大学英语4_课文原文及翻译_中英对照

Unit 1

享受幽默——是什么使人开怀？

[1] The joy of laughing at a funny story is universal, probably as old as language itself. But, what is it that makes a story or a joke funny?

1 听了一个有趣的故事会发笑、很开心，古今中外都一样。这一现象或许同语言本身一样悠久。那么，到底是什么东西会使一个故事或笑话让人感到滑稽可笑的呢？

[2] As one who has enjoyed humor since I first recognized it, I've made an attempt to explain and discuss humor with students in such diverse cultures as Latin America and China. I've done some serious thinking about funny stories. It has been a labor of love!

2 我是第一次辨识出幽默便喜欢上它的人，因此我曾试图跟学生议论和探讨幽默。这些学生文化差异很大，有来自拉丁美洲的，也有来自中国的。我还认真地思考过一些滑稽有趣的故事。这么做完全是出于自己的喜好。 [3] Why is it that several students in a class will fall out of their chairs laughing after I tell a joke while the rest of the students look as if I've just read the weather report? Obviously some people are more sensitive to humor than others. And, we recognize that some people tell jokes very well while others struggle to say something funny. We've all heard people say, \tell one well, and I can never remember them.\Some people have a better sense of humor than others just as some people have more musical talent, mathematical talent, etc. than others. A truly funny person has a joke for every occasion, and when one is told, that triggers an entire string of jokes from that person's memory bank. A humorless person is not likely to be the most popular person in a group. It is reasonable to say that the truly humorous individual is not only well liked, but is often the focus of attention in any gathering.

3 为什么听我讲完一个笑话后，班上有些学生会笑得前仰后合，而其他学生看上去就像刚听我读了天气预报一样呢？显然，有些人对幽默比别人更敏感。而且，我们也发现有的人很善于讲笑话，而有的人要想说一点有趣的事却要费好大的劲。我们都听人说过这样的话：“我喜欢笑话，但我讲不好，也总是记不住。”有些人比别人更有幽默感，就像有些人更具有音乐、数学之类的才能一样。一个真正风趣的人在任何场合都有笑话可讲，而且讲了一个笑话，就会从他记忆里引出一连串的笑话。一个缺乏幽默感的人不可能成为一群人中最受欢迎的人。一个真正有幽默感的人不仅受人喜爱，而且在任何聚会上也往往是人们注意的焦点。这么说是有道理的。

[4] Even some animals have a sense of humor. My wife's mother often visited us for extended stays. She normally didn't like dogs, but she fell in love with Blitzen—a female Labwe had, and the relationship was mutual（相互的）. Even when young, Blitzen would tease Grandma by very selectively carrying one of her bedroom slippers into the living room where Grandma sat in her favorite, comfortable chair. Blitzen pranced（蹦来跳去） just beyond the reach of Grandma until Grandma

was tempted to leave her chair to get the slipper from Blitzen. When Grandma left her chair, Blitzen would quickly jump into the chair, flashing her Lab smile from sparkling（闪烁的） brown eyes which clearly said, \Aha, I fooled you again.\

4 甚至有些动物也具有幽默感。我岳母从前经常来我们家，并能住上很长一段时间。通常她不喜欢狗，但却很喜欢布利茨恩—我们养过的一条拉布拉多母猎犬。而且，她们的这种喜欢是相互的。布利茨恩在很小的时候就常常戏弄外祖母，当外祖母坐在起居室里她最喜欢的那张舒适的椅子上时，布利茨恩就故意把她卧室里的一只拖鞋叼到起居室，并在外祖母刚好够不到的地方蹦来跳去，一直逗到外祖母忍不住站起来去拿那只拖鞋。外祖母从椅子上一起来，布利茨恩就迅速跳上那椅子，从它那闪亮的棕色眼睛里掠过一丝拉布拉多式的微笑，无疑是在说：“啊哈，你又上了我的当。”

[5] Typical jokes or humorous stories have a three-part anatomy（结构） that is easily

recognized. First is the SETUP (or setting), next is the BODY (or story line), and these are followed by the PUNCH LINE (an unexpected or surprise ending) which will make the joke funny if it contains some humor. Usually all three parts are present, and each must be clearly presented. It helps if the story/joke teller uses gestures and language which are well-known to the audience.

