一周新词榜(Weekly Newbee Words)(2017.11.12~11.18)
一周全球新鲜和时髦生活方式都会产生新词。大伙与翻吧君一起来看看这些新词讲述的新鲜事和时髦生活方式吧!
生儿育女的千禧一代
当80后至00前出生,热衷技术又嘲笑一切的千禧一代开始生子了,会发生什么呢?之所以关心这个,是因为我们现在有个新词啦!在《纽约时报》上,Bruce Feiler审视了千禧父母们教育孩子的方式,并混合出了一个新词parennials(千禧父母?):
Eighty-two percent of children born each year are born to millennial mothers. That’s five out of every six babies. And their parents – let’s call them ‘parennials’ – are challenging all sorts of commonly held beliefs about the American family.
[美国]每年82%的新生儿都是千禧母亲所生。这就是六个孩子中的五个。然而他们的父母——我们先称之为‘parennials’(千禧父母)——正全面挑战着美国家庭普遍持有的信条。
冬天来了,想谈恋爱了
随着冬日降临,阴郁的漫漫霜夜即将到来,又有人开始寻找圣诞季情人了。但是,一旦夏日来临,这些人又会抛弃自己的床伴,重新踏上欲望的旅程。
This pattern is more than a simple by-product of fickle millennial dating culture, it’s a common trend that's been labelled “Seasonal Dating Disorder” (SDD).
这种模式不只是千禧一代轻浮约会文化的简单副产品,而是一种号称“季节性恋爱症”的普遍现象。
情感心理学家玛德琳•梅森指出,这种恋爱风气在二十几岁的约会者当中尤为常见。她说:“表现出这种恋爱模式的单身人士无法做出承诺。他们用夏日狂欢和朋友作为这种模式的借口,但事实上是因为他们无法建立持久的情感纽带。”
何为“架子上的朋友”?
情场上有备胎,难道友谊的世界也有备胎?有的,这种备胎叫“架子上的朋友”(shelf friend)。
You become a shelf friend when you become an option. You are not first pick of friends. When your friend starts dating someone and you are put up on a shelf until they have no other people to hang with.
当你成为“备选项”,你就成了“架子上的朋友”。朋友们找人一起出去玩不会第一个想到你。当你的朋友开始约会,就不会再联系你,除非找不到其他人可以一起玩。
例句:
I was put up on the shelf until she had a need for me. I was her shelf friend.
她总是有需要的时候才来找我,我是她的“备胎朋友”。
什么是“加拿大竞争”?
一说到竞争,我们就会想起你死我活的火辣辣的场面,但是“加拿大竞争”的火药味就没那么浓了,而且还有几分互爱互助的雷锋精神。
Canadian competition is the act of challenging someone to bigger act of kindness war.
“加拿大竞争”就是向某人发起挑战,比赛谁对谁更好。
例句:
My roommate challenged me to a Canadian competition, he did my dishes so I cleaned his room and did his laundry. I win, for now.
我的室友向我发起“加拿大挑战”,他给我洗碗,我给他打扫房间洗衣服。到目前为止,是我赢了。
不容小觑的“蟑螂问题”
一只小蟑螂看似不成大患,但是一年繁殖两万只的小强可是打不尽灭不完还传播多种疾病的巨魔。Cockroach problem(蟑螂问题)指的就是这种不可小觑的问题,如果处理不当,其危害会像滚雪球一样越来越大。
Cockroach problem is a problem that is bigger than it initially appears.
蟑螂问题指的是比原先看起来还要严重的问题。
你先是收到一条坏新闻,然后坏新闻源源不断地接踵而来,就像那些烦人的小虫子一样。
例句:
If you solve the problem earlier, it won't be a cockroach problem.
如果你早点解决这个问题,它就不会比原先还要来得严重了。
做决定时不要越过“愚蠢线”
有人说,聪明和愚蠢有时候仅是一线之隔,而这条线两边的不同决定导致的结果也会完全不一样。这条线就叫做stupid line(愚蠢线)。
It's referred to by some as "the stupid line," the line one crosses from taking a smart risk to taking a stupid risk. It's the difference between, say, learning to mountain climb with the proper gear or just setting out on your own. Or maybe choosing to leave your 10-year-old alone in a room with a lit fireplace, compared to leaving your one-year-old. The consequences of one choice are much different than the other.
人们决定做些冒险尝试时做出的聪明决定和愚蠢决定之间的分界线被称之为“愚蠢线”。比如,这条分界线可以是你带着适当的装备去学登山和什么都不准备就自己出发这两种行为之间的区别;或者是,把你十岁的孩子单独留在一个燃着壁炉的房间里跟把一岁孩子留在这样一个房间的区别。不同的选择带来的结果也会完全不同。
例句:
We each have a line of choice that separates smart risk from stupid risk. Where will you draw your stupid line? (Source: Word Spy)
我们每个人都有一个分辨聪明的冒险决定和愚蠢冒险决定的标准线,你的愚蠢线是怎么划定的呢?
女神要瘦,老婆胖好,这是什么“心理”?
现在的女人都怕听到人家说自己胖,就算自己已经瘦成一把排骨,依然视脂肪如洪水猛兽。但是,男人真的都喜欢骨感美人吗?调查发现,其实大多数男人都认为胖女人更适合做老婆,这就是fat wife strategy(胖妻心理)。
Fat wife strategy refers to men’s preference to marry a fat woman because they believe fat women can make better wives.
“胖妻心理”指的是男人更愿意娶胖女人做老婆,因为他们认为胖女人更适合做老婆。
某杂志调查发现:70%的男人都觉得微胖的姑娘比较适合做老婆。传统观念认为胖女人更好生养,也经得起在生活里面摔打,而瘦瘦的姑娘比较适合谈恋爱。
美国研究结果证实,女性丰满一些,的确会让性生活质量有明显提高。
编辑:陈丹妮
来源:中国日报网英语点津