Characteristics and Translation of English Advertisement ABSTRACT
With increasing communication in the world and acceleration of economic globalization, English advertisement has found its way into people’s lives. No matter whether we like it or not, we have to face it. But how to understand, assess and make English advertisement is a challenge to most of us. Under this situation, it is very indispensable to translate the advertisement timely, correctly and efficiently to promote the information exchange both at home and abroad in order to improve the economic development.
Advertisement is not only an economic activity promoting sales and services, but also a cultural carrier, which sets great influences on our life styles and consumption habits. And the tradition, belief and value of a culture, to a great extent, affect not only the psychology and behavior of both producers and customers, but also the advertisement itself. So, it is very important for us to know the characteristics of advertisement.
Beginning with the nature and characteristics of advertisement, Chapter one introduces definition, elements and classification of advertisement. Chapter two introduces language characteristics of English advertisement, simple sentences, interrogative sentences，imperative sentences，conditional sentences and elliptical sentences are frequent used in English advertisement. Chapter three discusses the translation methods of English advertisement, which include: literal translation and free translation.
Key words: English advertisement characteristics translation
摘要
随着世界各国交流的日益广泛和经济全球化进程的进一步加快，英语广告已成为人们生活不可缺少的一部分。不管我们喜欢与否，都要和它打交道。如何理解，评估并创作英语广告，这对我们大多数的人来说是一个富有挑战性的课题，在这一种情形之下, 广告翻译是不可缺少的, 正确效率的翻译促进国内和国际的数据交换和经济发展。
广告是一种经济活动，是对商品和服务的一种促销手段，但广告同时又是一种文化载体，它像是一只无形的手左右着人们的生活方式和消费习惯。广告文化具有明显的大众性、商业性、民族性和时代性的特点。一定的文化传统、信仰和价值观在很大程度上左右着商业经营者以及消费者的心理和行为，进而影响广告活动本身。所以，了解广告的特征也非常重要。
本文将从广告的本质与特征入手，第一部分介绍了广告的定义，元素和分类。第二部分介绍了英语广告的语言特征。简单句，疑问句，命令句，条件句和省略句通常被用于英语广告当中。第三部分主要讨论了英语广告的翻译方法，它包括直译和意译。
关键词：英语广告特点翻译
Introduction
In modern society, the newspaper, magazines, TV, radio, network and some other media show us various kinds of information about goods and services. With the development of our society, advertisements have become an important part of our modern society. Turn on radio, you hear advertisements; turn on TV, you see advertisements; skim and scan newspapers, you see also advertisements; even at the doorway you can get advertisements. Advertisements follow you like shadows. And under the trend of globalization, English advertisement has become more and
more popular and important for English works as an international language. Now our country has joined the WTO and more and more world famous companies come to invest in China. The trade and product exchange between china and other countries increase a lot.
Advertisement has entered into every aspect of human life. Every day, people are exposed to a large number of advertisements no matter whether they like them or not. But what is advertisement? What elements does an advertisement consist of? How are advertisements classified? And what is the significance in the study of advertisement? These are the questions of which we must have a good idea before we proceed to explore the language features or characteristics of English advertisement.
I overview of advertisement
Next paper of this chapter introduces definition, elements and classification of advertisement. 1.1 Definition of advertisement
In English, the word “advertise” has its origin in Latin, meaning “to inform somebody of something ”, “to bring into notice ”or “to draw attention to something”, etc. Abert Lasker, father of modern advertisement, said that advertisement was “salesmanship in print”. This definition was given a long time before the advent of radio and television. In the past, the nature and scope of advertisement were considerably different from those today. The definition indicates that the ultimate objective of advertisement is to sell. Obviously, it is not an all-round definition for it can not cover all advertisements.
Definitions of advertisement are many and varied. An advertisement may be defined as a public notice designed to spread information with a view to promoting the sales of marketable goods and services, or defined as a vital marketing tool as well as a powerful communication force. It is the action of calling something to people’s attention especially by a paid announcement. Also, advertisement can be defined as a kind of paid, non-personal communication through various mass media by business firms, nonprofit organizations, and individuals who are in some way identified in the message and who hope to inform or persuade members of a particular audience. Although advertisement can be defined in many different ways, the essential points concerning its definition may be summarized as follows: advertisement is a kind of extensive communication of information usually highly paid for and strongly pursuance in nature. Advertisement contains messages or information about marketable products and services, or ideas, norms, and values. Advertisement messages are designed particularly, ingeniously and meticulously, and are made known through various media to the general public or particular groups of people.
