零距離美語會(huì)話[信仰]Lesson 2
Two Do you believe in palmistry?
你相信手相術(shù)嗎？
1 Introduction
A In America, thirteen is considered to be a superstitious number. So some buildings don’t have the thirteenth floor, instead, they go from the twelfth to the fourteenth floor. Some house door numbers are like that as well.
在美國，十三被認(rèn)為是個(gè)迷信數(shù)字。所以一些建筑物都沒有十三樓，相反，它們是從十二樓直上到十四樓。一些房子的門牌號(hào)碼也是這樣的。
B When a ladder is propped against the wall, it is supposed to be bad luck to walk underneath it.
當(dāng)梯子靠墻支架時(shí)，從下走過被認(rèn)為是有壞運(yùn)氣。
C At Halloween, people usually place a carved pumpkin with a candle inside and a scary face carved on it, outside their front doors. It is meant to frighten off evil spirits.
萬圣節(jié)前夕，人們通常把一個(gè)里面點(diǎn)有蠟燭、表面雕刻有鬼臉的南瓜，擺放在他們的前門。目的是想嚇走陰魂鬼神。
2 Sample Sentences
1. Numerous devout men and women are kowtowing and praying.
許多信男信女在磕頭、祈禱。
2. She would be interested in having her fortune told.
她很想有人給她算命。
3. I believe they were fated to be married.
我相信他們命中注定了結(jié)婚的。
4. You should go to an astrologer to have your horoscope read.
你應(yīng)該找一個(gè)占星家，讓他告訴你你的星象。
5. You can get someone to tell your fortune over the phone.
你可以找個(gè)人在電話里跟你算命。
6. I believe for a business to succeed, it has to pay tribute to Buddha.
我相信一個(gè)事業(yè)要成功，就必須拜佛進(jìn)貢。
7. How much would you pay for genuine peace of mind?
你會(huì)出多少錢買個(gè)心境平和？
8. I believe that two people sharing a pear are not good.
我覺得兩個(gè)人分梨是不好的。
9. Are you superstitious? I guess I am a fatalist.
你迷信嗎？我猜我是個(gè)宿命論者。
10. While many college students felt the urge to push their beliefs on their friends, they also recognized it might not be the most helpful thing at the moment.
在許多大學(xué)生很想把他們的信念強(qiáng)加給他們的朋友時(shí)，他們同時(shí)也意識(shí)到了在這個(gè)時(shí)候這樣做可能并不是最有益的事。
3 Conversations
1. A funny story about ghosts.
Ruth: So, Jack, do you believe in ghosts?
Jack: No, not really. Why do you ask?
Ruth: Because I want to tell you about the time that I saw a ghost.
Jack: You saw a ghost? When?
Ruth: It was many years ago, when I was a little child. It was the middle of the night, and I went to get a drink of water from the kitchen. I walked out of my room and was at the top of the stairs, when…
Jack: So that's where you saw the ghost? In your house? What did it look like? Was it hideous1?
Ruth: It was a big, green thing that looked like a person. It was in the kitchen, and it slowly moved towards the stairs…
Jack: So what did you do?
Ruth: I hid so that it couldn't see me. Slowly it got closer and closer, until ……
Jack: Until what? What happened? Did you see it clearly? Did it attack you?
Ruth: It moved slowly up the stairs, step by step, and I could hear its approaching2 footsteps. When it finally got to the top of the stairs, I realized that it was my father in his green pajamas. He had gone to get a late night snack.
【譯文】
——那么，杰克，你相信鬼嗎？
——不，不完全信。你為什么問這個(gè)？
——因?yàn)槲蚁敫嬖V你一次我看見了一個(gè)鬼。
——你看見了一個(gè)鬼？什么時(shí)候？
——那是許多年前，當(dāng)我還是小孩子的時(shí)候。那晚半夜，我去廚房喝水。我走出我的房間，在樓梯的頂端，就在這時(shí)……
——那么說你就在那兒看見了鬼？在你家里？是什么樣子？可怕嗎？
——它是一個(gè)巨大的、綠色的東西，看上去像個(gè)人。它在廚房，慢慢向樓梯移動(dòng)。
——那你怎么辦？
——我躲起來以便它看不見我。慢慢地它越來越近，直到……
——直到什么？發(fā)生了什么事？你看清楚了嗎？它有沒有攻擊你？
——它慢慢地移上了樓梯，一步一步，我能聽見它越來越近的腳步聲。當(dāng)它最后走到樓梯頂端時(shí)，我才知道原來是我父親穿著他的綠睡衣。他去吃了個(gè)宵夜。
2. Palmistry.
Janice: So do you believe in palmistry3?
Margaret: Palmistry? What is that?
Janice: It's when someone takes a look at another person's palm4 to tell the future.
Margaret: Oh, you mean palm reading5. I've seen that before, but I don't believe in it.
Janice: Are you sure? I've read a lot about palmistry and I've been able to tell a lot of accurate things about a person from his palm. Do you want me to take a look at your hand?
