Ganbei! Drinking to Success – or Excess? 干杯！为成功一饮而尽──是否喝得太多？
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2003年9月08日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2011年6月06日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：309
课文朗读
课文讲解
Lee, a Taiwanese businessman, and Suzi, his American colleague, are on their lunch break: 台湾商人老李和美国同事苏丝一起，正逢午餐时刻：
L: I’m so hungover! I drank way too much with our clients last night.
我宿醉得难过！昨晚和客户喝多了些。
S: You and me both! You know, Taiwanese business culture involves a lot of drinking. Last night, when I initially declined a drink, your clients seemed offended.
我们两个人都是！你知道在台湾做生意的文化就是要喝很多酒。昨晚我一开始婉拒喝酒，你的客户好像就有点不悦。
L: Hey, drinking etiquette is an ancient Chinese tradition. Refusing to drink may be seen as a sign of weakness or insincerity. Holding your liquor well reflects your personal strength and sincerity.
嘿，喝酒礼仪是中国古老的传统，拒绝喝酒可能会被看成弱者，或是诚意不够。酒量好则代表你个人身体棒，又懂礼节分寸。
S: I’ve also noticed some “conspicuous consumption” of expensive imported alcohol.
我也注意到有些人「存心摆阔」，特别点昂贵的进口酒。
L: It’s an old habit: in the nineteenth century, it was mainland liquor; under the Japanese, it was sake; now, it’s cognac. Moreover, after generations of poverty, some Taiwanese like to show off their newfound wealth.
那是旧习惯了：十九世纪时是大陆酒为尊；目据时代时则崇尚清酒；现在则是白兰地排第一。再者，因为历经数代的贫困生活，现在有些台湾人喜欢炫耀自己新获得的财富。
S: Still, it’s funny to see cognac chugalugged!
无论如何，看到白兰地酒被一饮而尽总是觉得怪怪的！
L: Well, in ancient times, drinking was either an excuse for the literati to spout poetry, or a way for the average person to bond with cronies. Taiwan’s drinking culture has reshaped these earlier traditions.
在古代，喝酒若不是文人雅士赋诗的借口，就是一般老百姓和朋友连络感情的方式。台湾的饮酒文化是重新塑造了古代传统。
S: So, if you have a high tolerance, and can afford to drink expensive alcohol, people might respect you?
所以，如果你的酒量好，又喝得起昂贵的酒，别人就会因此而尊敬你吗？
L: Hmm. Drinking and alcohol have come to represent what is important to many Taiwanese businesspeople: power and wealth.
嗯，喝酒和名酒对许多台湾商人而言，代表两项他们极看重的东西：权力和财富。
【注】：缅甸的政党「国家民主联盟」
Vocabulary
单词发音
hangover [ˋhæŋ͵ovɚ] n.【口】宿醉
way [we] adv. 大大地
decline [dɪˋklaɪn] v. 婉拒；谢绝
offend [əˋfɛnd] v. 冒犯；触怒
etiquette [ˋɛtɪkɛt] n. 礼节；礼仪
insincerity [͵ɪnsɪnˋsɛrətɪ] n. 无诚意
liquor [ˋlɪkɚ] n.【美】烈酒〈如威士忌〉
conspicuous [kənˋspɪkjʊəs] adj. 引人注目的; 明显的，易看见的
sake [ˋsɑke] n. 日本清酒
cognac [ˋkonjæk] n.〔法国〕干邑白兰地（酒）
chugalug [ˋtʃʌgəlʌg] v.【美】【俚】一饮而尽；牛饮；狼吞虎咽
literati [ˏlɪtə`rɑtɪ] n.【正式】文学家﹐ 文人学士
spout [spaʊt] v.【口】滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说
crony [ˋkronɪ] n. 密友；好朋友
Sentence of the Day
In vino veritas.
酒后吐真言。<拉>酒醉吐真言。
vino [ˋvino] n.【美】【俚】廉价葡萄酒；喝廉价酒的酒鬼; informal -wine 【非正式】（葡萄）酒
veritas [ˋvɛrɪ͵tæs] n.【拉】真理
课文讲解
Lee and Suzi continue their lunchtime discussion: 老李和苏丝继续他们午餐时的讨论：
S: With all the drinking that goes on, I’m surprised that more Taiwanese people don’t have drinking problems.
在台湾喝酒喝得这么凶，我很惊讶台湾人怎么没有酗酒的问题？
L: Funny you should mention that. I saw an interesting documentary on TV a few weeks ago about alcohol and genes.
奇怪妳怎么会提起这点。几周前我在电视上看到一部有关酒精和基因的有趣纪录片。
S: As I understand it, alcoholism is usually a genetic predisposition rather than an environmental outcome.
就我了解，酗酒通常是遗传基因天生体质的影响，而不是环境造成的结果。
L: True enough, but this show was mostly about how race affects alcoholism rates. Half of all people of Asian ancestry lack a gene that is necessary for breaking down alcohol properly.
的确，不过这纪录片多半是有关种族影响的酗酒比率。亚裔血统的后代，有半数人都缺乏一种适当分解酒精所必需具备的基因。
S: My roommate doesn’t drink much, but when she does, her face always turns bright red. Does that gene have anything to do with it?
我的室友通常不太喝酒，但是当她喝起酒来，她的脸就变成满脸通红。这和那基因有关系吗？
L: Definitely! And there are other uncomfortable side effects, like excessive nausea, sweating, and dizziness.
当然有关系！而且还有其他不舒服的副作用，像是极度恶心、冒汗和晕眩。
S: I guess that explains why the rate of alcoholism is lower in Asian than in North America.
我想这可以解释为什么亚洲的酗酒比率比北美洲低。
L: Partly, but it’s still a problem in Taiwan. A college buddy of mine has been in Alcoholic Anonymous for years.
这只能解释一部份，但是酗酒在台湾仍然是个问题。我一位大学好朋友参加戒酒无名会已经很多年了。
S: I read somewhere that AA has been in Taiwan for about twenty years. I wonder how long the original AA has been around.
我读到过「戒酒无名会」【注】这个团体，它的台湾分会已经差不多二十年。我很好奇它的总会不晓得已经存在多久了？
L: Almost sixty years – and after that night, I feel about that old myself!
将近六十年──而经历昨晚后，我觉得自己也已经那么老了。
【注】：「AA」是「戒酒无名会Alcoholics Anonymous」这个团体的缩写。
－by Alex Adair
Vocabulary
单词发音
documentary [͵dɑkjəˋmɛntərɪ] n. 记录像片；（电视等的）记录节目
alcoholism [ˋælkəhɔl͵ɪzəm] n. 酗酒
predisposition [͵pridɪspəˋzɪʃən] n. 倾向；素质
ancestry [ˋænsɛstrɪ] n.（总称）祖先
break down 分解
dizziness [ˋdɪzənɪs] n. 头昏眼花
buddy [ˋbʌdɪ] n.【美】【俚】（用作称呼）老兄，老弟
alcoholic [͵ælkəˋhɔlɪk] n. 酒精中毒病人；嗜酒者
anonymous [əˋnɑnəməs] adj. 匿名的；姓氏不明的
Sentence of the Day
Drinking like a fish has consequences.
酗酒会有不良后果。
drink like a fish 大喝; 喝很多酒