发布时间 : 星期二 文章外研版高中英语必修4Module1-Module6 Cultural Corner课文逐句翻译更新完毕开始阅读0f4fed03a8956bec0975e3fd
“在地图上扎个别针很好，”麦科克代尔先生说，“但我遵守规定。只有当我在一个地方待24个小时以上，我才允许自己扎一个。”
自然，麦科克代尔先生有他最喜欢的地方。他用“妙极了”来形容新西兰。在欧洲，意大利是他最喜欢的地方。“在旅游业有一种说法是所有的游客都被敲了竹杠。不过，至少意大利人是面带微笑地敲你的竹杠。”对于中国，他说：“在这世界上这是一个完全与众不同的国家。它没有受到欧洲的影响。它已经存在了6000年，但仍然是一个充满未来的国家。”
不管到哪里，麦科克代尔先生都带着妻子的一张照片、一根蜡烛、一个手电筒、一件有着一个隐秘口袋的衬衫，还有一支用来写明信片的钢笔。
那么他为什么要这样做呢？是为了明信片还是为了旅行？麦科克代尔先生笑了。“为了旅行，”他说。“我喜欢旅行以及所有的计划。”
M6B4 Cultural Corner
The Universal Dragon世界上的龙
Dragons can be friendly or fierce, 龙可能是友好的也可能是凶猛的，they can bring good luck or cause death and destruction, 可能会带来好运也可能带来死亡
与毁坏，but one thing is sure—people talk about them almost everywhere in the world. 但有一点是确定的——几乎世界上所有地方的人都谈论它们。For a creature that doesn't actually exist, that's quite something.对于一种实际上并不存在的生物，那是非同寻常的。
In Chinese culture, dragons are generous and wise, although they can be unpredictable. 在中国的文化里，龙是慷慨和智慧的，尽管它们也许是变化莫测
的。The dragon was closely connected to the royal family:龙跟皇室家族是紧密联系在一起的： the emperor's robes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws. 皇袍上有一个五爪金龙的标志。Other members of the royal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols, too, but with fewer claws and of a different colour. 皇室其他成员也被允许穿带有龙的标志的服装，但爪子要少，颜色也不同。According to
popular belief, if you were born in the year of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.根据大众的看法，如果出生在龙年，你就聪明、勇敢，并且
是天生的领导者。
But in the west, dragons had a different reputation. 但在西方，龙有不同的名
声。The very first text in English, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, 最早的英语文章是盎格鲁一撒克逊人的诗《贝奥武夫》，它讲述了这样一个故事：who fights and kills a dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. 一位斯堪的纳维亚英雄贝奥武夫与一条危险的龙战斗并杀死了它，可英雄自己也死于战斗中。However, across the border in Wales, the
red dragon which appears on the Welsh flag is a positive symbol, indicating strength and a sense of national identity.然而，越过威尔士的边境，出现在威尔士国旗上
的红色的龙则是一个正面象征，暗示着力量与民族特性的认同感。
Why should the dragon have a different character in different parts of the world? 为
什么龙在世界不同地区有不同的特征？Some experts believe it is due to the animals the myths grew out of.一些专家认为是由于这些神话所借助的动物的不同（才有了不同的认识）。 In the west, the idea of the dragon probably came from the snake—an animal which people hated and were afraid of.在西方，龙的概念可能来自蛇——一种人们既憎慨又害怕的动物。
But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligator—a shy animal which lives in rivers,而在中国，龙的概念可能来自短吻鳄——一种生活在江河里
的害羞的动物， but which is usually only seen when there is plenty of water—a good sign for agriculture. 但它通常只能在水源充沛的时候才能见到——这对农业来说是好兆头。So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune.因此，中国的龙是带来好运的使者。
M6B4 Cultural Corner
The Universal Dragon
Dragons can be friendly or fierce, they can bring good luck or cause death and destruction, but one thing is sure—people talk about them almost everywhere in the world. For a creature that doesn't actually exist, that's quite something.
In Chinese culture, dragons are generous and wise, although they can be unpredictable. The dragon was closely connected to the royal family: the emperor's robes have a symbol of a gold dragon with five claws. Other members of the royal family were allowed to wear dragon symbols, too, but with fewer claws and of a different colour. According to popular belief, if you were born in the year of the dragon, you are intelligent, brave, and a natural leader.
But in the west, dragons had a different reputation. The very first text in English, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, tells the story of a Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, who fights and kills a dangerous dragon but is himself killed in the fight. However, across the border in Wales, the red dragon which appears on the Welsh flag is a
positive symbol, indicating strength and a sense of national identity.
Why should the dragon have a different character in different parts of the world? Some experts believe it is due to the animals the myths grew out of. In the west, the idea of the dragon probably came from the
snake—an animal which people hated and were afraid of.
But in China, the idea of the dragon may have come from the alligator—a shy animal which lives in rivers, but which is usually only seen when there is plenty of
water—a good sign for agriculture. So the Chinese dragon was a bringer of good fortune.
M6B4 Cultural Corner译文
世界上的龙
龙可能是友好的也可能是凶猛的，可能会带来好运也可能带来死亡与毁坏，但有一点是确定的——几乎世界上所有地方的人都谈论它们。对于一种实际上并不存在的生物，那是非同寻常的。
在中国的文化里，龙是慷慨和智慧的，尽管它们也许是变化莫测的。龙跟皇室家族是紧密联系在一起的：皇袍上有一个五爪金龙的标志。皇室其他成员也被允许穿带有龙的标志的服装，但爪子要少，颜色也不同。根据大众的看法，如果出生在龙年，你就聪明、勇敢，并且是天生的领导者。
但在西方，龙有不同的名声。最早的英语文章是盎格鲁一撒克逊人的诗《贝奥武夫》，它讲述了这样一个故事：一位斯堪的纳维亚英雄贝奥武夫与一条危险的龙战斗并杀死了它，可英雄自己也死于战斗中。然而，越过威尔士的边境，出现在威尔士国旗上的红色的龙则是一个正面象征，暗示着力量与民族特性的认同感。 为什么龙在世界不同地区有不同的特征？一些专家认为是由于这些神话所借助的动物的不同（才有了不同的认识）。在西方，龙的概念可能来自蛇——一种人们既憎慨又害怕的动物。 而在中国，龙的概念可能来自短吻鳄——一种生活在江河里的害羞的动物，但它通常只能在水源充沛的时候才能见到——这对农业来说是好兆头。因此，中国的龙是带来好运的使者。