美国国家公共电台 NPR The New York Review Of Children's Books

The New York Review Of Children's Books

JONATHAN COULTON: From NPR and WNYC, coming to you from the Bell House in beautiful Brooklyn, N.Y., it's NPR's hour of puzzles, word games and trivia, ASK ME ANOTHER. I'm Jonathan Coulton. Now here's your host, Ophira Eisenberg.

(APPLAUSE)

OPHIRA EISENBERG, HOST:

Thank you, Jonathan. We have a great show for you. Some genius contestants¹ are backstage waiting to play our nerdy games, re-reading the encyclopedia². But only one of them will be today's big winner. And we have three - count 'em, three - special guests. We'll be talking to fashion photographer, blogger and New York Times best-selling author Garance Dore about her favorite topics - love, style and life, and joining us as well, director Ira Sachs and actor Jennifer Ehle. Their new film "Little Men" deals with the themes of love, money and New York real estate stress.

Now, we know many of our listeners live in houses and ranches³, compounds, some of them even layers. But here in New York, we are all squished in tiny apartments. But it's amazing how you adjust. I mean, me and my husband will be sitting side by side on the couch 'cause that's the only option. And I'll ask him a question, and he'll pretend not to hear me. See? That's how you create space.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Let's get things started and meet our first two contestants. Mia Azaar, you are a dental hygiene⁴ student. But more importantly, you once threw up on a sea turtle.

(LAUGHTER)

MIA AZAAR: Yes.

EISENBERG: Mia, are you allergic⁵ to sea turtles?

AZAAR: We were - we went on a cruise. It was my honeymoon⁶, and I didn't know I would get seasick⁷. And I just kept throwing up. Like, we finally docked somewhere...

EISENBERG: Yeah.

AZAAR: And they were just in the water, and it just happened to land on them, unfortunately.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Did they give you one of those sea turtle disappointment looks, with the little, like, really?

AZAAR: I don't know. I was too busy throwing up.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: I think sea turtles are always borderline disappointed, right?

COULTON: Well, they're pretty judgy, pretty judgy.

EISENBERG: They are judgy. Also we have Mike Wood. You are a school teacher, and you use the "Hamilton" soundtrack in your classroom.

MIKE WOOD: Yes, I do.

EISENBERG: That sounds like some lazy teaching.

(LAUGHTER)

WOOD: The kids love it.

EISENBERG: Of course they do.

WOOD: A couple of swears here and there, sneak⁸ them in.

EISENBERG: Right, and they think ooh, edgy⁹. Mike, what is your least favorite children's book?

WOOD: "Hop¹⁰ On Pop."

EISENBERG: "Hop On Pop?"

WOOD: Or anything by Dr. Seuss. I can't stand him.

EISENBERG: Oh, yeah.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Oh, no, you did not just say that.

EISENBERG: Yeah. People are freaking out right now.

(LAUGHTER)

COULTON: "Hop On Pop" is terrible, though. You're not wrong about that.

(LAUGHTER)

WOOD: And why specifically, just the silly rhyming? Yes, and it's much longer than you would anticipate.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

WOOD: Like, those books are, like, 75 pages.

EISENBERG: Right, they should be, like, two tweets.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Mia, what is your least favorite children's book?

AZAAR: It's actually a Dr. Seuss book, too. It's "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish."

EISENBERG: Oh, yeah. And why don't you like that one?

AZAAR: It's also way too long for - to read.

EISENBERG: (Laughter) So everyone basically is like if I could spend a little less time with my kids during bedtime.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: Well, your game is called The New York Review of Children's Books. Jonathan and I are going to read you some imagined hoity-toity reviews of classic children's literature.

COULTON: Just ring and when you know what book we are pontificating about. The winner will move on to the final round at the end of the show. You ready? Here we go.

EISENBERG: This book features perhaps the most loathsome¹¹ character in literature, Mr. I-Am. Mr. I-Am's attempt to hawk¹² his verdant¹³ ovum on some unbefitting stooge are perfunctory and repetitive at best.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Mia.

AZAAR: Sam-I-Am. "Green Eggs And Ham."