1.2 Elements of advertisement
An advertisement is composed of different components, which are verbal or non-verbal. The verbal components consist of the headline, sub-headline, the body copy, trademark and slogan. The non-verbal elements are made up of illustrations, advertisement music, advertisement sounds, color and layout. Each element plays a role in successful advertisement. However, an advertisement has no need to include all the normal elements. Sometimes, some elements are sufficient. The following elements are discussed, not because they are more important, but because the language features in such elements are more conspicuous and much easier to be noticed by the general public. The purpose of the sub-headline is to make the transition from headline to body copy. Some headlines need no sub-headlines. The body copy tells the complete sales story. The purpose of the body copy is to provide clarification of the headline and proof of claims, point out other competitive advantages, and gives the prospective
reasons, implicit as well as explicit. A trademark is a sign used by an enterprise or an industry to distinguish quality, specifications and nature of the product they produce during the sale. The name of a trademark often appears in the headline. The slogan has some similarities with the headline. In fact, many slogans are developed from some successful headlines. Slogans are standard statements for sales people and company employees. Slogans are very common in English advertisement. Many famous brands accompany slogans. Please observe the following slogans:
(1) Things go better with Coca-Cola.
-----Coca-Cola
(2) In touch the world.
----Toshiba
(3) Obey your thirst.
—-Beverage advertisement
The above advertisement slogans accompanied by the respective famous brands either directly or indirectly tell us about the advantages, benefits or peculiar functions of the advertised products.
1.3 Classification of advertisement
Advertisement can be classified into different types in view of the target audience, geographic area, covered media, function or purpose. But all in all, advertisement can be divided into two types: commercial and noncommercial advertisement.
Commercial advertisement, which promotes goods, services or ideas for a business with the expectation of making a profit, falls into three types. The first type is commercial consumer advertisement, which is directed towards the massive audience to promote sales of a product or service. The second type is known as prestige or good will advertisement, in which the firms advertise not a commodity or a service but rather a name or an image. The third type is industrial or trade advertisement, in which a firm advertises its products or services to other firms. Industrial or trade advertisement is most likely to be found in specialized trade jumbles or in the business pages of newspapers. Noncommercial advertisement is sponsored by charitable institutions, civic groups, and forms of communication.
II Language characteristics of English advertisement
The advertisers adopt syntactical devices in most of the advertisements, which perform the following functions: to arouse attention; to show people the advantages; to arouse interest and desire; to ask for action. In order to realize these functions, the advertisers should pay much attention to the selection of sentence variety, sentence structure, and other grammatical forms. This cheaper concentrates on the major grammatical characteristics of English advertisements. 2.1 Frequent use of simple sentences
Whatever product or service may be advertised, the advertiser usually sets a limit to the length of the advertisement for the sake of space and money. Normally, he or she makes much effort to convey as much information as possible in most concise and compact manner. Therefore, simple sentences are frequently used in English advertisements. For example: [3]
IT COMES WITH A CONSCIENCE
Honda has always made good cars. People love them. But with a loved one, things can sometimes
get emotional.
Honda understands. And on our own we have set up a third-party arbitration program with the Better Business Bureau to give you extra voice, if you need it. But please talk to your dealer first. And follow the problem-solving procedure described in your owner’s manual.
Our new program will help to resolve product-related questions about your Honda. This program is free. Just ask at any Honda dealer for a booklet. Or call 800-521-1613. You see, Honda wants you and your Honda to have a long and happy relationship. It’s only right.
2.2 Frequent use of interrogative sentences
In some English advertisements, interrogative sentences are used at the very beginning of the body copy so as to hold the addressees’ attention and arouse their interest. Interrogative sentences often require people to give answers, Interrogative sentences arouse their attention. Interrogative sentences arouse consumers' attentions at first, and then require them to reflect. For example:
(1) Want to see yourself apart from your peers? (Interview advertisement)
(2) Need a cleaner that shines without scratching? (Detergent advertisement)
(3) How can a magazine be strong regionally if it is not strong locally? (Asian Weekly Salad advertisement)
(4) Have you driven a Ford lately? (Auto advertisement)
2.3 Frequent use of imperative sentences
As we all know, one of the functions of advertisement is persuade consumers to take immediate action to buy the product. Imperative sentences are very important and most widely employed in English advertisements because they perform the function of direct persuasion and exhortation. According to statistics, there is at least one imperative sentence in every four English advertisement texts. Therefore, frequent use of imperative sentences has become a distinct phenomenon in English advertisements. For example:.
(1) Go ahead, you can rely on us. (Advertisement of insurance and investment)
(2) Get the feeling! (Advertisement of sport)
(3) Come to where the flavor is. (Advertisement of wan bao lu cigarette)
(4) Say yes to life, no to drugs. (No poison advertisement)
(5) Let your child in on a world of wonder: Things of Science.
2.4 Frequent use of conditional sentences
In English advertisements, conditional sentences introduced by if often occur in the first line so as to strengthen promotion and persuasion. The conditional sentences can be divided into two types: real conditional sentences and unreal conditional sentence. In advertising texts, real conditional sentences are generally preferred. Let’s observe the following examples:
(1) If you suffer from indigestion, there is something you want to know. (Advertisement of nutritional food)
(2) Without vitamins, life itself would be impossible. (Advertisement of leechdom)
(3) If you are a wife who believes that the best Home-made Bread is made with good honest plain flour-then this flour, made by McDougall’s, is the flour for you... (flour advertisement)
2.5 Frequent use of elliptical sentences
Advertisement language must be persuasive and economical. This requires advertisers to use concise and brief language. In other words, the advertiser should make great effort to convey the greatest quantity of information in a most concise manner, which calls for simple syntax and terse
diction. In order to render advertising texts brief, concise and forceful, the copy writer normally makes good use of elliptical sentences. For example:
(1) Deliciously simple. Simply delicious.
