打字猴:1.705006993e+09
1705006993 现代英文选评注 [:1705000333]
1705006994 现代英文选评注 British Bicycles in Spain英国自行车在西班牙
1705006995
1705006996 Robert Graves (1895—1985)
1705006997
1705006998 葛雷夫斯是英国当代著名诗人。他又是历史小说家,小说中有《朕,克劳地亚斯》(I, Claudius),Wife to Mr. Milton 等。1957年他还出版了一本They Hanged My Saintly Billy,故事是重述一百年前英国的一桩凶杀案。
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1705007000 在五十年代,葛氏对于考古学大有兴趣,写了The White Goddess和The Nazarene Gospel Restored等。1955年他为企鹅丛书写了两厚册的《希腊神话》(The Greek Myths),完全用人类学考古学的眼光来看希腊神话,发掘传说故事中的社会意义。这部书对于希腊神话的研究大有贡献,出版后甚获好评。
1705007001
1705007002 葛雷夫斯著作等身,这里所选的只是他的杂文中一段。本文原题是“A Bicycle in Majorca,”发表于l957年6月22日的The New Yorker杂志。Majorca是西班牙所属地中海一个岛,葛氏卜居于此,已历有年数。这篇文章叙述他孩子的脚踏车失窃的故事,文字轻松,挖苦西班牙人,可是不失作者的绅士风度。The New Yorker为美国高级杂志,文章风格注重高雅(urbanity),英美名作家投稿的很多。
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1705007004 The Spaniards certainly know how to ride bicycles; they are heroic racing cyclists, and the mortality among leaders of the profession is a good deal higher than among bullfighters. A recess at the back of the Palma Cycling Club provides a shrine for one of its members killed on a mountain road during the Tour of Spain—his pedals and shoes hung up beneath a plaque of St. Christopher, with candles perpetually burning. Other members, who have died in lesser contests, are not so commemorated. But we British at least know how to make bicycles. I hasten to say that I am not criticizing Spanish workmanship. The British just happen to be experts in this particular trade; they even export vast quantities of bicycles to the choosy United States.
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1705007006 ● 西班牙人是Spaniard,西班牙的是Spanish。英文“某国的人民”(名词)和“某国的”(形容词)大致都形式相同,(如Chinese,Japanese等),西班牙是少数例外之一。(波兰人,Pole;波兰的,Polish。芬兰人,Finn;芬兰的,Finnish。)
1705007007
1705007008 ● 骑脚踏车的人(不论是赛车专家,或是普通乘骑的人)是cyclist,bicyclist这个字不常用。racing:赛跑的,长距离比赛的。
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1705007010 ● mortality:死亡率。bullfighters:斗牛士。斗牛士西班牙文为torero(徒步的)或toreador(骑马的)。斗牛士易为牛所伤,死亡率颇高;但是赛车这一行(profession)里面的重要人物,其死亡率之高,远胜(a good deal higher)于斗牛士。注意本句中among这个字的用法。
1705007011
1705007012 ● recess:壁凹。Palma:Majorca岛上之城镇。Cycling Club:自行车协会。一般联谊性质之社团,英文大多是club,如“留美同学会”为American University Club,“哈佛同学会”为Harvard Club等。
1705007013
1705007014 ● shrine:神龛。Tour of Spain:环游西班牙自行车比赛。会里有一个会员,在一条山路上失事身死。死后会员把他的跑鞋和他的车上的踏脚板挂在会所后面的一座神龛里,作为纪念。龛里本来供的是St. Christopher之像,像刻在一块板(plaque)上,终年蜡烛供养。鞋和踏板挂在神像的底下。
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1705007016 ● lesser contests:小规模的比赛,然而亦有失事丧生的。这种人会里就不这么隆重地纪念(commemorate)了。
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1705007018 ● make:此字重读。英国人骑车拼命的劲儿,也许赶不上西班牙人,但是英国人至少会造脚踏车。
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1705007020 ● workmanship:制造技术。作者是英国人,现在要赞美英国的脚踏车;但是自吹自擂,有失风度,赶快(hasten)声明,他不是在批评西班牙的脚踏车坏。英国脚踏车制作精良,举世闻名,作者说话很谦虚,可是读者不得不承认,他的态度的大方。
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1705007022 ● happen:恰巧是。英国人别的东西也许全不行,这一行(制造脚踏车)偏偏是内行。
1705007023
1705007024 ● choosy:此字普通字典中不载,据猜测当是“好挑剔的”之意。美国人买外国货,当然挑好的货;英国脚踏车是美国人所喜欢的。
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1705007026 The Spanish government will not, of course, agree that anyone else in the world can make anything better than Spaniards do, and surely a government’s business is to foster faith in the nation’s industrial proficiency. This attitude, however, makes it difficult for a Spaniard or a foreign resident in Spain to import a British bicycle, especially when Spanish sterling reserves are low.
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1705007028 ● 本段讲西班牙政府不容许英国脚踏车进口。作者对于此事,很可能并不赞同;但是他多用反语(irony),事事就西班牙政府立场说话,结果把西班牙政府挖苦得很惨。
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1705007030 ● 西班牙政府当然认为西班牙的国货,决不会比外国货差。他们决不会同意,说是别国人造出来的东西会比西班牙人造的好。(注意本句中 anyone else二字,如改用any other nation,就笨得多了。)
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1705007032 ● a government’s business:business是“责任”或“天责”。这字同前面的anyone else相仿,都是口语习用之字,读之令人起亲切之感。如此处改用responsibility等字,句子又要显得笨了。我们学idiomatic English,主要的是要学这些简单的字的用法。
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1705007034 ● foster faith:培养信心。industrial proficiency:工业技术之(熟练)程度。
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1705007036 ● however:此种态度虽好,但是对人民亦有不便之处。makes it中的it指下面to import (进口)…。foreign resident:外侨。
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1705007038 ● sterling reserves:英镑外汇储存量。low:不足。向英国买东西,就得动用英镑外汇。国际贸易大约有两大集团,即英镑集团(sterling bloc)和美元集团(dollar bloc)是也。美元外汇储存量是dollar reserves.
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1705007040 Such a person must fill out fifteen forms in quintuplicate, supplying all his own vital statistics, with those of his relations in at least the nearer degrees, and showing a just cause why he should be allowed a British bicycle (despite the hundred-percent Spanish import duty) instead of a much better, locally manufactured machine, which can be bought at half the cost.
1705007041
1705007042 ● Such a person:申请购买英制脚踏车的人。fill out fifteen forms:填十五种表。in quintuplicate:每种表填同式五份。同式双份是duplicate,三份是triplicate,四份是quadruplicate。
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