see your point. OK, Annie, fair enough. I’ll support that.
88. Hmm. I do have small problem with it, I’m afraid. You see, I’ve decided³ to have piano lessons again,
89. and really start practicing seriously. And my teacher’s piano is being repaired at the moment,
90. so my plan was that he’d come over here and we could use our piano.
91. So if I agree in principle, could we make an exception⁴ for my piano teacher?
92. I don’t know. What do you think, Annie?
93. I’m sorry, Kate, but you’ll just have to make other arrangements.
94. Rules are rules, you know; the whole point of a rule is that there aren’t any exceptions⁵.
95. I’ll go, shall I?
96. Yes?
97. Let me in, please!
98. Certainly not! Firstly, I don’t know who you are, and secondly⁶ we’ve made a rule-
99. Then let me speak to Annie!
100. Who is it?
101. Dad! What on earth are you doing here?
102. Annie, please! Roger Temples’ after me; he’s trying to kill me!
103. Hey, is this your father? Amazing!
104. But why have come here? I thought you were staying in a hotel.
105. It’s not safe there! Look, he doesn’t know about this place! Annie, for God’s sake⁷, let me in, I’m your father!
106. Alright.
107. Hey, I’m sorry about this, ladies.
108. What about our rule? I thought there were no exceptions.
109. Dad, we’d better go up to my room. We can talk there.
110. Thank you, Annie. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.
111. That’s alright, but you can’t stay here long, I’m afraid.
112. This is my room, after you.
113. I must say, I still don’t understand why you choose to live like this, when you were brought up to appreciate the good things in life.
114. If you don’t like it here, you know what you can do.
115. Sorry my dear, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I’ve got something to tell you, Annie, which is very important for your future,
116. and which I didn’t get a chance to say at the restaurant the other day.
117. Because the police were after you?
118. Yes, but that’s not the point!
119. Do they know you’ve come here? Have they followed you?
120. I don’t know! No! Look, I didn’t come here to talk about the damn⁸ police!
121. They don’t understand anything, they never have and they never will. So can we drop the subject, please?
122. OK, what do you want to tell me, then?
123. Annie, as you know, I’ve made a fair bit of money in my time, through one thing and another.
124. A great deal of it I’ve spent rather selfishly on my own pleasure, I have to admit. But all this time I’ve also been thinking of you.
125. I’ve put aside a very useful little sum of money; I won’t say exactly how much.
126. But I don’t need money, Dad! I’m not interested in being a consumer; that’s not what my life’s about.
127. Not now, perhaps, but when you get married and settle down and have children,
128. I’d like to think you were secure⁹ and comfortable in a nice house, without any financial worries.
129. Don’t you understand anything, Dad? I’m not ever going to get married, or settle down, or have kids, ever!
130. That’s what you say now, because you’re young and you’re going through this revolutionary phase¹⁰.
131. We all do it, for heaven’s sake; it’s part of growing up. When I was your age I used to, go to work without a tie sometimes.
132. But we all grow out of it, Annie.
133. and that’s when you’ll be grateful to your old dad for having saved up a few hundred thousand for you.
134. Oh, this is such a waste of time.
135. I’ll tell you another reason why I won’t grow out of this and settle down, as you put it.
136. I can’t stand kids, particularly not babies. They make me feel ill!
137. But Annie, that’s not natural.
138. There’s no need to be so shocked about it. Plenty of other women feel the same way as me.
139. Of course, I blame myself for this. It must have been the way I brought you up. Where did I go wrong?
140. Oh. Dad, don’t be so silly! It’s probably got nothing to do with my up-bringing, and even if it has, so what?
141. I just wanted to see you happily married, with children around you, playing with their toys, and calling me granddad.
142. Well, I’m afraid you won’t. Anyway, what about David? He’s happily
married. Well, he’s married at least.
143. Don’t talk to me about David! I’ve written to him and he hasn’t replied; I’ve called and he’s never there.
144. Annie, you’re the only one I really care about. It wouldn’t matter a damn to me if I never saw David again.
145. Oh, my God! Who’s that?
146. You stay here, I’ll go and see.
147. What if it’s the police?
148. You’ll have to hide in the wardrobe.
149. Don’t let them in, whoever it is!

1 propose   

v.提出，建议；提名，推荐

参考例句：

• Did he propose marriage to you?他向你求婚了吗？
• I propose resting for an hour.我建议休息一小时。

2 drastic   

adj.严厉的，极端的，激烈的，猛烈的

参考例句：

• His view brings a drastic argument.他的观点引起激烈的争论。
• The situation brings home to us the need for drastic preventive actions.这种情况使我们深切地感到采取极端的行动是必要的。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 exception   

n.例外,除外

参考例句：

• Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception. 每个人都应该遵守纪律,你也毫无例外。
• There's an exception to every rule. 每项规则均有例外。

5 exceptions   

例外( exception的名词复数 )； 不包括在内的人（或物）； 规则的例外； 例外的事物

参考例句：

• Most children like sweets, but there are some exceptions. 大多数孩子喜欢吃糖果，但也有一些例外。
• Such exceptions do not invalidate the rule. 这些例外并不证明此规则无效。

6 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

7 sake   

n.缘故，理由

参考例句：

• He loves poetry for beauty's sake.他因为爱美而喜欢诗歌。
• We can't risk big things for the sake of small ones.我们不能因小失大。

8 damn   

int.该死，他妈的；vt.指责，贬斥，诅咒

参考例句：

• Damn this useless typewriter!这台破打字机真该死！
• I knew damn well what he was going to say.我非常清楚他要说什么。

9 secure   

adj.无虑的，安心的，安全的；adj.牢靠的，稳妥的；vt.固定，获得，使...安全；vi.(海上工作人员)停止工；vi.(船)抛锚，停泊

参考例句：

• He found a secure foothold and pulled himself up.他找到了一个稳固的踏脚处并爬了上去。
• Extra men are needed to secure the camp against attack.需要增加兵力以保护军营免受攻击。

10 phase   

n.相位，时期，局面，阶段；vt.逐步执行，实行，按计划进行

参考例句：

• The first phase of the project has been completed.第一期工程已经告一段落。
• It was a very important phase of history.它是一个非常重要的历史阶段。