双语美文：左先生会成为右先生吗？

 　　It is Valentine’s Day, and many of you must be thinking whether the guy you are dating is "the one."

　　今天是情人节，你们中的许多人肯定在想：“我现在约会的对象是我要找的那个人吗?”

　　Well, Chinese women seem to have identified the signs that you may have found "Mr Right."

　　是的，中国女性似乎已经发现了你或许已经找到Mr. Right的迹象。

　　According¹ to a post titled "Mr Left and Mr Right" that went viral on China’s social media² platform WeChat recently, here are some differences between Mr Left and Mr Right.

　　根据最近在中国社交媒体平台微信上发表的一篇名为《左先生和右先生》的文章，一位是左先生，一位是右先生，两位先生对“你”展示的却是不同的态度。

　　For example, here are their differences in reaction to you working overtime⁴. Mr Left: "I know you are busy, but don’t forget to eat."Mr Right: "I’ve ordered you takeout food. Eat it when you have time."

　　例如，当你加班时，左先生和右先生的反应迥然不同。左先生：“我知道你很忙，但别忘了吃饭吆。”右先生：“我已经给你点外卖了，抽空吃了。”

　　Their different reactions when you leave for a business trip:Mr Left: "Take good care of yourself."Mr Right: "I have written down your flight number and hotel address. Don’t forget to send me a photo of the license⁵ number of the taxi."

　　当你动身出差的时候，他们的表现也不同。左先生：“一个人在外，要照顾好自己!”右先生：“航班号和酒店地址我已经记下了，打车前把车牌号拍给我!”

　　How they react³ when it is cold outside: Mr Left: "Drink some hot water." Mr Right: "Let’s go and get you some warmer clothes."

　　外面天气寒冷，左先生和右先生对“你”有着不同的反应。左先生：“多喝点热水。”右先生：“走，给你出去买件厚点的衣服。”

　　Now, do you get it?

　　你现在意会到了吗?

　　The post suggests you should date Mr Left but marry Mr Right.

　　你可以和左先生谈恋爱，但一定要嫁给右先生。

　　Why, you might ask? Mr Left is a talker, while Mr Right is a doer. That actually makes sense in China. As you might know, Chinese men do not often say, "I love you." They believe actions speak louder than words. Therefore, women have to rely⁶ on their actions to see how much he cares about her.

　　你可能会问：“为什么呀?”因为左先生是一位空谈者，而右先生是一位行动派。这么说在中国其实是有道理的。你或许知道，中国男人不会常说“我爱你!”，他们认为行动比言语更重要。所以，女人必须多看看男人的实际行动，通过他们的行动来判断他有多爱你。

　　Following the post, many women asked for advice on how to turn Mr Left into Mr Right, and the responses from men were hilarious⁷. One said, "You were lucky enough to find a Mr Left, so don’t expect anything more." You know what? He is right. Women sometimes expect too much. Those unrealistic expectations ruin our relationships.I understand why many Chinese women prefer the loving and caring Mr Right. They prefer a strong partner who can take care of them.

　　许多女人看到那篇文章会问左先生怎样才能成为右先生呢，男人们的回答是极其有趣的。有人说：“找到左先生你已经很幸运了，再别期望太多啦。”你知道吗?他说的是对的。有时候女人就是期望太多。那些不切实际的要求最终会破坏我们的关系。我能理解为什么许多中国女性偏爱细致入微的右先生。她们更喜欢一个能够照顾她们的强壮伴侣。

　　Look around the street next time you are out. Have you ever seen a guy who carries his girlfriend’s or wife’s handbag? Yeah, that’s a thing in China. It shows how much he loves her by helping⁸ and spoiling⁹ her. As an old Chinese saying goes, "carrots and cabbages, everyone has his/her own preference¹⁰."

　　你下次出去的时候观察下街道上的男男女女们。你见过一个拎着他女朋友或他妻子包的男人吗?是的，这在中国是很常见的。他帮助她，宠着她，用自己的实际行动告诉爱的人，他有多爱她!就像一句谚语说的：“萝卜青菜，各有所爱。”

　　I actually prefer Mr Left. The reason is simple. When Mr Right solves all your problems, he becomes your problem. Perhaps one of the most important roles a boyfriend can play is a cheerleader rather than a helper¹¹.