EISENBERG: There you go, yes.

(LAUGHTER)

EISENBERG: You are correct, Mia.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: The hole punches aren't randomly¹⁴ scattered¹⁵ about. No, they are meaningfully placed, symbolizing¹⁶ the poor larva starving. He is starving for truth. He is starving for love. He is starving for sausage.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Mike.

WOOD: "The Very Hungry Caterpillar¹⁷."

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Was the floppy-eared bunny truly reborn as an enlightened Buddhist¹⁸ in nirvana of his garden, or was it just an illusion, a Freudian defense¹⁹ mechanism²⁰ deflecting²¹ his fiery²² doom²³?

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Mia.

AZAAR: "The Velveteen Rabbit."

EISENBERG: Yes. Three times, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

COULTON: Life would be but a feckless empiricism if a mauve-tinted stick of wax could simply materialize one's wishes, as this naive²⁴ boy believes.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Mike.

WOOD: "Harold And The Purple Crayon."

COULTON: That's right.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: This dimwitted toy deserves to be trapped forever in department store purgatory²⁵. Alas²⁶, a shameful²⁷ deus ex machina now provides this teddy bear with a missing button for his horribly outdated²⁸ overalls²⁹.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Mike.

WOOD: "Corduroy."

EISENBERG: "Corduroy" is correct, yes.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: Sounds like a bitter fashion designer specializing in stuffed toys.

COULTON: (Laughter) That would be a terrible - you just had to do fashion for stuffed animals.

EISENBERG: Yeah, just Paddington Bear, Yogi Bear...

COULTON: All bears.

EISENBERG: All bears.

COULTON: So sick of putting clothes on bears.

EISENBERG: Yeah, it's like Winnie the Pooh has no pants.

COULTON: A grand celebration of corruption³⁰ and political patronage³¹. Mrs. Mallard shamefully³² grafts³³ the Boston Police Department and subverts³⁴ basic traffic laws for her offspring.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

COULTON: Mike.

WOOD: "Make Way For Ducklings."

COULTON: You got it.

EISENBERG: Yeah.

(APPLAUSE)

EISENBERG: This is your last clue. The author should heed³⁵ some tips from his own elements of style. Surely his own rules should condemn³⁶ a contrived³⁷ narrative³⁸ where pigs and spiders converse³⁹ like grammar school dullards.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

EISENBERG: Mike.

WOOD: "Charlotte's Web."

EISENBERG: Yes, you are correct.

(APPLAUSE, SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

EISENBERG: Let's go to our puzzle guru, Art Chung. Art, how did our contestants do?

ART CHUNG: They both did great. But Mike, congratulations, you're moving on to the final round at the end of the show.

1 contestants   

n.竞争者，参赛者( contestant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The competition attracted over 500 contestants representing 8 different countries. 这次比赛吸引了代表8个不同国家的500多名参赛者。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency. 两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 encyclopedia   

n.百科全书

参考例句：

• The encyclopedia fell to the floor with a thud.那本百科全书砰的一声掉到地上。
• Geoff is a walking encyclopedia.He knows about everything.杰夫是个活百科全书，他什么都懂。

3 ranches   

大农场， （兼种果树，养鸡等的）大牧场( ranch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They hauled feedlot manure from the ranches to fertilize their fields. 他们从牧场的饲养场拖走肥料去肥田。
• Many abandoned ranches are purchased or leased by other poultrymen. 许多被放弃的牧场会由其他家禽监主收买或租用。

4 hygiene   

n.健康法，卫生学 （a.hygienic）

参考例句：

• Their course of study includes elementary hygiene and medical theory.他们的课程包括基础卫生学和医疗知识。
• He's going to give us a lecture on public hygiene.他要给我们作关于公共卫生方面的报告。

5 allergic   

adj.过敏的，变态的

参考例句：

• Alice is allergic to the fur of cats.艾丽斯对猫的皮毛过敏。
• Many people are allergic to airborne pollutants such as pollen.许多人对空气传播的污染物过敏，比如花粉。

6 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

7 seasick   

adj.晕船的

参考例句：

• When I get seasick,I throw up my food.我一晕船就呕吐。
• He got seasick during the voyage.在航行中他晕船。