Although there are only two simple adverbs and adjectives repeated in this advertisement, it is imprinted deeply in the reader’s mind of the characteristics of the food. It is delicious and convenient.
(2) Canadian Airlines.
A convenient way to Canada
And fast way to the USA
(Canadian Airlines)
(3) Safe. Easy. Quick and with Fun.
(KITCHEN WONDER Vegetable Processor)
Elliptical sentence are likely to render the style more concise and compact. They are rhythmical and forceful, so they are easy to remember and more appealing to customers.
III Translation methods of English advertisement
Next paper of this chapter discusses translation methods of English advertisement.
3.1 Literal translation
What does literal translation mean? Professor Liu says:
“The sentence is considered to be the basic construction during the process of translation, and at the same time, trying to keep the construction of the sentences and figures of speech in it, in order to reproduce the form, contents and styles of the language. This approach plays an important role in the translation of English advertisement”. *1+ P172-174
We will discuss it in the following examples. [2] P62
(1) Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine. ------ A juice
早餐中没有橙汁就象生活中没有阳光。
(2) Flowers by Interflora speak from the heart. ------Inferflora flowers
英特拂劳拉的鲜花倾诉衷肠。
(3) Big thrills. Small bill. -----A taxi advertisement
莫大的激动, 微小的费用。
(4) Pepsi-Cola hits the spot. Twelve full ounces, that’s a lot, Twice as much for a nickel, too, Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you. -----Pepsi cola
百事可乐味道好，足足12盎量不少，五元钞票买24盎，百事可乐供您享。
All the examples are advertisement slogans or sentences which are vivid and very easy to widely read and remember. All the translations reserve the basic construction and rhetoric of the advertisement language. All the target languages fully reproduce the rhetorical affection and distinct mode of the advertisements.
(5) She works while you rest. ----- Washing machine
她工作，你休息.
(6) Henan in China-----the cradle of Chinese martial arts.
-----Henan tourism advertisement
中国河南---中国功夫的摇篮
(7) He can’t talk, he can’t walk, and he can’t drive a car. Yet he could be the most important “person” in the world of automotive safety testing today. He is THUMS, the world’s first virtual
human for crash testing. ----- An advertisement text for virtual crash dummy
他不能说话,他不能走路,他不能驱车。而他可能是当今汽车安全检测界最重要的“人物”。他名叫THUMS，是世界上第一个检测车辆事故的虚拟人……
According to the examples we can see that the translations are identical with the advertisement language in sentence structure, rhetoric and function. All the advertisements here are translated in the manner of literal translation. Obviously, in this way, not only can we reproduce the styles and contents contained in the advertisement language, but also we can introduce something new in the English advertisement to our country.
3.2 Free translation
What’s free translation? Professor Liu holds that:
“If the translation can’t reproduce the meaning of the advertisement language or it’s very difficult to be understood or accepted by the readers in the approach of literal translation, we will have to abandon or change the style and rhetoric of the advertisement language. We have to use some words that can conform to the advertisement language and can be understood by the readers of the target language, or use some proper syntax to express the meaning and spirit of the same language. Usually, we have to use free translation to translate rhetorical structures in English advertisement.” *1+ P172
We can see that the various kinds of rhetoric such as metaphor, repetition, metonymy, pun, and analogy are vivid, natural and appropriate in the advertisement language and they make the advertisements more interesting and attractive. However, there is no corresponding natural rhetoric in the target language. So we can not use literal translation here, or else the translation can not be understood and accepted by the reader.
3.2.1 Flexible translation
The flexible translation here refers to the proper, lifelike expression of both literal translation and free translation. Sometimes the translation of a word, a phrase or a sentence will not only use the way of literal translation, but also free translation so as to make the translation keep in line with the meaning of the advertisement language. Flexible translation plays a more and more important role in the translation of English advertisements. Discuss about some details with some examples. [2] P65
(1) The most sensational place to wear satin on your Lips. —A Lipstick
口红擦在唇上这个最富有激情的地方，好似穿上光亮柔滑细薄透亮的绸缎一样。
(2) NO problem too large, no business too small. --IBM
没有解决不了的问题，没有不做的小生意。
(3) ……The whole area becomes ablaze with the whites, yellows, reds, and oranges of tulips, daffodils and other species popular in English gardens……
---Scotland Tourism advertisement
英国花园里逗人喜爱的郁金香，水仙花及其它各种花遍布整个地区，有白色的、黄色的、红色的、还有橙色的，呈现一派争奇斗艳璀璨夺目的景色……
(4) …Blessed by year round good weather, Spain is a magnet for sun worshippers and holidaymakers. ------Spain tourism
西班牙承蒙上帝保佑，一年四季, 天气很好，宛如一块磁铁，吸引着酷爱阳光、爱好度假的人们……
(5) To the ends of the earth
And to the top of the world.
