2018-07-17 A necessary evil “必要的邪恶”是什么意思？

内容简介

Rob 以为自己捡了便宜，买到了非常便宜的机票。可当菲菲仔细看完购票须知后发现，在票价的基础上还要缴付一系列必要的税费。这让 Rob 感到十分无奈。通过这集节目，学习 “不愿让其发生但又无法避免的事情” 的英语说法。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei
大家好，我是冯菲菲。欢迎来到 BBC 英语教学的《地道英语》节目。

Rob
And hello I’m Rob.

Feifei
You’re looking pleased with yourself, Rob.

Rob
I am. I’ve just booked these dirt cheap – I mean really cheap – flights to Ibiza!

Feifei
Wonderful!

Rob
Look at the price – 20 pounds return! That means extra money to spend on food, drink and partying.

Feifei
诶，让我看看。你看这儿，说票价是二十镑，你还要付燃油附加税，加起来一百多镑了。   

Rob
Er? Let me see. You’re right. Grrr, I hate paying tax.

Feifei
I guess you could say it’s a necessary evil.

Rob
Hmm, you could say that – if you mean it’s something bad that can’t be avoided, and you have to accept it in order to achieve a good result.

Feifei
That’s exactly what I meant, Rob. 我们可以用“necessary evil”来描述“不愿让其发生但又无法避免的事情”，换句话说就是“不得不接受的事情，迫不得已的事情”。因为买飞机票就必须得付燃油附加税，所以是一个 necessary evil。 Let’s hear some examples, shall we?

Examples
For me, exams are a necessary evil – you have to do them to get a place at university.

Sitting in traffic for hours is a necessary evil if I want to drive to the seaside on a public holiday!

Oh, I hate running. But having to exercise is a necessary evil if I want to stay fit and healthy.

Feifei
这里是 BBC 英语教学的《地道英语》节目。我们正在教给大家的英语表达是“a necessary evil 一件不想做但必须做的事情”。And, Rob, that tax on your plane ticket is unavoidable – not so cheap now, is it?

Rob
No. Less money for eating, drinking and partying.

Feifei
Can you get a refund? Stay at home and eat, drink and party?

Rob
I could, but if I stayed at home, there’s another necessary evil I’d have to deal with.

Feifei
What’s that?

Rob
I’ll have to spend more time with you.

Feifei
Hmm! What time is your flight exactly?

Rob
Well, did I say something wrong?

Feifei
Bye.

Rob
Bye.