英语听力精选进阶版 11237

 

Bless 

Professor David Crystal 

There's quite a range of explanations using 'bless' in 

English, all originally from the religious use of the word. 

'Bless you!' somebody says after a sneeze. 'Ah! Bless my 

soul!' - a rather older fashioned one. 'Bless you!'  

An interesting one is, 'Bless your heart!' used mainly by 

adults talking down - 'Ah! Bless your heart!' - to a child.   

And in the 1990s, this remarkable¹ use, the verb by itself, 

usually preceeded by the interjection, 'Ah!' - 'Ah! Bless!' - 

that sort of use. Notice the tone of voice there.  

I heard it when a little child had a cat snuggling up to her 

and the parent said, 'Ah! Bless!' And then the child hurt 

her finger, 'Ah! Bless!' People at the zoo, looking at 

penguins², 'Ah! Bless! Isn't it sweet!'  

Of course, when you get a usage like that it can get ironic³ very quickly. A 

politician now in parliament complains of harsh treatment and somebody 

says, 'Ah! Bless! Isn't it sad that he's so upset!' Or somebody's really 

trying to do something but not succeeding, 'Ah! Bless!' once again. 

It's a general expression of indulgent sympathy - 'Isn't that sweet?' - 

always with that distinctive⁴ tone of voice, always a hint of talking down.  

Never, never, never, use it to your boss, not if you want to keep your job!  

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

4 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。