美語情景對話 第332期:Pachinko 彈珠機

Todd: OK, Kawabe, can you explain Pachinko? Foreigners don't understand pachinko.

託德：川邊，你能解釋一下什麼是彈珠機嗎？外國人都不清楚彈珠機是什麼。

Kawabe: OK. Explain pachinko.

川邊：好，解釋一下彈珠機。

Todd: Yeah, because when we get off the train and go home we often we often walk past pachinko parlours, or in the morning even.

託德：對，因爲我們下了列車以後回家的路上經常會路過彈珠店，甚至早上也會看到。

Kawabe: It's everywhere.

川邊：到處都是。

Todd: And there's a big line of people waiting to get in, so we don't understand it, like, why do people like pachinko?

託德：有很多人排隊等着進入店中，所以我們不太理解，爲什麼人們這麼喜歡彈珠機？

Kawabe: OK, pachinko is, 1) it's a gamble, you know, you pay a lot of money to play that and if you win you can get a lot of money back, and 2) it's a, there's no 2. It's only 1). It's the gamble. That's it.

川邊：好，彈珠機，首先第一點，這是賭博，你要投入很多錢來玩彈珠機，如果你贏了，你會贏回一大筆錢，第二，其實並沒有第二點，只有第一點。這是賭博，就是這樣。

Todd: Well, how do you win money? Like, you just, you take the ball and you put it in the slot and it trickles down?

託德：那要怎麼贏錢呢？你只是把珠子放入投珠口，然後珠子就滾下去了？

Kawabe: Yeah, um, there is a slot you put your money, bill, into it, and OK, let's say I go into the pachinko shop and I pick out one of the seats and then, "OK, I'll play with this." And I, you know, take out my wallet and pick up a thousand yen and put the bill into the slot and then the machine gives you a certain amount of the, you know, silver balls, and you play with it. What you do is just, roll, or touch the...

川邊：對，有一個投幣口，你放入鈔票，這麼說吧，我會走進彈珠店，然後找個位子坐下來，“好，我要玩這個。”之後我會拿出我的錢包，從裏面取出1000日元放入投幣口，然後機器會給出一定量的銀色彈珠，這時你就可以開始玩了。你要做的就是滾動，轉那個……

Todd: Dial!

託德：轉盤！

Kawabe: Yeah, dial

川邊：對，轉盤！

Todd: Dial!

託德：轉盤！

Kawabe: And move like 5 centimeters.

川邊：然後移動5釐米。

Todd: Uh-huh!

託德：啊哈！

Kawabe: That's it!

川邊：就是這樣！

Todd: What happens?

託德：會發生什麼？

Kawabe: And the silver balls go up to the top and you know it comes down to the holes and sometimes it, you know, the balls get into the really nice hole and then I don't know how they work, exactly but anyway, if you got a good hole, you got the money. That's it! So, it's a really, that's too simple to enjoy. That is why you never see people smiling in front of pachinko. You know every one is making a grimace in front of the pachinko machine. Have you ever seen people smiling?

川邊：之後銀色彈珠會到達頂部，然後落到小洞裏，有時彈珠會進入不錯的小洞，不過我不清楚到底是怎麼運作的，如果你的彈珠進入好的洞裏，那你就會贏錢。就是這樣！這太簡單了，反而不能好好享受。這就是你不會看到人們笑着玩彈珠機的原因。你知道，所有人在彈珠機前的表情都很痛苦。你見過有人是面帶笑容的嗎？

Todd: No, I've never been in a pachinko parlour. I just walk by.

託德：不，我從來沒進過彈珠店。我只是路過。

Kawabe: You know they just sit in the machine and staring at one place and spend like 20, 30 minutes and when you're money's gone it's the time to you know, stand up.

川邊：你知道，他們只是坐在機器前，盯着一個地方，然後會玩上20甚至30分鐘，之後錢都花光以後就是起來離開的時候了。

Todd: Have you ever played?

託德：你玩過嗎？

Kawabe: Many times. Why not? Many times.

川邊：玩過很多次。爲什麼不呢？我玩過很多次。

Todd: That's cool! Well, thanks, Kawabe!

託德：那真酷！謝謝你，川邊！

重點講解：
1. get back
取回；找回；收回；
eg. You have 14 days in which you can cancel the contract and get your money back.
你可在14天之內取消合同，收回錢款。
eg. The teacher said the only thing left was to get back all the disposable cups later.
老師說唯一要做的就是等一下把所有的一次性紙杯收回來。
2. pick out
挑出；選出；揀出；
eg. I pick out my classes and register for the next semester.
我爲下學期選課並註冊。
eg. Ideally, you could go online, pick out what breed you want, and it would come to your door with a red bow on it.
最理想地是，你可以在網上挑選你想飼養的寵物，它會帶着一個紅色的蝴蝶結來到你的門前。
3. stare at
凝視；盯着看；
eg. He stares at the beggar with sympathy.
他同情地凝視着那個乞丐。
eg. I would sit there for hours and stare at my reflection.
我可以坐在那裏幾小時，盯着我自己的倒影。