2011年職稱英語-通用英語選讀.doc

1. English is a Crazy Language 英語是一門瘋狂的語言1. Lets face it-English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins werent invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which arent sweet, are meat.讓我們接受現(xiàn)實吧-英語是一種瘋狂的語言。茄子（eggplant，字面意為雞蛋植物）里并沒有雞蛋，漢堡包（hamburger，字面意為火腿夾餅）里也沒有火腿。同樣，菠蘿（pineapple，字面意為松樹蘋果）里既沒有松鼠也沒有蘋果。松餅（English muffin，字面意為英式松餅）并不是英國人發(fā)明的，而炸薯條（French fries，字面意為法式油炸食品）也不是法國人的發(fā)明?！疤鹑狻保╯weetmeat）指的是蜜餞，而“甜面包”（sweetbread）不是甜的，它指的是牛雜碎。2. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings arc square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why it is that writers write but fingers dont fing, grocers dont groce and hammers dont ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isnt the plural of booth beeth? If you have one goose, two geese, why not one moose, two meese, or one index, two indices?我們理所當然地接受了英語的一切，但是如果我們分析一下英語中似是而非的情況，我們馬上就會發(fā)現(xiàn)“快的沙子”（quicksand，流沙，也只陷阱，困境）往往走得很慢，“拳擊的圓圈”（boxing rings，拳擊場）是方的，“幾內(nèi)亞豬”（guinea pig，天竺鼠）既不是來自幾內(nèi)亞，也不是豬。還有，既然名詞作家（writers）去掉詞尾的rs 就可以成為動詞“寫作(write）”，那為什么名詞“手指”（fingers）、雜貨店（grocers）、錘子（hammers）去掉rs就不能成為各自相應的動詞呢？如果牙齒的復數(shù)是teeth，那為什么售貨亭的復數(shù)不是beeth？一只鵝我們用goose，兩只鵝用geese，那么，一只駝鹿用moose（單復數(shù)同形），兩只駝鹿就應該是meese了？為什么一條索引是index，兩條索引卻成了indices？3. Doesnt it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend, or that you can comb through the annals of history but not a single annal? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?如果你賠償時只能賠償復數(shù)不能賠償單數(shù)，這是不是很莫名其妙？你可以梳理歷史的編年史，為什么卻不能復習某一個單個的編年史？如果你有一堆麻煩，那么在你把其他的都解決了只剩下一個的時候該怎么說呢？4. If teachers taught, why didnt preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?如果教師教學是taught，那為什么傳教士不是praught？如果素食主義者（vegetarian）吃蔬菜（vegetable），那人道主義者（humanitarian）吃什么？5. Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital; ship by truck and send cargo by ship; have noses that run and feet that smell; park on driveways and drive on parkways?有時候我覺得根據(jù)英國人說話時瘋狂的用詞可以將他們送進精神病院。哪一種語言人們可以在一出戲中朗誦，在朗誦中玩（分別指演戲和開獨唱會）？用卡車運船，用船運貨（分別只用卡車運輸和用船運輸）？鼻子可以跑而腳可以聞味道（分別指流鼻涕和腳有臭味）？車可以停在駕駛路上，而且在停車路上駕駛（driveway從字面上理解是駕駛路，parkway從字面上理解是停車路）。6. How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and wise guy are opposites, and quite a lot and quite a few are alike? How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell another?為什么一個苗條的機會（slim chance，指沒機會）和一個肥胖的機會（fat chant，也指沒機會）意思是一樣的，而一個聰明的人（wise man，聰明人）和一個聰明的家伙（wise guy，自作聰明的人）卻意思相反？為什么相當多（quite a lot）和相當少（quite a few）意思一樣?（實際上quite a lot和quite a few都是相當多的意思。）為什么天氣可以熱的像地獄也可以冷得像地獄？（as hell字面意思像地獄一樣，指非常）7. You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which an alarm clock goes off by going on.你不得不對這種精神病一樣的語言表示驚奇，在這種語言中，你的房子在被燒下去（burn down，意為燒為平地）的同時又被燒上去（burn up，意為燒起來，燒掉）。你用填出來（fill out，意為填寫）的方法填進去（fill in,意思也是填寫）一個表格。鬧鐘在走（go on）的時候響（go off）了。8. English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it?英語是人而不是機器創(chuàng)造出來的語言，它反映了人類的創(chuàng)造性。這也是為什么當星星出來的時候，我們是看得見的，當陽光出來（out）的時候是看不見的。同理，我“處理”我的手表之后，它就開始（走）了；而我“處理”完這篇文章后，它卻結(jié)束了。2. All I Learned in Kindergarten 幼兒園所學的1. Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate mountain, but there in the sandpile at nursery school.大部分在生活中真正需要的，包括怎樣生活，該做些什么，又該怎樣去做，這些都是我在幼兒園時學會的。智慧不在研究生院的山巔之上，而在幼兒園的沙堆里。2. These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Dont hit people. Put tilings back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Dont take things that arent yours. Say youre sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some.