[N]

[N]

[N]

5 典型的笑话或幽默故事由明显的三部分构成。第一部分是铺垫（即背景），接下来是主干部分（即故事情节），随后便是妙语（即一个出人意料或令人惊讶的结尾）。如果这个妙语含有一定的幽默成分，这个笑话便会很有趣。通常笑话都包含这三部分，而且每部分都必须交代清楚。如果讲故事或说笑话的人使用听众都熟悉的手势和语言，则有助于增强效果。

[6] Humor, as a form of entertainment, can be analyzed in order to discover what makes a funny story or joke seem funny. Here, for example, are some of the most common types of humor. They range from the most obvious humor to the more subtle（微妙含蓄的） types.

6 我们可以对幽默这种娱乐形式，进行分析，从而发现究竟是什么使一个有趣的故事或笑话令人发笑。举例来说，最常见的幽默有以下几种，包括了从最显而易见的幽默到比较微妙含蓄的幽默。

[7] \Its language is simple, direct, and often makes fun of another person or group. Slap-stick was and is the technique of the stand-up（单人的） comedian and the clown. It appeals to all ages and all cultures. Nearly every English-speaking comedian in this century has used the following joke in one form or another. One man asks another, \I saw you with last night?\The other replies, \lies in the fact that the second man is saying that his wife is not a lady.In other words, she is not a refined （优雅的）woman. The joke is no less funny because it is so often used. The audience knows in advance what will be said, because it is classic humor, and any audience values it even more because of its familiarity.

7 滑稽剧”是最明显的幽默。它语言简单、直截了当，常常以取笑他人为乐。说笑打闹这种形式过去是、现在仍然是滑稽说笑演员和小丑的惯用技巧。它为不同年龄、不同文化背景的人们所喜爱。几乎本世纪的每个讲英语的滑稽说笑演员都曾以这样或那样的方式说过下面这则笑话。一位男士问另一位男士：“昨晚我看到的那位和你在一起的贵妇是谁？”那位男士回答道：“那可不是什么贵妇，那是我老婆。”这个笑话的幽默之处在于第二位男士说他的妻子不是一位贵妇，也就是说她不是一个高雅的女人。这个笑话并没有因为经常讲而变得不再那么好笑。由于这是一个经典笑话，观众都知道要说什么，而且因为大家对这个笑话很熟悉而更加珍爱它。 [8] Chinese \cross-talk（相声）\is a special type of slap-stick in which two Chinese comedians humorously discuss topics such as bureaucrats（官僚主义者）, family problems, or other personal

topics. Cross-talk can be heard anywhere from small village stages to the largest Beijing theatres, and to radio and television. It is clearly a traditional form of humor well understood by Chinese people. 8 中国的相声是一种特殊的滑稽剧。 相声中两名中国喜剧演员幽默地谈论诸如官僚主义者、家庭问题或其他一些有关个人的话题。相声随处都能听到，无论是在乡村的小舞台上，还是在北京最大的剧院里，抑或在广播、电视上。它显然是中国人家喻户晓的一种传统的幽默形式。

[9] A PLAY ON WORDS is not so obvious as slap-stick, but it is funny because of misused or

misunderstood language. My favorite example is the story of three elderly gentlemen traveling by train in England. As the train slowed for a stop the first man asked, \?\\second, \\\We know that older people often do not hear things clearly, so the misunderstanding of both Wednesday (for Wembley) and thirsty (for Thursday) makes a nice setup for the punch line delivered by the third man.

9 “俏皮话”不像滑稽剧那样浅显，它是因语言的误用或误解而引人发笑。我特别喜欢的一个例子是三位年长的绅士在英国乘火车旅行的故事。当火车慢慢停下来时，第一位绅士问道：“这是Wembley (温布利)吗？”“不，”第二位绅士说：“是Thursday (星期四)。”“我也是，”第三位说道，“让我们下车喝杯啤酒吧。”我们知道上了年纪的人往往耳背，因此会把Wembley（温布利）听成了Wednesday（星期三），把Thursday（星期四）听成了thirsty（渴了），这样一来就为第三位老人的妙语做好了铺垫。

[10] The famous Chinese cartoonist and humorist Ding Cong is a master of word play. In one of his funny cartoons, a teacher says, \come you completely copied somebody else's homework?\The young student replies, \didn't completely copy it. My name on the page is different.\In another classic Ding Cong cartoon, an irritated（生气的） father asks, \me, what's one plus two?\The son says, \The impatient father then says, \altogether are how many, you idiot?\The son proudly answers, \Whether these stories are cartoons

