律師與助手

故事梗概：Erin到Ed Masry的律師行打工之初，還是一個身家財產只有幾十鎊還帶著三個孩子的單身媽媽。一次偶然機會，她發現了一些可疑的醫藥單據，由此牽扯出一宗重大的污水申訴案件。然而該官司的原告，大企業PGE顯然沒把Erin和Ed的小律師行放在眼里。這不，一開始就派了個沒有任何權力的年輕人準備和Erin及Ed談判呢……

Ed Masry: The minute Brenda sent that fax… I’m saying the second she pressed the SEND button， PGE’s claim department was on the phone to me， scheduling a meeting.

Erin Brockovich: So you think that we… You know， let me do it. ①You’re driving me nuts. So you think we scared ’em， don’t you?

Ed: Well， taken the trouble to send someone. ②Sure as hell sounds like they’re sitting up and taking notice. [going out to meet the PGE representative] Mr. Foil?

[At the Conference Room]

Foil: ③In the interest of putting this whole thing to rest， PGE is willing to offer the Jensens $250，000 for their home.

Ed: 250，000?

Foil: ④In terms of land value out in Hinkley， Mr. Masry， we feel that’s a more-than-fair price.

Ed: How about in terms of medical expenses? 250，000 isn’t gonna come close to what this family is gonna have to spend on doctors.

Foil: ⑤I understand they’ve had a bad run of luck， health-wise， and they have my sympathies. But that’s not PGE’s fault.

Ed: You’re kidding， right? Look at these readings. PGE’s own technicians documented 1)toxic levels of 2)hexavalent chromium in those wells on numerous occasions. Everything the Jensens have had is proven reaction to exposure to hexavalent chromium， and they have had... They have had…

Erin: Breast 3)cysts， 4)uterine cancer， 5)Hodgkin’s disease，

6)immune deficiencies， asthma， 7)chronic nosebleeds…

Foil: A million things could have caused those problems. Poor diet， bad 8)genes， irresponsible lifestyle. Our offer is final. ⑥And it’s more

than fair.

Ed: Wait a minute. I thought we were negotiating here.

Foil: $250，000 is all I’m authorized to offer.

Ed: I’ll present your offer to my clients. I’ll doubt they’ll accept.

Foil: Mr. Masry， ⑦before you go off on some crusade， you might wanna remember who it is you’re dealing with here. PGE’s a $28 billion corporation.

Ed: $28 billion? I didn’t know it was that much. Wow! 28 billion! Holy cow!

艾德·梅斯理：布蘭達一把那份東西傳真出去……我是說她一按下“傳送”鈕，PGE理賠部門的電話就來了，要跟我安排時間見面。

艾琳·布羅科維奇：所以你認為我們……你知道嗎，讓我來吧，我快被你弄瘋了。所以你說他們怕了，對不對？

艾德：嗯，他們甚至派了人來，看來他們突然對此事重視了起來。（出去見PGE代表）佛伊爾先生？

（會議室里）

佛伊爾：為了要平息這整件事，PGE愿意出25萬美元買詹森家的房子。

艾德：25萬？

佛伊爾：照辛克利的地價來看，梅斯理先生，我們認為這個價錢已經非常公道了。

艾德：那從醫療費來看呢？25萬根本無法支付他們未來的醫藥費。

佛伊爾：我知道他們的健康不佳，我也很同情他們。但這不是PGE

的錯。

艾德：你在開玩笑吧？看看這些結果。你們自己的技術人員多次在檢測井中錄得高含量的六價鉻。詹森家人的疾病都已證實是接觸六價鉻的反應癥。他們的疾病包括……包括……

艾琳：胸部囊腫、子宮癌、霍奇金病、免疫缺陷癥、哮喘、慢性鼻出血……

佛伊爾：可能導致那些疾病的原因很多。營養不良、先天不良、生活沒有節制。我們不會再加錢了，這個價錢已經非常公道。

艾德：等等，我們不是在協商嗎？

佛伊爾：上級給我的命令是，最高只能出25萬。

艾德：我會把這個數目轉告我們的當事人的，但我覺得他們不會接受。

佛伊爾：梅斯理先生，在你著手伸張正義之前，你最好弄清楚你的對手是誰。PGE可是身價280億美元的大企業。

艾德：280億美元？我不知道有這么多耶。哇！280億！我的媽呀！

Smart Sentences

① You’re driving me nuts. 我快被你弄瘋了。

drive sb. nuts: make sb. go crazy（讓某人發瘋）

e.g. The noise from the party next door drove me nuts last night. 昨晚，鄰居家派對造成的噪音讓我發瘋。

Similar Expression: drive sb. crazy

Suitable Occasion: oral， informal

② Sure as hell sounds like they’re sitting up and taking notice. 看來他們突然對此事重視了起來。

sit up and take notice: suddenly pay attention to sth.（突然關注某事）

e.g. A bad performance like that will certainly make you sit up and take notice. 這樣差勁的表現肯定會引起人的關注。

Suitable Occasion: oral， formal informal

③ In the interest of putting this whole thing to rest 為了要平息這整件事

in the interest of sth.: with the intention to achieve sth./or for sb.’s benefit（以某事為目的，或為了某人的利益）

e.g. We’ll shorten the trip in the interest of cutting costs. 我們將縮短行程，以節省成本。

Suitable Occasion: oral written， formal

④ In terms of land value out in Hinkley 照辛克利的地價來看

in terms of sth.: used to specify which aspect of sth. you want to discuss or consider（從……方面看）

e.g. John is the best in our department in terms of efficiency. 在效率方面，約翰是我們部門最棒的。

Suitable Occasion: oral written， informal formal

⑤ I understand they’ve had a bad run of luck， health-wise， and they have my sympathies. 我知道他們的健康不佳，我也很同情他們。

a run of sth.: a series of sth.， especially success or failure or luck（一系列事情，特別指成功、失敗或

運氣）

e.g. A run of failure only drives him to work harder. 一連串的失敗只會讓他更努力地工作。

Suitable Occasion: oral written， informal formal

⑥ And it’s more than fair. 這個價錢已經非常公道。

more than fair: sth. has greater fairness than generally expected（某事的公平性比一般認為的要高），usually to emphasize the degree of fairness（用以強調某事的公平程度）

e.g. I believe the price is more than fair for the quality you got. 我覺得以這樣的質量，價格再公道不過了。

Suitable Occasion: oral， informal

⑦ before you go off on some crusade

在你著手伸張正義之前

go off on sth.: start doing sth.（著手去做某事）

e.g. As soon as I finish this project， I will go off on my vacation. 我一完成這個項目，就去度假。

Suitable Occasion: oral， informal