以下就是我在幼兒園中學到的。分享所有的東西；行為光明磊落；不要攻擊別人；東西要放回原處；自己弄臟的地方自己收拾好；不要拿走不屬于自己的東西；如果你傷害了別人就得道歉；飯前洗手；熱的甜點和涼的牛奶對身體有益；生活要有張有弛，學點東西、想點思想、寫寫畫畫、唱唱跳跳，休息和工作，每樣事天天都要干一點。3. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.每天下午小睡一會。當大家外出時，注意交通安全，記得手挽手，彼此互相扶持。多多注意那些生活的奇跡。你一定還記得那個塑料杯里的小小的種子吧，它不斷的往下扎根，枝葉不斷的向空中伸展。沒有人真正知道它在怎樣生長，也不知道是為了什么。但有一點很明白，我們也像他們一樣地長大。4. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup-they all die. So do we.看著金魚、倉鼠以及小白鼠甚至是花盆中小小的一顆種子，最后他們的生命都將消亡。我們明白自己同樣也不能避免。5. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane1 and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: Look. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and polities and sane living.同時我們還記得迪克和珍妮的書，以及從書中學到的第一個詞，也是最了不起的一個詞：觀察。你所需要了解的任何事情：包括為人的原則、愛、應注意的基本衛(wèi)生，生態(tài)環(huán)境和政治哲學以及健全的生活方式，你都能在該書的某個地方找到答案。6. Think of what a better world it would be if we all-the whole world-had cookies and milk about 3 oclock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is better to hold hands and stick together.想一想，如果我們大家-全世界所有的人-每天下午3點左右能夠享受甜點和牛奶，然后蓋上被單美美地睡上一小會兒；如果每一個國家都能夠遵循一個基本的立國之道，即東西放回原處，自己弄臟的地方自己收拾后，那么這個世界將是多么的美好啊。無論你年齡有多大，當你出去時，當你進入社會之時，最好和別人手牽手，互相扶持，團結(jié)一致，無論如何，這是一個顛撲不破的真理。3. On Mobile Office 移動的辦公室1. Mobile1 office is the mutual product of economic, scientific, and social progress. Mobile office has become a solution that provides users with convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime via the support of mobile interconnection platform (MIP) and its applications systems. Using mobile office and WAP technology, people can do their work anywhere anytime, can send and receive data via terminals such as mobile phone, palm computer, and PDA, and can surf the Internet. Integrating Internet and mobile communications network, and providing powerful applications support capacity for wireless interconnection, mobile interconnection platform (MIP) is an important network support technology to accomplish mobile office. 移動辦公室是經(jīng)濟、科技、社會三者發(fā)展進步的共同產(chǎn)物。通過無線互聯(lián)平臺（MIP）及其應用系統(tǒng)的支撐，移動辦公室已經(jīng)成為一種能夠使用戶獲得隨時隨地、簡便快捷、安全可靠、價格合理的通信和辦公能力的解決方案。通過移動辦公室和無線接入?yún)f(xié)議（WAP）技術(shù)，人們可以在任何時間任何地點辦公，可以從移動電話、掌上電腦、個人數(shù)字助理（PDA）等終端設(shè)備上收發(fā)數(shù)據(jù)，遨游于互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上。無線互聯(lián)平臺將因特網(wǎng)和移動通信網(wǎng)絡(luò)有機地整合起來，為無線互聯(lián)提供強大的應用支撐能力，是實現(xiàn)移動辦公室重要的網(wǎng)絡(luò)支撐技術(shù)。2. When you leave your office to attend meetings or travel on business, what would happen to your business routine? Of course, faxes and e- mails would be still sent to your fax machine or e- mail box, but you cannot read them and make prompt reaction timely. When your clients need you to make some urgent modifications on your work and you are neither in the office nor carrying relevant documents, what can you do? Maybe you have to say “sorry” to the clients. But, your business will be affected, the clients will be unhappy and disappointed because of your delay, and you will lose a lot of business opportunities.當你離開辦公室，忙于參加會議或出差在外時，你的日常工作業(yè)務會怎樣呢？當然，傳真和電子郵件依然會到達你的傳真機和電子信箱，但是你卻不能及時地看到它們并迅速作出反應。當你的客戶需要你對某項工作進行一些緊急修改，而你恰好不在辦公室，又沒有隨身攜帶相關(guān)文件時，怎么辦呢？你也許只能向客戶說“對不起”了。但是，你的業(yè)務將受到影響，客戶們也會因為你的延遲而感到不快和失望，因而你失去許多商機。