Only two of us have made it.
…It’s the only thing that’s been on all the trips with me and it’s never once let me down… ------Rolex watch
只有我俩一起走过天涯海角。惟有我俩共同登上过世界屋脊。
…劳力士表是与我一起经历过所有这些旅程的唯一侣伴，从来没有让我失望……
(6) This first-rate shoe polish adds luster to your shoes and honor to you, our friends. -----Red Bird shoe polish
第一流产品，为足下增光。
(7) I’m more satisfied. Ask for more.-----More cigarettes
摩尔香烟，多而不厌。
(8) Applying “Dabao” morning and night
Makes your skincare a real delight. ---------------Dabao
要想皮肤好，早晚用大宝。
(9) Better late than the late. ---------Police advertisement
宁晚三分，不抢一秒，别到阎王爷那去报到。
Flexible translation is indispensable in the translation of rhetorical structures of English advertisements, because there are lots of different cultures and expression styles between Chinese and English. If we want to make the translation appropriate, vivid and proper, flexible translation is the best way, since it combines with the advantage of both literal and free translation, and it can deal with some difficulties the other two approaches can not.
3.2.2 Four-word translation
Why do we use the method of four-word translation? There are two reasons; one is that there are a great deal of differences in the culture between English and Chinese. Under this situation, this method is the best way to translate the advertisements and to keep the rhetoric in the advertisement language. Second, we have many four-word idioms which we are very familiar with. So if we translate an English advertisement into a four-word in Chinese, it is easy for us to remember. For example: [1] P174
(1) Let’s make things better. -------Philips advertisement
没有最佳，但求更好。
(2) Connecting People. ----NOKIA advertisement
（科技）以人为本。
(3) Fresh up with Seven-up. ----Seven up advertisement
君饮七喜，醒脑提神。
(4) With a single copy of The Globe in hand
You can enjoy a wide view of the world. -----Globe magazine
一册在手，纵览全球
(5) Once tasted, always loved. ---- Drinking advertisement
一次品尝, 永远喜欢。
(6) Extraordinary Cola. Extraordinary choice. -------Coca-Cola
非常可乐, 非常选择。
(7) FedEx: We live to deliver. ------FedEx
联邦快递,诚信为本。
(8) Having experienced one year of difficulties and hardships, INFINITI has grown mature and under gone constant improvement, thus certain outstanding achieve ments……
---- INFINITI
经历了一年的风风雨雨，极限不断成熟，不断完善，创造出了卓越的业绩。（极限喷绘机）There are two main approaches in the translation of rhetorical constructions. In the methods of English advertisements we have discussed above, flexible translation is the result of the other two methods used at the same time, and literal and free translation are also influenced by it. Which kind of translation shall we take when we translate? In my opinion, “faithfulness, simplicity an d vividness” is the principles. In order to obey the principles, and understand the contents and spirit of the advertisement well, we should take a proper method of translation, and choose proper words and sentences in the target language to transmit the meaning of the advertisement language. All these two points can make us achieve a great success in the translation of English advertisement.
Conclusion
To know the features of English advertisements is very important. And to reproduce the art and style of the advertisement language, we should know more things about the characteristics and contents of the advertisements. Then we should take a proper method of translation, and choose the proper word to transmit the features of the advertisement language, and to reproduce the rhetoric constructions in the advertisement language.
Advertisement has a strong influence on our society. There are possibilities to affects the media, and to improve the standards of people’s interests. Advertisements show the informati on of the products to all of us through various kinds of medias. Furthermore, they can also make the people pay attention to the goods and guide people to pursue fashion. The most important point of the advertisements is the vocative function, which refers to show the information of certain goods, and to arouse consumers’ desire to purchase and have action.
One trend of English advertisement, like many linguists have feared, is that the advertisement language becomes elusive and manipulative. The other trend of English advertisement is that the language is getting more much oral and the grammar is getting simpler. All these changes, if carelessly used, may easily lead to ambiguity and misunderstanding, which will set a negative image on the product.
Acknowledgements
First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Ms. Zhang, who guided me throughout my writing of this thesis. She read the whole draft word by word and corrected my mistakes carefully. His excellence of academic standards has influenced me a lot.
Second, I benefit from all the teachers who taught me during the four-year study in the university.
I am sincerely grateful to all of them. I am also grateful to all my classmates and friends for their help during my preparation for the thesis. The recourses I get from our campus internet and library also do much help for me.
Last but not least, many thanks go to my great country for giving me a peaceful, harmonious and beautiful life. May my country flourish and people live in peace.
Bibliography
[1] 刘重德. 浑金璞玉集. 北京:中国对外翻译出版公司，1994.
[2] 谭卫国. 英汉广告修辞的翻译. 中国翻译. 上海：上海师范大学外国语学院，2003-2.
[3] 张基珮. 中国科技翻译. 北京：中国科学院科技翻译工作者协会，2003.
