——不是被邪風(fēng)凍死就是被霧霾毒死
——to be frozen to death by the heavy wind or not to be frozen but poisoned by the…WAIT!…霧霾咋說來著?
霧霾的英語還要追根溯源,看看英語國家是如何表達的,因為霧霾不止中國有,其它國家也有…
別看現(xiàn)在的BigApple,EmpireState Building和WorldTrade Center在清早的晨輝下交相呼應(yīng)
但在1966年11月24日感恩節(jié),霧霾降臨紐約,至當月末紐約共有169人因霧霾而死亡。“紐約霧霾”一度成為當時的專有名詞。
別看現(xiàn)在“天使之城”的CityHall沐浴在太平洋的暖暖海風(fēng)和和煦陽光下
1952和1955年,洛杉磯先后發(fā)生兩次嚴重的霧霾,城市天空被嘲諷為“洗壞了的膠卷”,經(jīng)歷了數(shù)十年的抗霾斗爭,至80年代末洛杉磯的天氣狀況才有了明顯改善。
那霧霾應(yīng)該如何用英語地道表述呢?根據(jù)國外主流媒體,如TheGuardian(衛(wèi)報),TheWall Street Journal(華爾街日報)和國內(nèi)新華社的常用譯法,霧霾一般有兩種譯法:haze和smog。
Haze
Haze的基本名詞詞義起初只有“薄霧、陰霾”,而工業(yè)革命改變了這個詞的含義。自18世紀下半葉起,西方國家逐漸掀起工業(yè)革命,以及城市化的推進,導(dǎo)致出現(xiàn)了“煙霧繚繞”的城鎮(zhèn),尤其以“霧都”倫敦為甚。這就是當時的“霧霾”。
有趣的是,haze這個詞也有著“戲弄(新生、新人),對…施下馬威”的意思。如:
Don’t haze the new roommate,he’s my cousin. Take it easy on him.
別欺負新室友,他是我表弟,悠著點好吧。
再比如2016年11月12日那道Task2:
Some are willing to own andmanage their own company, and some prefer to work in others’ company. Which doyou prefer and why?
不就可以談?wù)?ldquo;相比創(chuàng)業(yè),給別人打工,作為新人會被老員工欺負”:
Well, working in others’ company means I’ll have todeal with the complicatedpersonalconnections(人際關(guān)系) with all those supervisors(主管) and senior colleagues(同事). And according to my ownexperience of the internship last summer, the so called “orientation(入職培訓(xùn))” fornewcomers often ends up with being hazed by the senior co-workers, like running errands(跑腿、打雜) or buyingcoffee.
給別人打工意味著要處理和主管和老員工們復(fù)雜的人際關(guān)系。根據(jù)我去年的實習(xí)經(jīng)歷,那些所謂的給新人的“入職培訓(xùn)”無外乎就是老員工給下馬威,給他們跑腿打雜買咖啡。
Smog
Smog是個合成詞,由smoke和fog合體構(gòu)成,因為從工廠排放出的有毒有害煙塵就是smoke,而fog則是霧,有霧有霾那就是霧霾了。就是這么簡單暴力,英文中類似的合成詞還有brunch(=breakfast + lunch早午餐), 以及去年炒的沸沸揚揚的“英國脫歐”Brexit(=Britain + exit),但又以“悔脫”regrexit(=regret + exit)收場。
按你胃(Anyway),這正應(yīng)了那句“自己約得X,含著淚也要打完”
PM2.5的PM又是什么?
PM2.5指的是“可吸入肺部顆粒物”,PM的英文全稱為particulatematter(微粒物質(zhì),懸浮微粒),PM2.5就是指大氣中直徑小于等于2.5微米的顆粒物,
Father Christmas:“由于霧霾影響,包裹可能被延遲,請諒解”
如何在托??谡Z里談霧霾
近來的預(yù)測機經(jīng)里出來了這么幾道題,引起了Capt.Jack老船長的注意:
1. Do you agree with thestatement: it is easier for people today to lead a healthy life than people of100 years ago.
這題就不妨祭出霧霾的論點:
With the fast developing technologies, the airpollution caused by heavyindustry(重工業(yè))and car emissions(汽車尾氣) hasn’t been severer thanever before in the history, especially in the Northern China. And theparticular matters in the smog/haze are the mostly attributed causes for pneumonia(肺炎) and lung cancer.
隨著科技的發(fā)展,重工業(yè)和汽車尾氣導(dǎo)致空氣污染日益嚴重,特別是中國北部的霧霾,其中的顆粒物是導(dǎo)致肺炎和肺癌的主要原因之一
2. Some people prefer to doexercises outdoors in a park or on the street, while others prefer to work outindoors in a gym or just at home. Which way do you prefer and why.
我還就不出去鍛煉,你問為啥?
“大媽,您能給我講講霧霾給您造成了哪些不便?”“首先,我是你大爺!”
Giventhat the air pollution has been unprecedentedly(前所未有地)severe in recent years, I will inhale considerable amount of particularmatters, which are the main causes for pneumonia and lung cancer, even when Ibreathe in the haze/smog, not to say doing intense(劇烈的) physicalactivities. I would be crazy if I do sports outdoors.
考慮到近幾年空氣污染已爆表,在戶外運動會吸入大量的顆粒物,這些都是導(dǎo)致肺炎和肺癌的主要原因,我要是明知如此還在戶外運動那才是傻。
最后說兩句題外話,治理霧霾需要長期努力,為了自身健康,大家每天要記得戴上防霧霾口罩。希望以后一有霧霾就起風(fēng),沒了霧霾就風(fēng)停。