3. In fact, very frequently, you need to check, reply, distribute, display, modify, or read some materials when you are not in your office. You must get out of this dilemma. The best solution to normally handle your business anywhere anytime and not to disappoint your clients is to let your office “move” with you. Thus, you can have convenient, prompt, safe, reliable, and reasonably priced communications and office faculty anywhere anytime. With the development of communications technology, network application, and wireless interconnection, mobile office has become simpler and smaller, and even can be realized via one mobile phone with data communications function. Thus, mobile office has already been put into your pocket, and office mobility has been realized. It uses its mobile phone function to make voice communication, and uses its data communications function to do most computation and storage in the networks other mainframes. It uses the network to get necessary materials and data, and uses mobile phones infrared interface to connect with computers, printers, scanners, etc.實際上，當你不在辦公室，但需要對某些材料進行查閱、回復、分發(fā)、展示、修改或宣讀的情形是很常見的。因此，你必須從這種困境中解脫出來。使自己能夠隨時隨地正常處理業(yè)務，不讓客戶失望，最好的解決辦法就是讓你的辦公室也隨你一起“移動”起來，使你獲得隨時隨地、簡單快捷、安全可靠、價格合理的通信和辦公能力。隨著通信技術(shù)、網(wǎng)絡(luò)應用以及無線互聯(lián)的發(fā)展，移動辦公室已經(jīng)變得越來越簡單小巧，甚至只需一個具有數(shù)據(jù)通信功能的移動電話即可實現(xiàn)。此時，移動辦公室已經(jīng)被你裝進了口袋，從而真正實現(xiàn)了辦公的移動性。它利用移動電話功能進行語音通信；利用數(shù)據(jù)通信功能，使大部分計算和存儲工作都在網(wǎng)絡(luò)的其他主機上進行；利用網(wǎng)絡(luò)獲得需要的材料和數(shù)據(jù)；利用移動電話的紅外接口與電腦、打印機、掃描儀等設(shè)備相連。4. Mobile office has provided people with convenient, casual working environment, but at the same time it still has some unsatisfactory aspects such as mismatching equipment interface and inadequate battery. Nevertheless, we believe that with technical progress, people can certainly overcome all kinds of difficulties. Mobile office will make your career unimpeded, and will realize the dream of completely free communication. Users will enjoy more colorful life and better working environment, and users living standard, working efficiency, and even enterprises production efficiency will certainly be immensely raised. 移動辦公室給人們帶來了方便隨意的工作環(huán)境，但同時也存在著一些諸如設(shè)備接口不匹配、電池電力不足等不盡如人意的地方。但是，我們相信，隨著技術(shù)的進步，人們肯定能戰(zhàn)勝種種困難。移動辦公室將使你的事業(yè)暢通無阻，實現(xiàn)完全自由通信的夢想。用戶將會享受多彩的生活和美好的工作環(huán)境；用戶的生活水平、工作效率以及企業(yè)的生產(chǎn)效率，必將大大提高。4. How to Explore a City 探索城市輕松游1. Are you spending two days in Tokyo? Are you moving to Melbourne? No matter where youre going or how long youre staying,keep reading! These tips will help you make the most of any urban adventure.要去東京待兩天？還是要搬到墨爾本?不管打算去哪里、要待多久，往下讀吧！一下介紹的小訣竅能幫你充分享受每趟都市旅游。2.Before you arrive 抵達前3.Read a city guidebook. Some are even specially designed for a 24-hour visit! If you dont want to buy one,just look through the guidebooks in a store. They can give you hints on how to plan your trip. 參考城市旅游指南，有些旅游書甚至專為一日游行程而寫的呢！如果不想花錢買書，在書店里翻一翻也可以。旅游指南會提出一些建議，幫助你規(guī)劃行程。4. Search the Internet. Websites such as C and E provide information on cities around the world. Blogs can also be a good source of information. They give you a chance to learn from others travel experiences. 上網(wǎng)查找資料。諸如C與E 等網(wǎng)站都提供全球各城市的相關(guān)資訊。博客是另一個搜集資訊的好地方，能夠讓你汲取別人的旅游經(jīng)驗。5. Some companies,like National Geographic,offer audio walking tours,which can be downloaded from the Internet. Once you arrive,these free podcasts will turn your MP3 player into a lour guide! They will help you explore the city on foot. 