網絡課堂之美語思維(5)講解錄音和筆記

第八部分 AMERICAN VALUES

俗話說：“不撞南牆不回頭。”——人一旦有一種想法，如果他本人的價值觀不根本改變，就很難讓他改變他的行爲和語言。價值觀直接影響人類的思維，而思維又是語言的靈魂，語言（包括肢體語言）是思維的載體，從這個意義上講，學習一個民族的語言一定要了解並掌握該民族的價值觀。美國人對自由的執着追求是衆人皆知的，但他們究竟如何理解自由呢？我們用兩個單元來向大家闡述這個問題。下面是一個在華居住若干年的普通美國人對自由價值觀的看法及其在不同領域的表現

Individualism (a)

全文鏈接：

What’s up? I’m Parsons. Nice to meet you (well sort of meet you). Anyway, I greet you with words and gifts and gifts of words. And the truth of American values! I’m going to give you the skinny on all aspects of American values, while also giving you the reasons straight up. Why so blunt? Cause hearing the truth is the best way to learn. In my humble individual opinion, the best students are the ones who feel free to ask any question to their instructor, no matter how embarrassing, foolish, or personal. The best teachers will have an answer to every question no matter how out-there or obscure. Well, at least the teacher should have a good enough imagination so they can make something up.

l skinny ['skini] n. 機密情報；內部消息；小道消息; adj. 皮的；皮包骨的；緊身的；小氣的

l in my humble individual opinion 就我個人的一點淺薄的認識來說

First I would like to address where American values come from. From oppression comes the need for freedom. From inequality comes the need for equality. The forefathers of the US were all oppressed and abused. They were great men like Washington, Pane, Adams, Hancock and many More. Their families had fled Europe to seek religious freedom. Some fled to escape Europe’s class system. All were sick of being oppressed. Because of their poor situation, when they revolted and became free in 1776, they stood by their idealistic concepts. Our modern day values sprout from the dreams and hopes of our ancestors who had to fight to be free. They fought and died so we wouldn’t have to. Legally our values come from the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Socially American values come from the human feeling of what is best for the individual. Only if you first take care of yourself, can you then start to care for others. (Sort of like the instructions on an airplane). America’s original statement was a call to all the world, “Give us your weak and your weary,” the USA is still a nation of immigrants.

l Constitution and Bill of Rights 憲法和人權法

l American values come from the human feeling of what is best for the individual. 美國的價值觀來自於什麼樣的狀態是最有利於個人的

l Give us your weak and your weary 給予所有弱小勢力以保護

Because of this, the USA was once called a melting pot, where all cultures come together and mutate into one. However, we have augmented that phrase. Now we say America is a “Tossed Salad of cultures,” because when you boil things together the individuality is corrupted, but the USA goes to extreme lengths so that its immigrants can keep as much from their old culture as they like. However, once you immigrate to the USA you are an American, with American values.

l a melting pot 大熔爐

l Tossed Salad of cultures 像混在一起的沙拉一樣的文化

l However, once you immigrate to the USA you are an American, with American values. 儘管移民們的獨特文化可以留存，但是，仍然會受到美國價值觀的感染，最後變爲美國的價值觀。

Above all else, be yourself! All American values sprout from that one idea. Individualism is the first freedom as well as the most important American value. The American political system is based on being free to have individual ideals, individual religions, individual cultures, and the ever-important freedom to speak your individual opinion. American legal and social values are such that if there are 100 men in a room and 99 of them are guilty criminals, but we can’t figure out which one is the innocent one, our values dictate that we let them all go free. This is done to protect the rights of the one innocent individual. That is a pretty heavy concept. America is serious about the rights of the individual. Check out this case:

l be yourself 做自己，在美國是非常重要的

l 用100個人中99個是罪犯的例子，來說明individualism的重要性

l check out this case = for example

The individual’s right to vote as they like is so strong, that－get this: when you are voting for a leader or governor or even president, they leave a space on the official ballot form for people to write in other candidates names. You can write in your mom’s name if you like. If enough people write in the same name that person would win. (Mom for president!)

