关键词:格伦费尔塔火灾幸存者、英消防安全检查、施瓦辛格拜访马克龙
1. CNN was turned away by several families as we tried to approach them to ask about their missing relatives. Always politely declining, the raw emotion of the situation etched on their faces. (2017/6/17 CNN) [1]
© 一群人聚集在格伦费尔公寓大楼外 /CNN
【新闻背景】
伦敦格伦费尔公寓大楼火灾发生之后,美国有线电视新闻网 (CNN) 记者来到当地试图采访受灾者,但遭他们礼拒。
【亮点解读】
原文为了强调这种悲痛之情,省略了某些句子成分,可有以下两种理解方式。
① 主句 + 分句(独立主格结构):
(They were) always politely declining, the raw emotion of the situation etched on their faces.
② and连接的并列句:
(They were) always politely declining, and the raw emotion of the situation was etched on their faces.
但不管怎么理解句子结构,大意如下:
[译]“他们总是礼貌性地拒绝(采访),从他们的脸上可以看出(失去亲友后)他们强烈而不加掩饰的悲痛。”
仅寥寥数笔,便将受灾者的悲痛欲绝之情表达得淋漓尽致,实为不折不扣的佳句。
另外,从字词上看,raw 作“强烈而不掩饰的”讲。
**raw: **
(of an emotion or quality) strong and undisguised [2]
而 be etched on sb's face,则指的是“……表现在某人脸上,某人脸上流露出某种情感”。
**etch: **
If you say that feelings are etched on someone's face, you mean that the person is very strongly affected by them, and you can see this in their appearance. (LITERARY) [3]
【权威例句】
(1) Every line etched on her face told a story of personal anguish. [4]
她脸上的每条皱纹都讲述了一次痛苦的经历。
(2) Tiredness was etched on his face. [5]
从他的脸上可以看出他疲惫不堪。
【仿写】
(3) After eight years of presidency, Barack Obama is not young any more, because you can clearly see grey hair in his head and lines etched on his face.
当了八年总统,奥巴马已不再年轻,因为他头上白发和脸上皱纹清晰可见。
(4) Sorrow **was etched on Brad Pitt's face **after he and Angelina Jolie called it quits.
与安吉丽娜•朱莉离婚后,布拉德•皮特一脸悲伤。
2. With tower blocks being evacuated, the streets were teeming with neighbours, children, and cameramen. (2017/6/24 BBC) [6]
© 消防大检查迫使大批居民紧急强制撤离 /BBC
【新闻背景】
受格伦费尔公寓大楼火灾影响,英国政府陆续对各大高层建筑进行消防检查。其中,卡姆登等多处公寓楼存在安全隐患,几百多户居民被紧急强制撤离,一时间街道上全是人。
【亮点解读】
这就引出了本期的第一个表达:teem with
'teem with sth (usually be 'teeming with sth) :
to be full of people, animals, etc. moving around [7]
从英英释义上看,teem with (或 be teeming with)= be full of ,均可表达“充满……;到处都是……”的含义。
【权威例句】
(1) Every garden is teeming with wildlife. [8]
每座花园都满是野生生物。
(2) The island was teeming with tourists. [9]
岛上游人如织。
【仿写】
(3) A large number of Western universities are teeming with Chinese overseas students.
很多西方大学里满是中国留学生。
(4) India is teeming with Android smartphones.
安卓智能手机遍布印度。
3. "People need to give significant weight to the voice of residents, and if they do want to be moved, if they feel unsafe and haven't been reassured, then provision should be put in place [to move them]." (Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary) (2017/6/24 BBC) [10]
© 撤出“危楼”的居民仰望着大楼,一脸懊丧 /BBC
【新闻背景】
(续)突然被“撵”出家门,毫无准备的居民各种吐槽。于是,影子内阁的商业大臣建议执政者重视百姓呼应,切实做好居民转移安置工作。
【亮点解读】
说到“重视”,文中的表达是:give significant weight to(与 attach much importance to 相似)。
weight 字面义是“重量;分量;体重”,可进一步引申为“重要性;影响力”。
weight:
if something has weight, it is important and influences people [11]
【权威例句】
(1) This scandal adds more weight to their arguments.[12]
这桩丑闻更加证明他们的论证是正确的。
(2) The fact that he is gone has given more weight to fears that he may try to launch a civil war. [13]
他已经离开这一事实让人更担心他会发动一场内战。
【仿写】
(3) Chinese students need to give significant weight to the role of critical thinking in their studies.
中国学生应重视批判性思维在学业中的作用。
(4) That its total approved membership rose to 80 has given significant weight to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
获准加入的成员数量达到80个,亚洲基础设施投资银行的影响力显著增强。
4. French President Emmanuel Macron has taken another swipe at Donald Trump over the US president's policy on climate change - this time backed up by the muscleof Arnold Schwarzenegger.(2017/06/24 BBC) [14]
© 马克龙携“打手”施瓦星格合怼特朗普
【新闻背景】
6月22日,美国影星、前加州州长施瓦星格与法国总统马克龙会面,讨论全球环保议题,两人随后合拍了一个宣传保护地球的短片,并借机讽刺了决定让美国退出《巴黎协定》的特朗普。
特朗普宣布美国退出协定后,马克龙就曾公开表示批评,这次利用视频再度发声,而且还有“肌肉男”、“终结者”施瓦星格的支持,底气比上次要足很多。
【亮点解读】
下面,我们来看新闻中所提到的两个表达:
take a /another swipe at
the muscle of...
swipe 作名词,有“批评,抨击”之义,这个短语可与 criticize 替换。
muscle 本义是“肌肉”,可引申为“肌肉男;大力士;打手”。
muscle:
informal a man or men exhibiting such power or strength [15]
因此,the muscle of Arnold Schwarzenegger 表面指“阿诺德•施瓦星格的肌肉”,实际却想表达“‘肌肉男’——阿诺德•施瓦星格”这个概念,堪称戏谑之笔,
不知道你有没有 get 到这个梗?