[N]

[N]

[N]

or jokes, told by a slap-stick comedian or a cross-talking team, they appeal to people everywhere as funny stories because they have a note of reality to them, and the unexpected punch line is quite funny. 10 著名的中国漫画家和幽默家丁聪便是一位俏皮话大师。在他的一幅幽默漫画中，一位老师说：“你为什么一字不改地抄别人的作业？”那位年轻的学生回答道：“我没有一字不改地抄。我把作业上的名字改成自己的了。”在丁聪的另一幅经典漫画里，一位生气的父亲问道：“告诉我，1加2等于几？”儿子说：“我不知道。”这位不耐烦的父亲接着说道：“比方说，你、你妈妈和我，我们加起来一共是几个，傻瓜？”儿子得意地回答道：“是三个傻瓜。” 这些故事无论是漫画还是笑话，是由演滑稽剧的喜剧演员说还是由搭档的相声演员讲，都为各地人们所喜爱。人们喜爱这些有趣的故事，因为它们贴近现实生活，而且里面那些出人意料的妙语十分有趣。

[11] PUNS are even more subtle forms of word play. They use the technique of similar sounding words or alternative meanings of the same word. Puns are thought by some critics to be the lowest form of humor, but I disagree with this.Puns require more subtle and sophisticated（巧妙复杂的） language skills than most humor forms, but even the very young can use them in their simpler forms. For example, the \riddle（谜语）\trick question（脑筋急转弯） often uses a pun in the setup, the story line, or, more often, the punch line. Puns are the first type of humor I learned, and at about 5 years of age I remember hearing the following riddle. One person asks, \is black and white and red all over?\The other person usually cannot answer the riddle, so says, \

answer?\The riddler replies, \pronounced the same as \meanings are clearly different.

11 双关语是一种更微妙的俏皮话。它使用的技巧是利用发音相似的词或同一个词的不同意思。有些批评家认为双关语是最低级的幽默，但我不同意这种观点。双关语与其他形式的幽默相比需要更细微、更巧妙（复杂）的语言技巧；然而，简单的双关语甚至很小的孩子也能利用。例如，谜语或脑筋急转弯问题常使用双关语做铺垫、制造故事情节，而且更多地是用在妙语部分。双关语是我最早懂得的幽默。记得大约在五岁时我听到了下面这个谜语。一个人问：“什么东西整个儿是黑的、白的和红的？”另外一个人通常猜不出来，于是问道：“我不猜了。是什么呀？”出谜语的人回答：“是报纸。”如果你知道在英语中“red（红色）”和“read（读）”的读音一样但意思完全不同，答案就很明显了。

[12] DOUBLE ENTENDRES (French for double meanings) are special variations of puns in which words or phrases have double meanings.Frequently the two meanings are very different, and one is quite proper while the second is often, but not always, vulgar（粗俗的）. I like the somewhat mild story of a school teacher and a principal of a high school who are concerned because some boys and girls have been seen kissing on the school playground. The teacher says to the students, \to stop kissing on the school playground.\Hearing some laughter, she senses her message was not altogether clear, so she adds, \our noses.\This clarification（解释）, of course, does nothing to correct the first statement and the double meaning of the joke becomes even more laughable. 12 DOUBLE ENTENDRES （法语中的“一语双关”）是双关语的特殊形式, 其中的词或短语有双重意思。两个意思往往很不相同，一个比较恰当，另一个往往比较粗俗—但并不总是这样。我喜欢那个关于一位中学教师和校长因看见学生在学校操场上接吻而感到担心的故事。故事并不过火。那位教师对学生们说；“我和校长已经决定停止在学校操场上接吻。”听到笑声，她意识到她没有把意思表达清楚，于是补充说：“我的意思是不能再在我们的鼻子下面发生接吻这样的事了。”当然，这个解释并没有纠正她的第一句话，反而使这个笑话的双重含义变得更加好笑。 [13] Some professional humorists think too much of today's humor is not very intelligent or

sophisticated. They dislike the suggestive（挑逗的） or vulgar language used too frequently, and they feel that most humorists are not very creative. It is true that some of today's humor is rather shocking, but I don't think humor is to be blamed for that. Humor is alive and well, and it will persist simply because there are funny things happening every day. Some humorous people see and hear these funny things and are able to make them into funny, entertaining jokes and stories. (1,346 words)