l 選舉投票充分尊重個人的意願

Not only does being a nation of individuals define the United States in legal terms, but it is a cool title we are proud of. In the US, being different is a great thing to be. People respect the person in a group who can be the most different and interesting. The importance of standing out is reinforced with several positive American idioms such as: “You are such an individual!” or “He is heads above the rest,” or “I noticed her from a mile away.” However, by far, my favorite idiom that is charged by being a true individual is one related to one of my hobbies －music. “He marches to the beat of his own drum.” This image really tells you a lot about a person. They don’t follow along to the weak pop music of the moment, which is famous for only a few days. Nor do they quickly follow trends; they make their own music and decisions. Writing this makes me want to be more of an individual, and go out and buy a drum to play!

l 與中國“中庸”的價值觀所不同，美國更加強調一個人的個性和在羣體中的與衆不同

l 誇讚他人十分有個性的句子：

l You are such an individual!

l He is heads above the rest.

l I noticed her from a mile away.

l He marches to the beat of his own drum.

At the root of American individualism is a wanting, no, a yearning to be famous. Every American wants his or her “15 minutes of fame”. We all want to be recognized and praised, and being famous is like being praised for just being yourself. America gets its modern culture and most of its culture and values from TV and movies, so having a mega-star status is the best way to feel one has succeeded as an individual. All American guys secretly want to be Brad Pitt, I know that I do. And it is easy to see that all local gals openly hope to look like Jennifer Lopez. We love the movies so much that we say, “There is no business like show business.” Hollywood affects our culture, language and every other aspect of our lives.

l 美國個人主義價值觀的根本是對於“名”的渴望

l 15 minutes of fame 迅速成名

l mega-star 巨星

l 好萊塢影響了美國的文化、語言和生活的方方面面

Since this is my 15 minutes of fame (longer if you read slowly), I will tell you a little about myself as an individual. I am Professor Christopher Alexander Parsons, AKA (also known as) Mr. Magic. I have been teaching and learning in China for 8 years. Whenever possible I show off my individual style through my humorous writings in novels and textbooks. I enjoy sharing my inspiring music with as many friends as possible. I play the guitar and harmonica a little, but I excel at the four-stringed bass. I believe the bass connects the drums to the rest of the band. Plus the soothing sounds of the bass puts people into a relaxed state of mind. When I am not jamming with my buds, I like to clown around with my amazing magic tricks. I am still seeking my 15 minutes of fame from my English teaching TV shows and my old radio DJ stint on EZ FM.

l excel at 在某方面很突出

l puts people into a relaxed state of mind 使人們身心放鬆

I was born in New York, but have lived in many cities across the USA and the world. For most of my adult life I have traveled to and worked in many great countries, studying keen languages and taking part in diverse cultures. I believe that teaching is caring professionally, and feel that most people can learn by teaching. If you are learning a language, try teaching the new words you learn to a friend of an equal or lower level. Think about it, when you teach a subject, be it language or science, you gain a new prospective on it. Plus, when a student takes a test and gets an 85%, that is pretty good, but if the teacher takes the test they must get 100%! If you get a 100% on a test, or close to it, we say you “aced the test”. Teachers should ace all the tests!

l 美國人最常用於炫耀的話題之一，便是“旅遊”

l 最好的學習方式，就是把學到的東西教與他人

l aced the test 徹底打敗了考試

During my writing career I have written eight novels and textbooks, one for every year I have been in China. Most of my stories are about friendship, fighting hatred and prejudice, and funny chubby magic people. The English textbooks are about Office English, Real American English and Mastering the English job interview.

l 作者介紹他自己的作品

To be more of an individual, I wear cowboy hats, I show off my very big nose, wear colorful vests, and try to be as playful as a purple ape (because I was born in the year of the monkey). My favorite color is green, and my favorite number is 59. I wear glasses, like most bookworms, but I also love sports and some dancing when I am in the mood. I know that knowledge is power and I am willing to share that power with good listeners. In my ever-dwindling free time, I am into creating art with my true friends most of all. And I believe that beyond a shadow of a doubt that Art Will Outlast Hatred.

l 作者介紹他自己的多彩生活

l playful 幽默的

l bookworm 書蟲

l when I am in the mood 當我有心情的時候

第二單元 Individualism Means Choice!

