021讲: 潜规则

Jessica 在北京学汉语,她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教她。今天是杨林要问的:潜规则。

YL: Jessica! 上次我给你的签名照呢?快还给我!

Jessica: Why? 你不是参加“阳光女生”的比赛,要当 super star了么?

YL: 别提了! I got eliminated! 

Jessica: 被刷下来了?!

YL: 是啊。虽然过了第一轮海选,可第二轮一上来就被刷了! 哼! 这里面肯定有潜规则! 对了,潜规则美语怎么说啊?

Jessica: Well, if you suspect the competition has some secret, back-door deals, you can say there are some "unspoken rules". 

YL: 哦,unspoken, u-n-s-p-o-k-e-n, unspoken 就是“没有明说的”,rules 规则;unspoken rules 就是“潜规则”喽! 

Jessica: That's right! So, you think you were cut because the selection process wasn't fair and open, like the competition is following some unspoken rules. Right?

YL: 没错! 我看,获胜者可能是内定的!

Jessica: If that's true, then the whole competition is rigged! 

YL: rigged?

Jessica: Yes! r-i-g-g-e-d, rigged 就是内定. It means the outcome has been predetermined by the producers. 

YL: 哦,比赛结果被“内定”就是 rigged! 那还比个什么劲儿啊! 

Jessica: I agree. Rigged competitions aren't worth attending, because someone is pulling the strings from behind the scenes. 

YL: 等会儿,你说 someone is pulling the strings from behind the scenes, “从后面拉线”,就是有人幕后操纵的意思,对不对?

Jessica: Exactly! So tell me what you've learned today!

YL: 第一“潜规则”在美语里叫 "unspoken rules";
第二,说比赛结果内定,可以说 rigged;
第三,幕后操纵,叫 pull the strings from behind the scenes.
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