本栏目由杜子华主持，内容选自《杜子华英语大课堂》，语言和文化的注释使用的是简洁平易的英语，并增加一些文化知识的讲解。之所以用英文注释英文，是希望能帮助大家提高用英文进行思维的能力，进而培养良好的英文语感。这个栏目将帮助英语学习者把英语语言学习与了解英语国家的文化、生活、经济、思想、风俗习惯相互融合，从而真正掌握“活”的英语。

　　杜子华

　　北京外国语大学翻译专业研究生毕业。曾在美国、加拿大、德国进修和工作。1986年至今，杜子华一直从事英语教学和管理工作，并在全国几十个城市及大学做过英语学习讲座。

　　本段选自When Harry Met Sally(《当哈利遇上莎莉》)，由梅格-瑞恩主演。

　　在本段的对话中，Sally和Harry正在驱车从Chicago去New York的路上，Sally谈到她去New York打算学journalism，并成为一个reporter。而Harry是一个悲观主义者，他反驳Sally，认为这很不现实，并说她去后会一事无成，会像New York人那样死去——只有“死人味”飘到过道里才有人知晓。Harry这样说是因为，在纽约，住在同一幢楼里的人很少来往，人情味很淡。这段对话中Sally和Harry谈到彼此的个性时用了惟妙惟肖的比喻，如dot their "i"s with little hearts(写“i”这个字母时，把“-”换成“Y”形状)；When I buy a book, I always read the last page first等。

　　Sally: The story of my life isn't even going to get us out of Chicago<注1>. I mean, nothing's happened to me yet. That's why I'm going to New York.

　　Harry: So something will happen to you?

　　Sally: Yes.

　　Harry: Like what?

　　Sally: Like,I'm going to journalism school to become a reporter.

　　Harry: So you can write about things that happen to other people.

　　Sally: That's one way to look at it<注2>.

　　Harry: Suppose nothing happens to you. Suppose you live there your whole life and nothing happens<注3>.You never meet anybody, you never become anything<注4> and finally, you die one of those New York deaths<注5> and no one notices for two weeks until the smell drifts into<注6> the hallway.

　　Sally: Amanda mentioned you have a dark side<注7>.

　　Harry: That' what drew her to<注8> me.

　　Sally: Your dark side?

　　Harry: Sure. Why? Don't you have a dark side? No, you're probably one of those cheerful people that dot their "i "s with little hearts<注9>.

　　Sally: I have just as much a dark side as the next person<注10>.

　　Harry: Oh, really? When I buy a new book, I always read the last page first. That way, in case I die before I finish. I know how it ends. That, my friend, is a dark side.

　　Sally: That doesn't mean you're deeper or anything<注11>. I mean, yes, basically I'm a happy person.

　　Harry: So am I.

　　Sally: And I don't see that there's anything wrong with that.

　　Harry: Of course not, you're too busy being happy. Do you ever think about death?

　　Sally: Yes.

　　Harry: Sure you do. A fleeting<注12> thought that drifts<注13> in and out of the transom of your mind<注14>. I spend hours<注15>. I spend days<注16>.

　　Sally: And you think this makes you a better person?

　　Harry: No. When the shit comes down<注17>, I'm going to be prepared, and you're not. That's all I'm saying.

　　Sally: And in the meantime, you're going to ruin you whole life waiting for it<注18>.