1、Neither Pine norApple in Pineapple 菠萝松树+苹果 Have you ever asked yourself why people often have trouble learning English? I hadnt, until one day my five-year-old son asked me whether there was ham in a hamburger. There isnt. This made me realize that theres no egg in eggplant either. Neither is there
2、pine nor apple in pineapple. This got me thinking how English can be a crazy language to learn. 你有没有问过自己， 为什么人们常常在学习英语方面有困难？我从未想过这个问题， 直到有 一天，我五岁的儿子问我 hamburger(汉堡包)里是否有 ham(火腿)。答案是没有。这让我意识 到 eggplant(茄子)里也没有 egg(鸡蛋)。pineapple(菠萝)里既没有 pine(松树)，也没有 apple(苹 果)。这让我陷入思考：对于学习者而言，英语到底可以有多疯狂呢？ For example,
3、 in our free time we can sculpt a sculpture and paint a painting, but we take a photo. And when we are traveling we say that we are in the car or the taxi, but on the train or bus! While were doing all this traveling, we can get seasick at sea, airsick in the air and carsick in a car, but we dont ge
4、t homesick when we get back home. And speaking of home, why arent homework and housework the same thing? 例如，我们可以在闲暇时雕刻一座雕像(sculpt a sculpture)、画一幅画(paint a painting)，但我 们只能拍一张照片(take a photo)。旅行时，我们坐汽车或出租车时是说坐在里面(in)，但是坐 火车或公共汽车时却要说坐在上面(on)！同样，我们会在海上晕船(seasick at sea)、在飞机晕 机(airsick in the air)、在车里晕
5、车(carsick in a car)，但回到家里我们却不会“晕家”(homesick， 实际意为“想家的，思乡的”)。说到家，为什么 homework(家庭作业)和 housework(家务)(这两 个英语单词看起来很像意思却)不是一回事呢？ If “hard” is the opposite of “soft”, why are “hardly” and “softly” not an opposing pair? If harmless actions are the opposite of harmful actions, why are shameless and shameful
6、behaviors the same? When we look out of the window and see rain or snow, we can say “its raining” or “its snowing”. But when we see sunshine, we cant say “its sunshining”. 如果说 hard(硬)是 soft(软)的反义词，为什么 hardly(几乎不)和 softly(柔和地，轻柔地)却不是 一对反义词呢？如果说harmless actions(无害的行为)与harmful actions(有害的行为)意思相反， 为什么无耻
7、的行为(shameless behaviors)和可耻的行为(shameful behaviors)反而是一回事？当 我们望向窗外，看到雨(rain)或雪(snow)时，我们可以说正在下雨(its raining)或正在下雪(its snowing)。但当我们看到阳光(sunshine)时，我们不能说“正在下阳光”(its sunshining)。 Even the smallest of words can be confusing. When you see the capitalized “WHO” in a medical report, do you read it as the “
8、who” in “Whos that?” What about “IT” and “US”？ 即使是最短小的单词都让人费解。当你在医学报告中看到大写的 WHO 时，你会把它读为 Whos that?中的 who 吗？那么“IT”和“US”又该怎么读呢？ You also have to wonder at the unique madness of a language in which a house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an ala
9、rm is only heard once it goes off! 你也会对英语这门语言独有的疯狂感到惊奇。 在英语里， 房子烧成灰烬时， 可以说 burn up(字 面意思是“烧上去”)，也可以说 burn down(字面意思是“烧下去”)；填表时，你可以说 fill in a form(字面意思是“填入表里”)，也可以说 fill out a form(字面意思是“填到表外”)；而且只有闹 钟走了(go off 字面意思是“离开”)以后你才能听到铃声！ English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the c
10、reativity of the human race. That is why when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible. And that is why when I wind up my watch, it starts, but when I wind up this passage, it ends. 英语是人创造的， 不是计算机发明的， 它反映了人类的创造力。 这就是为什么 stars are out(星 星出现了)时，我们能看到星星，而当 lights are out(灯光熄灭)时，我们却看不到灯光。这也 是当我 wind up my watch(给手表上紧发条)以后表针开始走，而我 wind up this passage(将本 文收尾)后这篇文章结束的原因。
