美語情景對話 第1130期:Beauty Pageants 選美比賽

Aimee: Hey, Gilda. I heard that beauty pageants are really popular in Venezuela.

艾米：嗨，吉爾達。我聽說選美比賽在委內瑞拉很受歡迎。

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.

吉爾達：對，沒錯。選美比賽在委內瑞拉是重大活動。所有人都喜愛選美比賽。對委內瑞拉來說，選美比賽就像美國的超級碗。

Aimee: Really?

艾米：真的嗎？

Gilda: The Miss Venezuela, that's how they call it.

吉爾達：選美冠軍被稱爲委內瑞拉小姐。

Aimee: Oh my goodness.

艾米：哦，我的天哪。

Gilda: Yeah.

吉爾達：對。

Aimee: Okay. So from what age are children...?

艾米：好。那從幾歲開始？

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.

吉爾達：委內瑞拉幾乎90%的女孩都夢想參加選美比賽，因爲參加比賽以後，她們可以接受整容手術，可以變得非常漂亮。然後，她們就能從事模特或演員之類的工作。你知道，委內瑞拉的肥皂劇也很流行。

Aimee: Right.

艾米：好。

Gilda: So most of them want to be an actress one day.

吉爾達：所以，大部分女孩都想當演員。

Aimee: That's so specific though, isn't it? A model or an actress. Ninety percent of the population—of the girls?

艾米：那太明確了，不是嗎？模特或演員。90%的女孩？

Gilda: Yeah. Well, it's because of the economic situation. So it's easy money, in a way.

吉爾達：對。這是因爲委內瑞拉的經濟形勢。從某種程度上來說，這些行業比較好賺錢。

Aimee: Right.

艾米：好。

Gilda: Yeah.

吉爾達：對。

Aimee: How about boys? Are boys interested in it?

艾米：那男孩呢？男孩對選美感興趣嗎？

Gilda: No, not really. There are more into probably sports; baseball, becoming a police officer or...

吉爾達：不感興趣。男孩一般更喜歡棒球等運動，或是想成爲警察。

Aimee: Okay.

艾米：好。

Gilda: Yeah.

吉爾達：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：那如果像你剛纔說的那樣，有90%的女孩熱衷於選美比賽，她們想成爲模特或演員，那如果她們沒有做到會怎樣？

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.

吉爾達：有些女孩的人生可能會有些坎坷。有些女孩在長大以後可能會改變想法。考慮其他事情。我在高中工作，大部分初一女生都會化妝。她們希望有一天能成爲委內瑞拉小姐。

Aimee: Wow. Wow. Do you find – or what's your opinion about that? What do you think?

艾米：哇哦。你怎麼看這種現象？你有什麼想法？

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.

吉爾達：我並不支持這種做法。但是，因爲委內瑞拉贏得了很多選美冠軍，比如國際小姐、環球小姐、世界小姐、南美小姐等比賽。選美比賽非常多。委內瑞拉小姐贏得了很多國際選美比賽的桂冠。每次她們贏得冠軍，對委內瑞拉來說都是大事。她們會獲得所有人的關注。作爲老師，我並不支持這種做法。不過，這對國家來說是好事。因爲國家獲得了榮譽。

Aimee: So it sounds like it's a big source of national pride, would you say so?

艾米：聽起來這是國家榮譽的主要來源，對吧？

Gilda: Exactly. Yes, yes. That's the way it is. Yeah.

吉爾達：沒錯。對。的確是這樣。

Aimee: Interesting.

艾米：有意思。

Gilda: So many people stay at home when they're broadcasting the Miss Venezuela.

吉爾達：在委內瑞拉小姐比賽期間，很多人都不去上班，在家收看比賽。

Aimee: Hmm.

艾米：嗯。

Gilda: Yeah.

吉爾達：對。

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重點講解：
1. in a way (用於緩和語氣)在某種程度上，在某些方面；
例句：In a way, I suppose I'm frightened of failing.
我想我有點懼怕失敗。
2. be keen on 熱切的；熱衷的；（對…）喜愛的，滿懷熱情的；
例句：Both companies were keen on a merger.
兩家公司都很想合併。
3. sth happen to sb （尤指不愉快的事）發生（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.
如果當時我們被發現了，我不知道會有什麼後果。
4. change one's mind （使）改變主意；（使）改變決定；
例句：She's very young. She might change her mind about what she wants to do.
她很年輕，對於自己想要做的事情也許會改變主意。