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VOA慢速英语2019--Is Grammar Cool?

时间:2020-02-17 23:48:43

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(单词翻译)

 

In the American film Pulp1 Fiction, actor Samuel L. Jackson challenges two criminals. They are trying to take money from all of the people in a restaurant.

Jackson plays the part of a former criminal who used to carry out targeted killings2. He wants to change his life and does not want to hurt people anymore. But he does not want to give his money to criminals either.

Jackson asks one of the criminals to use an adjective. He asks her to describe Fonzie, a character from the old American television show Happy Days.

"Nobody's gonna hurt anybody. We're all gonna be like three little Fonzies here. And what's Fonzie like? Come on, Yalonda, what's Fonzie like?

"Cool."

"What?"

"Cool."

"Correctamundo! And that is what we are going to be – we're gonna be cool."

Today, we will explore the term that Jackson wanted to hear: cool, a word that has both formal and casual uses. The casual, everyday uses of cool will be our topic of discussion.

But first, we begin with a little history.

History

Cool has its roots in the Old English term "col," meaning "not warm," notes the Online Etymology3 Dictionary.

Google Ngram has evidence of cool being used as far back as the 16th century.

In other words, cool has a long history. The writer William Shakespeare even used the term in many of his plays, including Othello and Much Ado About Nothing.

But cool's meanings have changed over time.

By the 20th century, among its other meanings, cool eventually came to suggest a kind of effortlessness.

Fonzie, the character you heard about at the beginning of this report, gives you one example of the idea. He does humorous, wonderful things without seeming to try very hard.

Yet Fonzie did not invent cool. Some people claim this effortless, stylish4 way of acting5 is a product of African-American art.

Joel Dinerstein wrote a book called The Origins of Cool in Postwar America. He says cool came from an artistic6 movement led primarily by black musicians. Lester Young, a saxophone player, is said to have made the term popular in jazz music circles in the 1930s and 1940s.

"To be cool," Dinerstein noted7, "meant you carried personal authority through a stylish mask of stoicism." In other words, cool meant you endured hardship, but did not express it outwardly.

Modern uses – adjective and adverb

Over time, cool lost its connection with artistic movements and became more common in everyday speech. It still carries many meanings – as a verb, noun, adjective and adverb.

However, in casual situations, Americans often use cool as an adjective or as an adverb.

Adjective

As an adjective, cool generally has three meanings. It can describe something as appealing in a way that people like – especially young people. For example, Americans often say things like "cool sunglasses" or "cool clothes."

Cool can show approval in a very general way. Imagine you introduce one of your friends to your father. After the meeting, your friend might say,

"Your dad is so cool."

Cool also can show acceptance, agreement, or understanding.

Consider this situation. You are running late to a meeting with a friend. You send a text message to apologize for your delay. Your friend might respond with the following message:

"That's cool – no worries."

The Amazon television show Patriot8 used cool in this way. The main character, a spy named John Lakeman, often gets terrible news. He shows acceptance by saying "cool."

"Cool... that's cool."

Adverb

As an adverb, cool generally means in a calm manner. Two of the most common uses might be in the terms "act cool" and "play it cool."

Imagine two children were playing around and accidentally broke something. Perhaps they broke a lamp or a dish in the house. Then, they hear one of their parents opening the door of their house. One child might say to the other:

"When dad walks in, just act cool – don't say anything!"

or

"When mom comes in, we have to play it cool, or she will start to suspect something!"

A word of caution9

Finally, a word of warning.

Americans generally describe other people with the adjective cool. They do not use it to describe themselves.

This is where culture and grammar meet. An American would consider a statement such as "I am cool" to be strange - even if it is grammatically10 correct.

So, when speaking with friends, feel free to use the term cool. Although informal, it has a good, positive meaning.

But you should think of cool as a gift you can give to others. If you give that gift to yourself, well, that's just not cool.

Words in This Story

challenge – v. to invite someone to take part in a competition; to compete against an opponent

character – n. a person in a play, movie or television show

formal – adj. done in an official way; relating to an important or ceremonial event

casual – adj. unofficial; done without much thought

topic – n. subject

etymology – n. an explanation of where a word came from : the history of a word

stoicism – n. the quality or behavior of a person who accepts what happens without protesting or showing emotion

introduce – v. to bring into use or operation; to make someone known to another person

grammar – n. the system and structure of a language

dad – n. someone's father


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1 pulp Qt4y9     
n.果肉,纸浆;v.化成纸浆,除去...果肉,制成纸浆
参考例句:
  • The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
  • The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。
2 killings 76d97e8407f821a6e56296c4c9a9388c     
谋杀( killing的名词复数 ); 突然发大财,暴发
参考例句:
  • His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
  • The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
3 etymology jiMzC     
n.语源;字源学
参考例句:
  • The hippies' etymology is contentious.关于嬉皮士的语源是有争议的。
  • The origin of OK became the Holy Grail of etymology.OK的出典成了词源学梦寐以求的圣杯。
4 stylish 7tNwG     
adj.流行的,时髦的;漂亮的,气派的
参考例句:
  • He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
  • What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。
5 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
6 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
7 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
8 patriot a3kzu     
n.爱国者,爱国主义者
参考例句:
  • He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
  • He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。
9 caution caution     
n.小心,谨慎,警告;vt.告诫,警告
参考例句:
  • You should exercise extreme caution when driving in fog.在雾中开车要极为小心。
  • There is no need for such caution.不必如此小心谨慎。
10 grammatically ErYzwY     
adv.符合语法规则地
参考例句:
  • This essay is grammatically smooth and readable. 这篇作文写得还顺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Grammatically, the Sanskrit paradigm exemplifies the concept of radical. 从语法的观点看,梵语的变格范例明确了词根的概念。 来自辞典例句

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