【#爱情故事#本课内容】:在这一课中，我们将继续欣赏英语爱情短剧：《I am Sorry, but I Love You》的第4-6场景。我们在接下来的后面的课程场景中，会分别让英语学习者熟悉并了解英语的内容分类，包括大众文学内容、历史内容、科学内容和商业管理方面的内容。我希望从这些不同的内容场景，让学习者重新找到自己对英语爱好的深层原因。我们学英语的目的绝对不是学好英语或是说一口流利的英语，那些要么是逻辑悖论，要么是他人强加给你的答案，与你自己为什么要学英语的问题无关。

【课前讲解】Veronica 有没有欺骗Steven的感情呢？

在本课的短剧中，我们将又会听到三个场景：

1）Veronica 在向闺蜜倾诉，自从她告诉男友Steven她想 “take a break ”以后，很长时间Steven 没有和她联系；她这才意识到自己对Steven 的爱，同时也开始猜测是否开始“see someone else”? 就在这个时候，门外又传来了歌声；

2）Veronica 原谅了（forgive）Steven, Steven 也解释说，自己因为北方的森林大火而被临时招到了北方。原来Steven 是一名Firefighter。Veronica 还告诉Steven一个消息，说 “I think I am pregnant”。猜猜Steven 什么反应？

3）Veronica and Steven 一起去医院做检查。医生不仅确认了Veronica is pregnant, 甚至推断出了具体的时间。可是Steven 却意识到这个时候自己并不在Veronica身边。难道Veronica 欺骗了自己？

要想知道答案，自己寻找吧。

【刘博士英语知识介绍】：英语语言里的时态有什么用？

最近因为忙于一项书籍翻译工作，公开课更新的频率慢了起来。不过所幸翻译工作已经结束，我会继续保持我们的公开课频率。不过这期间，依旧有许多人来信咨询学英语的问题。我们成人英语学习者几个比较典型的学英语问题和学英语目标如下：

l 酷爱英语,就是喜欢学英语，习惯等等。

l 学英语的目的：就是为了学好英语；说一口好英语，能看美剧，能交流等。

l 其他的不多了。

造成这种情况的原因，一方面如我之前所说的我们对英语这个外来事物的模糊和异化的理解，英语在国内已不再是一门正常的全功能语言了。今天我只想说一个技术性问题背后的意义：英语的时态有什么用？

我是去到英国读书的时候，才从语言学角度理解到了英语及很多语言的时态出现对人类文明所产生的影响。从语言历史学和语言科学的角度的一个观点是，当人类语言出现了时态（即过去时，现在时，尤其是将来时）的时候，人类的思想从此突破了“此时此刻”的时间囚牢，开始思考未知的新的可能性。从此人类的时间观不再是一个圆形的循环，也不再只是此生与来世的观念。时间开始呈直线向前发展，人类从此开始想象并创造不存在的未来。

而如果我们留意一下中文传统中与“前”有关的一些词汇，我们会发现隐藏在我们当代语言中的一个奇妙的传统生命时间观，例如：从前，生前，此前，前世。我以前在读中国传统经典的时候，觉得里面的观点和历史与当下没有太多的违和感，似乎就是当下的真理。一个原因也许就是我看不见多少时间的痕迹。然而，当我开始读到一名汉学家用过去时态来翻译这些经典的时候，突然间，这些经典给了我以前从未有过的感觉——它们是三千年前到五千年前曾经出现的古中国伟大思想家和历史家对古中国的记载，而不知道为什么，此后的学者似乎就一直困在这些古代文明的伟大思想和理性辩论中，再也没有走出来或是继续往前走。包括今天我的许多朋友有了闲暇时间以后，再次捧起了这些经典与哲学试图用它们来思考自己的未来。要知道，“中文”未来一词可能是源于中国历史上对印度佛教梵文的翻译，而译文“未来”（还未来到）其实是对印度教的将来的一个中文阐释，而不是翻译。我一直希望中国的学者用跨学科的学术方法来研究一下中华文明从古至今语言里的时间观，看看我们的时间观有没有突破圆形或是轮回的观念，还是止于此时此刻。现在国内找不到此方面的研究。

好了，不多说了，让我们开始今天的爱情故事：

【Audio Transcript】:I am Sorry, but I Love You (part 2)

[Section 4]:

A: ... so, I said, “Let’s take a break.” And since that night, I’ve been waiting for him to call, but I still haven’t heard from him. You don’t think he’s seeing someone else, do you?

B: Come on, don’t be so dramatic! I’m sure everything is going to work out just fine.

A: You think so? Oh, no! How can he do this to me? I’m sure he’s cheating on me! Why else wouldn’t he call?

B: But, you two are on a break. Theoretically he can do whatever he likes.

A: He’s the love of my life! I’ve really messed this up.

B: Come on, hon. Pull yourself together. It’s going to be alright.

A: But I... I still love him! And it’s all my fault! I can’t believe how immature and selfish I was being. I mean, he is a firefighter, it’s not like he can just leave someone in a burning building and meet me for dinner. I’ve totally messed this up!

B: You know what, Veronica, I think you should make the first step. I’m sure he’ll forgive you...

A: No, this is not gonna happen! I... I’ve ruined everything....

B: Hey... do you hear something? Guess what? It’s your lovely firefighter!

(Song): When I had you, I treated you bad and wrong, dear. And since, since you went away, don’t you know I sit around with my head hanging down and I wonder who’s loving you

…………………

[Section 5]:

A: Honey, of course I forgive you! I love you so much! I’ve really missed you. I was wrong to get upset over nothing.

B: I’m sorry I haven’t called or anything, but right after you decided you wanted a break, I was up north to put out some major forest fires! I was in the middle of nowhere, working day and night, trying to prevent the blaze from spreading! It was pretty intense.

A: Oh, honey, I’m glad you’re okay! But I have some exciting news... I think I’m pregnant!

B: Really? Wow, that’s amazing! This is great news! I’ve always wanted to be a father! We’ll go to the Doctor first thing in the morning!

C: We have your test results back and, indeed, you are pregnant. Let’s see here... everything seems to be in order. Your approximate due date is October twenty-seventh two thousand and nine, so that means that the baby was conceived on February third, two thousand and nine.

B: Are you sure? Are these things accurate?

C: Well, yes sir, they are.

A: What’s wrong? Why are you asking these questions?

B: This baby isn’t mine! I was away the first week of February at a training seminar!

A: I... I... no, it can’t be...

[Section 6]:

A: This is ridiculous! I can’t believe you’ve been sleeping with someone else! How could you do this! You know what? I’m out of here!

B: Wait! Doctor how is this possible? I haven’t cheated on my boyfriend!

C: I have something to confess... I’m sorry Veronica, I lied.

B: Wait... what? What do you mean?

C: I lied. You aren’t even pregnant; there’s no bun in the oven. I was just so overwhelmed with jealousy that I couldn’t help myself. Veronica I love you!

B: What are you talking about!!! Who are you?

C: It’s me! Daniel, don’t you remember me? From high school. I sat behind you in science class! I used to go to every football game and watch you in the cheerleading squad!

B: You are insane! We never even spoke! Why did you lie like that to my boyfriend?

C: Because Veronica... It’s not fair! I love you; I have since the first day we met! Everything was going fine until that jerk came into the picture and ruined everything! I went to med school and became a doctor for you! You always said how you wanted to marry a doctor! You will be mine now... one way or another...

A: I heard everything, you lying bastard! Get your hands off her!

(To be continued)