Names & Titles‏

What’s in a name?” According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, not too much. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures, names and titles matter a great deal. 一個名字到底意味著甚麼呢？根據 莎士比亞的名著，羅密歐與茱莉葉，名 字裡沒有太多的意義——「就算給玫瑰 取任何其他的名字，它聞起來還是一樣 的芬芳。」不過莎士比亞也許錯了。因 為在大部份的文化中，姓名和稱謂可是 很重要的呢。 What’s in a name?” According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, not too much. “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” But Shakespeare may have been wrong. In most cultures, names and titles matter a great deal. 一個名字到底意味著甚麼呢？根據 莎士比亞的名著，羅密歐與茱莉葉，名 字裡沒有太多的意義——「就算給玫瑰 取任何其他的名字，它聞起來還是一樣 的芬芳。」不過莎士比亞也許錯了。因 為在大部份的文化中，姓名和稱謂可是 很重要的呢。 Americans choose names for their children with care. Parents usually think about the impression a name gives, not its meaning. Most Americans would consider a “Jennifer” more attractive than a “Bertha,” for example. The last name, or surname, must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name. A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic, but odd. 美國人會很小心地為孩子取名字， 父母們通常會考量的是名字給人的印 象，而不是名字本身的意義。比如說： 大部份的美國人會覺得J e n n i f e r這個名字 比B e r t h a要來得吸引人。取第一和第二個 名字的時候（註：美國人除了姓和名之 外，有些人還有中間的名字）也要將姓 考慮進去。像「雷司特．徹司特．海司 特」這樣的名字或許聽起來很詩意又押 韻，其實是很奇怪的名字。 Parents may avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like. On the other hand, people might nametheir children after a respected older relative or even a famous person. The popularity of certain namescan change with each new generation. Names that were once common, like Fanny or Elmer, sound old-fashioned today. But other names—like John and David, Mary and Sarah—have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites. 有些名字會 使父母們想起自己不喜歡的人，他們就 會避免使用；另一方面，人們會以一位 敬佩的年長親戚或是名人的名字來替孩 子命名。某些名字受歡迎的程度在每一 代都不盡相同。曾經相當普遍的名字像 是F a n n y或E l m e r，現今聽起來都過時了， 不過有些名字像是John，David，Mary和 Sarah都歷久不衰，仍是大家的最愛。 People in America don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names. Instead,they often use nicknames. Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name. For instance, a girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa, Beth or Betsy. 美國人通常不是直呼親戚或朋友的 名字，而是喊他們的小名，有時候小名 就是較長的名字的簡稱。例如說，名為 伊麗莎白（Elizabeth）的女孩，可能被叫 做麗莎（Lisa），貝絲（Beth），或是貝茲 Betsy（Betsy)。 As children grow up, they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called. If they consider their nickname childish, they may start using a more adult form. Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names, like B.J. or R.C. And of course, people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames. Often they have a “sweet” flavor, like Honey or Sugar. 當孩子們長大了之後， 他們可以決定要別人叫他們哪個小名； 如果他們覺得小名太幼稚了，就會開始 用一些比較像大人的稱呼方式。有些人 乾脆用第一和第二個名字的首字母作為 稱謂，像是B . J .或R . C .。當然，人們還會 有一些特殊的暱稱來稱呼他們的孩子或 是甜心。這些暱稱通常有「甜甜」的味 道，像是Honey或是Sugar。 In informal settings, people are normally on a first-name basis. Sometimes older folks even allow young people to call them by their first name. But in most formal situations, people use an appropriate title— such as Mr. (Mister), Ms. (“Miz”), Dr. (doctor) or Prof. (professor)—with a person’s last name. After an introduction, the person may say, for example, “Please call me Tom.”If not, use his or her surname. 在非正式的情況下，人們一般會以 名字相稱，有時候長輩甚至允許年輕人 喊他們的名字。不過大部份的正式場合 裡，人們會採用適當的稱謂。例如：先 生、女士、博士、教授再加上姓來稱呼 人。經過介紹之後，對方可能會說： 「請叫我T o m就好了。」否則，還是以他 的姓稱呼之。 Americans still use a few very formal titles which reflect their Old World heritage. The British address their king and queen as Your Majesty; Americans address the judge in a court as Your Honor. Americans speaking to their nation’s leader respectfully call him Mr. President. And many churches refer to their leader as Reverend. 美國人仍會使用一些很正式的稱謂 來反映出他們歐洲背景的傳統。英國人 稱呼他們的國王和皇后為殿下，美國人 則稱呼法官為閣下；美國人很尊敬地對 國家元首說話時，會稱他為總統先生； 而很多教會提到教會的領導者，則以牧 師尊稱。 In everyday situations, the polite forms sir and madam (or ma’am) show a measure of respect.But Americans don’t generally use the names of occupations or positions as formal titles.Students might address their teacher as Mr. (or Ms.) Hudson, but not Teacher Hudson. 在日常生活中，先生或是夫人 這樣禮貌的稱謂，表現出相當的尊重。 但是美國人一般不會用職業或是職位的 名稱來稱呼人。學生們可能會稱呼他們 的老師為哈德森先生（或女士），而不是 哈德森老師。 What’s in a name? A world of significance. So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself,take care to choose a good one. A made-up name could sound strange to native English speakers.And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name, either. But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression. As an American politician once remarked,“In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears.” 「名字到底意味甚麼呢？」意義可是 很重大的呢！所以如果你正試著為自己 取個英文名字，仔細地選一個好一點的 吧。自創的名字對以英語為母語的人而 言，可能聽起來有點奇怪。而直接翻譯 你的中文名字可能也不太適合。一個好 名字會留給人持久的好印象，就像一個 美國政治家曾經說過的：「有別於莎士 比亞的戲劇的是，在真實的生活中，玫 瑰花有多香，就全看它的名字有多好聽 了。」 ?Word Banksurname (n) 姓 poetic (adj) 詩意的 stand the test of time (v phr) 禁得起時間考驗；歷久不衰 nickname (n) 小名；暱稱 childish (adj) 孩子氣的；幼稚的 first-name basis (n phr) 只以名字相稱的方式 heritage (n) 遺產；傳承 refer to (v phr) 提到 occupation (n) 職業 significance (n) 意義；重要 The Day's Phrase   Change a few habits and improve your grades 只要改變一些習慣，就能讓成績進步喔 This is a fine kettle of fish we've gotten ourselves into. 這回我們可是替自己找了一堆麻煩。

