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现代英文选评注 Merry Christmas圣诞快乐
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William Saroyan (1908—1981)
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威廉·萨洛扬美国小说家、剧作家,原为土耳其和俄罗斯交界地区亚美尼亚(Armenia)的移民。他的文字通俗,最善描摹小儿口吻,故事富于人情温暖,很适宜于初学阅读。本文采自1953年12月号的《家政杂志》(Good Housekeeping)。
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First I would like to say to you, “Merry Christmas.” It is like this—when I say it, I want it to mean what it means. Not just words under a picture on a card, dropped in the mailbox on the corner, or handing you something wrapped up in red paper which I have bought. I want it to say what it says, the way a child says it.
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● I would like:有些文法书主张I should like才是合文法的,但是I would like现在很常用。大致正式论文演说用I should like为妥,普通说话写信用I would like可以给人一种“熟不拘礼”的亲切之感。
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● Merry Christmas:Merry有寻欢作乐之意。说“Merry Christmas”即隐祝对方“玩得痛快”。Happy New Year的happy即不一定含有“热闹庆祝”之意。
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● It is like this:事情是这样的。口语常用。when I say it之it指Merry Christmas这两个字人人会说,但是意义或不尽相同,作者所指的是它的真正的意义。
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● 第三句不完全。说完全了大约是It does not mean just words….
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● words:祝贺圣诞的文辞。a picture:圣诞卡上的图画,文辞通常印在它的下面。dropped(过去分词):投寄(形容card)。corner:街道转角处。handing(动名词):亲手交付。which I have bought为定语从句,形容something。圣诞卡上的套语,红纸包扎的礼物,这些都不能代表Merry X’mas的真正意义。
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● “the way…”在这里是习惯用法,很难分析它的文法构造,《简明牛津字典》里有这么一个例子:
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[I] don’t like the way she smiles.(我不喜欢她笑的样子。)
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she smiles是“定语从句”,前面省略一个relative adverb “that”。同样的用法如“The instant he saw me, he took to his heels”(他看见我就逃),he saw me的前面也省略一个“that”。但是这种句子的that通常都是省略的。
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萨洛扬文里的句子同《简明牛津字典》的例子又不一样,在那例句里,the way是名词;在本文中,the way a child says it的the way也是名词,却有副词的功用,形容what it says中的动词says。
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名词可以当副词用吗?可以,而且很普通,随便举两个例子:
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I go to school every morning.
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She lives next door.
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这两句中的斜体字的用法,都和the way相仿。这种名词是属于“宾格”(objective or accusative case)的,因为兼有副词的功用,文法家称之为adverbial accusative.
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Christmas is looked forward to by a child with even greater excitement than the excitement with which he looks forward to his own birthday, because Christmas is everybody’s birthday, with the party going on all over the world. Christmas is to every child, in his own way, the wonder of the world and the light of life.
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● 真能领略圣诞节的意义的是儿童。以下就详述儿童心目中的圣诞节。
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● 第一句相当长,但是层次清楚。because前面是主句,because后面是从句。
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● 在主句里,把耶稣圣诞节拿来同儿童自己的生日相比。儿童过自己的生日,假如有得玩,有得吃,无不热烈期待(look forward to)这个好日子的。但是他的期待圣诞节,其兴奋更甚于期待他自己的生日。这里很多字都是重复的,但是than之前用的是被动语态,than之后用的是主动语态,重复之中还是有变化。
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● Christmas is everybody’s birthday:耶稣圣诞节是每一个人的生日。这句话不一定含有宗教的意义,只是说耶稣圣诞节到处热烈庆祝,好像人人都在过生日。the party:庆祝会。
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● the wonder of the world and the light of life:都是些玄虚的字眼,但是读者请不要往玄虚处去想,作者只是要强调小孩过圣诞节觉得热闹好玩(好像中国过旧历年似的),这些玄虚的字眼无非都表示热闹好玩而已。小孩子对圣诞节,有一种独特看法(in his own way),他们把它看作“宇宙的奇观,生命的光彩”。
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Christmas is odors, brought in from the cold to the fire, a blend of perfume made of the scent of snow mingling with the scent of sanctity; of holly and fir mingling with the gifts of new clothes and new shoes; of Christmas candy and the bright, painted toys mingling with the unmistakable scent of happiness that comes out of people at Christmas, no matter how deeply it is buried.
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● 以下分从“色、声、香、味”入手,说明圣诞节的所以成为“奇妙光彩”之处。
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