有些公司例如國家地理雜志備有步行觀光語音島覽，可以直接通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)下載，你一到目的地，這些免費“播客”檔案會讓你的MP3立刻化身為導游！它們會帶你步行走訪該城。6. Doing research before you arrive will help you experience the citys claim to fame. Whether its a landmark,a shopping area,or a river-you should see it. 抵達目的地前要做好功課，你就可以好好欣賞該城著名的景點。不管是地標、購物區(qū)、河流，你都不應錯過。7.When you arrive 抵達后8. If possible,pick up a free city map at the airport,train station or your hotel. Visit the citys tourism office,which will provide other valuable information. Sometimes locals post notices there offering tours or other services. 如果機場、火車站或下榻旅館有免費市區(qū)地圖，別忘了拿一份。參觀一下當?shù)芈糜畏罩行?，也能獲得其他寶貴資訊。當?shù)鼐用衽紶栆矔谀抢飶堎N廣告，提供旅游行程或其他服務。9. Carry the hotels business card or write down the address and phone number. Take note of the neighborhood around your hotel. It will be helpful when you return. 隨身攜帶旅館名片或?qū)懴滤牡刂放c電話，還要留意旅館周邊的環(huán)境，以方便認路返回。10. For your first adventure,take a city bus that drives in a circle through the downtown area. Its a good-and cheap-way1 to see important landmarks. Il will also help you understand the citys layout. While on the bus,write down places that interest you so you can visit them later. 你剛動身探訪該城時，不妨搭乘會穿過市中心，繞行市區(qū)一圈的巴士，想走訪重要地標，這是不錯又便宜的選擇，你還能借此一窺整個城市的輪廓。在公共汽車上，記下你感興趣的景點吧，留待以后再參觀。11. Ask a local person for advice. Many cities have treasures that most tourists dont know about. A local can direct you to a wonderful but less famous restaurant. park or museum.12. Finally,be adventurous! Some of the best tilings that a city has 10 offer can be found by mistake. II youre not afraid to get lost,youll see more-and youll have a better time!5. Can Money Buy Happiness 金錢能買到快樂？1. Many of us dream of having thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on anything we desire. We buy lottery tickets,enter contests or spend hours building a business or playing the stock market. Were sure when we have plenty of money,we will be happy. But will we? 我們很多人都夢想擁有萬貫錢財來滿足自身欲望。我們會買樂透彩券、參加比賽或付出很多時間發(fā)展事業(yè)或投資股市。我們深信一旦我們有很多錢，就會很開心，但真的會嗎？2.While having some money does have an impact on our level of happiness,having a lot of money docs not. People in the United States whose income goes from US$20,000 a year to US$50,000 a year are more likely to be happy. 雖然有“一些”錢的確會影響我們的快樂程度，擁有“很多”錢則不然。在美國，年薪為2萬5萬美元的人比較可能感到快樂。3.But after USS50.000,happiness does not increase as salaries go up. Why is that? Its because we are never satisfied. We always think if we just had a little more money,wed be happier, says Catherine Sanderson,a psychology professor at Amherst College. But when we get there,were not. 但薪水超過5萬美元后，快樂程度會不隨著薪水增多而升高。此話怎講？原因是我們永遠不會滿足。安默斯特學院心理學教授凱薩琳珊德森說：“我們總是以為只要我們的錢再多一點，我們就會比較快樂，但是當我們走到那一步，我們卻不快樂?！?.The more you make,the more you want. The more you have,the less it brings you joy, says Daniel Gilbert,a psychology professor at Harvard. We incorrectly assume well get more pleasure from more,and we dont. “你賺得越多，欲望就越多。你擁有的越多，得到的喜悅就越少?！惫鸫髮W心理學教授丹尼爾吉爾勃特說：“我們誤以為我們會因為擁有越多而更快樂，其實不會?！?.The things money can buy dont make you happy either. A lot of research suggests that you wont find the good life buying expensive toys. You finally buy that BMW youve always wanted and it soon loses its appeal. Then,instead of wondering if a new car is what really makes you happy,you decide you just need a different new car. Its an endless cycle. 能用金錢買到的東西也不會讓你開心。