这场戏：给恩杜古写信报丧
第 8 章 · 共 16 章 · 3'48"
海伦去世后，沃伦坐在空荡荡的老房子里，给资助的非洲孩子恩杜古写信。先铺垫一句 hope you're sitting down（先坐稳了），才说出 passed away（去世）。身为精算师，他算出自己九年内去世的概率是七成三，决定 make the best of（尽量过好）剩下的日子。想学委婉说生死、给自己打气，记这几句。
❝ 独白 · 25 句 算出余命后他说 make the best of（尽量过好）
percent chance 百分之……的可能性provided that 前提是make the best of 尽量过好can't afford to 耗不起、耽误不起
《关于施密特》里，海伦突然因脑血栓去世，沃伦独自坐在那座又大又旧的老房子里，提笔给资助的非洲孩子恩杜古写信。他先来一句 hope you're sitting down（先坐稳了），再说出 passed away（去世）这个坏消息；接着用精算师的职业习惯算出自己九年内去世的概率是七成三。情绪低落时，他提醒自己 make the best of（尽量过好）剩下的时间，也想象海伦会骂他 shape up or ship out（要么振作要么走人）。写信报丧、安慰自己、劝人打起精神，这些说法都能直接借用。
A1–C2 是欧标等级。点一个等级后，比它高的卡片会变淡，播放到那里不会自动暂停。
“Life is short, Ndugu.”
人生苦短啊，恩杜古。
四个词把一生讲完，放在丧妻的信里，比长篇感慨都重。
Life is short.
感叹要抓紧时间时用，写在信里、说给朋友都行，正式悼词里少用。
life is too short ／ time is short
literary
Life is 连读，short 落重音，Ndugu 轻收。
Life is short, so book the trip now. 人生苦短，赶紧把旅行订了吧。
“...I've got to make the best of whatever time I have left.”
剩下的日子，我只能尽量过好。
make the best of 不假装乐观，只承认剩下的时间得好好用，丧气里带着劲。
make the best of ...
处境没法改变时用来表态，比 cheer up 更实在，别用它劝刚遭重病的人。
make the most of what's left ／ do the best with what I have
中性
make the best of 连读，left 收尾下压。
We have to make the best of the smaller office. 办公室小了，我们只能尽量把它用好。
“Why, she'd tell me to shape up or ship out.”
嗨，她准会叫我振作起来，不然就滚蛋。
一句老兵式的狠话，借亡妻的口说给自己听，把自怜顶了回去。
shape up or ship out
半开玩笑地催人上进时用，对刚受打击的人说会太硬。
get it together or get out ／ straighten up or leave
口语
shape up 和 ship out 两处重音，or 一带而过。
The coach told the squad to shape up or ship out. 教练让全队要么振作要么走人。
“And I can't afford to waste another minute.”
我再也浪费不起任何一分钟了。
用算账的口气说余生，把丧妻之后的醒悟压成一句硬话。
I can't afford to ...
下决心结束拖延、劝人抓紧时间时用；对正在悲伤需要慢下来的人说会显得催促，别用。
I can't waste any more time. ／ There's no time to lose.
中性
can't afford to 连读，another minute 稍慢，句尾降调下决心。
I can't afford to waste another minute. I'm starting today. 我一分钟都不能再浪费了，今天就开始。
Dear Ndugu. I hope you're sitting down... ...because I'm afraid I've got some bad news. Since I last wrote to you, my wife, Helen, your foster mother... ...passed away very suddenly from a blood clot in her brain. The services were lovely and very well attended. Jeannie came in from Denver with her friend... ...and folks drove up from as far away as Des Moines and Wichita. It was a very moving tribute any way you look at it. I wish you could've been there. But now that all the excitement is over and the smoke has cleared... ...it's just me and my thoughts knocking around in this big old house. I believe I mentioned in my previous letter that I was an actuary... ...at Woodmen of the World Insurance Company. If I'm given a man's age, race, profession... ...place of residence, marital status, and medical history... ...I can calculate with great probability how long that man will live. In my own case, now that my wife has died... ...there is a 73 percent chance that I will die within nine years... ...provided that I do not remarry. Here's an opportunity, one on three. A backhand shot, and score! All I know is... ...I've got to make the best of whatever time I have left. Life is short, Ndugu. And I can't afford to waste another minute.
亲爱的恩杜古。 希望你正坐着看这封信…… ……因为恐怕我要告诉你一个坏消息。 自从我上次给你写信以后，我的妻子海伦，也就是你的养母…… ……因为脑部血栓，突然就走了。 葬礼办得很体面，来的人也很多。 珍妮带着她的朋友从丹佛赶来了…… ……还有人从得梅因、威奇托那么远的地方开车过来。 不管怎么说，那都是一场很感人的悼念。 真希望你当时也在。 可现在热闹劲过去了，事情也尘埃落定了…… ……就剩我一个人，脑子里翻来覆去，在这座又大又旧的房子里打转。 我想我在上一封信里提过，我在做精算师…… ……在世界伐木者保险公司。 只要告诉我一个人的年龄、种族、职业…… ……居住地、婚姻状况和病史…… ……我就能相当准确地算出他能活多久。 就拿我自己来说，我妻子一走…… ……我在九年内去世的可能性是百分之七十三…… ……前提是我不再婚。 机会来了，一打三。一个反手，得分！ 我只知道…… ……剩下的时间不管多少，我都得好好过。 人生苦短，恩杜古。 我不能再浪费哪怕一分钟了。
下一章 · 09maiden voyage首次出行这场戏：公路旅行被请吃饭它是「去世」的委婉说法，比 died 更温和，用在正式或悲伤的场合。跟人报丧、写讣告时都很常见，比如 my wife passed away suddenly 就是我妻子突然走了。
说 shape up or ship out，语气很强，像在下最后通牒：要么改好，要么离开。台词里沃伦想象海伦会这么骂他，说明这句话也可以半开玩笑地用在自己身上。
意思是「尽量把…过好」，在不好的处境里尽力而为、别放弃。台词里 make the best of whatever time I have left，就是剩下的时间不管多少都要好好过。
在要说出坏消息前用，字面是「希望你正坐着」，意思是先坐稳、别被吓到。报丧、通知坏消息都可以先来这一句，给对方一点心理准备。
因为他是精算师，一辈子都在算别人的寿命。妻子去世后他把自己也代进去，得出九年内去世的概率是七成三，这让他意识到时间不多，必须好好过。
