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奥巴马的美国式幽默
浏览次数:2251     添加时间:2013/12/18

1. I must confess I really did not want to be here tonight. But I knew I had to come. That’s one more problem that I inherited from George W. Bush.
译文:我必须承认,今晚我其实不怎么想来这里。但是我知道我不得不来,这是我从乔治•W•布什那里继承下来的麻烦之一。

(话外音:说到搞笑,奥巴马知道自己比不上前任小布什,所以他首先声明。)
重点分析:
(1) 我们对not 与all, both, every等连用表示部分否定比较熟悉。但not 与really连用也可表示部分否定。

另外,not与always, quite, wholly, entirely, altogether, completely等副词连用也可表示相同的用法。如:
What he did was not quite proper. 他做得不是十分妥当。
The businessman is never to be entirely trusted. 不可以完全信任商人。
(2) 句中one more problem=one problem more
—What about one more cake?
—I am full. Thanks.
——再来一个蛋糕怎么样?
——我吃饱了。谢谢!


2. Sasha and Malia aren’t here tonight because they’re grounded. You can’t just take Air Force One on a joy ride to Manhattan. I don’t care whose kids you are.
译文:沙沙和玛丽亚今晚没有来,因为她们已经被就地停飞了。谁都不能把“空军一号”当成飞车游戏在曼哈顿来玩,我可不管他们是谁家的孩子。

(话外音:最近美国总统专机“空军一号”和一架护航战机在纽约市曼哈顿区低飞拍照引起市民恐慌,奥巴马就此开玩笑,把飞机低飞归咎于他的两个女儿调皮捣蛋。)
重点分析:
(1) ground在此处意思是“使停飞……;阻止…… 起飞”。如:
The balloon was grounded by strong winds.热气球因强风而停飞。
(2) a joy ride 此处意为“兜风”。如:
 Let’s go for a joy ride. 让我们去兜兜风吧。
(3) care(常用于无礼貌表示)“管它呢”“谁管呢”,在这里它是调侃的说法。我们在平时应少用。如:
Who cares what she thinks? 谁管她怎么想呢!


3. The second she got back from Mexico, she pulled me into a hug and gave me a big kiss and told me I better get down there myself.
译文:她刚刚从墨西哥回来,就给我一个拥抱和一个吻,还告诉我说最好亲自去那里一趟。

(话外音:奥巴马提起的她是希拉里•克林顿,她刚从墨西哥访问归来,拿猪流感[现为甲型H1N1流感]开玩笑。)
重点分析:
(1) “the second/minute/moment”+句子,相当于as soon as 引导的状语从句,意为“一……就……”。如:
The second his head touched the pillow, he would fall asleep. 头一碰到枕头,他就睡着了。
(2) I better get down ...= I ‘d better get down ...如:
Since you don’t seem quite yourself, you’d better go to see a doctor. 既然你看上去不太舒服,你最好去看医生。


4. Dick Cheney was supposed to be here, but he is very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled, “How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People.”
译文:迪克•切尼本该来这里,可是正忙着写他的回忆录呢。而这本书的名子打算取名为“如何枪击朋友和审问他人”。

(话外音:调侃的对象是美国前副总统切尼,曾在2006年一次打猎中开枪误伤朋友。此外,在副总统任内,切尼还提倡在审问恐怖嫌疑人时对犯人用刑。)
重点分析:
(1) be supposed to do ...“应该做某事”。如:
I thought we were supposed to be paid today. 我原以为我们今天应该领到薪水的。
(2) tentatively titled ...(=which is tentatively titled ...)过去分词作定语。如:
The computer center, opened last year, is very popular among the students in this school. 去年开放的电脑中心很受这个学校学生的欢迎。
 

5. We have a lot in common: He is a person of color, although not a color that appears in the natural world.
译文:我们有许多共同点:他是一个有色人,但是他的颜色不是自然世界中的一种。

(话外音:奥巴马提到的他是众议院少数党领袖John Boehner,他肤色黝黑,但其实不是非洲裔。)
重点分析:
(1) have a lot/nothing in common “有许多/没有相同之处”。如:
The twins have a lot in common.这对双胞胎有许多相同之处。
(2) although引导让步状语,不与but连用。
Although Xiaoshenyang is famous all over the country, he is still quite modest. 尽管小沈阳在全国出了名,但他还是相当谦虚的。
 

6. This is a tough holiday for Rahm. He’s not used to saying the word ‘day’ after ‘mother’.
译文:对Raham来说,这是一个艰难的日子。他不习惯在“母亲”这个词后面加一个“节”字。

(话外音:奥巴马没有忘记第二天是母亲节,他拿白宫办公厅主任Rahm Emanuel打趣。)
重点分析:
be used to doing sth. “习惯做某事”,不同与used to do sth.“过去常常做某事”。如:He used to get up later, but now he is used to getting up early. 他过去常常起的较迟,但现在他已习惯早起了。


7. During the second 100 days, we will design, build and open a library dedicated to my first 100 days. I believe my next hundred days will be so successful that I will be able to complete them in 72 days, And on my 73rd day, I will rest.
译文:在第二个百日内,我们将设计、修建一座专门用来纪念入主白宫100天的图书馆。我相信,我的第二个百日也会异常出色,以至于我在72天内就可完事。因此,从第73天起,我就可以退休了。

(话外音:就职百日乏善可陈的奥巴马也要自嘲一番,谈起未来百日的宏图大计。)
重点分析:
(1) dedicate 意思为“以……奉献,以……供奉[(+to)]”;“献(身);把(时间、精力等)用于[(+to)]”。如:
The monument was dedicated to the memory of the national hero. 这座碑是为纪念那位民族英雄而建造的。
He dedicated his life to science. 他献身科学。
(2) so+adj./adv.+ that引导结果状语从句;而such [+a(n)+adj.]+noun that 也可引导结果状语从句。如:
Jay Chou is so popular among young people that he has many fans.(=Jay Chou is such a popular singer that he has many fans.)周杰伦在年轻人中如此受欢迎以至于他拥有许多“粉丝”。
 

8. A government without newspapers, a government without a tough and vibrant media of all sorts is not an option for the United States of America ...We look to you for truth even if it is always approximation
译文:一个没有报纸的政府,一个没有严厉、富有活力的各种媒体的政府不是美利坚合众国的选择……我们期待你们实事求是的报道,即便是事实的近似值也罢。

(话外音:他最后转向记者所说的一番严肃的结束语让人们听起来都不知道是真还是假了。)

重点分析:
(1) without/with引导的介词短语常作定语或状语。如:
A little boy with two of his front teeth missing ran into the house. (with短语作定语)
一个缺了两颗门牙的小男孩跑进了那房子。
He walked past me without saying a word. (without短语作状语)
他一句话没说就从我身边走了过去。
(2) option“选择;选择权”, sth. is an option for sb.”某事对某人来说是个选择”,这是欧美人常说的句式。如:
To depend on others is not an option for our young people. 依赖他人可不是我们年轻人的选择。
(3) look to sb. for sth.=expect sb. to provide sth., “期待,指望(某人提供某物)”。如:
We are looking to you for help. 我们指望得到您的帮助。
(4) even if=even though “即便,即使”,引导让步状语从句。如:
I like her even if she is annoying. 尽管她很恼人,但我还是喜欢她。
 

 

文章来源于:外语爱好者网站

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