The West‏

Mention America’s West to Sarah Ann McIntosh, and her face lights up like a jack-o-lantern. She becomes animated when talking about one of the largest, most diverse regions in the United States. “Wide open spaces. Cowboys. Movies. Music. Computer chips. Tacos. Espresso stands,” she says in rapid succession. “Beautiful people. Surfers. Mountain men. Buffaloes. Las Vegas strip. Blizzards. Icebergs.”
向莎拉‧安‧麥金塔談到美國西部，
她的臉就會像南瓜燈般亮起來。一
談到這個美國其中一個最大、最多樣化
的地區，她就顯得興緻勃勃。「寬闊的
空間、牛仔、電影、音樂、電腦晶片、
炸玉米餅、e s p r e s so咖啡攤，」她一個接
著一個地說：「還有美麗的居民、衝浪
者、山居人、水牛、拉斯維加斯的脫衣
舞表演、暴風雪、冰山。」

As Ms. McIntosh shows, the West covers a vast expanse—not only the Pacific and Rocky Mountain states, but Alaska as well. It is a territory that has held a mythical appeal for centuries and comprises what many consider America’s last frontier. For many, the American West is an idea, a promise, a seed of hope. Henry David Thoreau once wrote: “Eastward I go only by force; westward I go free.”
如同麥小姐所說的，西部涵蓋了一
片廣大的地區，不只是瀕太平洋和洛磯
山山區的各州，也包括阿拉斯加。幾世
紀以來，這個地區一直散發著神祕的吸
引力，許多人認為西部是美國最後的邊
境。對許多人來說，美國西部是一個信
念、一個應許、一粒希望的種子。亨
利‧梭羅曾寫過：「東行僅因被迫，西
進卻為自由。」

In the 1800s, Horace Greeley exhorted his countrymen to “Go west,” and millions took up his call. The stoic individuals who ventured to the frontier were reverently referred to as pioneers, individuals who embodied the true character of the nation.
十九世紀時，格利禮力勸他的同胞
們「西進」，數以百萬的人回應了這個呼
召。那些前往邊境冒險堅忍的民眾被景
仰為先驅，他們具體表現了這個國家的
真實性格。

Perhaps more than any other region of the United States, the West retains this legacy and still appeals to pioneering souls who want to gamble with their future—whether they visit Las Vegas or not. The city in fact was built on the roll of the dice —and the promise of better things to come in the future.
和美國其他地區相比，或許西部更
加保留了此一遺產，仍然吸引著那些想
要同未來下賭注的拓荒者——不管他們
是不是去拉斯維加斯。事實上這個城市
是在擲骰子的隨機致富中建立起來的，
也建立在「明天會更好」的承諾之中。

The West today continues to be a magnet for immigrants and travelers alike. The pioneer days are gone, of course, but when it comes to language, the past is still very much evident in the present. The region became a hodgepodge of languages and dialects, some from the East, some from the South and some from other countries entirely.
對於移民者和旅行家而言，今天的西部仍像一塊大磁鐵吸引著他們。當
然，拓荒的日子已經過了，但談論到語
言時，便能非常清楚地看見昔日對今日
的影響。這個地區成為語言和方言的大
雜燴，有些來自東部，有些來自南部，
而有些完全是來自別的國家。

Spanish words and phrases crept into the language of the West, eventually entering the American language mainstream. Terms such as canyon, plaza, sombrero, patio, burro, stampede, rodeo, bonanza and pronto all trace their origins to the Spaniards who owned the Southwest before the Americans did.
西班牙的字彙和片語悄悄進入西部
的語言，最後進入了美國語言的主流。
一些像是峽谷、購物中心、墨西哥寬邊
草帽、中庭（內院）、馱貨的小毛驢、狂
衝的牛群、公開的牛仔競技、走鴻運和
立刻等字眼，都可以追本溯源到那些在
美國人之前就擁有西南部的西班牙人。

The days of the “Wild, Wild West” also contributed to language in the western regions.
Words and phrases like bogus, rip-roaring, joint (as in a place to gather with friends),
gunplay, hold up and caught between a rock and a hard place came into the English language when life in the West was wild and peopled with outlaws, sheriffs and cowboys.
「西部拓荒」的日子也有助於西部地
區的語言發展。在西部生活仍然狂野，
並居住著一些亡命之徒、警長和牛仔
時，一些像是贗品、吵鬧喧嘩的、廉價
酒館（一個朋友相聚的地方）、槍戰、持
槍搶劫以及進退維谷等字，也被收容於
英語之中。