My boss finally decided to crack down on all of the people arriving at work late.
我老闆終於決定要對上班遲到的人採取嚴厲的手段。

Jan, it ruffles my feathers to hear you talk about Joe that way.
小簡，聽到你那樣講喬，可真是讓我火冒三丈。

This Polish composer's beautiful piano music plays to the heart
蕭邦這位波蘭作曲家的優美琴音撼動人心
Adam didn't take responsibility for our problems. He just wanted to save his skin.亞當沒有為我們的問題負責任。他只想要自保。

I will never trust that snake in the grass again.
我再也不會信任那個陰險奸詐的人了。

When you feel sick, should you stay home?
覺得身體不適時，應該待在家裡嗎？

After Jim walked in from a mud fight, his mother exclaimed, " Aren't you a sight to see."
吉姆打了一場泥架後走進屋內，媽媽大喊：「你這德性可真夠瞧的。」

All that is ever on TV is soap operas. There has to be something better.
電視上播的都是連續劇。應該還有比較好看的吧？

The Blue Angels treat audiences to a spectacular air show
「藍天使」讓觀眾享受一場令人目眩神馳的空中表演
Although we both want to get the job done, it's obvious that we are not speaking the same language.雖然我們都想把那件事做好，不過很顯然的，我們的觀點並不相同。What really happens in the kitchen?
下廚究竟是怎麼回事？
We thought we had gotten away scot free until Ben's mother called us into the kitchen.我們本以為已經脫身了，直到班的媽媽把我們都叫進廚房內。

I hate riding with Joanna, she's such a road hog.
我討厭搭喬安娜的車，她實在是個橫行霸道的駕駛。