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英文信笺 赏析 Max谈论自己的工作

各位 笔友朋友们，好久不见。最近忙着打造另外一个兴趣网站“偶为英音狂”berocks.com；耽搁了“果皮笔友网”的更新。从本周开始果皮又要努力更新啦！

今天，偶利用周末的时间，给大伙们继续侃侃动画片《玛丽和马克思》的英文信笺。强烈推荐各位笔友者观看本部影片（在youku和tudou网上都有完整版本，中英文对照）。不但可以学英文，同时也会被笔友文化有更深的了解哦。

以下是Max写给Mary的第一封信，主要讲到自己的工作经历，异于常人，有的情节有趣也深有意味。

Have you ever been hang gliding?

My fifth job was as a garbage collector. I got to clean up after litterbugs and didn’t have to talk to anybody. Sometimes I used to pretend I was an intergalactical robot. One time the police took me in for questioning but let me go when they decided I wasn’t a threat to anybody except myself.
The sixth job I had was for the United States Army in the stationery supply department. Because I am good with numbers I had to work out how many ballpoint pens the army needed. One day they did a security check and asked whether I was a member of any radical groups. I told them I was a member of the New York Science Fiction Fan Club. They said this didn't count but dismissed me anyway. Fortunately, I did not remember to tell them I was once a communist. Have you ever been a communist?

【点评】1. Hang gliding: 乘风滑翔，悬挂式滑翔也叫滑翔伞，一种体育运动。
2. garbage collector：“垃圾收集”，比较文绉绉的说法。说白了就是国内经常说的“捡垃圾的”，其实在国外，这确实是一种比较正常的职业，属于环卫，市政的范畴。台湾有“拾荒者”的文雅称呼。
3. Questioning：虽然和问题question比较像。但是加了ing，表示“质问，讯问”的意思。
4. One time the police took me in for questioning but let me go when they decided I wasn’t a threat to anybody except myself. 这里的take sb. In 是指“带到局子里”。另外还有个用法，not except：是除了。。的意思。本句话很有意思，警察把这个有“威胁嫌疑”的人带到局子里审讯，结果是发现他除了会伤害自己以外，对其他人构不成任何的威胁。

5. Good with numbers：擅长数字计算。
6. that didn’t count：那不算。Count是计算的意思，也表示“算不算数”。有集体活动的时候，你可以说“count me in”也把我算进去吧（我也加入）。由这个词衍生出来的，accountant 是会计的意思。
7. dismiss：开除，解除，驳回。本句讲的是，在美军文具供应部服役的时候，有天Max被以安全检查之由讯问是不是和激进的组织（radical groups）有关联。Max大智若愚，说没有，我以前只是一个名叫“纽约科学粉丝会”的成员。但是军队不容分说，还是将他开除了。在国外上课的时候，会经常听见“Ok, class dismissed”，这个并不是说全班被开除了，而是说“下课了”。
8. I was once a communist：这里was表示曾经是，可能现在不是了。在英文中，要特别注意时态。例如：I was a student before。就可能是个老师说的，“我也曾经是个学生”。

Have you ever been attacked by a crow or similar large bird? When I was 9, a crow attacked me on my way to school. I had to have three stitches and in spring I now wear a helmet with eyes I have painted on. People laugh at me when I wear my helmet. I’m not sure why.
People often confuse me but I try not to let them worry me.

【点评】1. Crow :乌鸦；
2． Attack：袭击，攻击。如：terrorist attack恐怖袭击。和hit有区别，hit主要是指具体的攻击，比如用拳头hit/punch somebody，而attack是指比较大的攻击，也比较书面化。有打过红色警戒游戏的童鞋可能听过，“attack!!”--- 发动攻击。
3. helmet：头盔。
4. I am not sure：我不确定。虽然简单，但是表达的意思和I don’t know还是有区别的。学英文，我们还是要多学几种表达方法。不能只说“sorry, I don’t know”吧；
5．People often confuse me but I try not to let them worry me. 人们经常对我的行为感到不解，但我努力让他们不要担心我。

New York is a very busy and noisy place. I would prefer to live somewhere much quieter, like the moon. I don’t like crowds, bright lights, sudden noises or strong smells. New York has all these, especially the smells. I often wear nose and ear plugs when I go outside. It helps me keep calm.
I find humans interesting but I have trouble understanding them. I think, however, I will understand and trust you.

You appear very happy and I think you would smell like a shrimp as I know Australia has a lot of shrimps.
Can you speed-read? I have taught myself to read two pages at once, one eyeball per page.
I have to go now even though I have not told you about my 7th job in a condom factory.
Write back soon.
Your American friend, Max Jerry Horowitz.

【点评】1。 Nose and ear plugs：鼻塞和耳塞。
2． Keep calm：保持镇定；calm down 冷静下。
3． Have trouble (in) doing something。此句话说Max认为人类很有趣，但是自己却无法理解他们。
4． Appear：看起来，听起来。因为Max和Mary从来没有见过面，所以Max是从来信中推测Mary是个可爱快乐的女孩。
5． Speed-read：速读。
6. I have taught myself to read two pages at once, one eyeball per page. 这句话说的是Max自学了速读 --- 而且是一只眼盯着一页书，两只眼同时看两页。

P.s. please find enclosed a photo from one of those booths.
Pp.s thank you for the Cherry Ripe and I am glad you like chocolate as much as I do. I have never eaten sweetened condensed milk but I will try some this week.
Ppp.s I have never used a condom.

【点评】1.booth：路边电话亭。
2． I have never used a condom。这句话站长理解，很有讽刺意义。一是可能是Max说这句话的言下之意是自己根本没有和女人有任何的接触 (have trouble understanding human)，所以用不上。二是可能是讽刺时下的一些现象，特别是在Max本人还在condom避孕套工场工作过的背景下，自己都从来不使用。
3． Eat sweetened condensed milk，注意到这里用的是eat milk，很少用，但是可以讲得通。但是说到“喝汤”，一般我们就不能用drink a soup而要说eat a soup；

【果皮笔友网】 penmatters.org