GUIDANCE：

在本單元中，同學們將要對熱門話題：校園暴力進行討論；感受拉瑞·金（Larry King）與美國前總統克林頓（Clinton）先生的對話魅力；領略美國前總統 CLlinton 先生在作國情諮文時的演講風采；體會航空*的職業辛酸；瞭解美國更多的“個人自由”觀念。

第一部分 Warm Up

LET’S GET HEATED

Dialogue 1

B 的房客給 B 帶來了很多麻煩，A 對 B 表示同情，並建議 B 直接找房客談一談。

A：Are things still going badly with your houseguest?

B： ⑴ It’s getting worse. Now ⑵ he’s eating me out of house and home. I’ve tried talking to him but it all goes in one ear and out the other. He makes himself at home, which is fine. But what really ⑶ gets me is that yesterday he walked into the living room ⑷ in the raw and I had company over! ⑸ That was the last straw.

A：Jim, I really think *you’re beating around the ⑹ bush with this guy. *I know he used to be your best friend in college, but I really think it’s time to lay down the law.

B：You’re right. Everything is probably going to come to a head tonight. I’ll keep you informed.

【詞句解析】
⑴ It’s getting worse.：重讀 worse，表示心中很鬱悶。

⑵ He’s eating me out of house and home：美國俚語，意思是“把屋裏所有的東西都吃光了”。

⑶ get me：這是口語的不完整說法，應爲“gets me angry”。在口語中，雙方的交流在沒有完整語法的情況下，也一樣能完成，這要靠人的共通性。

You get me. 你問住我了。（當有人問你一些比較尷尬的問題時，可以用這句來回答）

⑷ in the raw：這裏的意思是“裸體”。

⑸ That was the last straw：美國俚語，意思是“That was all I could tolerate—我再不能忍受了”。

⑹ bush：意思是“矮樹叢”。

【思維解析】
1． You’re beating around the bush

這是美國的俚語，意思是說“你太含蓄了”。事實上，美國人是非常外向型的，但也有含蓄的。多數美國人對含蓄持否定態度，因爲他們認爲那樣會使本來很複雜的社會變得更復雜。

中國認爲沉默是金，最高境界是話外有話，弦外有音。美國人會覺得沉默寡言的人是freak，美國人很喜歡的一句話：wear your heart on your sleeves （把你的心戴在你的袖子上），美國人更喜歡直接去表達自己的感情。美國人喜歡調動所有的細胞去表達自己的感情，中國人更偏向笑不露齒，把語言和感情割裂開來，這樣是很不好的。例如：I am happy.（請練習有感情的說這句話）

2. I know he used to be your best friend in college, but I really think it’s time to lay down the law

這句話很好地體現美國人做事的原則，我們中國也有類似的理念，如：“親兄弟，明算帳”，但我們在執行時，就和美國人有本質的差別。

中國人總是原則很強，但是真的做的時候就不好說了，中國人比較看重錢。 美國人在任何時候總是在強調: “you are on your own and I am on my own.”，儘管是兄弟，我們還都是獨立的個體，需要充分的互相尊重。可能在錢上的體現還好，但是美國人在individual freedom上會特別的獨立。中國人會比較愛把自己的意識強加於他人，覺得這是爲他人好。

Dialogue 2

A 從 B（Karen）黝黑的皮膚上猜測她一定去曬太陽了。而 A 卻在圖書館裏渡過了週末。

A：Hey, Karen. Look like ⑴ you got some Sun this weekend.

B：(2) Yeah? I guess so. I spent the weekend at beach.

A：That’s great. Where did you stay?

B：Some friends of my parents live out there, and they invited me there.

A：⑶ So, what did you do ⑷ out there? I mean besides ⑸ bask in the sun, obviously.

B：I ⑹ jogged ⑺ up and down the beach and played volleyball. You know I never realized how hard it is to run on sand. I couldn’t ⑻ get through a whole game before I had to sit down.

A：Not to mention cooler. Did you go swimming?

B：I wanted to, but the water is too cold, and I just wetted in up to my knees.

A：It all sounds so relaxing. I wish I could get away to the beach like that.

B：It looks like you could use it. ⑼ *Don’t tell me you spent the weekend in the library again.