[4] Chandan, J.S. 1990.Essentials of Advertising. Oxford and IBH Publishing Co. PVT. Ltd
[5] 崔刚. 广告英语. 广告英语3000句选萃分析欣赏. 北京：北京理工大学出版社，2001-5-1
[6] 曹顺发. 广告用语的翻译.重庆：重庆交通学院. 2002-01.
[7] Guo Jianzhong. 1997. Reading in Translation Theory. Hangzhou: Zhejiang University Press.
[8] 郭贵龙，张宏博. 广告英语?文体与翻译.上海：华东师范大学出版社，2008.
[9] 孙有为. 广告学. 北京：清华大学出版社，2003-11.
[10] 威廉阿伦斯. 当代广告学. 北京：华夏出版社，1999.
[11] 张建华. 广告学概论. 长春：机械工业出版社, 2004-08-01.
[12] 李先进.广告英语语言特色的分析与研究. 英语辅导报, 2005-2-2.
Unit 9 How to Grow Old Bertrand A. Russell 1. In spite of the title, this article will really be on how not to grow old, which, at my time of life, is a much more important subject. My first advice would be, to choose your ancestors carefully. Although both my parents died young, I have done well in this respect as regards my other ancestors. My maternal grandfather, it is true, was cut off in the flower of his youth at the age of sixty-seven, but my other three grandparents all lived to be over eighty. Of remoter ancestors I can only discover one who did not live to a great age, and he died of a disease which is now rare, namely, having his head cut off. A great-grandmother of mine, who was a friend of Gibbon, lived to the age of ninety-two, and to her last day remained a terror to all her descendants. My maternal grandmother, after having nine children who survived, one who died in infancy, and many miscarriages, as soon as she became a widow devoted herself to women’s higher education. She was one of the founders of Girton College, and worked hard at opening the medical profession to women. She used to relate how she met in Italy an elderly gentleman who was looking very sad. She inquired the cause of his melancholy and he said that he had just parted fro m his two grandchildren. “Good gracious,” she exclaimed, “I have seventy-two grandchildren, and if I were sad each time I parted from one of them, I should have a dismal existence!” “Madre snaturale,” he replied. But speaking as one of the seventy-two, I prefer her recipe. After the age of eighty she found she had some difficulty in getting to sleep, so she habitually spent the hours from midnight to 3 a.m. in reading popular science. I do not believe that she ever had time to notice that she was growing old. This, I think, is the proper recipe for remaining young. If you have wide and keen interests and activities in which you can still be effective, you will have no reason to think about the merely statistical fact of the number of years you have already lived, still less of the probable brevity of your future. 2. As regards health, I have nothing useful to say since I have little experience of illness. I eat and drink whatever I like, and sleep when I cannot keep awake. I never do anything whatever on the ground that it is good for health, though in actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome. 3. Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One’s thoughts must be directed to
Lesson 1 I’m not feeling well. Let’s talk （M=Mom, T= Tom） M: What,'s the matter, Tom T: I'm not feeling well, Mom M: Do you have a cold T: Yes, I think so. Could you give me some water, please M: Here you are. T: Thank you, Mom. M: Tom, you must go and see a doctor. T: OK, Mom. M: It's cold outside. You must wear your coat. T: OK, Mom. Could you pass me my coat,please M: Here you are. T: Thank you, Mom M: Tell me your teacher's number. I'll call him and tell him you are sick. T: OK. Here it is. 译文 (M=妈妈,T=汤姆) 妈妈:怎么了,汤姆 汤姆:我感觉不舒服,妈妈。 妈妈:你感冒了吗 汤姆:是的,我想是这样的。您能给我一些水吗 妈妈:给你。 汤姆:谢谢您,妈妈。 妈妈:汤姆,你必须去看医生. 汤姆:好的,妈妈。 妈妈:外面很冷。你必须穿你的外套。 汤姆:好的,妈妈。您能把我的外套递给我吗 妈妈:给你。 汤姆:谢谢您,妈妈。 妈妈:告诉我你老师的电话号码。我将给他打电话告诉他你生病了。
Unit 1 A CLASS ACT Florence Cartlidge 1. Growing up in bomb-blitzed Manchester during the Second World War meant times were tough, money was short, anxiety was rife and the pawnshop was a familiar destination for many families, including mine. 2. Yet I could not have asked for more enterprising and optimistic parents. They held our family together with hard work, dignity and bucketloads of cheer. My sturdy and ingenious father could turn his hand to almost anything and was never short of carpentry and handyman work. He even participated in the odd bout of backstreet boxing to make ends meet. For her part, our mum was thrifty and meticulously clean, and her five children were always sent to school well fed, very clean, and attired spotlessly, despite the hard conditions. 3. The trouble was, although my clothes were ironed to a knife-edge, and shoes polished to a gleam, not every item was standard school uniform issue. While Mum had scrimped and saved to obtain most of the gear, I still didn’t have the pres cribed blue blazer and hatband. 4. Because of the war, rationing was in place and most schools had relaxed their attitude towards proper uniforms, knowing how hard it was to obtain clothes. Nevertheless, the girls’ school I attended made it strict policy that each of its students was properly attired, and the deputy headmistress who ran the daily assembly made it her mission to teach me a lesson. 5. Despite my attempts at explaining why I couldn’t comply, and despite the fact that I was making slow progress towards the full uniform, every day I would be pulled out of line and made to stand on the stage as a shining example of what not to wear to school. 6. Every day I would battle back tears as I stood in front of my peers, embarrassed and, most often, alone. My punishment also extended to being barred from the gym team or to not taking part in the weekly ballroom dancing classes, which I adored. I desperately
