零距离美语会话[文化风俗差异]Lesson 6:A shouting match

Six   A shouting match?
一场争吵比赛？

 1   Introduction 
A   American humor often confuses the Chinese.  The American sense of the comedic is quite different from the Chinese.  When Americans tell a joke to the Chinese, the looks of puzzlement are simply golden.  Likewise Chinese humor is just as great a mystery to Americans.
美国人的幽默经常使中国人很困惑。美国人的笑话与中国人的很不一样。美国人向中国人讲笑话时，那种迷惑的表情真是堪称一绝。同样地，中国人的幽默对于美国人来说，也是神秘得不得了。

B   Americans have this expression: “It’s good to have a sense of humor about life.” This generally means it is helpful to refrain from anger or despair when your situation is difficult.
美国人有这样一句话，“对生活有幽默感还是好的。”这大致就是说，当你的处境出现困难时，它可以帮助你克制住愤怒、绝望。

 2    Sample Sentences
1.    I try to maintain a robust¹ sense of humor.
      我尽量保持十足的幽默感。
2.    They always try to make fun of me.
    他们老是开我的玩笑。
3.    We like to joke about such things. 
      我们喜欢说一些这样的笑话。
4.    You will be so popular here in America, because you are so much MORE beautiful than the girls I see here.  No kidding!
      你在美国会很受欢迎的，因为你比我在这里看到的女孩都漂亮多了。是真的！
5.    He is not a good-looking guy, but he’s very funny.
      他长相并不好看，但是他很滑稽。
6.    He is very humorous.  He always makes me laugh.
他很幽默。他老是惹我笑。
7.    The situations I have encountered certainly defy my imagination, and deserve a good laugh.
我所遇到的情形与我想象中的完全不一样，值得哈哈大笑一番。
8.    I don’t see the humor in it.
我不觉得这好笑。
9.    You know Tina is kind of slow; she didn’t get it at first.
      你知道蒂娜的反应有点慢，她起先没有明白过来。
10.   Oh, my gosh！ It’s unbelievable.
      噢，天啦! 简直无法相信。

 3    Conversations
1.  A Chinese woman, Helen, is chatting at her home with her American single friend, Sam, who just answered his mobile phone.
Helen:  Do you have to leave soon?
Sam:  No.  Actually I can stay longer.  Dave (his boss) called to say that there is a beautiful Chinese girl who’s going to pick me up at the school gate tonight at 10:30 instead of 8:30.
Helen:  Oh, that’s better.  So you don’t have to rush.
Sam:  Yeah.  You know what Dave just said?
Helen:  What?
Sam:  He said I should put on something very nice, because this girl will be my next target1.
Helen:   (smiling) He knows you very well.
Sam:  He always makes fun of me.  He always says things like that.  You know the new coming teacher, a Chinese Canadian.  He said she would really be my chance.
Helen:  I’m sure you have chances everywhere.  You’re handsome, talkative2, and got a sense of humor.  You must be very popular.
Sam:  No, you’re kidding.  I’m not taking it seriously.
【译文】
——你很快就要走吗？
——不。实际上我还可以呆久一点。戴夫(他的老板)打电话来说今晚有个漂亮的女孩会在学校门口接我，八点半改成了十点半。
——噢，那更好。这样你就不必急急忙忙了。
——是啊。你知道刚才戴夫说什么了吗？
——什么？
——他说我应该穿好看一点，因为这个女孩将会是我的下一个目标。
——(微笑) 他真了解你。
——他老是开我的玩笑。他老是说些那样的话。你知道这位新来的老师，一个中国的加拿大人。 他说她将会是我真正的机会。
——我敢肯定你的机会到处都有。你很帅，又健谈，而且还有幽默感。你一定很受欢迎。
——没有，你在说笑。我不会当真啦。

2.   Joseph, an American guy, came to Guangzhou recently.  He is talking to his Chinese friend about his experience here.
Julia:  You have been here for how long?  Four months now?
Joseph:  Yeah, about.
Julia:  Do you know Chinese better now? 
Joseph:  Oh, definitely.  I remember, when I first arrived in Guangzhou, my girlfriend was haggling3 with a sales clerk over the price of a mobile phone.
Julia:  Oh, yeah.  Many Chinese like to bargain.  It happens almost everywhere.
Joseph:  I mean, I understand that.  But the speed of the conversation got faster and faster, until it seemed to me that they would fight.  My perception4 of the tone was that it was a violent shouting match5.  The truth was that it was a perfectly² normal conversation.
Julia:   (laughing) A shouting match?  You’re so funny.  You must be exaggerating6.  I don’t believe it.
Joseph:  I am not exaggerating at all.  I’m telling you the truth.  That was how I felt at that time.
Julia:  Yes, perhaps.  Chinese usually don’t notice that sort of thing.  Maybe it’s quite natural7 to us.
Joseph:  Yes, absolutely true.
【译文】
——你来中国多久了？到现在四个月？
——是，大概是这样。
——你现在对中国人了解多一些了吧？
——噢，那当然。我记得，当我初到广州时，我的女朋友在买手提电话时跟营业员正在讨价还价。
——噢，是啊。很多中国人喜欢讨价还价。这几乎随处可见。
——我知道是那样。但是谈话的语速越来越快，直到我看来他们会打架。他们的音调让我觉得那是一场猛烈的争吵比赛。实情是，那是一个很平常的谈话。
——（笑）一场争吵比赛？你还真滑稽。你一定在夸张。我不信。
——我一点都不夸张。我是在说真的。当时我真是这么觉得。
——是，有可能。中国人通常不会注意到这种事。也许我们都习以为常了。
——对，一点都没错。