　　其实我更喜欢左先生，理由很简单。当右先生解决了你所有的问题，他会成为你的问题。或许一个男朋友或丈夫更应该扮演一个鼓励者的角色，而非佣人。

　　Maybe some Chinese men have a problem saying "I love you," but there are things we all want to hear more than those three words. For example, "You can do it;" "You have my support;" and "Well done! I am so proud of you."

　　或许有些人对于“我爱你”三个字会有疑问，但是除了这三个字，还有好多字眼都是我们期待听到的，如“你可以做到的”，“我支持你”，“做的棒，我为你自豪”等。

　　We cannot expect our boyfriend or husband to help us solve all of our problems all the time.

　　我们不要盼着我们的男朋友或丈夫帮我们解决所有的事儿。

　　Sometimes we admire them so much that we forget they are also human beings, not Superman¹².

　　有时候我们很欣赏他们，但别忘了男人也是人，不是超人。

　　Yes, maybe Mr Left cannot erase¹³ our insecurities, and maybe he cannot help you every time you need him, but that doesn’t matter. Instead of giving you fish, he teaches you how to fish. His encouragement and love raises your confidence¹⁴ and guides you to overcome problems by yourself.

　　是的，也许左先生给我们带不来安全感，也许当你需要他时他不在你身旁，但这都没关系。他没有给你鱼，但他教会你怎样钓到鱼。他的鼓励和关爱会让你增加自信，也会引导你自己克服困难。

　　You eventually become a better and stronger person.

　　最终你将成为一名勇士。

1 according   

adj.按照，根据

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• We must cut our coat according to our cloth this year.今年我们必须学会量入为出。

2 media   

n.(medium的复数)媒体，新闻媒介，传播媒介

参考例句：

• The local media reported rioting across the country.当地媒体报道了全国范围的骚乱。
• His latest movie is being hyped up by the media.他新近的电影正被媒体大肆炒作。

3 react   

vi.起反应，起作用；反抗，起反作用

参考例句：

• She didn't look up or react in any way.她既不抬头，也没有任何反应。
• How did he react to your suggestion?他如何对待你的建议？

4 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

5 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

6 rely   

vi.依赖，依靠；信赖，信任

参考例句：

• I rely upon you to finish the work on time.我相信你会准时完成这项工作的。
• You should rely on your own efforts.你应该靠自己的努力。

7 hilarious   

adj.充满笑声的，欢闹的；[反]depressed

参考例句：

• The party got quite hilarious after they brought more wine.在他们又拿来更多的酒之后，派对变得更加热闹起来。
• We stop laughing because the show was so hilarious.我们笑个不停，因为那个节目太搞笑了。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 spoiling   

v.变质( spoil的现在分词 )；损坏；毁掉；破坏

参考例句：

• You are spoiling this man's son. 贼夫人之子。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The murderer attempted to escape from law punishment by spoiling his own face. 那个杀人犯企图自毁容貌以逃脱法律的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 preference   

n.偏爱，优先，优先权，优先的选择

参考例句：

• What is your preference?你有什么嗜好？
• A teacher should not show preference for any one of his pupils.老师不应偏爱任何一个学生。

11 helper   

n.帮助者，帮手，助手

参考例句：

• The cook is in charge of the kitchen helper.这位厨师负责管理厨工。
• She was a voluntary helper.她是自愿帮忙的。

12 superman   

n.具有超人能力的人，超人

参考例句：

• He is a superman in physical strength.他在体力上是个超人。
• He was a successful actor,famous for the Superman films.他是个成功的演员，以“超人”电影而著名。

13 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

14 confidence   

n.信任，信托，自信，信心，把握，大胆，厚颜，过于自信，狂妄

参考例句：

• We have full confidence in our victory.我们有必胜的把握。
• I should like to exchange a few words with you in confidence.我想私下和你交换点意见。