The Chaser John Collier Alan Auste n, as n ervous as a kitte n, went up certa in dark and creaky stairs in the n eighborhood of Pell Street , and peered about for a long time on the dim landing before he found the n ame he wan ted writte n obscurely on one of the doors. He pushed ope n this door, as he had bee n told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furn iture but a pla in kitche n table, a rock in g-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-colored walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a doze n bottles and jars. An old man sat in the rock in g-chair, read ing a n ewspaper. Ala n, without a word, handed him the card he had been given. 人Sit down, Mr. Austen, said the old man very politely. 人I am glad to make your acqua intance. 人Is it true, asked Alan, 人that you have a certain mixture that has ! er ! quite extraordinary effects? 人My dear sir, replied the old man, 人my stock in trade is not very large ! I don …t deal in laxatives and teething mixtures ! but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordin ary. 人Well, the fact is ! began Alan. 人Here, for example, interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. 人Here is a liquid as colorless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy. 人Do you mean it is a poison? cried Alan, very much horrified. 人Call it a glove-cleaner if you like, said the old man indifferently. 人Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes. 人I want nothing of that sort, said Alan. 人Probably it is just as well, said the old man. 人Do you know the price of this? For one teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousa nd dollars. Never less. Not a penny less. 人I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive, said Alan apprehe nsively. 人Oh dear, no, said the old man. 人It would be no good charg ing that sort of price for a love poti on, for example. Young people who n eed a love poti on very seldom have five thousa nd dollars. Otherwise they would not n eed a love poti on. 人I am glad to hear that, said Alan. 人I look at it like this, said the old man. 人Please a customer with one article, and he will come back whe n he n eeds another. Even if it is more costly. He will save up for it, if n ecessary. 人So, said Alan, 人you really do sell love potions? 人If I did not sell love potions, said the old man, reaching for another bottle, 人I should not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only whe n one is in a positi on to oblige that one can afford to be so con fide ntial. 人And these potions, said Alan. 人They are not just ! just ! er ! 人Oh, no, said the old man. 人Their effects are permanent, and exte nd far bey ond casual impulse. But they in clude it. Boun tifully, in siste ntly. Everlast in gly. 人Dear me! said Alan, attempting a look of scientific detachme nt. "How very in teresti ng! 人But consider the spiritual side, said the old man.
Unit 3 Out of Step Bill Bryson 1 After living in England for 20 years, my wife and I decided to move back to the United States. We wanted to live in a town small enough that we could walk to the business district, and settled on Hanover, N.H., a typical New England town—pleasant, sedate and compact. It has a broad central green surrounded by the venerable buildings of Dartmouth College, an old-fashioned Main Street and leafy residential neighborhoods. 2 It is, in short, an agreeable, easy place to go about one’ s business on foot, and ye far as I can tell, virtually no one does. 3 Nearly every day, I walk to the post office or library or bookstore, and sometimes, if I am feeling particu larly debonair, I stop at Rosey Jekes Caféa cappuccino. Occasionally, in the evenings, my wife and I stroll up to the Nugget Theatre for a movie or to Murphy’ s on the Green for a beer, I wouldn’ t dream of going to any of these places by car. People ha ve gotten used to my eccentric behavior, but in the early days acquaintances would often pull up to the curb and ask if I wanted a ride. 4“ I’ m going your way,” they would insist when I politely declined. no bother.”
Unit 7 The Chaser John Henry Collier 1 Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long time on the dim hallway before he found the name he wanted written obscurely on one of the doors. 2 He pushed open this door, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-coloured walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles and jars. 3 An old man sat in the rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had been given. “Sit down, Mr. Austen,” said the old man very politely. “I am glad to make your acquaintance.” 4 “Is it true,” asked Alan, “that you have a certain mixture that has … er … quite extraordinary effects?” 5 “My dear sir,” replied the old man, “my sto ck in trade is not very large — I don’t deal in laxatives and teething mixtures —but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordinary.” 6 “Well, the fact is …” began Alan. 7 “Here, for example,” interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. “Here is a liquid as colourless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.” 8 “Do you mean it is a poison?” cried Alan, very much horrified. 9 “Call it a glove-cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferently. “Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.” 10 “I want nothing of that sort,” said Alan. 11 “Probably it is just as well,” said the old man. “Do you know the price of this? For one teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousand dollars. Never less. Not a penny less.” 12 “I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive,” said Alan apprehensively.