Hollywood greatly contributed to the cowboy culture and the cowboy legend as well.
The producers and directors who churned out the Western flicks would have everyone believe that the West was filled mostly with cowboys, when in fact farmers outnumbered them almost 1,000 to one. Terms such as bounty hunter, gunslinger and to have an itchy trigger finger came from the pens of Hollywood scriptwriters rather than the dusty cattle drives.
對於牛仔文化和牛仔傳奇來說，好
萊塢的貢獻也很大。拍攝西部電影的製
作人和導演會使大家相信西部最多的就
是牛仔，然而事實上農夫與牛仔數目的
比例大約是1,000 比1。一些字彙像是追
捕懸賞之罪犯者、槍戰者，以及愛扣板
機，都是出自好來塢劇本家的筆下，而
非來自灰塵瀰漫的驅趕牛群隊伍之中。

Outside Hollywood, California itself is an incubator of American slang, producing phrases such as bodacious, awesome and many more. The state’s Silicon Valley also contributed to English’s high tech lingo: software, hardware and megabyte.
出了好萊塢，加州本身就造就了美
國俚語的普遍，創造了膽大包天的（很
棒的）、引人敬畏的以及許多其他的詞
彙。這一州的矽谷也增加了英語的高科
技字彙：軟體、硬體及百萬位元。

No discussion of the West would be complete without mention of food. Words for foods of immigrant cultures can now be found in many grocery stores. Typical American housewives can buy pesto, tomatillos, focaccia, bok choy and tofu. As un-American as these may sound, foods such as these appear more and more often in dishes on menus in restaurants, particularly in California and the Pacific Northwest.
如果不提到食物，就無法完整的討
論西部。現在在許多食品雜貨店，可以
發現移民文化帶來的飲食字眼。典型的
美國家庭主婦可以買到p e s to醬（義大利
麵調味醬之一），墨西哥櫻桃，義大利圓
麵包，白菜和豆腐。即使這些食物聽起
來一點也不美國化，但它們卻愈來愈常
出現在餐廳的菜單上，特別是在加州和
西北太平洋區。

Chefs blur cultural lines by adding new ingredients to old stand-bys. Mexican cuisine,
including tacos, enchiladas and burritos are now being blended with Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and other influences to create new delicacies for Western gourmands.
餐廳主廚們在舊的佐料
中加入了新的成分，藉此模糊了文化的
界限。墨西哥烹調，包括炸玉米餅、辣
醬玉米餅和潤餅，現在和泰國、中國、
越南及其他的文化影響混合，為西方的
饕餮們創造出新的佳餚。

?Word Bank

jack-o-lantern (n) 南瓜燈

exhort (v) 勸告；勸誡

legacy (n) 傳承自祖先之物
roll of the dice (n phr) 擲骰子，意指隨機

hodgepodge (n) 大雜燴

people (v) 居住於

flick (n)（俚）電影

incubator (n) 培養器

delicacy (n) 佳餚
gourmand (n) 美食者

The Day's Phrase

There's something in the water ...
水裡有東西??

You've been studying for so long. It would do you good to take a break for a while.
你已經讀那麼久的書了。停下來休息一下對你是有幫助的。

These real-life suits allow people freedom they never thought they would have
這些現實生活中的裝束讓人們獲得從未想像過的自由

It seems like nothing bothers Ashley. She's very easy-going.
好像沒有什麼事會使愛詩莉煩心。她非常隨遇而安。

The way we watch movies has changed a lot through the years
人們看電影的方式多年來已有大幅改變
Stop complaining. I won the game fair and square.
別再抱怨了。我是光明正大地贏了這場比賽的。

Teens need to learn skills to survive away from home
青少年應學習離家生活的技能

The old car finally fell apart after all these years.
這輛舊車在經過這些年後終於報銷了。

I have no money. I've been flat broke since I stopped working last month.
我沒有錢。自從我上個月停止工作後我就身無分文了

Is getting out of town necessary to relax and enjoy time off?
出城是否真的是放鬆休假的必要方式？

The movie we saw yesterday was so funny. I got such a kick out of it!
我們昨天看的電影真是好笑。我看得真是開心呢！

Is this our future?
這是人類未來之所繫？

This American game has a very international history
棒球這種美國運動競賽有個非常國際化的歷史

Bobby has a crush on the new girl. He really likes her!
巴比為那新來的女孩著迷。他十分喜歡她。

Does that movie have anything to do with math?
那部電影和數學有什麼關係嗎？

Could you tell me in advance how much dinner will cost?
你可以事先告訴我晚餐要花多少錢嗎？

Could you tell me in advance how much dinner will cost?
你可以事先告訴我晚餐要花多少錢嗎？