Folk Tales‏

In the world of American folk tales, almost anything can happen: A cowboy rides a tornado without a saddle. A huge lumberjack digs the Great Lakes to give his giant blue ox drinking water. A rabbit's big mouth gets him stuck in a bunch of tar. Sometimes, though, this world seems more like real life: A young farmer plants apple trees everywhere he goes. A man wins a race against a machine. Above all, this fantasy world finds people struggling against circumstances— and winning.
在美國民間傳說的世界中，幾乎任
何事都可能發生：一位牛仔可以
不用馬鞍而騎在龍捲風上；一個身材宏
偉的伐木工人挖了「大湖」，好給他藍色
的巨牛喝水；或是一隻兔子因為愛說話
而被卡在焦油裡。雖然如此，有時候傳
奇世界又似乎更像真實生活：一位年輕
農夫在他所到之處種下蘋果樹；一個男
人在比賽中勝過一台機器。綜觀在這些
充滿了幻想的世界裡，人們總是與環境
對抗——而最後贏得了勝利。

Tall tales, extraordinary tales of ordinary people and events, sprang from the days of the American pioneers. As the early settlers faced a rugged environment, they told stories of superhuman heroes. Paul Bunyan was a giant lumberjack who helped settle the Northwestern Territory. Bunyan could cut down a whole forest in less than an hour. His giant blue ox, Babe, could carry off the logs in one load.
在美國先民拓荒的歲月中，流傳出
許多平凡人和事的誇大傳奇。由於早期
的移民者面臨了惡劣的環境，他們便傳
說著一些超人式的英雄人物。保羅．邦
陽是一位伐木的大力士，他幫助到西北
部來拓荒的移民安頓生活，他可以在一
小時內砍完整片森林，而他藍色的巨牛
——寶貝，可以一車就拉完所有的木
材。

Pecos Bill was the hero of American cowboys. Bill almost single-handedly tamed the rough wilderness in the American Southwest. He was so tough he used a rattlesnake for a lasso to rope in his cattle.
培寇士．比爾則是美國牛仔們的英
雄，他幾乎單獨馴服了美國的西南部荒
漠，他很厲害可以用響尾蛇作繩索套住
他的牛。

Not all American folk tales are so far from the truth. Some developed from real historical events. For example, Johnny Appleseed planted thousands of acres of apple trees in the Midwest. He gave apple seeds to everyone he met, encouraging them to plant trees, too. In fact, the real person behind the legend was John Chapman, an early pioneer. Chapman did indeed own many apple orchards.
並不是所有的美國民間傳說都這麼
離譜，有些故事仍是從真實的歷史事件
發展出來的。例如：強尼．艾坡西（蘋
果子）在中西部種植了好幾千畝的蘋果
樹，他送蘋果種子給所有他見到的人，
並且鼓勵他們種樹。事實上，在此傳奇
背後的真實人物是約翰．查普曼，一位
早期的拓荒者，查普曼則確實擁有很多
蘋果園。

Another legend grew up around John Henry, a black laborer helping dig a tunnel on a rail road line. A man with a steam drill boasted he could do the work of 20 men using hammers. John Henry challenged him to a race. After John Henry won, so the legend goes, he died from exhaustion. Actually, after winning the race, John Henry was killed by the collapse of the tunnel.
另外一個傳奇則圍繞著約翰．
亨利，他是一個在火車路線上協助挖隧
道的黑人勞工。有一個帶著蒸氣鑽洞機
的男人自誇說，他一個人可以抵得上二
十個拿鐵鎚的工人。於是約翰．亨利就
向他挑戰，這個故事流傳的結果是說在
約翰．亨利大勝之後，即因體力耗竭而
過世，然而事實上，在贏了比賽之後，
約翰．亨利是因隧道倒塌而葬身其中
的。

