EZCNN 易英网

The Wandering Life of the Gypsies 浪迹天涯．吉普赛

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

A lavishly carved wooden caravan sits at the side of the road. Inside, a woman in a long flowery dress peers into a crystal ball, ready to read the fortunes of curious folk. When we think of gypsies, this kind of image may well come to mind. But have you ever wondered why gypsies roam around like they do, or where they originally came from?

路旁停了辆雕工繁复的木制大篷车，里头坐着身穿缀花长裙的女郎，她定眼注视着一颗水晶球，准备要为好奇的人们预测未来。当我们想到吉普赛人时，这样的意象大概会浮现脑海。但是，你可曾想过吉普赛人为何像这样四处流浪？而他们又是从哪儿来的？

For centuries, these questions remained a mystery. Then, linguists discovered similarities between the gypsy language and a language spoken in India, which led to speculation that they had fled a brutal invasion there centuries ago. The gypsies stayed on the move so they could easily escape further violence, and, eventually, traveling became their way of life.

几世纪来，这些问题一直是个谜团。后来，语言学家发现吉普赛语和印度某种语言有相似之处，进而推测他们可能是在几世纪前逃离当地，以躲避一场残酷的外族入侵。吉普赛人就此浪迹天涯，以便在暴力再起时能很快逃离，最后，流浪就成了他们的生活方式。

Since then, gypsies have spread throughout Europe, but they are by no means welcome everywhere they go, often being stereotyped as thieves and con artists. In the past, gypsies were widely persecuted and even killed. While the situation has improved today, senseless racial murders of gypsies still occur.

从此，吉普赛人便四散欧洲各地，但在很多地方都不受欢迎，因为人们常有刻板印象，觉得他们不是小偷就是骗子。在过去，吉普赛人受到极大迫害，甚遭残杀。今日虽然情况稍有改善，但残酷无情的种族肃杀仍时有所闻。

On a more positive note, gypsies are also known for their vibrant culture, with their lively music and dance heavily influencing the passionate art of flamenco. What’s more, female gypsies’ nature-inspired dress sense has sparked popular fashion trends.

较令人开心的是，吉普赛人也以充满生气的文化闻名，他们热闹活泼的音乐和舞蹈深深影响了热情奔放的佛朗明哥文化。此外，吉普赛女郎受大自然启发的衣着品味也影响了时装流行趋势。

Much like Taiwan’s own aborigine groups, gypsies have faced pressure to conform to the mainstream in recent years. As a result, they have set up organizations to preserve their culture. By respecting different ways of life and rejecting negative stereotypes, the rest of us can also help ensure that distinctive cultures like the gypsies’ survive in the future.

和台湾原住民一样，近年来吉普赛人面临了必须遵循主流文化的压力。因此，他们成立了几个组织来保存自己的文化。若我们其他人能够尊重不同的生活方式且摒除负面刻板印象，便也能协助确保吉普赛这类独树一格的文化在未来永续长存。

−by James Laughton-Smith

Vocabulary

单词发音

peer [pɪr] v. 凝视，盯着看[Q][（+at/into）]

may well 很有理由, 大有可能

roam [rom] v. 流浪

speculation [͵spɛkjəˋleʃən] n. 推测

flee [fli] v. 逃，逃走

brutal [ˋbrut!] adj. 无情的﹐残酷的﹐野蛮的﹐凶残的

invasion [ɪnˋveʒən] n. 入侵，侵略

eventually [ɪˋvɛntʃʊəlɪ] adv. 最后，终于

by no means  绝不, 一点也不  in no sense; certainly not

persecute [ˋpɝsɪ͵kjut] v. 迫害，残害

spark [spɑrk] v. 引起﹐导致

conform [kənˋfɔrm] v. 遵照，遵守[（+to/with）]

mainstream [ˋmen͵strim] n.〔思想或行为〕的主流

preserve [prɪˋzɝv] v. 保存; 保护；维护

distinctive [dɪˋstɪŋktɪv] adj. 有特色的，特殊的

More Information

单词发音

lavishly [ˋlævɪʃlɪ] adv. 极其丰富地

caravan [ˋkærə͵væn] n. 有篷卡车（或拖车）

flowery [ˋflaʊərɪ] adj. 花似的；用花装饰的

fortune [ˋfɔrtʃən] n. 命运; 时运

Gypsy [ˋdʒɪpsɪ] n. 吉普赛人

linguist [ˋlɪŋgwɪst] n. 语言学家

stereotype [ˋstɛrɪə͵taɪp] v. 使模式化; 使定型

con artist  骗子; 以花言巧语骗人的人

senseless [ˋsɛnslɪs] adj. 无意义的

positive note  从乐观的角度看

note [not] n. 表达…的情感; 带有…的印象; 营造…的氛围

vibrant [ˋvaɪbrənt] adj. 充满活力的﹐活跃的

flamenco [fləˋmɛŋko] n. 弗拉曼柯舞（西班牙的吉普赛舞蹈）

inspire [ɪnˋspaɪr] v. 赋予……灵感，给……以启示

reject [rɪˋdʒɛkt] v. 丢弃

Reading Questions 

1. Which of the following about the gypsies’ history is true?

A. They fled Europe and settled in India.

B. They were responsible for a brutal invasion.

C. Linguists proved their language originated outside India.

D. They led a mobile life as a strategy to avoid violence.

2. Which is NOT a feature of the gypsies’ traditional lifestyle?

A. Fashion among women that is inspired by nature.

B. Stealing things and tricking people.

C. A lively tradition of music and dance.

D. Living in decorated caravans.

3. What is the main focus of this passage?

A. Exploring similarities between gypsies and Taiwanese aborigines.

B. Revealing how stereotypes about gypsies are true.

C. Explaining the history and culture of the gypsies.

D. Discussing the fashion and culture of the gypsies.

A Gypsy Life For Me Episode1 (A)

flamenco arabe....gipsy200

Flamenco

Answer