8 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

9 edgy   

adj.不安的；易怒的

参考例句：

• She's been a bit edgy lately,waiting for the exam results.她正在等待考试结果，所以最近有些焦躁不安。
• He was nervous and edgy, still chain-smoking.他紧张不安，还在一根接一根地抽着烟。

10 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

11 loathsome   

adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的

参考例句：

• The witch hid her loathsome face with her hands.巫婆用手掩住她那张令人恶心的脸。
• Some people think that snakes are loathsome creatures.有些人觉得蛇是令人憎恶的动物。

12 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

13 verdant   

adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的

参考例句：

• Children are playing on the verdant lawn.孩子们在绿茵茵的草坪上嬉戏玩耍。
• The verdant mountain forest turns red gradually in the autumn wind.苍翠的山林在秋风中渐渐变红了。

14 randomly   

adv.随便地，未加计划地

参考例句：

• Within the hot gas chamber, molecules are moving randomly in all directions. 在灼热的气体燃烧室内，分子在各个方向上作无规运动。 来自辞典例句
• Transformed cells are loosely attached, rounded and randomly oriented. 转化细胞则不大贴壁、圆缩并呈杂乱分布。 来自辞典例句

15 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

16 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

17 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

18 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

19 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

20 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

21 deflecting   

（使）偏斜， （使）偏离， （使）转向( deflect的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A variety of mechanical surfaces have been employed for deflecting the exhaust jets of solid-propellant rockets. 人们已经用过各种类型的机械控制面来偏转固体推进剂火箭的排气流。
• If she made a leading statement, he was expert deflecting her into more impersonal channels. 只要她一开口，他就会巧妙地把她的话题转到与个人无关的问题上去。

22 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

23 doom   

n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定

参考例句：

• The report on our economic situation is full of doom and gloom.这份关于我们经济状况的报告充满了令人绝望和沮丧的调子。
• The dictator met his doom after ten years of rule.独裁者统治了十年终于完蛋了。

24 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

25 purgatory   

n.炼狱；苦难；adj.净化的，清洗的

参考例句：

• Every step of the last three miles was purgatory.最后3英里时每一步都像是受罪。
• Marriage,with peace,is this world's paradise;with strife,this world's purgatory.和谐的婚姻是尘世的乐园，不和谐的婚姻则是人生的炼狱。

26 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

27 shameful   

adj.可耻的，不道德的

参考例句：

• It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己，真不害臊。
• We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。

28 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

29 overalls   

n.（复）工装裤；长罩衣

参考例句：

• He is in overalls today.他今天穿的是工作裤。
• He changed his overalls for a suit.他脱下工装裤，换上了一套西服。

30 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

31 patronage   

n.赞助，支援，援助；光顾，捧场

参考例句：

• Though it was not yet noon,there was considerable patronage.虽然时间未到中午，店中已有许多顾客惠顾。
• I am sorry to say that my patronage ends with this.很抱歉，我的赞助只能到此为止。

32 shamefully   

可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。
• They have served me shamefully for a long time. 长期以来，他们待我很坏。

33 grafts   

移植( graft的名词复数 )； 行贿； 接穗； 行贿得到的利益

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。
• Her burns were treated with skin grafts. 她的烧伤是用植皮方法进行治疗的。

34 subverts   

v.颠覆，破坏（政治制度、宗教信仰等）( subvert的第三人称单数 )；使（某人）道德败坏或不忠

参考例句：

• Thus It'subverts the traditional concept of subjectivity. 因此也解构了传统的主观性的概念。 来自互联网
• Chopin presents us an emancipating Edna who challenges and subverts the patriarchal dogmas. 肖邦为我们展现了一位勇于挑战﹑颠覆父权体制的新女性形象。 来自互联网

35 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

36 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

37 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

• There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
• The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

38 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

39 converse   

vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反

参考例句：

• He can converse in three languages.他可以用3种语言谈话。
• I wanted to appear friendly and approachable but I think I gave the converse impression.我想显得友好、平易近人些,却发觉给人的印象恰恰相反。