Some folk tales have come directly from the pages of American literature. Uncle Remus and his stories about Brer (Brother) Rabbit delight many young Americans. The most famous one, “Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby,”tells how a big-mouthed rabbit gets himself into—and then out of—trouble. The writer, Joel Chandler Harris, heard many of the stories from slaves on a Southern plantation.
有些民間傳說直接來自美國文學作
品。瑞莫斯叔叔和他的兔老弟的故事就
帶給年輕的美國人許多歡樂的時光，他
最有名的故事「兔子老弟和焦油寶寶」，
述說了一隻大嘴巴的兔子如何陷入麻
煩，又如何逃脫。這些故事的作者喬
伊．千德勒．哈里斯從南方大莊園上的
黑奴那兒聽來了許多故事。

Another popular tale came from the pen of Washington Irving. Rip Van Winkle, a poor farmer from New England, falls asleep during a hunting trip and sleeps for 20 years. When he awakens, his whole world has changed.
另一個很受
歡迎的傳說是出自於華盛頓．爾文的筆
下：瑞普．范恩．文克是一個新英格蘭
區的貧窮農夫，他去野外打獵時睡著
了，而且一睡就是二十年，當他醒來的
時候，整個世界都已經改變了。

Of course, Americans didn't invent folk tales. Every culture has its own stories of common people dealing with life's challenges. Often these tales are passed down orally from generation to generation. Some of them, like Snow White, Cinderella and even Santa Claus, exist in different versions all over the world. Many others are unique to the cultures that tell them. But all reflect a common hope: to live “happily ever after.”
當然，民間傳說並不是美國人所發
明的。在每個文化中都有屬於它們自己
的故事，這些故事講述著平凡人如何面
對生活的挑戰。通常這些故事都是一代
代地以口相傳，其中有些以不同的版本\
流傳在世界各地，比如說白雪公主、灰
姑娘，甚至是聖誕老公公。而有許多傳
說則是某特定文化才獨有的。然而所有
的故事都反映出人們一個共同的願望：
那就是「從此過著幸福快樂的生活」。
?Word Banktornado (n) 龍捲風；颶風
saddle (n) 馬鞍
lumberjack (n) 伐木工人
tar (n) 黑油；焦油

single-handedly (adv) 獨自地
rattlesnake (n) 響尾蛇

orchard (n) 果園

tunnel (n) 隧道
hammer (n) 鐵鎚

big-mouthed (adj) 大嘴巴的；愛說話的

orally (adv) 口頭地
reflect (v) 反映

The Day's Phrase

Hollywood superstar Will Smith knows success
亞洲最大的足球賽事今日展開
Why are you all dressed up? Are you going somewhere special?為什麼你們大家都盛裝打扮呢？你們要去什麼特別的地方嗎？

Whenever my friends are in a fight, I always get dragged into it.
每當我的朋友在爭執的時候，我總是被牽扯進去。

 can't remember that actress's name! I am drawing a blank.
我想不起來那女演員的名字！我腦袋一片空白。

Event planners may score a big win with these eco-friendly ideas
賽事主辦者可望靠環保理念大獲全勝

It drives me up the wall when someone is late for an appointment.
某人約會遲到總是令我抓狂。

Can students really be creative at school?
學生在校真能發揮創意？
Jay dropped out of school after failing all his classes.
傑伊每門課都不及格，因此休學了

Discover the magic and majesty of this amazing waterway
一探這令人驚豔的水道的神奇魅力與宏偉氣勢

I am not sure when we will be able to go to lunch tomorrow. So we will play it by ear.
我不確定明天我們幾點能去吃午飯。所以我們見機行事吧。

Discover the magic and majesty of this amazing waterway
一探這令人驚豔的水道的神奇魅力與宏偉氣勢
The new traffic laws will go into effect this month.
新的交通法規這個月將開始生效。

From a toilet to a TV, new technology comes in all shapes, sizes and prices
從馬桶到電視機，創意科技產品形形色色尺碼齊全，價格完備

I need to be careful with what I say. I don't want to step on someone's toes.
我說話得小心。我不想傷人。