Margaret: Really? You've read books about it? Ok, then. But only if you want to.
Janice: Ok, let's see, well, you've got a long life line, which is good, and the love line is strong ……
Margaret: What else do you see? Will I be successful? Will I make a lot of money?
Janice: Hmm, hard to say, wait, yes, it looks like you will do well in business, and your ambition will help you a lot, but ……
Margaret: What? What is it? What's the matter?
Janice: You seem to have a large gullibility 6 line. You believe everything that you're told.
Margaret: Hey!
Helpful Information：
The most accurate statement about palm reading is that people believe what they want to believe.
關(guān)于看手相，最準(zhǔn)確的說法是，人們相信他們想相信的東西。
【譯文】
——你相信手相術(shù)嗎？
——手相術(shù)？什么是手相術(shù)？
——手相術(shù)就是別人通過看另外一個(gè)人的手掌，然后預(yù)知他的未來。
——哦，你是說看手相。我以前看過，但我不相信。
——你真的不信？我讀過很多關(guān)于手相術(shù)的書，而且我已經(jīng)能通過一個(gè)人的手掌上講準(zhǔn)很多關(guān)于他的事情。你想要我看一下你的手掌嗎？
——真的嗎？你看過許多關(guān)于手相術(shù)的書？那好吧。只要你想看。
——好的，讓我看，唔，你有一條很長的生命線，這很好，而且愛情線很粗……
——你還看見其它什么東西了嗎？我會(huì)成功嗎？我會(huì)賺很多錢嗎？
——呣，很難看出，等一下，是，看上去好像你生意上會(huì)有所成就，而且你的抱負(fù)將對(duì)你大有幫助，但是……
——什么？是什么？有什么麻煩？
——你似乎有一條很粗的輕信線。別人說的，你都相信。
——嘿！
3. Thirteen people on Friday.
David: Ok, so who are we going to invite to our dinner party?
Sue: Well, we have the Thompsons, the Greens, and the Andersons, about twelve people total.
David: Don't forget my friend Andy from the office. He has nothing to do on Friday, so I invited him over.
Sue: But that makes thirteen people! We can't have thirteen people for dinner on Friday!
David: Why can't we?
Sue: It's an old superstition7. If we have thirteen people at the table, then it means bad luck. Can Andy bring a date?
David: I'm not sure. He just broke up with his girlfriend recently, and I don't think he's in the mood to start again so soon.
Sue: But we can't have thirteen for dinner!
David: I think you're making a mountain out of a molehill8. It's only a superstition. It really doesn't mean anything.
Sue: Absolutely not! I refuse to have thirteen people for dinner on Friday!
David: Ok, ok. I'll ask my sister to come. That way we'll have fourteen for dinner.
Sue: That's better.
Helpful Information：
If something bad happens on a particular day, people have a tendency to associate that day with the negative event. The same goes for Friday the 13th, so if something bad happens on Friday the13th, people blame it on the day. On Friday the 13th, some people are so superstitious that they go as far as to refuse to leave the house. As for me, I’ve always had good luck on Friday the 13th. It’s really all about what you believe the most, so I choose to believe that Friday the 13th is my good luck day.
如果特定的一天發(fā)生了什么壞事，人們傾向于把那一天和這個(gè)消極的事聯(lián)系起來。星期五、十三號(hào)也一樣，所以如果有壞事發(fā)生在星期五、十三號(hào)，人們把這件事歸咎于這一天。在星期五、十三號(hào)這一天，一些人是這么迷信以至于他們都不出家門。對(duì)我來說，星期五、十三號(hào)總是有好運(yùn)。所有這些真的是全在于你最相信什么，所以我選擇相信星期五、十三號(hào)是我的幸運(yùn)日。
【譯文】
——好了，那么我們打算邀請(qǐng)誰來參加我們的宴會(huì)？
——唔，我們將邀請(qǐng)托馬斯一家，格雷一家，安德森一家，大約一共有12個(gè)人。
——不要忘了我辦公室的朋友安迪。星期五他無事可做，所以我邀請(qǐng)了他過來。
——但是那樣就有13個(gè)人！星期五我們不能有13個(gè)人吃飯！
——為什么不能？
——這是個(gè)老迷信。如果我們?cè)陲堊郎嫌?3個(gè)人，那就意味著運(yùn)氣不好。安迪能帶他女朋友來嗎？
——我不知道。他最近才和他女朋友分手，我想他沒有心情這么快又找一個(gè)。
——但我們不能有13個(gè)人吃飯！
——我想你是在把問題弄大。這只是個(gè)迷信，沒有任何實(shí)際意義。
——絕對(duì)不是！我拒絕星期五13個(gè)人吃飯！
——好，好。我要我妹妹也來。那樣我們就有14人吃飯。
——那還差不多。
4. Horoscope.
Ben: Hey, what's new?
Kitty: Not much. Just sitting here eating some Chinese food. Is that the paper? Why don't you open it and tell me my horoscope9?
