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新浪首页 > 新浪教育 > Brian的英语世界 > 人文掌故

人文掌故
http://www.sina.com.cn 2003/06/18 13:20  新浪教育

  Mark Twain(马克-吐温), traveled quite a lot, often because circumstances, usually financial circumstances(经济状况) forced him to. He was born in Floridian Missouri in 1835,and moved to Hannibal, Missouri with his family when he was about four years old. Most people think he was born in Hannibal, but that isn't true. After his father died when he was about twelve, Twain worked in Hannibal for a while and then left so he could earn more money. He worked for a while as a typesetter on various newspapers, and then got a job as a river pilot on the Mississippi.

  Twain loved this job, and many of his books show it. The river job didn't last however, because of the outbreak of the civil war. Twain was in the federate army for just two weeks, and then he and his whole company(同伴) went west, to get away from the war and the army.

  In Nevada in California, Twain prospected for sister and gold without much luck, but did succeed as a writer, Once that happened, Twain traveled around the country giving lectures and earning enough money to go to Europe. Twain didn't travel much the last ten years of his life, and he didn't publish much either, Somehow his travel, ever when forced, inspired his writings.

  Like many other popular writers, Twain derived much of the materials for his writing from the wealth and diversity of his own experience.

  记得一位英国的房地产商人Blair给我留下的印象比较深刻,这个人反应极快,对中国文化极为了解。比如当我告知他我的祖籍在湖北武汉时,他马上就说"Is Wuhan made up of three parts?",(熟悉湖北的人都知道这个常识:武汉是由汉口,武昌和汉阳组成)。

  同样的道理,当你和某个老外接触时,如果是初次交流,在必要的时候如果有机会可以向他"炫耀"一下你所了解的外国人文掌故,不一定要很多,有时候其实一句话就可以表示出你对国外很了解,比如说上一段中有关马克.吐温的故事,如果你觉得这一段太长了,太多句子了,怎么也记不住,没有关系,其实只要一句就可以显示你的水平了:

  "In terms of the American writers, Twain was impressive, because he got to travel a lot of cities when he was still a young man and like many other popular writers, he got much of the materials for his writing from the wealth and diversity of his own travel experience.",

  如果你不喜欢马克,这也不要紧,你照样可以谈海明威,可以谈金庸,谈王朔。




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