13 一些专业的幽默家认为如今的幽默大多缺乏智慧，不够巧妙。他们不喜欢在幽默中过多使用有色情意味或粗俗的语言，而且觉得大多数幽默家缺乏创造性。的确，现在有些幽默令人震惊，但我认为这不是幽默的过错。幽默本身是活泼健康的，它还会继续生存下去，只因为每天都有有趣的事情发生。一些有幽默感的人会看到听到这些有趣的事情，并把它们编成妙趣横生、令人开心的笑话和故事。

[N]

Unit 2 便笺的力量

On my first job as sports editor for the Montpelier (Ohio) Leader Enterprise, I didn't get a lot of fan mail, so I was intrigued（吸引） by a letter that was dropped on my desk one morning. 1 我当体育编辑，最早是为蒙比利埃（俄亥俄州）的《企业导报》工作，当时我很少收到体育迷的来信。因此，一天早晨放在我桌上的一封来信把我吸引住了。

[2] When I opened it, I read: \It was signed by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager (being paid the grand total of 15 cents

[N] [N]

a column inch), his words couldn't have been more inspiring. I kept the letter in my desk drawer

[N]

until it got rag-eared（破旧的）. Whenever I doubted I had the right stuff（材料） to be a writer, I would reread Don's note and feel confident again. 2 打开来信，我看到了下面的话：“关于老虎队的述评很不错，再接再厉。”签名的是体育编辑堂?沃尔夫。当时我只是一个十几岁的小伙子（为每一专栏写一英寸文字，稿酬总计达15美分），因此他的话最鼓舞人心了。我把这封信一直放在书桌的抽屉里，后来它的边角都卷起来了。每当我怀疑自己不是当作家的料时，重温一下堂的便笺，就又会树起信心来。

[N]

[3] Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a habit of writing a quick, encouraging

[N]

word to people in all walks of life（各行各业）. \he told me, \

3 后来，我逐渐对堂有所了解，知道给各行各业的人写快捷而鼓舞人心的便笺是他养成的习惯。他告诉我说：“当我使别人充满信心时，我也感觉好极了。”

[N]

[4] Not surprisingly, he had a body of friends as big as nearby Lake Erie.When he died last year

[N]

at 75, the paper was flooded with calls and letters from people who had been recipients of his spirit-lifting words.

4 因此毫不奇怪，他的朋友圈子就像附近的伊利湖那么大。去年他去世了，享年75岁。电话与悼函像潮水般涌向报社，都来自于曾经得到过他激励（文字）的人们。

[5] Over the years, I've tried to copy the example of Don and other friends who care enough to write uplifting comments, because I think they are on to something important. In a world too often cold and unresponsive（无动于衷的）, such notes bring warmth and reassurance（安慰）. We all need a boost

[N]

from time to time, and a few lines of praise have been known to turn around a day, even a life. 5 多年来，我努力效仿堂以及我的其他朋友，他们关心别人，常写一些鼓舞人心的话语，因为我觉得，他们这样做是很有意义的。在这样一个惯于冷漠、无动于衷的世界上，这种便笺给人们带来了温暖和安慰。我们都时不时地需要鼓励，大家知道几行赞扬的话会改变一个人的一天，甚至一生。

[6] Why, then, are there so few upbeat（激励人心的，乐观的） note writers? My guess is that many

[N]

who shy away from the practice are too self-conscious. They're afraid they'll be

misunderstood,sound sentimental or insincere. Also, writing takes time; it's far easier to pick up the phone.

6 那么，这些激励人心的便笺的作者为什么寥若晨星呢？我猜想很多人回避写，是因为他们太看重人们的看法。他们担心会被误解，怕别人觉得他们自作多情或者言不由衷。还有，写也要花时间，远不如打电话方便。 [7] The drawback with phone calls, of course, is that they don't last. A note

[N][N]

attaches more importance to our well-wishing. It is a matter of record, and our words can be read more than once, savored（品味） and treasured.