课文翻译 Unit 1 Text A young man finds that strolling along the streets without an obvious purpose can lead to trouble with the law. One misunderstanding leads to another until eventually he must appear in court for trial…… 一个青年发现，在大街上毫无明显目的地游逛会招致警方的责罚。误会一个接一个发生，最终他只得出庭受审…… A Brush with the Law 与警察的一场小冲突 I have only once been in trouble with the law. 我平生只有一次跟警方发生纠葛。 The whole process of being arrested and taken to court was a rather unpleasant experience at the time, but it makes a good story now. 被捕和出庭的整个过程在当时是一件非常不愉快的事，但现在倒成了一篇很好的故事。 What makes it rather disturbing was the arbitrary circumstances both of my arrest and my subsequent fate in court. 这次经历令人可恼之处在于围绕着我的被捕以及随后庭上审讯而出现的种种武断专横的情况。It happened in February about twelve years ago. 事情发生在大约12年前，其时正是2月。 I had left school a couple of months before that and was not due to go to
Unit 1 1 A CLASS ACT 2 3 Florence Cartlidge 4 5 1. Growing up in bomb-blitzed Manchester during the Second World War 6 meant times were tough, money was short, anxiety was rife and the pawnshop was a familiar destination for many families, including mine. 7 8 9 2. Yet I could not have asked for more enterprising and optimistic 10 parents. They held our family together with hard work, dignity and 11 bucketloads of cheer. My sturdy and ingenious father could turn his hand 12 to almost anything and was never short of carpentry and handyman work. 13 He even participated in the odd bout of backstreet boxing to make ends 14 meet. For her part, our mum was thrifty and meticulously clean, and her 15 five children were always sent to school well fed, very clean, and attired 16 spotlessly, despite the hard conditions. 17 18 3. The trouble was, although my clothes were ironed to a knife-edge, 19 and shoes polished to a gleam, not every item was standard school uniform 20 issue. While Mum had scrimped and saved to obtain most of the gear, I 21 still didn’t have the pres cribed blue blazer and hatband. 22 23 4. Because of the war, rationing was in place and most schools had 24 relaxed their attitude towards proper uniforms, knowing how hard it was
Unit 7 The Chaser Key to the Exercises Text comprehension I. Decide which of the following is likely to happen after the story. C II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false. 1. F (Refer to Paragraph 5. The old man says that his stock in trade is not very large, but it is varied and has extraordinary effects.) 2. F (Refer to Paragraphs 11 and 1 3. The price of a glove-cleaner, as he calls it, is very high, five thousand dollars for a teaspoonful, but the love potion is very cheap.) 3. F (Refer to Paragraph 19. The old man claims that the effects of love potions are permanent.) 4. T (Refer to Paragraphs 24 and 28. Austen says that Diana is fond of parties and, although she is everything to him already, she does not care about his love at all. That is why he decides to go to the old man for the love potion and whenever the old man mentions the magic of his potion, he can't help "crying." From that, we can see the man loves the girl very much.) 5. F (The old man sells the love potions almost for nothing because by doing so his customers will come back for a much dearer commodity, the glove-cleaner, to help them out. It is the "death potion" that the old man makes most of his profits from, and intends to sell to his customers.) III. Answer the following questions. 1. What the old man means is that a young man who falls in love one-sidedly is seldom rich enough to win a girl's heart. His words imply that money is one of the crucial factors for love. If a man is not rich, he can rarely expect to be loved by a girl. 2. Refer to Paragraphs 19 to 37. The love potion has powerful, everlasting effects. To begin with, it may produce sexual desire in the person who takes it. And on the spiritual side, it can replace indifference with devotion and scorn with adoration. It will make a gay girl want nothing but solitude and her lover's company. She will feel jealous of him when her lover is with other girls; she will want to be everything to him. She will be only interested in her lover and take every concern of him. Even if he slips a bit, she will forgive him though terribly hurt. In a word, she will fall in love with him if she drinks the love potion. 3. Refer to Paragraphs 39 to 43. It is an irony, by which the author seems to imply that love is far from being precious or desirable. It is easy for a man to fall in love, yet it is hard