© 打手“谢耳朵” /《生活大爆炸》第一季第一集
【权威例句】
(1) In her latest article she takes a swipe at (=criticizes) her critics.[16]
在最近一篇文章中,她对批评她的人进行了抨击。
(2) His comments were a sarcastic swipe at the police.[17]
他的评论是对警方尖锐的批评。
(3) an ex-marine of enormous proportions who'd been brought along as muscle. [18]
一个被当作大力士带来的腰圆膀粗的前海军陆战队员
【仿写】
(4) Hillary Clinton took a swipe at Russia for her November loss to President Trump and accused the White House of colluding with Moscow in weaponizing technology to bring her campaign down.
希拉里•克林顿抨击俄罗斯导致她去年11月败选,并指责总统特朗普勾结俄方,靠技术武器搞垮了她的竞选活动。
(5) Muammar Gaddafi, former leader of Libya, was known for employing a cadre of female bodyguards as muscle.
利比亚前领导人穆阿迈尔•卡扎菲曾因雇用一支女保镖骨干队伍作为打手而著称。
5. When Mr Trump announced earlier this month that the US was withdrawing from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, Mr Macron said in a statement that the decision was "a mistake for the US and for our planet".
"I tell you firmly tonight: We will not renegotiate a less ambitious accord. There is no way. Don't be mistaken on climate; there is no plan B because there is no planet B," he said. (2017/6/24 BBC) [19]
© 法国总统马克龙“单挑”特朗普
【亮点解读】
接上条新闻,上面的直接引语是6月初马克龙首次抨击特朗普时的讲话内容。其中 plan 与 planet 押头韵 (Alliteration),韵脚为 [plæn] 。这种文字游戏的套路在新闻中屡见不鲜,望大家保持关注,并运用到写作中。
... there is no plan B because there is no planet B.
[拙译]
- 我们别无他法,因为我们别无他“球”。
- 我们只有这一个方案,因为我们只有这一个地球。
【权威例句】
(1)
"Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on Earth God's work must truly be our own." –JFK [20]
“最后,不管你是美国的公民或世界它国的公民,请将我们所要求于你们的有关力量与牺牲的高标准拿来要求我们。我们唯一可靠的报酬是问心无愧,我们行为的最后裁判者是历史,让我们向前引导我们所挚爱的国土,企求上帝的保佑与扶携,但我们知道,在这个世界上,上帝的任务肯定就是我们自己所应肩负的任务。”
——约翰•菲茨杰拉德•肯尼迪
(2)
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
— Martin Luther King, Jr. [21]
“我梦想有一天,我的四个孩子将在一个不是以他们的肤色,而是以他们的品格优劣来评判他们的国度里生活。”
——马丁•路德•金
【仿写】
(3) The video game I'm playing is neither free nor fair.
我玩的这款电子游戏既不免费,也不公平。
(4) Mike is not my friend but my foe.
迈克不是我的朋友,而是我的敌人。
谢谢阅读。
上一篇:那些令人眼前一亮的英文好词好句 (2)
参考文献
[1] CNN: London fire: Smiling faces of missing a stark contrast with anger and grief
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/16/europe/london-fire-missing-and-anger/index.html
[2]《新牛津英汉双解大词典》(第2版)
[3] Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary (Third Edition)
[4]《柯林斯COBUILD高阶英汉双解学习词典》
[5]《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》(第7版)
[6] BBC: Camden flats: Hundreds of homes evacuated over fire risk fears
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40389148
[7]《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》(第7版)
[8]《新牛津英汉双解大词典》(第2版)
[9]《朗文当代高级英语辞典 (英英--英汉双解) 》(第5版)
[10] BBC: Camden flats: Hundreds of homes evacuated over fire risk fears
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-40389148
[11]《朗文当代高级英语辞典 (英英--英汉双解) 》(第5版)
[12]《朗文当代高级英语辞典 (英英--英汉双解) 》(第5版)
[13]《柯林斯COBUILD高阶英汉双解学习词典》
[14] BBC: Schwarzenegger and Macron join forces in swipe at Trump
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40392321
[15]《新牛津英汉双解大词典》(第2版)
[16]《朗文当代高级英语辞典 (英英--英汉双解) 》(第5版)
[17]《朗文当代高级英语辞典 (英英--英汉双解) 》(第5版)
[18]《新牛津英汉双解大词典》(第2版)
[19] BBC: Schwarzenegger and Macron join forces in swipe at Trump
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40392321
[20] "What made JFK's Inaugural Address so effective?"
http://www.speaklikeapro.co.uk/JFK_inaugural.htm
[21] "I Have A Dream Speech Analysis Lesson Plan"
http://blog.flocabulary.com/i-have-a-dream-speech-analysis-lesson-plan/