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What’s in a Name? 宝宝命名学问大

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While our name is something that identifies us throughout our lives, the process of choosing it is not something we ourselves have any say in. This decision is of course in the hands of our parents, and it is generally made only after much careful thought. ___1___ Even so, there are plenty of other factors that can influence this choice.

名字是我们一生中用以识别身份的工具，但选名字的过程却没有我们插嘴的余地。因为决定权一定是在我们父母的手里，且通常是经过仔细思量才做出的决定。但和取中文名字不同的是，西方人为宝宝取名字时，并不需参考任何复杂难懂的原则来判断名字是否吉利。但尽管如此，还是有其他许多因素会影响选名字的结果。

Traditionally, newborns are often named after a respected family member such as a grandfather or grandmother, as this is seen as a fitting way to honor them. ___2___ Since Christianity is the main religion in America, it’s no coincidence that many of the most popular names there, like Jacob and Hannah, are originally from the Bible. ___3___ David Beckham, for instance, called his son Brooklyn, after the New York district where his son was conceived.

传统上，父母常以家中某位受敬重的家族成员为新生儿命名，像是用祖父或祖母的名字等，因为这被视为向他们表示尊敬的好方法。除了名字本身的涵义外，它的起源也是另一个重要考虑，且多半与宗教信仰密切相关。由于基督教是美国主要的宗教信仰，所以像雅各布布(Jacob)、汉纳(Hannah)等当地最常见的几个名字都源自圣经这件事，自然就不只是巧合而已。目前有个更新的趋势是以受人欣赏的名人名字来为宝宝命名，而一些有创意且具异国风情的名字也日益普遍。像戴维．贝克汉就把儿子取名为布鲁克林(Brooklyn)，因为纽约的布鲁克林区正是他太太受孕、怀上他儿子的地方。

___4___ First, don’t go for something that will sound ridiculous in combination with the family name, like Sandy Pandy. Also, be careful that the name’s initials don’t spell out anything embarrassing, like Frank Adam Thomas (F. A. T.), as such oversights could lead to your child being teased later on.

另一方面，有些事在选宝宝的名字时最好能避免。第一，名字和姓合起来念时若听起来很滑稽，就别取这样的名字，例如珊蒂．潘蒂。另外，要小心全名缩写不会拼出任何令人难为情的字，像法兰克．亚当．汤玛士的缩写就是（F.A.T.表「肥胖的」），因为这样的疏忽可能导致孩子以后被人嘲笑。

___5___ And with any luck, the baby will grow up to be fond of his or her own name, too!

但一切都考虑过后，最重要的还是父母双方都喜欢最后决定的名字。若幸运的话，孩子长大后也会喜爱他或她自己的名字！

−by David Vickers

(A)   At the end of the day though, it’s most important for parents to settle on a name that they both like.

(B)   In contrast to Chinese names, selecting a name for your baby in the West does not involve any complicated guideline about good or bad fortune.

(C)   There is a variety of approaches to selecting names, parents’ aspiration for the child being one of them.

(D)  On the other hand, there are some things that are best avoided when choosing a baby’s name.

(E)   A more contemporary trend is to name the baby after an admired celebrity, while creative and exotic names are also increasingly common.

(F)    Besides a name’s meaning, its origin is another important consideration, more often than not being closely linked to religious belief.

Vocabulary

单词发音

identify [aɪˋdɛntə͵faɪ] v. 识别；鉴定，验明

factor [ˋfæktɚ] n. 因素；要素

coincidence [koˋɪnsɪdəns] n. 巧合；巧事；同时发生

district [ˋdɪstrɪkt] n. 区，辖区，行政区

conceive [kənˋsiv] v. 怀（胎）

ridiculous [rɪˋdɪkjələs] adj. 可笑的，荒谬的

in combination with 与…结合在一起

embarrassing [ɪmˋbærəsɪŋ] adj. 使人尴尬的，令人为难的

settle on 选择, 决定 to decide on something

in contrast to 相比之下

contemporary [kənˋtɛmpə͵rɛrɪ] adj. 当代的; 同时代的

exotic [ɛgˋzɑtɪk] adj. 异国情调的；奇特的

More Information

单词发音

say [se] n. 发言权; 要说的话，意见

newborn [ˋnju͵bɔrn] n. 新生儿

fitting [ˋfɪtɪŋ] adj. 适当的，合适的

Christianity [͵krɪstʃɪˋænətɪ] n. 基督教

pandy [ˋpændɪ] n. 1, 打手心  2, A pandy is another name (in Wales) for a fulling mill (缩绒机；缩呢机).

initial [ɪˋnɪʃəl] n.（字的）起首字母

oversight [ˋovɚ͵saɪt] n. 失察；疏忽出错

tease [tiz] v. 逗弄；取笑

guideline [ˋgaɪd͵laɪn] n.〔尤指可能是困难或危险的事的〕指导方针﹐行动准则

aspiration [͵æspəˋreʃən] n. 志向，抱负

name after 以...的名字来命名

admired [ədˋmaɪrd] adj. 被钦佩的；被欣赏的

more often than not 大多数时候  usually

Answer