Unit 1 A Class Act 1. 二战时，曼彻斯特饱受空袭之苦。成长在那里，意味着岁月艰难、钱财短缺、心情焦虑，也意味着许多家庭都是当铺的常客，包括我家。 2. 不过，我的父母最是乐观向上。他们用勤劳、自尊和满屋子的欢笑撑起了这个家。我父亲身体结实，心灵手巧，他那双手几乎无所不能，从不缺木匠和手工活儿。他甚至偶尔还会参加偏僻街道的拳击比赛，补贴家用。我母亲勤俭节约，把家收拾得干净利落。尽管条件艰苦，但她总能让自己的五个孩子吃得饱饱、穿得整整齐齐、干干净净地上学去。 3. 问题是：虽说我的衣服熨得有棱有角，皮鞋擦得铮亮铮亮的，可总有些地方不符合标准校服的要求。尽管母亲缩衣节食为我筹到了大部分装束，但我仍然没能凑齐学校指定的蓝色运动上衣和帽圈。 4. 由于战争影响，开始实施配给制度，大部分学校也放宽了对正规校服的要求，因为学校明白能有衣服穿已属不易。然而，我就读的女子学校却严格规定，每位学生必须穿正规的校服。于是那位负责每天集合的副校长就将训斥我视为她的任务来做。 5. 尽管我试图去解释我为何没能按规定着装，尽管我也正逐渐向全套校服靠近，我每天依然会被揪出队列，在台上罚站，作为对违反校服规定者的警戒。 6. 我每天站在同学面前，只能强忍泪水，不仅羞愧难耐，而且常常只有我一人挨罚。对我的惩罚还扩大到不能上体操课或者我钟爱的每周一次的交谊舞课。我多么希望在这所可怕的学校里，哪怕只有一位老师能睁开双眼看看我能够做什么，而不是不停地告诉我不能做什么啊！ 7. 不过，12岁的我在心里也毫无选择，只有眼睁睁地挨受惩罚。我明白不能让仁厚的母亲知道我所遭受的这种习惯性羞辱，这点非常重要。我也不敢冒险让她到学校替我求情，因为我知道那些心胸狭隘、不讲情面的教员们也同样会令她难堪，这意味着到时我们母女俩都要伤心、愤怒。老天！要是母亲再告诉父亲的话，他立马会大发雷霆，冲到学校来保护我。 8. 一天，我们全家在一家报纸举办的不收取费用的肖像模特摄影比赛中获了奖。我为此兴奋不已：那些好莱坞女星魅力四射的照片更令我想入非非。我迫不及待地想把这个激动人心的消息告诉朋友们。 9. 在那之前，母亲告诉我必须穿那件绿色蕾丝镶边裙——我最好的服装——去上学，因为摄影比赛正好安排在放学之后。她丝毫没有意识到我所要面临的痛苦。 10. 那天，我没有往常穿上这件心爱衣服时的喜悦。我心情郁闷地拖着沉重的步伐来到学校，发现自己成为了蓝色海洋中的一颗绿宝石。集合的时候，我没等人下命令就慢步走上台，去承受其他女生的窃笑和副校长那尖刻的眼神。 11. 当我第无数次想到，这位老师怎么会如此麻木不仁，竟然从未透过我的着装，看看这
Words and Expressions anew: Since Aaron's ex-girlfriend broke up with her boyfriend, he decides to pursue her anew. (ad. again/newly/afresh) calorie: Sherlock wants to gain weight by eating fast foods like Pala hamburger or high calorie drinks like soda. (-adj-- caloric) contortion: I had to admire the contortions of Phil, because he dances in front of the freshers almost everyday!(柔韧性，扭曲） Hermia and Lysander were together after a series of amazing contortions. (困难，周折） coo: She paused to coo at the baby" You are my little little apple"(cooer 鸽、鸠；COO也可作Chief Operating Officer，同CEO) debonair："Empress Daimengr" Camile always looks debonair as if she never had nothing to worry about.(也可作n.喜剧明星） dodge：I'm so depressed for I successfully dodged all the right answer in the last integrated course exam.(vt/vi.躲避、躲开） Those were the dodges he used to escape taxation.(n.托词、计策） eccentric: When I first heard Caroline's Chinese name"Ma Lu", I thought it was a little eccentric. But it turns out she isn't a eccentric, but a enthusiastic person.(adj.古怪的n.古怪的人.odd/weird) esthetical: Many girls even boys want to improve their physical appearance by esthetica l surgery.(n.esthete) exasperating: Though Candy find a Gemini man to be exasperating, Ann find him to be a real charmer.(v.exasperate n.exasperation ) Do not exasperate your team leader, he can humiliate you anywhere anytime! extravagant: Xie Tingfeng and Wang Fei spent over 100 hours extravagant time, which was the explosive news recently.(放纵的） He was extravagant in his admiration of Hellas.(过度的；奢侈的） habituate: You must habituate yourself to this police school life. Some experts said many things to habituate can be given up.(上瘾） ludicrous: When I was a fresher I thought it l udicrous that we can't use the quilt school gave us.(ridiculous/absurd/foolish) negotiate:I really want to negotiate with the team leader to refund our accommodation. The cilmber had to negotiate a steep rock face.(成功度过） pedestrian: Having been exposed by press, Yao Di was just a pedestrian A in Wen Zhang's life. The circumstances and events of his life were anything but pedestrian.(adj.平淡的）sedate: We continued our walk at a s edate pace.(平静的、不慌不忙的） She took them to visit her sedate, elderly cousins.(沉着的、不苟言笑的） Jessica was so excited in Jang Keun Suk(???)'s concert that we should sedate her to calm her down.(vt.给····服用镇静剂） triumph: It's a huge triumph that we finally escaped Chen Zhi's course. You have to triumph over your fear if you want to deliver a successful speech. unfurl: Unfurl a radiant banner旗帜鲜He unfurled the newspaper and began to read.(vt.展开）The government should unfurl the public expenses. (vt.公开） venerable: May Day has become a venerable institution.(庄严的） Our goddess Susan is so venerable that we all love her.（受尊敬的）