7 当然打电话的缺点是：说过的话留不住。而一张便笺使我们的良好意愿显得更加珍贵。便笺是白纸黑字记录在案的东西，而且我们写下的字可以反复阅读，细细品味并珍藏起来。

[8] Even though note writing may take longer, some pretty busy people do it, including George Bush. Some

[N][N]

say he owes much of his success in politics to his ever-ready pen. How? Throughout his career he has followed up virtually（差不多，实际上） every contact with a cordial(诚挚友好的) response—a

[N]

compliment, a line of praise or a nod of thanks. His notes go not only to friends and associates, but to casual acquaintances and total strangers—like the surprised person who got a warm pat on the back for lending Bush an umbrella.

8 尽管写便笺会多花一些时间，但一些非常忙的人也在这么做，其中包括乔治?布什。有人说，他政治上的成功在很大程度上归功于他那枝随时准备写字的笔。这是怎么回事呢？在他整个职业生涯中，每次与人们接触之后，他几乎都随后写封信，内容亲切——一句赞美之辞，一行表扬的话，或一段感谢语。他不仅写给朋友和同事，还写给萍水相逢的人以及完全陌生的人——比如那位借伞给他的人，后来收到他热情的赞扬信，感到很惊讶。

[9]****** Even top corporate（公司） managers, who have mostly affected（倾向于，受影响的） styles of leadership that can be characterized only as tough（强硬的）, cold and aloof（脱离群众的，疏远的）, have begun to learn the lesson, and earn the benefits, of writing notes

[N]

that lift people up.Former Ford chairman Donald Peterson, who is largely credited（信任，归功于） for turning the company around in the 1980s, made it a practice to write positive messages to

[N]

associates every day. \just scribble（乱涂乱写） them on a memo pad（备忘录） or the corner of a letter and pass them along,\those you spend doing something to boost（鼓舞） the people who work for you.\

9 那些通常做作的公司高层经理们，其领导作风只能被形容为强硬、冷漠、脱离群众。甚至这些人也开始学习写便笺去鼓舞人心，且从中获益匪浅。唐纳德?彼得森，福特公司的前主席，把每天写便笺鼓励同事当作一件日常工作。该公司在80年代时走出低谷取得成功主要是他的功劳。“我只不过匆匆地在备忘录或信的角上写一些鼓舞人心的话，然后传递出去，”他说道。“每天最重要的一段时间，就是鼓舞那些为你工作的人的那10分钟。” [10] \observed, \genuinely（真正地） like have no idea how we feel about them. Too often we think, I haven't said anything critical; why do I have to say something positive? We forget that human beings need positive reinforcement—in fact, we thrive on（取得进步，获得成功） it!\10 “太多的时候，”他发表自己的看法说，“那些我们真正喜欢的人并不知道我们是怎么看待他们的。太多的时候，我们会以为，我并没有说过什么批评的话，为什么非得去说好话呢？我们忘了，人类需要正面的肯定或鼓励——事实上，我们靠这个取得进步，获得成功！”

[N]

[11] What does it take to write letters that lift spirits and warm hearts? Only a willingness to express our appreciation. The most successful practitioners include what I call the four \writing.

11 怎样才能写出振奋精神、温暖人心的信呢？只要我们怀有要表示感激之情的心愿。写这种便笺的高手都具有我所谓的 “４S”技巧。

[12] 1) They are sincere. No one wants false praise. 12 １）真诚。没人要听虚假的赞美。

[13] 2) They are usually short. If you can't say what you want to say in three sentences, you're

[N]

probably straining.

13 ２）简短。如果不能用三句话表达出你的意思，你很可能过火了，写得太长。

[14] 3) They are specific. Complimenting a business colleague by telling him \too vague; \investment strategy\precise.

14 ３）具体。赞扬一位业务伙伴 “演讲精彩”太笼统含糊；告诉他“关于沃伦?巴菲特的投资策略讲得很精彩”才是一语中的。

[15] 4) They are spontaneous. This gives them the freshness and enthusiasm that will linger in the reader's mind long afterward.

15 ４）自然。这使得便笺充满了生气，洋溢着热情，并使读者的心灵长久地感受这种生气和热情。

[16] It's difficult to be spontaneous when you have to hunt for letter-writing materials, so I keep paper,envelopes and stamps close at hand, even when I travel. Fancy stationery isn't necessary; it's the thought that counts.

百度搜索“77cn”或“免费范文网”即可找到本站免费阅读全部范文。收藏本站方便下次阅读，免费范文网，提供经典小说综合文库大学英语4_课文原文及翻译_中英对照在线全文阅读。