【詞句解析】
⑴ You got some sun：美國習語，意思是“你被太陽曬黑了”，美語的這種表達方式有點象漢語中的“老頭曬太陽”。

⑵ Yeah? ：聲調往上挑，表示懷疑，相當於說“真的？”。

⑶ So：重讀，音調向下，表示後面還有話。

⑷ out there：意思是“那兒”。這和語法是不一致的，語法中there和here之前，是不能在前面加介詞的。但是，在口語中，我們確實這麼用。語法跟着口語走，不可能是先有語法，我們再去說話。而且， “介詞+there/here” 這種用法也增加了口語中的明確範圍感。在口語中，there 前面還可以加 in, around, up 和 down。

例如：I work here. 我在這裏工作。 I work in here. 我在這塊兒工作。

口語永遠是根據意思來的，意思最重要，不要被語法所捆住。

⑸ bask in the sun：美國習語，意思是“曬太陽”，注意：介詞是in，而不是 under。因爲宇宙中沒有“下”，而“in”表達在陽光裏的感覺。

⑹ jog：意思是“慢跑”，與 run 的區別在後者更加職業化，前者是隨意性的。多數美國人都是 jogger。

⑺ up and down the beach：這個詞組不要翻成“在海灘上上下下地…”，而是“來來往往”的意思。

⑻ get through：意思是“完成”。Through 在口語中用的很多，本意是“從頭到未來一遍”，在不同的場合可以翻成不同的意思，如：go through life 翻成“經歷生活”。

⑼ Don’t tell me：美語慣用法，意思相當於“I can’t believe it”。

思維解析：

Don’t tell me you spent the weekend in the library again.

這句話體現出中美在生活理念上的差異性。一個人整天把時間都花在讀書上時，美國人會認爲“you are sick”。美國人的價值觀是“work hard and play hard”。

美國大學裏最崇拜的人，不是學習最好的，反而是最能折騰最能玩的人。美國人也不太會去比家裏的經濟狀況，或者誰長得好看，他們比較喜歡比誰會玩，誰最個性，大家就會比較喜歡。

Bill Gates雖然很富有，但是很多人不喜歡他，因爲他戴個眼鏡，是一個bookworm,雖然他的富有讓大家覺得他很成功，但是並沒有很多美國人去崇拜他。

Dialogue 3

本對話節選自電影《You’ve got a mail 網絡情緣》，Tom Hanks主演的。

Kathleen 在網上結識了一個朋友，她在和Joe 談論這個網友的情況，Joe 其實就是那個網友，但他假裝不知…

Kathleen: ⑴What?

Joe: What happened with that ⑵guy at the ⑶café?

Kathleen: nothing

Joe: ⑷But you’re crazy about him?

Kathleen: ⑸Yes, I am.

Joe: Why don’t you ⑹run off with him? What are you waiting for?

Kathleen: I don’t actually know him.

Joe: Really?

Kathleen: I only know him through the … you are not gonna believe this.

Joe: Oh, let me guess. Through the ⑺internet?

Kathleen: Yes.

Joe: Hmm.“You’ve got mail.”

⑴ What? ：這裏表示沒聽清楚，聲音向裏收，發[з]的音

⑵ guy：意思相當於“person”、“man”等，男女都可以用，有些同學擔心該詞有貶義，其實沒有貶義，是個中性詞。

⑶ café：意思是“咖啡館”。該詞是西班牙語，由於美國的西班牙人和拉丁人很多，美語中出現了許多西班牙的外來語，如：amigo（朋友）、macho（猛男）、bingo（一種賭博遊戲）等。

⑷ But you’re crazy about him? ：口語中的問句不一定要提前助動詞，但一定要用升調，即：But you’re crazy about him? ↗

⑸ Yes, I AM：I AM 的重讀表示十分肯定的語氣。

⑹ run off：意思是“不停的幹某事”。

⑺ Internet：意思是“互聯網”，有一個類似的詞“intranet”是“局域網”的意思。

思維解析：

從整段來看，Joe 雖然沒有直接告訴Kathleen 他就是她的internet partner，但我們還是可以從“what happened with that guy at the café?”、 “but you’re crazy about him?”和“why don’t you run off with him? What are you waiting for?”這些問話中感受到他問話的直接性，因爲這些都是Kathleen 的隱私。通常問別人的隱私是不禮貌的，但 Joe對Kathleen 十分在意，所以就頻繁地詢問她對internet partner 的看法，這表明一個人對另一個人有意思了。

美國人對隱私是很忌諱的。在美國，可能兩個人都已經約會了幾次了，卻連對方的last name都不知道。