Pride & Prejudice 《傲慢与偏见》（一）

Mrs. Bennet: How well you dance, Mr. Bingley. My daughter Jane is a splendid dancer, is she not?

Bingley: She is indeed. (to Elizabeth) Your friend Miss Lucas is a most amusing young woman.

Elizabeth: Oh, yes, I adore her.

Mrs. Bennet: It is a pity she's not more handsome.

Elizabeth: Mama!

Mrs. Bennet: Oh, but Lizzie would never admit that she's plain. Of course it's my Jane who's considered the beauty of the county.

Elizabeth & Jane: No, Mama, please!

Mrs. Bennet: When she was 15, a gentleman was so much in love with her, that I was sure he would make her an offer. However, he did write her some very pretty verses.

Elizabeth: And that put paid to it. I wonder who discovered the power of poetry in driving away love.

Darcy: I thought poetry was the food of love.

Elizabeth: Of a fine, stout love, it may. But if it is only a vague inclination one poor sonnet will kill it.

Darcy: So what do you recommend to encourage affection?

Elizabeth: Dancing. Even if one's partner is barely tolerable.

Jane: Mr Bingley is just what a young man ought to be. Sensible, good-humoured...

Elizabeth: Handsome, conveniently rich...

Jane: You know perfectly well I do not believe marriage should be driven
by thoughts of money.

Elizabeth: I agree entirely. Only the deepest love will persuade me into matrimony, which is why I'll end up an old maid.

Jane: Do you really believe he liked me, Lizzie?

Elizabeth: Jane, he danced with you most of the night, and stared at you for the rest of it. But I give you leave to like him. You've liked many a stupider person. You're a great deal too apt to like people in general, you know. All the world is good and agreeable in your eyes.

Jane: Not his friend. I still can't believe what he said about you.

Elizabeth: Mr. Darcy? I could more easily forgive his vanity had he not wounded mine. But no matter, I doubt we shall ever speak again.

妙词佳句，活学活用

1. adore

Adore 有好几种意思，我们一起来看一下：
A. If you adore someone, you feel great love and admiration for him or her. 敬爱，敬重；爱慕
e.g. She adored her parents and would do anything to please them.
B. If you adore something, you like it very much. 非常喜欢，痴迷
e.g. I adore apple very much and eat two a day.

2. make an offer

这是口语中很常用的词组，其意义取决于作为名词的offer一词的不同含义，如在电影《情归巴黎》中有一句台词是：
You never said a word about planning to make an offer to Patrick. （关于你要跟Patrick合并的事情你一个字都没提过。）
这里的翻译是意译，我们可以看出来make an offer是"出价"的意思。
而在本电影的台词里，这个make an offer的意思显然不同，应该是"求婚"的意思。offer一词本身就有"求婚"的意思，所以"向某人求婚"我们可以说propose to sb. 或者make an offer to sb.

3. put paid to 结束……，了结……（口语）

这是一个挺有意思的短语，If an unexpected event puts paid to someone's hopes, chances, or plans, it completely ends or destroys them. 主要在说英式英语的国家中使用。

The series of terrible blind dates put paid to her dream of an ideal marriage.
一系列可怕的相亲断送了她对理想婚姻的梦想。

4. end up/end up with 以……结束，以……告终

If you end up doing something or end up in a particular state, you do that thing or get into that state even though you did not originally intend to.
e.g. Every time they went dancing they ended up in a bad mood.
他们每次出去跳舞都不欢而散。
She could have ended up a millionairess.
她本来可以成为一个百万富翁的。