英語早間課堂:教您1招說Enjoying Life(2)

拋招：Their thoughts were only of cakes and ale.

他們想的知識吃喝玩樂，物質(zhì)享受。

注解：be of：具有 eg. Can I be of help? 我能幫忙嗎? My advice may be of use for you. 我的意見也許對你有用。I was glad to be of some assistance. 我很高興為您效勞。

拋招：Life is not all cakes and ale.生活并不只是物質(zhì)享受。

接招：在上面的2個例句中都用到了同一個詞語：cakes and ale。這是一條名詞性的習(xí)慣用語。短語中的cake是“蛋糕”的意思，ale是“麥芽酒”“淡色啤酒”的意思。從其字面意思“蛋糕和啤酒”，我們很容易聯(lián)想其引申義：蛋糕是“吃”的，啤酒是“喝”的。我們要生存，“吃”米飯，“喝”水是必不可少的。因此，cakes and ale就是“物質(zhì)享受”的意思。隨著時間的發(fā)展，語言也在發(fā)展，它就有了更深一層次的含義，意思是“尋歡作樂”“享樂”，這包括了“精神享受”。使用這個短語時，注意cake雖屬于不可數(shù)名詞，但是要在cake的詞尾加上“s”這個小尾巴。著名作家毛姆(W. Somerset Maugham)著有一本書就叫做Cakes and Ale，譯為中文是《尋歡作樂》。

下面，我們通過更多的例句來熟悉這個習(xí)語的意思。

1. Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and ale in fear. (From Aesop)

平平靜靜地吃粗茶淡飯勝于提心吊膽地吃大魚大肉。(來自伊索寓言)

注解1：bean：豆子 bacon：咸肉

注解2：in peace：平靜地，處于平靜狀態(tài) in fear：害怕地，恐懼地

Eg. May mother rest in peace! 愿母親在地下安息!

Eg. Moms can shop in peace while their kids ride along watching their favorite TV shows. 孩子們邊乘車邊看最喜愛的電視節(jié)目時，媽媽們可以安靜的購物。

Eg . And may it always continue in peace and in friendship. 祝愿我們在友誼與和平的順境中永遠(yuǎn)前進(jìn)。

Eg . She gripped her mother's hand in fear. 她恐懼地握緊她母親的手。

Eg . As her husband became more and more violent every time he had too much to drink, the poor woman went in fear of her life. 由于她丈夫每次喝酒過多后便狂暴無比，這可憐的女人為自己的生命捏著一把汗。

Eg . They went to the teacher in fear and trembling to tell her that they'd broken a window. 他們戰(zhàn)戰(zhàn)兢兢地去告訴老師，他們打破了一扇窗戶。

2. He never get into trouble by thinking of enjoying cakes and ale .

他遇到困難，從來不是由于只想到自己尋歡作樂。

注解：get into trouble：惹上麻煩，陷入困境 think of：想出;想起;考慮

Eg. George keeps a tight rein on his children, but they still seem to get into trouble regularly. 喬治對他的孩子們管教很嚴(yán)，但他們似乎仍然時常陷入麻煩。

Eg . Some people blamed Harry when he got into trouble, but Joe stood by him. 當(dāng)哈里陷入困境時，一些人責(zé)備他，然而喬卻支持他。

Eg . Nobody likes to get into trouble. 沒有誰愿意惹麻煩。

3. Sam described Arthur's cakes and ale in London, and his confounded insolence of behaviour to his old friends from home.

Sam描述亞瑟在倫敦尋歡作樂，目空一切，不把家鄉(xiāng)的老朋友放在眼中。

注解1：confounded：糊涂的，困惑的，討厭的 insolence：無禮，傲慢

behaviour to：對......行為 old friends from home：來自家鄉(xiāng)的朋友

4. He was very proud, dressed like a gentleman, lived expensively, enjoyed cakes and ale, ran in debt, and neglected his business.

他目中無人，紳士打扮，生活奢華，經(jīng)常外出尋歡作樂，債務(wù)纏身，根本不管他的事務(wù)。

5. He leads a life not of study, but of cakes and ale, though not of vice.

他沒有專心學(xué)業(yè)，而是尋歡作樂，當(dāng)然還未達(dá)到胡作非為的程度。

注解1：lead a life：生活 not......but...... 不是......而是......

注解2：though在此句話中是副詞，作為副詞意思是“然而”“不過”，表示轉(zhuǎn)折。作為連詞的話，意思是“盡管”“雖然”。

6. Through bright windows, at every corner, you might see gay company who was enjoying cakes and ale.

在每一個街角上，透過燈火通明的窗戶，都可以看見那些尋歡作樂的男男女女。

注解1：gay：色彩鮮艷的 company：伙伴，同伴(作為這個意思時，它是不可數(shù)名詞，沒有復(fù)數(shù)形式)

注解2：at every corner：在每一個角落 through windows：透過窗戶

enjoy cakes and ale：尋歡作樂

7. Only men who want to kill a few hours with you because they know it may be the last time to enjoy cakes and ale .

男人們只想與你消磨幾個鐘頭時光，因?yàn)樗麄冎肋@可能是自己最后一次和你尋歡作樂了。

注解：kill a few hours：消磨幾個小時(kill time：消磨時間，打發(fā)時間)

Eg. While I was waiting for her, I killed time by looking in the show window.

我等她的時候，以瀏覽陳列窗而消磨時間。

Eg. It was a book to kill time for those who like it better dead.

對那些認(rèn)為它悶得可以的人們說來，那是一本為消磨時間的書。

Eg . To kill time until the exhibition opened, we looked round the shops. 為了消磨時間等待展覽開始，我們逛了逛商場。

好，親愛的朋友們，今天的這招說“享受生活”——cakes and ale，我想您很容易就接住了，因?yàn)樗c上回說的beer and skittles意思完全一樣，也很容易記憶和聯(lián)想。那么，下面我將繼續(xù)拋“Enjoying Life”的招數(shù)，期待您再來接招。好!我們下次再會!