Part 3 A Fairytale Ending

Penelope： ①Hey Patrick， what are you up to？

Patrick： Nothing much…

Penelope： Really？ I saw a tweet that a bunch of you were going to some concert tonight.

Patrick： Oh， that. Um…②Yeah， I would love to invite you but your ex is gonna be there， so its probably not in your best interest to go.

Penelope： Im a confident， beautiful， strong-willed girl. Ill have no trouble at all finding a rebound guy.

Patrick： I dont doubt it. But I still dont think its such a good idea， you coming.

Penelope： Why not？ Im lovable， Im 1）available and Im amazing. Who wouldnt wanna hang out with Princess Penelope？

Patrick： ③Thats just it. ④The whole princess thing is really wearing thin with the others.

Penelope： What do you mean？ I think its adorable！

Patrick： ⑤I dont wanna hurt your feelings， but the way you talk to some people while talking yourself up really rubs others the wrong way.

Penelope： I never talk down to people. And even if I did， I didnt mean to hurt anyones feelings.

Patrick： I wanna believe you. I can see that there is a genuine person inside you， with the same self-doubt as the rest of us.

Penelope： I dont doubt anything I do. Im always right.

Patrick： No， youre not. Nobody is right all the time. Its funny to joke about it once in a while， but when you constantly insist that youre the only one who is right and everyone else is wrong， it gets to the point where no one wants to be around you anymore.

Penelope： Im confident， and my father taught me that confidence is the key to success.

Patrick： Confidence can be an admirable quality， but 2）hubris is the ultimate turn-off.

Penelope： ⑥If youre so turned off， why are you still talking to me？ Why are you trying to help me？ Why dont you just go judge me and 3）condemn me， and have a good laugh with all your humble friends？

Patrick： Because I want you to know that you dont have to try so hard to get people to like you.

Penelope： Obviously I do， cuz it seems like everyone hates me right now.

Patrick： Nobody hates you. Well， maybe your ex， Simon， does.

Penelope： I guess hes earned that right after the way I treated him…

Patrick： See？ Thats what Im talking about. I feel like I just saw a glimpse of the real you peeking out. You admitted to your past mistakes and showed 4）remorse， without making excuses.

Penelope： Did I？ I mean， in my life all Ive done is strive for perfection. Ive read every magazine article and online post on how to be prettier and skinnier. Ive demanded the best of myself and anyone I associate myself with. Its hard to unlearn skills that took decades to hone.

Patrick： Well what you consider skills， others see as bad habits. If you can 5）ditch the negative energy， and embrace the good in others and the faults in yourself， I think youll become a much happier person.

Penelope： Ill try. But it might be a slow process.

Patrick： Thats OK. I can help if you like.

Penelope： Really？ Does this mean youre still gonna be my friend？

Patrick： As long as youll have me Princess Penelope！

Penelope： My most gracious gratitude Prince Patrick！

Both： Hahaha...

Smart Sentences

① Hey Patrick， what are you up to？ 嘿，帕特里克，你有什么打算？

what are you up to： used to ask others intention（用以詢問他人的打算）。例如：

—Hi， what are you up to， Max？

喂，馬克斯，你有什么打算？

—Im planning a trip to Tibet. Want to come along？

我正籌劃去西藏旅行，你想一起來嗎？

② Yeah， I would love to invite you but your ex is gonna be there， so its probably not in your best interest to go. 對(duì)，我本來想邀請(qǐng)你，但是你的前任男友也會(huì)在那兒，所以你最好別去。

in sb.s best interest： things are considered to be best suited for sb.（為了某人的最大利益）。例如：

The cafeteria rules are set in the best interest of the students.

食堂規(guī)則都是盡量為學(xué)生著想而制定的。

③ Thats just it. 這就對(duì)了。

Thats just it： used to express agreement with or approval of what has just been said（用以表達(dá)對(duì)剛才的話的贊同）。例如：

—Working hard is very important， but having fun is also an important part of life.

努力工作很重要，但玩樂也是生活的重要部分。

—Thats just it.

沒錯(cuò)。

④ The whole princess thing is really wearing thin with the others. 你公主的姿態(tài)真的讓別人感到無趣。

wear thin： become less interesting（變得無趣）。例如：

The joke began to wear thin after hearing it too many times.

這個(gè)笑話聽多了，就不那么有趣了。

⑤ I dont wanna hurt your feelings， but the way you talk to some people while talking yourself up really rubs others the wrong way. 我不想傷害你，但是你抬高自己貶低別人的說話方式真的會(huì)讓人誤解。

talk down to sb.： talk to sb. with contempt or condescension（以輕視的態(tài)度與某人說話）。例如：

Though Adam is the CEO of a big corporation， he never talks down to people.

雖說亞當(dāng)是一個(gè)大企業(yè)的首席執(zhí)行官，但從來不會(huì)用輕視的態(tài)度與人交談。

talk sb. up： talk mainly of the good things about sb.（講某人的好話）。例如：

Daisy talks Professor Blackstone up so much that it almost seems questionable.

戴西說了布萊斯通教授太多的好話，都讓人生疑了。

⑥ If youre so turned off， why are you still talking to me？ 如果你那么討厭我，為什么還跟我說話呢？

turn sb. off： dull sb.s interest in sb. or sth.（對(duì)某人或某事失去興趣，厭煩）。例如：

The kids were turned of of by the boring speech

yesterday.

昨天沉悶的演講讓孩子們感到厭煩。