美语情景对话 第1130期:Beauty Pageants 选美比赛
Aimee: Hey, Gilda. I heard that beauty pageants are really popular in Venezuela.
艾米：嗨，吉尔达。我听说选美比赛在委内瑞拉很受欢迎。Gilda: Yes, they are. They are a huge thing in Venezuela. Everybody loves beauty pageants. It's like the Super Bowl in America, for Venezuelans it's beauty pageants.
吉尔达：对，没错。选美比赛在委内瑞拉是重大活动。所有人都喜爱选美比赛。对委内瑞拉来说，选美比赛就像美国的超级碗。Aimee: Really?
艾米：真的吗？
Gilda: The Miss Venezuela, that's how they call it.
吉尔达：选美冠军被称为委内瑞拉小姐。Aimee: Oh my goodness.
艾米：哦，我的天哪。Gilda: Yeah.
吉尔达：对。Aimee: Okay. So from what age are children...?
艾米：好。那从几岁开始？Gilda: It's like almost 90 percent of Venezuelan girls dream of being once in the, in this beauty pageants because once they got in, they get all some sort of surgery and, you know, they make them really, really look beautiful. And then after that they get jobs like models or actress. You know, Venezuela is also into soap operas.
吉尔达：委内瑞拉几乎90%的女孩都梦想参加选美比赛，因为参加比赛以后，她们可以接受整容手术，可以变得非常漂亮。然后，她们就能从事模特或演员之类的工作。你知道，委内瑞拉的肥皂剧也很流行。Aimee: Right.
艾米：好。Gilda: So most of them want to be an actress one day.
吉尔达：所以，大部分女孩都想当演员。Aimee: That's so specific though, isn't it? A model or an actress. Ninety percent of the population—of the girls?
艾米：那太明确了，不是吗？模特或演员。90%的女孩？Gilda: Yeah. Well, it's because of the economic situation. So it's easy money, in a way.
吉尔达：对。这是因为委内瑞拉的经济形势。从某种程度上来说，这些行业比较好赚钱。Aimee: Right.
艾米：好。Gilda: Yeah.
吉尔达：对。Aimee: How about boys? Are boys interested in it?
艾米：那男孩呢？男孩对选美感兴趣吗？Gilda: No, not really. There are more into probably sports; baseball, becoming a police officer or...
吉尔达：不感兴趣。男孩一般更喜欢棒球等运动，或是想成为警察。Aimee: Okay.
艾米：好。Gilda: Yeah.
吉尔达：嗯。Aimee: So what happens if, you know, if 90 percent of the population, as you said, are so keen on beauty pageants, and then they want to become a model or an actress, what happens to those who cannot make it?
艾米：那如果像你刚才说的那样，有90%的女孩热衷于选美比赛，她们想成为模特或演员，那如果她们没有做到会怎样？Gilda: Well, some of them will have probably a sort of frustrated life, some of them. Yeah. Some of them might change their mind once they, you know, grow up. Think of something different. But like, I work in a high school and most of the first year junior high school students, girls, they wear a lot of make-up. And they want to become one day, Miss Venezuela. Yeah.
吉尔达：有些女孩的人生可能会有些坎坷。有些女孩在长大以后可能会改变想法。考虑其他事情。我在高中工作，大部分初一女生都会化妆。她们希望有一天能成为委内瑞拉小姐。Aimee: Wow. Wow. Do you find – or what's your opinion about that? What do you think?
艾米：哇哦。你怎么看这种现象？你有什么想法？Gilda: Well, I'm not supporting that. But since the country has so many crowns, there are many different pageants like Miss International, Universe, Miss World, Miss South America. There are so many. And Miss Venezuela has won a lot of crowns. So every time they get a new crown, it's a huge thing for the country. So they got the attention of everybody. So as a teacher, I don't support it. But it's kind of like something nice, you know, for the country. You're getting something.
吉尔达：我并不支持这种做法。但是，因为委内瑞拉赢得了很多选美冠军，比如国际小姐、环球小姐、世界小姐、南美小姐等比赛。选美比赛非常多。委内瑞拉小姐赢得了很多国际选美比赛的桂冠。每次她们赢得冠军，对委内瑞拉来说都是大事。她们会获得所有人的关注。作为老师，我并不支持这种做法。不过，这对国家来说是好事。因为国家获得了荣誉。Aimee: So it sounds like it's a big source of national pride, would you say so?
艾米：听起来这是国家荣誉的主要来源，对吧？Gilda: Exactly. Yes, yes. That's the way it is. Yeah.
吉尔达：没错。对。的确是这样。Aimee: Interesting.
艾米：有意思。Gilda: So many people stay at home when they're broadcasting the Miss Venezuela.
吉尔达：在委内瑞拉小姐比赛期间，很多人都不去上班，在家收看比赛。Aimee: Hmm.
艾米：嗯。Gilda: Yeah.
吉尔达：对。
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重点讲解：
1. in a way (用于缓和语气)在某种程度上，在某些方面；
例句：In a way, I suppose I'm frightened of failing.
我想我有点惧怕失败。
2. be keen on 热切的；热衷的；（对…）喜爱的，满怀热情的；
例句：Both companies were keen on a merger.
两家公司都很想合并。
3. sth happen to sb （尤指不愉快的事）发生（在…身上）；(某人)遭到；遇到；
例句：If we had been spotted at that point, I don't know what would have happened to us.
如果当时我们被发现了，我不知道会有什么后果。
4. change one's mind （使）改变主意；（使）改变决定；
例句：She's very young. She might change her mind about what she wants to do.
她很年轻，对于自己想要做的事情也许会改变主意。
