The english we speak(BBC教學)第92期:To murder something 非常渴望某樣東西

Rob: Hi Helen. I thought I would pop round to talk to you about today's Authentic Real English but …err … it looks like you're busy … what are all these police cars doing here?

羅布：你好，海倫。我想過來和你談談今天的地道英語，呃，不過看起來你很忙……那些警車在這裏幹什麼？

Helen: Quick, come in, shut the door….… this is very serious. There has been a murder.

海倫：快進來，關門……現在情況非常嚴重。發生謀殺案了。

Rob: What?

羅布：什麼？

Helen: A murder! I know it's not very nice… to be honest the police can't find any blood or a body. It's like a murder mystery.

海倫：謀殺案！我知道現在情況並不是很樂觀，說實話，警察找不到任何血跡或是屍體。這就像是一起神祕謀殺案。

Rob: Hmm, we need to do our own investigation. So what exactly happened?

羅布：嗯，我們要自己進行調查。那到底發生了什麼？

Helen: Well, my friend came to see me this morning.

海倫：嗯，我朋友今天早上過來看我了。

Rob: I see.

羅布：嗯。

Helen: And we were having a nice chat when she said I could murder a coffee and then she disappeared and I haven't heard from her since.

海倫：我們聊得非常盡興，然後她說我能謀殺了咖啡，之後她就消失了，從那之後我就再沒有她的消息了。

Rob: Right. Well Helen, relax, I think she's still alive and everything is ok.

羅布：好吧。海倫，放鬆，我想她還活着，一切都正常。

Helen: There's no murder?

海倫：沒有謀殺案嗎？

Rob: No murder. When people say they could murder something it's an informal way of saying they are starving or thirsty and are desperate to have something to eat or drink.

羅布：沒有謀殺。當人們說他們可能謀殺了某件事的時候，這是一種非正式的說法，他們的意思是他們非常餓或是非常渴，他們極需要吃點東西，或是喝點東西。

Helen: But murder is a strong word.

海倫：可是謀殺是一個強烈的單詞。

Rob: Yes. It stresses how desperate someone is for something. A direct translation would mean you are so desperate for something you would kill it! But in reality, we don't go that far.

羅布：對，它強調了某個人渴望某件東西的程度。直譯過來可能是你非常渴望一樣東西，甚至於你要殺了它！不過實際上，我們並不會那麼做。

Helen: Thank goodness!

海倫：謝天謝地！

Rob: Here are some more examples:

羅布：下面還有一些例子：

It's been a really tough day at work, I could murder a beer or two–anyone want to join me at the pub?

今天的工作太艱難了，我很想喝一兩杯啤酒，有人想和我一起去酒吧嗎？

I'm starving, I could murder a curry.

我餓了，我非常想吃咖喱。

The English We Speak

我們說的英語節目

Helen: It's amazing what people will commit murder for!! But in reality when we would murder for something, we just have a desperate need for something.

海倫：真神奇，人們竟然因爲這樣承認謀殺！不過實際上，當我們說要謀殺某樣東西的時候，我們的意思其實是我們非常需要那樣東西。

Rob: People also describe a situation or a feeling as murder–but again there is no killing involved–they are just trying to explain that something is bad or uncomfortable.

羅布：人們通常會把一種情況或是一種感覺形容爲謀殺，不過這其實也與殺害事件無關，這個意思是人們試圖解釋某件事很糟糕或是很不舒服。

Helen: So the word murder is also used to emphasise a bad situation or uncomfortable feeling. Such as Rob?

海倫：所以謀殺這個詞也可以用來強調糟糕的情況或是不舒服的感覺。比如呢，羅布？

Rob: Such as in these examples:

羅布：比如下面這些例子：

Running a marathon is murder on my knees.

跑馬拉松讓我的膝蓋疼死了。

I've been decorating all day and my back is murder.

我一整天都在裝修，我的後背特別不舒服。

Don't go on the London underground during the rush hour, it's murder!

不要在高峯時段做倫敦的地鐵，那太可怕了！

The English We Speak

我們說的英語節目

Rob: So by saying 'it's murder' he means it's awful; it's terrible. Anyway Helen, now we know there's not been a real murder, I think we should tell these policemen to go home now.

羅布：所以it's murder的意思就是太糟糕了；太可怕了。不管怎麼說，海倫，現在我們知道實際上並沒有謀殺發生，我想我們應該告訴這些警察，讓他們現在就回去。

Helen: Good idea. Excuse me…there's been a terrible misunderstanding. There's not been a murder so you can all go home.

海倫：好主意。打擾一下……這是個可怕的誤解。實際上並沒有發生謀殺，所以你們可以回去了。

Policeman: Oh right. So we've been wasting our time then? But hold on…I think there might be another murder soon.

警察：好吧。所以我們一直在浪費時間了？等等，我想可能很快會有另一起謀殺。

Helen: Oh, why's that?

海倫：哦，爲什麼這麼說？

Policeman: Well, I could murder a cup of tea!

警察：嗯，我非常想喝杯茶！

Helen: Of course.

海倫：當然可以。

Rob: I'll put the kettle on.

羅布：我去燒壺水。

Helen & Rob: Bye.

海倫&羅布：再見。

Policeman: Milk, two sugars please!

警察：請給我一杯牛奶，我要放兩塊糖。

重點講解：
1. pop round
<口>（到…）去一下，作短暫的訪問；
eg. Better still, why doesn't pop round the off-licence and bring something back here?
何不讓湯米到外賣酒店跑一趟，買些回來喝豈不更好？
eg. I'll pop round later with the notes.
遲些我會帶着筆記過來的。
2. to be honest
老實說；說實在的；
eg. To be honest, I just don't want to go.
說心裏話，我真不想去。
eg. To be honest, I think they're kind of weird.
老實說，我認爲他們有點怪異。
3. hear from
接到…的信（或電話）；
eg. Drop us a line, it's always great to hear from you.
給我們寫封短信，能收到你的信總是讓人很高興。
eg. The police are anxious to hear from anyone who may know her.
警方急切地希望任何可能認識她的人打電話來。
4. be desperate for sth./to do sth.
極需要的；渴望做某事；
eg. The man lost in the desert was desperate for water.
在沙漠中迷失方向的人極度渴望得到水。
eg. He is desperate to get a job.
他非常渴求得一職。
5. in reality
事實上；實際上；
eg. He came across as streetwise, but in reality he was not.
他給人的印象是很適應都市生活，但實際上並非如此。
eg. We thought he was serious but in reality he was joking.
我們以爲他是認真的，但實際上他是在開玩笑。