美国学生世界地理教材 第204期:风景明信片(5)

 Another letter contained a picture of three monkeys carved in wood in the greatest of all Japanese temples at Nikko. 另一封信里是一幅画，画的是三只用木头雕刻的猴子。这三只猴子在日光市最大的神社里。

One monkey had his paws¹ over his ears, the next over his mouth, and the third over his eyes, meaning: "Hear no evil², speak no evil, see no evil." 一只猴子用爪子捂住耳朵，另一只猴子用爪子捂着嘴巴，第三只猴子捂着眼睛，意思是“决不听邪恶的东西，决不说邪恶的东西，决不看邪恶的东西”。

A picture of two very fat men squatting⁴ on the ground and facing each other in the center of a huge building around which are sitting thousands of people watching 在一个大型建筑物的中央，两个很胖的男人面对面蹲坐在地上，周围坐着成千上万观众

The two fat men are wrestlers. Wrestling is a national sport in Japan, 这两个胖男人是摔跤运动员。摔跤是日本的全民运动，

as bull-fighting is a national sport in Spain and football is a national sport in the United States. 就像斗牛是西班牙的全民运动、橄榄球是美国的全民运动一样。

There are two kinds of wrestling. 摔跤分两种，

One kind is done by giants weighing several hundred pounds, who wrestle⁵ before crowds such as gather to watch baseball or football games in this country. 一种是参加摔跤的人都是体重达几百磅的高大魁梧的男人，观看比赛的人很多，就像美国人在观看棒球或橄榄球比赛一样。

The wrestlers squat³, facing each other like huge bullfrogs, and spend most of their time in this position, each watching for a chance to get a grip⁶ on the other. 两名摔跤手像巨大的牛蛙一样面对面蹲伏着，大部分时间都保持这种姿势，各自都在寻找机会抓住对方。

The game seems to an American simply one of watching and waiting, for once one gets "a hold" on the other the battle is usually over. 在美国人看来，这项运动，只不过是“观察和等待”，因为一旦一方抓住另一方，比赛也就结束了。

Another kind of wrestling is called Jiu-jitsu. 另一种摔跤被称为“柔道”，

It is a trick wrestling, and a little chap⁷, if he knows how, can throw a much larger and stronger person by catching⁸ his arm, hand, or leg, 它是一项技巧性很强的摔跤运动，就是一个瘦小的人，如果他知道其中的诀窍——通过抓住对手的胳膊、手、或腿，

and twisting it with a quick movement into certain positions that make it impossible for him to resist. 快速扭动到某个位置，使对手无法抵抗，即使对手比自己强壮高达，也会被摔倒在地。

I have seen in Japan whole schools lined up two and two, practising the various "throws" with lightning-like movements. 我在日本很多学校，看到全校学生排成队，两两一组练习各种摔倒对手的技巧，动作快如闪电。

Wrestling is an old Japanese sport. 摔跤是日本一项古老的运动。

The Japanese, however, copied new sports from other countries along with all the other things they copied. 但是，日本人在向其他国家学习时，也学到了一些新的运动项目。

They copied baseball, and crowds at baseball games in Japan are as big as baseball crowds in the United States. 他们学会了打棒球。日本喜欢棒球运动的人一点也不少于美国人。

The last letter inclosed a photograph of the Emperor. 最后一封信里附上的是一张日本天皇的照片。

Many countries have now changed from emperors to presidents  许多国家已经将“皇帝”转变为“总统”，

but Japan, which has been quick to change in most things, I don't believe ever will change to a president. 但是日本，尽管在很多方面变化很快，我却认为，不会将“皇帝”转变为“总统”。

The same family has been ruling in Japan for two thousand years. 同一个天皇家族统治日本已有两千年之久了。

Even after being beaten in World War II, the Japanese were allowed by the other countries to keep their Emperor. 甚至在第二次世界大战中战败之后，日本得到其他国家的许可，保留了天皇。

Before this war the Japanese believed the Emperor was sacred as if he were a god. 在这场战争之前，日本人认为天皇是神圣的，把他当做神。

They still treat him with great respect but are no longer supposed to worship⁹ him. 现在，日本人仍然非常尊敬天皇，不过不再崇拜他了。

1 paws   

n.爪子( paw的名词复数 )；手

参考例句：

• Take your filthy paws off me! 把你的脏手从我身上拿开！
• Take your dirty little paws off me! 别用你的小黑手抓着我。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。

3 squat   

v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的

参考例句：

• For this exercise you need to get into a squat.在这次练习中你需要蹲下来。
• He is a squat man.他是一个矮胖的男人。

4 squatting   

v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。

参考例句：

• They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。
• They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

6 grip   

v.握紧，紧握；吸引；引起；n.紧握，控制

参考例句：

• He keeps a firm grip on his children.他对孩子们管得很严。
• The brake doesn't grip properly.煞车不灵。

7 chap   

n.男人；小伙子；家伙

参考例句：

• This chap can't keep anything to himself.这人肚里藏不住话。
• This chap is quite a smooth character.这人很世故。

8 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

9 worship   

n.崇拜，礼拜；v.崇拜，敬仰；做礼拜

参考例句：

• The Greeks used to worship several gods.过去，希腊人崇奉好几种神。
• Blind worship must be ended.盲目崇拜必须停止。