Part 3 It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Judy的女兒認為美貌是踏上成功之路的捷徑，因此一心想去整容，這讓Judy苦惱不已，她請求女兒從前的老師Matt來做說客……

Judy： Hey Matt！

Matt： Heya Judy！

Judy： Good to see you could make it to the party.

Matt： I wouldnt miss your daughters 18th birthday party！

Judy： Well， you were her favourite teacher at school！

Matt： She hated Maths， didnt she？

Judy： But it was you that helped her pass the exam in the end！

Matt： I guess so. So what did she ask for？

Judy： Youll never guess…

Matt： A brand new car？ Does she want a big red 1）convertible to drive around town in with all of her friends？ Judy： Hmmm no. ①A little closer to home.

Matt： She wants her bedroom decorated and a brand new 2）wardrobe？

Judy： She wants a totally new image. Youre almost right！

Matt： Oh， I dont know. I give up.

Judy： She wants plastic surgery！

Matt： What？ ②Youre pulling my leg！

Judy： Im not！

Matt： She didnt 3）strike me as the type that would ever want to do that！

Judy： Well shes changed！

Matt： She will even more if she has it done！

Judy： Yeah！

Matt： What “work” does she want to have done？

Judy： I think she wants her nose straightened and some liposuction.

Matt： What？ But she is so young…and there is nothing wrong with her nose！

Judy： Try telling her that！ ③She has her heart set on it.

Matt： Where do you stand on the matter？

Judy： My husband and I dont agree with it at all. If she wants to be thinner she can do what I do and go to the gym！

Matt： Yeah！ Its a bit extreme to 4）resort to surgery！

Judy： ④A bit drastic to say the least. But Im not worried.

Matt： Why not？

Judy： She has no money to pay for it！

Matt： Thank goodness！

Judy： Its such a shame that she doesnt understand at 18 that its whats on the inside that matters！

Smart Sentences

① A little closer to home. 接近了。

close to home： having a direct personal effect on sb.（對某人有直接的、切身的影響）。例如：

Her novel about a teenager from a single-parent family was a little close to home for me.

她那部關于一個來自單親家庭青少年的小說與我的生活相似。

② Youre pulling my leg！ 你跟我開玩笑吧？

pull sb.s leg： tease sb. by telling him/her/them sth. shocking or worrying as a joke（與某人開玩笑）。例如：

We all knew he was pulling her leg by telling her that he lost their honeymoon plane tickets.

我們都知道他跟她說把他們去度蜜月的機票丟了是在逗她玩。

③ She has her heart set on it. 她一心想干這事。

heart set on sth./doing sth.： want sth. or to do sth. very much（一心想得到某物/做某事）。例如：

She has her heart set on Yale.

她一心想讀耶魯大學。

④ A bit drastic to say the least.至少說是有點頭腦發熱。

to say the least： used to suggest that a situation is actually much more serious than what is said（至少可以說）。例如：His performance last night， to say the least， was passable.

他昨晚的表演至少還算過得去。

⑤ Hopefully shell come round in a few months. 希望她在幾個月內會改變。

come round： eventually change ones mind and accept sth. （改主意，轉變想法）。例如：

Its hard for him to see the benefits of frugality now， but he will come round soon.

現在很難讓他明白節儉的好處，但他很快會明白的。

Matt： But I guess todays youth are just obsessed with their image.

Judy： She claims it will help her in job interviews.

Matt： No no no. I do many interviews at my company and we dont care what you look like…its how 5）capable you are that matters！

Judy： I couldnt agree more. But she wont listen to her parents. She wants to look like one of her music idols apparently.

Matt： ⑤Hopefully shell come round in a few months.

Judy： I dont think its just a 6）phase. Ive been trying to tell her that she will regret doing it.

Matt： Kids rarely listen to their parents when they have their heart set on something.

Judy： I have an idea.

Matt： Go on…

Judy： Maybe you could have a little chat with her， you know， try and get this whole plastic surgery thing out of her mind.

Matt： Sure， Id be glad to help.

Judy： ⑥Dont make it look like Ive put you up to this！

Matt： Of course not！

Judy： Thanks a million！

⑥ Dont make it look like Ive put you up to this！ 別是被我逼的你才這樣做！

put sb. up to sth.： encourage sb. to do sth. he/she will not normally do（讓某人做通常不情愿做的事情）。例如：

Last night， we put Dan up to hanging a scary mask outside Shellys window.我們昨晚慫恿丹去把一個恐怖面具掛在肖莉的窗戶外面。