【大家说英语】来弹乌克丽丽

Lesson 6 eReport

 

第六课 英文札记

November 14

11月14日

Let's Play the Ukulele!

来弹乌克丽丽！

The ukulele is a fun instrument that isn't hard to play.

乌克丽丽是个好玩的乐器，而且不难弹。

Most people think the ukulele is from Hawaii

大部分的人以为乌克丽丽是来自夏威夷，

because ukulele is a Hawaiian word.

因为乌克丽丽这个名字是夏威夷语。

But the first ukuleles were brought to Hawaii by people from Portugal.

但是第一批乌克丽丽是有人从葡萄牙带进夏威夷的。

来弹乌克丽丽

 

In Hawaii, ukuleles quickly became an important part of local culture and music.

 

在夏威夷，乌克丽丽很快就变成当地文化和音乐的一部分。

Now ukuleles are popular all over the world.

现在乌克丽丽在世界各地都很流行。

One reason ukuleles are so popular is that they are easy to play.

它们会这么流行的原因之一是它们很容易弹。

A second reason is that they are usually inexpensive.

第二个原因是它们通常不会很贵。

Anyone can play the ukulele, but learning¹ still takes practice and hard work.

任何人都可以弹乌克丽丽，但是学习仍旧需要练习和下功夫。

Ukuleles look similar to guitars, but they are smaller.

乌克丽丽看起来和吉他很像，但是它们比较小。

Unlike guitars, which have six strings², ukuleles only have four strings.

不像吉他有六条弦，乌克丽丽只有四条弦。

Some people think ukuleles are toys.

有些人以为乌克丽丽是个玩具，

But ukuleles are real instruments that make beautiful music.

但是它是真的乐器，而且可以弹奏出美妙的音乐。

Before you even begin playing your ukulele,

在你弹乌克丽丽之前，

make sure that each of the strings is in tune³.

要确定每条弦的音高正确，

This is important.

这很重要。

If the strings are not in tune, the music will sound terrible.

如果琴弦的音高不准，弹出的音乐就很难听。

After your ukulele is in tune, you are ready to play.

当你的乌克丽丽调好音后，你就可以开始弹奏了。

Take the neck of your ukulele with one hand.

用一手握住琴颈，

Then you can strum the strings with your other hand.

你就可以用另外一只手刷弹琴弦。

When you strum, you brush your fingers across the strings to make a sound.

当你刷弹时就是指用手指横刷过琴弦来发出声音。

People can either sit down or stand up while playing the ukulele.

人们可以或坐或站弹奏乌克丽丽，

But before you try to play a song,

但是在你尝试弹一首歌以前，

you should learn how to play the chords⁴.

你应该先学习如何弹和弦。

Once you learn some chords, you are ready to make beautiful music.

你一旦学了几个和弦之后，你就可以弹奏美丽的音乐了。

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 chords   

（数学）弦( chord的名词复数 )； （乐器）弦； （音乐）和弦； 心弦

参考例句：

• These are the opening chords of a sonata. 这些是奏鸣曲的起始和弦。
• I could play a few chords on the guitar and sing a song. 我能弹着一些击他和弦唱一首歌。