Ben: Ok, wait a minute … let's see. I'm a Taurus, and it says, “Mars is in the third house, and is soon to eclipse Venus”. I don't know what that means, but then it says, “Your charm and drive will win others over to your way of thinking. Remember to be positive.” Sounds good to me.
Kitty: What about Gemini? What's the prediction?
Ben: “Since Mercury10 has crossed paths with Jupiter, your fortunes are falling. Bad luck will follow you today, and you will lose that which you value. Be careful.”
Kitty: That sounds bad! I'm really worried, what should I do? Maybe I should go home and stay in the rest of the day.
Ben: But we have a date tonight! You can't stay at home because of a stupid horoscope.
Kitty: But those things are dangerous! I'm not going out if it means bad luck.
Ben: That's silly. They don't mean anything. Here, give me one of those fortune cookies11 you're eating. Let's see what it says. “Sunshine will follow your feet if you let it.” See, that sounds good to me. It's ridiculous12 to let a horoscope control your life.
Kitty: I don't know. I've had days that seem to fit with my horoscope's predictions, but then there are days that it doesn't work. I really don't know.
Ben: Does this mean we're still on for tonight?
Kitty: I guess so.
Ben: Good.
【譯文】
——嗨，有什么新鮮事？
——沒有什么。只不過是坐在這兒吃一些中國菜。那是報(bào)紙嗎？為什么你不打開它，告訴我我的星位呢？
——好的，等會(huì)兒……讓我看一下。我是金牛座，上面說，“火星在第三座房子里，很快將吃掉金星。”我不知道這是什么意思，但上面還說，“別人因?yàn)槟愕镊攘屯苿?dòng)力也會(huì)轉(zhuǎn)到你的思維方式上來。記住要積極一些。” 我看很好。
——雙子座呢？預(yù)言是什么？
——“墨丘利神已經(jīng)穿過木星的軌道，你的運(yùn)氣正在下落。今天壞運(yùn)將跟著你，你會(huì)失去你認(rèn)為重要的東西。小心。”
——聽起來很壞！我真擔(dān)心，我該怎么做？或許我應(yīng)該回家，今天呆在家里不再出門。
——但是我們今晚有個(gè)約會(huì)！你不能因?yàn)橐粋€(gè)荒唐的星象呆在家里。
——但這些事情是危險(xiǎn)的！如果它意味著壞運(yùn)，我就不會(huì)出去。
——那樣做是愚蠢的。它們沒有任何意義。 喂，把你要吃的那些簽餅給我一個(gè)?？此f什么。“如果你愿意，陽光將跟隨著你的腳步。”看到了嗎，我看挺好的。讓一個(gè)星象控制你的生活真是荒謬。
——我不知道。我已經(jīng)有好幾天似乎和我的星象預(yù)言相符合，但有幾天又不相符合。我真的不知道。
——這就是說今晚我們?nèi)岳^續(xù)嗎？
——我想是。
——很好。
5. The Missing Floor
Some Russian students are spending their summer in Philadelphia, visiting historic sights. They are checking into a hotel.
Boris: We'd like a room with two beds, please.
Clerk: A double? Let's see ... I can put you in room 1405. It faces the river and has a wonderful view.
Alexis: That will be fine. Since we're going to be fourteen stories above the ground, I think we should definitely have a room with a view. (Later, Alexis returns from a walk.)
Alexis: Boris, I saw you sitting out on the balcony of our room. I could see you from the street.
Boris: That's quite a distance. How could you tell who it was?
Alexis: I recognized your bright red shirt. But there's something strange. We're in room 1405, right? Well, when I saw you on the balcony, I counted upward. I only got to thirteen. We're on the thirteenth floor.
Boris: No, I'm sure we're on the fourteenth floor. The desk clerk said so.
Alexis: I know! I'll look out the window and count downward. (She counts.) I still say we're only thirteen stories up.
【譯文】
——我們想要一間雙人房。
——雙人房？讓我看看……我可以把你們安排到1405房間。面對(duì)著江，風(fēng)景很好。
——那太好了。既然我們將住在十四樓上面，我想我們當(dāng)然應(yīng)該挑個(gè)景色好的房間。
（后來，亞力克西斯散步回來。）
——鮑里斯，我看見你坐在我們房間外面的陽臺(tái)上。我可以從街上看到你。
——那比較遠(yuǎn)。你怎么能分辨出是誰？
——我認(rèn)出了你的那件大紅的襯衫。但是有點(diǎn)怪。我們?cè)?405房，是不是？不過，當(dāng)我看見你在陽臺(tái)上，我就往上數(shù)。我只數(shù)到了十三。我們?cè)谑龢巧稀?br />
——沒有，我肯定我們?cè)谑臉巧?。接待人員這樣說了。
——我知道了！我會(huì)從窗戶往外看，并往下數(shù)。（她數(shù)著。）我還得說我們只是在十三樓上面。
