这场戏：讲海边那群讨面包的孩子
第 26 章 · 共 27 章 · 3'48"
海边那顿午饭，铁丝网外一群孩子像 a flock of plucked birds（一群被拔了毛的鸟），齐声喊 Pan! Pan!（面包！面包！）。塞巴斯蒂安却说 Beggars are a social disease（乞丐是一种社会病）。后来他头一回出手制止，凯瑟琳说 I think that that was his fatal error（我想那正是他致命的错误）。想学冷冷的回忆叙述，看这段。
❝ 独白 · 6 句 凯瑟琳谈表哥的处世
六句层层递进，把一个人的顺从与麻木说透。
fatal error（致命的错误）
heart condition 心脏病fatal error 致命的错误fled from 从某处逃走
凯瑟琳继续讲卡贝萨德洛博那个白得刺眼的中午：餐厅和海滩之间隔着一道铁丝网，网外一群孩子像 a flock of plucked birds（一群被拔了毛的鸟），被海上热风刮到跟前，齐声喊 Pan! Pan!（面包！面包！），还发出 gobbling noises（咕噜的吞咽声）。塞巴斯蒂安却说 Beggars are a social disease（乞丐是一种社会病），看一眼就会 get sick of the country（对这个国家生厌）。后来那群孩子用铁罐和敲扁的金属当 instruments of percussion（打击乐器）奏起乐来，他怕得要命，头一回起身制止，扔下钱逃出餐厅——凯瑟琳说 I think that that was his fatal error（我想那正是他致命的错误）。想学用冷静语气讲出恐怖回忆，这段最典型。
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。
“Beggars are a social disease in this country.”
在这个国家，乞丐是一种社会病。
把一种凉薄的社会判断压进一句短话，冷静得让人后背发凉。
X is a social disease in this country.
议论某种社会现象时可以说；对当事人当面这么说非常伤人。
Beggary is treated as a social disease here. ／ This country sees poverty as an illness.
中性
social disease 重读，句尾降调收，别上扬。
Loneliness has become a social disease in big cities. 在大城市，孤独已经成了一种社会病。
“We were sorry we'd come to the place, but it was too late to go.”
我们后悔来了这个地方，可是想走已经来不及了。
后悔与无力挤在一句里，前半句软，后半句把退路堵死。
We were sorry we'd ..., but it was too late to ...
事后回想一个无法挽回的决定时用；正式文书里会显得太口语。
We regretted coming, but leaving was no longer possible. ／ We wished we had not come, yet we could not leave.
中性
too late to go 连读，but 后稍顿一下再收。
We were sorry we'd left so late, but it was too late to turn back. 我们后悔出发太晚，可掉头已经来不及了。
“I think that that was his fatal error.”
我想，那正是他致命的错误。
两个 that 一叠，把整段回忆钉在一个判断上，语气平静却沉重。
I think that that was ...
回顾某人某次举动、下结论时用；口语里连说两个 that 反而更强调。
I believe that was the mistake that doomed him. ／ That, I think, was his fatal error.
中性
第一个 that 轻读，第二个 that 略重，fatal 拉长。
I think that that was the moment we lost the deal. 我想，那就是我们丢掉那笔生意的时刻。
“What manager? God? You don't understand my cousin.”
什么经理？上帝吗？你根本不懂我表哥。
用荒诞的反问把对方的问题顶回去，一句话画出那种超然的傲慢。
What manager? God? You don't understand him.
对方拿世俗规则说事、你想说“他根本不是那套逻辑”时用；对上级说会显得狂妄。
What boss? God? You don't get my brother at all. ／ Which manager — God? You don't know him.
口语
What manager 上扬，God 重读，You don't understand 连读，my cousin 降调。
What boss? God? You don't understand my uncle. 什么老板？上帝吗？你根本不懂我叔叔。
He accepted all as how things are... ...and thought nobody had any right to complain or interfere whatsoever. Even though he knew what was awful was awful... ...that what was wrong was wrong. He thought it unfitting to ever take any action about anything whatsoever... ...except to go on doing as something in him directed.
他把一切都当作事情本来的样子接受下来…… ……觉得谁都没有权利抱怨或者插手。 哪怕他心里清楚，糟的就是糟的…… ……错的就是错的。 他觉得，对任何事采取任何行动都不体面…… ……除了照着内心某个东西的指引，一直做下去。
下一章 · 27find a way out找到出路这场戏：讲出山顶那声尖叫「致命的错误」，指造成严重后果、无法挽回的错。剧里说 I think that that was his fatal error，就是「我想那正是他致命的错误」，用得很重。
a flock of，专门用于鸟、羊这类成群动物。比如 a flock of birds（一群鸟）。人群一般用 a crowd of 或 a band of。
get sick of，比如 If you look at them, you get sick of the country.（你要是看他们一眼，就会对这个国家生厌）。也可以说 be sick of，意思相近。
这里是「勉强辨认出、看清」。剧里说 As far as I could make out in the white blaze，就是「在白得刺眼的光里我勉强看清」。make out 还有「理解」的意思。
「打击乐器」，靠敲打发声的乐器，比如鼓、钹。剧里那群孩子用铁皮罐和敲扁的金属当乐器，所以说属于 percussion。
不完全是。字面是「一种社会病」，指某种被当成社会顽疾的现象。塞巴斯蒂安用它说乞丐，语气冷漠又高高在上，正是他性格的写照。
