Why the long face?
Jen: Hi I'm Jennifer and I'm waiting for Helen. I did see her in the corridor earlier, and she was looking a bit unhappy. Wait, here she is. Hi Helen!
嗨，我是Jennifer，我正在等Helen。 我早先在走廊的时候看到过她，她看起来好像有点不开心。 啊，她来了。 嗨，Helen!
Helen: Hi Jen.
嗨，Jen。
Jen: What's the matter, Helen? Why the long face?
怎么了,Helen?Why the long face?
Helen: What's wrong with my face?
我的脸怎么了？
Jen: Nothing's wrong with your face, except that it looks a bit upset.
你的脸没怎么样，只是看起来有点失落。
Helen: But you just said I've got a long face.
但是你刚才不是说我的脸很长吗？
Jen: No – what I said was…
不是的。我说的是……
Helen: You think I've got a strange face. I KNEW I shouldn't have worn my hair like this today.
你觉得我的脸很奇怪是吧。 我就知道我今天不应该弄这样的头发。
Jen: No, I asked you: "Why the long face?"
不是不是。我问的是，"Why the long face?"
Helen: Is it my nose? Is it too big? Or maybe my chin is the wrong shape. Maybe I should just wear a bag over my head!
那就是我的鼻子咯？太大了是吗？或者是我的下巴有点畸形。也许我干脆该用袋子套住我的头算了。
Jen: No, no, no – that's not what I meant! First of all, you look LOVELY today.
不不不！我不是这个意思！首先，你今天看起来很可爱。
Helen: OK… So what did you mean?
好吧……那你是什么意思？
Jen: In English, the expression "why the long face?" is used as an informal way of asking someone what's wrong if they look upset.
在英语中，当某人看起来很烦恼，人们就会使用非正式的表达"Why the long face"（怎么苦着脸呢）来询问发生了什么事情。
Helen: So there's nothing wrong with my face?
也就是说，我的脸没什么不对劲咯？
Jen: No, there isn't. Let's hear some examples of the phrase in use.
是的，没什么不对劲。让我们来听几个使用这个短语的例子。
You've just got a new job, a new house and a new man – you should be happy! Why the long face?
你刚找到了新工作，有了新房子和新男友，你应该高兴才是啊，怎么苦着一张脸呢？
Hey there, don't look so sad! Why the long face?
嘿，那个，别一副悲催的样子！苦着脸干嘛？
Helen: So "why the long face?" is just another way of asking "what's the matter?"
那，"Why the long face?"只是表示what's the matter的另外一种方式而已咯？
Jen: Exactly. You could also say "what's up?"
正是！你也可以说What's up——怎么了？
Helen: That's very simple – you could say "what's wrong?" too.
这个容易明白，我们也可以使用What's wrong。
Jen: So what IS wrong? Why do you look so miserable?
话说回来，到底怎么了？为什么你看起来一副伤心的样子？
Helen: I've just had a really bad day – everything has gone wrong. First I lost my car keys, then I was late for a meeting and I fell over and tripped and landed in a puddle on my way. It was a horrible day.
我这一天过的相当糟糕——什么都出错！ 首先我丢了汽车钥匙，然后我开会迟到并且在来的路上摔跤掉进了水坑。 这一天太可怕了！
Jen: It sounds awful. I know, how about I tell you a joke to cheer you up – you'll like this one.
听起来是有点糟！我知道了，我给你讲个笑话哄你开心怎么样——你会喜欢这个笑话的。
Helen: OK, why not. Let's hear it.
好吧。也好！说来听听。
Jen: A horse walks into a bar. The barman says: "why the long face?"
一匹马走进一间酒吧。酒保问，为什么你的脸这么长？
Helen: So the horse was unhappy? What's funny about that?
这匹马也不开心吗？笑点在哪里？
Jen: The barman says to the horse "Why the long face?"
酒保对那匹马说，你的脸为什么这么长？
Helen: Why would a horse be in a bar? Jen: It doesn't matter – it's a joke. It's a horse so the barman says "Why the long face?"
为什么马会去酒吧？ 这不是重点，这是个笑话。 进去的是匹马，而酒保问，你的脸为什么这么长？
Helen: I don't understand. Jen: Well, the horse has a long face.
我不懂！ 唉，马的脸本来就长啊。
Helen: So it's unhappy? Jen: No, well, yes, but that's the joke. Horses have long faces.
它不开心？ 不是，呃，是的，这就是这个笑话。马的脸都长得长。
Helen: So why did it go into the bar again…?I don't get it.
但是，我还是得问，为什么它要去酒吧？我不明白！