很多研究顯示你不會因為買了昂貴的“玩具”而得到“美滿人生”。你終于買的夢寐以求的寶馬汽車，它很快就喪失了吸引力，然后你不思考一部新車是否真能令你快樂，你認定自己只要再買一部新車就好了，這種循環(huán)沒完沒了。6.To really be happy,you need to understand what makes you happy in the first place. One secret of happiness: people. Surveys have found that people need people. Those who have five or more close friends are 50 percent more likely to describe themselves as very happy. Good relationships have a far greater effect on happiness than large raises in salary. Andrew Oswald is an economist at Englands University of Warwick. He says,If youre looking for happiness in life,find the right husband or wife rather than trying to double your salary.為了要真正的快樂，首先你必須了解什么讓你快樂?？鞓返囊粋€秘訣在于人。一些調(diào)查報告發(fā)現(xiàn)人與人彼此需要。擁有五個或更多親密朋友的人自認“非?？鞓贰钡臋C會高出他人50%。美滿的人際關(guān)系對能否快樂的影響程度遠勝于薪水大幅調(diào)升。安德魯奧斯瓦德是英國華威大學的經(jīng)濟學家，他說：“如果你在尋覓幸福人生，找一個合適的配偶吧，而不是想辦法賺兩倍的薪水。”7.So invest your time and energy in people. The payoff is much bigger in terms of happiness! 所以把時間和精力投資在人身上吧，就快樂而言，回報會更大！6.How Americans View Love 美國人的愛情觀1.An old song says that love makes the world go around. If you watch Americans on Valentines Day,you can believe it.The whole country breaks out with little red hearts. Love-struck people give cards,flowers and candy to their sweethearts. You might call itan annual celebration of love. 有一首老歌中唱道“愛讓世界轉(zhuǎn)動”。如果你看到美國人是如何慶祝情人節(jié)的，你便會相信這句話。這一天在美國不論你走到哪里都能看到一顆顆小紅心。墜入愛河中的人向自己的心上人贈送卡片、鮮花和糖果。你可以將情人節(jié)稱之為一年一度的愛的慶賀日。2.The American concept of love and romance begins with dating.Young people date in several ways.At first they might have group dates with several boys and girls together. Later,they start going on single dates-just one boy and one girl.Sometimes a boy and a girl will go to a movie.Maybe they will go to a party at a friends house.Or they might go out to eat. 美國人的愛情和浪漫始于約會。年輕人有幾種約會方式。最開始，他們可能是好幾個男孩和女孩都參加的集體約會。之后，他們單獨出去約會只有一男一女。有時他們會去看電影，也可能一起去參加朋友的聚會，或一起出去吃飯。3.When two couple go out together,its called double dating. A friendmight even arrange a blind date for you with someone you dont know. That doesnt mean you keep your eyes closed the whole evening! You just dont know who your partner will be until the time of the date. If someone asks you out on any kind of date,and you dont want to go,you may politely say,No,thanks. 如果兩對男女一起出去，這叫做雙重約會。一個朋友還可能為你和陌生人安排一個“蒙眼約會”。那并不是說你整個晚上都緊閉雙目。只是在約會之前你并不知道你的約會對象是誰。如果有人請你出去約會，不管是哪種約會，假若你不想去，你都可以禮貌地說聲“不，謝謝!”4.Americans view dating differently from people in other culture. American young people see a date as a time just to have fun.They dont always have a romantic interest in mind. Someone may go out with one person this week,and another person the next.After a while,a boy and a girl may decide they want to go steady. This means they think of each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. It also means they dont want to date anyone else. Romance is beginning to bloom.對于約會，美國人與別的文化國度的人有不同的看法。美國的年輕人把約會看成是玩得開心的時間，并不一定就抱著浪漫的念頭。有的人可能這星期與一個人出去，下星期又與另外一個人出去。經(jīng)過一段時間后，一個男孩和一個女孩可能決定保持穩(wěn)定的關(guān)系。這意味著他們把彼此看成“男朋友和女朋友”，這也意味著他們不想與別的人約會。浪漫之花開始綻放。5.Romantic love is very much a part of American culture. Movies,TV shows and books in America all picture people falling in love. Americans know no romance is perfect,but still they try to find the ideal person. Actually,love is a pan of every culture,not just American culture. People all over the world search for happiness in a loving relationship. Maybe