 

3.  Justin is a tall American guy working in China.  Right now he’s talking to his Chinese colleague about the city bus.
Lynne:  Do you take a bus to and from8 work?
Justin:  Yeah, everyday.  And there’s only one choice.   All the other buses are going the other direction.
Lynne:  Hmm.  I have the same problem.  When I leave work, it’s always rush hour9.  So the buses are always crowded.
Justin:  Oh, yeah, it’s terrible.  I will tell you the funniest thing I have seen in China.  It’s when so many people try to get onto one city bus, and the last guy is squeezed in10 so tight that the door is tightly pressed against his butt11.
Lynne:  That sounds terrible the way you describe it. But you know, not long ago I really suffered on the bus.
Justin:  What happened?  Were you having a hard time getting on a bus?
Lynne:  You just can’t imagine!  I waited for the first bus but it was too full, so I waited for the second, and it was still very crowded.  Then I decided⁴ not to wait for the next one, and got on the second bus.  It was so full that I had to stand on one foot!   No kidding!
Justin:  Hmm.  Good exercise, uh?
Lynne:  Yeah, absolutely!
Justin:  And it’s so much fun.  One day, the bodies were so tightly packed that some girl’s behind was pressed against my front.  I was afraid to put my hands down for fear of12 accidentally groping13 her.
Lynne:  You were so happy, weren’t you?
Justin:  What do you think?  I’m a good boy.
 
【译文】
——你乘公车上下班吗？
——是啊，每天都这样。而且还只有一个选择。其它所有的车都去另外一个方向。
——嗯。我的车也是这样。当我一下班，就总是交通拥挤高峰期。所以汽车老是拥挤不堪。
——噢，是很糟糕。我来告诉你我在中国见过的最好笑的事是，当这么多人拼命挤上公共汽车时，最后一个男的被挤得如此之紧，以致他的屁股被门紧紧地压着。
——你描述的这种方式真令人无法忍受。但是你知道吗，不久前我真是在车上受苦。
——怎么啦？你上车很挤吗？
——你简直想不到。我等着第一辆车来，但是太满了，所以我就等第二辆，可是车上还是很挤。后来我决定不再等下一趟了，就上了第二辆车。可车子挤得我只能用一个脚站着！一点都不开玩笑！
——嗯。很好的锻炼，是不是？
——是啊，绝对地！
——还很好玩呢。一天，这些躯体被挤得如此之紧，一个女孩的背都被紧紧挤到我跟前。我不敢把手放下，因为怕偶然乱摸到她。
——你很高兴，对不对？
——你会怎么认为？我是个好男人。

4.   An American guy is having lunch with two Chinese women. 
Robert:  You know, I don’t quite understand the Chinese criterion14 of beauty.  I mean, I asked some Chinese guys who had seen my girlfriend.  I asked them, “Isn’t she beautiful?” They were looking at me with eyes wide open, like …and they even wondered how in the world I could ever have fallen in love with her!
Amy:  I understand. I’ve heard quite a few people say that most Chinese women that foreigners have chosen are not pretty at all.  I know I’m one of those that they were describing.  I’m surely not beautiful.
Kitty:  Oh, come on, although you married a foreigner, you’re not that bad!
Robert:  I mean I think my girlfriend is very pretty and cute.  She has these red cheeks, and her silk hair has been evenly15 cut.  Very pretty, very charming16.
Kitty:   (laughing) Chinese don’t notice that sort of thing at all.  Amy, what is that saying17?
Amy:  Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder18.
Kitty:  Yeah, that’s right.  Magic love.
【译文】
——你知道吗，我真不明白中国人的审美标准。我是说，我问过几个看到过我女朋友的中国男人。我问他们，“她难道不漂亮吗？”他们看着我，眼睛睁得圆圆的，像……而且他们还想知道我怎么会竟然爱上了她！
——我明白。我已听好几个人说过大部分外国人选择的中国女人一点都不漂亮。我知道我就是他们所说的其中之一。我是无疑不漂亮的。
——哦，别这样，尽管你嫁给了个老外，你还没那么丑！
——我是说我认为我的女朋友很漂亮，而且很可爱。她有红扑扑的脸颊，而且她那很有光泽的头发还被剪得齐齐的。很漂亮，很迷人。
——（笑）中国人不会注意到这样的事。艾米，那句话是怎么说的？
——情人眼里出西施。
——对，没错。爱的魔力。

 

 4   Words and Expressions
1. target  靶子;攻击的目标
2. talkative 喜欢说话的,健谈的 
3. haggle   (在价格方面)争论不休
4. perception 感知,感觉;察觉
5. shouting match 大声嚷嚷的争吵 
6. exaggerate 夸张,使增大
7. natural  不做作的，自然的
8. to and from来回地;往返地
9. rush hour (上下班时)高锋时间
10. squeeze in  榨出,挤出
11. butt³ 屁股
12. for fear of   因恐
13. grope暗中摸，抚摸...的身体
14. criterion  标准,准则,尺度
15. evenly 平等地;均匀地
16. charming 迷人的;有魅力的
17. saying 格言,警句,谚语
18. beholder 观看者;旁观者

1 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

2 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

3 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。