關(guān)于數(shù)字的英語(yǔ)故事閱讀
在小學(xué)英語(yǔ)教學(xué)的過(guò)程中故事教學(xué)在其中占據(jù)著非常重要的地位。兒童天生就有著好奇、樂(lè)于模仿的性格,小學(xué)英語(yǔ)故事教學(xué)正是迎合了孩子們這些特征。小編精心收集了關(guān)于數(shù)字的英語(yǔ)故事，供大家欣賞學(xué)習(xí)!
關(guān)于數(shù)字的英語(yǔ)故事篇1
Numbers
數(shù)字
A lady noticed her husband standing on the bathroom scale, sucking in his stomach. Thinking he was trying to weigh less with this maneuver, she commented,"I don’t think that’s going to help.""Sure it will,"he said."It’s the only way I can see the numbers."
一個(gè)女人看見(jiàn)丈夫使勁收腹站在體重秤上，以為他想稱(chēng)得輕一點(diǎn)，就說(shuō)：“沒(méi)用的?！?丈夫說(shuō)：“當(dāng)然有用，這樣我才能看到秤上的數(shù)字?！?/p>
關(guān)于數(shù)字的英語(yǔ)故事篇2
Originated in the Christian legends -the Last Supper of Jesus.Jesus' disciple Judas betrayed Jesus to the Roman authorities.Jesus and his 12 disciples,a total of 13 individuals with eating the Last Supper,after Jesus was arrested executions.13 on behalf of the traitor Judas,on behalf of Good Friday.Therefore,the Christian national general disgust 13,dinner,parties,things are not like 13 people together to do some of the streets on the 13th,do not have 13-story buildings.
最早起源于傳說(shuō)——耶穌最后的晚餐.耶穌的門(mén)徒猶大向羅馬當(dāng)局出賣(mài)了耶穌.耶穌和他12個(gè)門(mén)徒一共13個(gè)人一起吃了最后的晚餐,之后耶穌就被逮捕處決了.
13代表叛徒猶大,代表耶穌受難.因此,國(guó)家一般厭惡13,吃飯、聚會(huì)、做事都不喜歡13個(gè)人一起做,有的街道沒(méi)有13號(hào),樓房沒(méi)有13層.
關(guān)于數(shù)字的英語(yǔ)故事篇3
十大經(jīng)典數(shù)字背后的故事
Numbers factor into everything. Some numbers have become so well-known that nobodyquestions where they came from or how they became so important.
數(shù)字無(wú)處不在。有些數(shù)字廣為人知，成為生活中再平常不過(guò)的代號(hào)，人們甚至都無(wú)意追溯其緣起。
10.Route 66
10.66號(hào)公路
It's known as America's Main Street. It's the place where you can get your kicks. Running fromChicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 is an icon of Americana, whisking travelers across thenation's heart. The road was decommissioned in 1985, but it still holds a mythical place inAmerican culture.
66號(hào)公路從芝加哥一路橫貫到洛杉磯，被稱(chēng)為"美國(guó)主干線"，是美國(guó)文化的象征之一。它讓無(wú)數(shù)旅行者蠢蠢欲動(dòng)，吸引人們駕車(chē)馳騁，穿越這個(gè)民族的心臟，探尋其魅力。1985年，66號(hào)公路被迫退役，雖已不復(fù)見(jiàn)于公路地圖，但其傳奇般的過(guò)往仍在美國(guó)文化中舉足輕重。
So why 66? Why not 12, or 384? Let's go back to the beginning. In 1917, Wisconsin becamethe first state to prohibit the marking and naming of roads without the approval of thegovernment. Previously, it was common for roads to be sponsored by motor clubs, privatecompanies, and tourist boards, who would choose the route that best suited them—regardlessof whether it was the best or quickest path for motorists. To replace this confusing system,Wisconsin's State Highway Commission developed an efficient layout of numbered highways,an innovation that was quickly adopted across the country. In 1925, St. Louis was selected asthe hub for four major highways traveling across the US. None of them was supposed to benumbered 66. Instead, Routes 40, 50, and 60 would run east/west, while Route 61 would travelnorth/south. But the plan hit a bump when Kentucky demanded the name Route 60 for thehighway between Virginia Beach, Virginia and Springfield, Missouri (which ran right throughKentucky). The reason? Kentucky was the only state in the Missouri Valley without a road thatended in zero. Really, it was that petty. The original plan was for Route 60 to run betweenChicago and Los Angeles, but Kentucky suggested that this could be renamed Route 62. TheBluegrass State got their way, but other state highway agencies weren't enthusiastic aboutthe Route 62 name—they wanted something more memorable. After noticing that the numberwas still available, Midwest agency members Cyrus Avery and B.H. Piepmeier sent a letter tothe Bureau of Public Roads simply stating, "We prefer 66 to 62." And that was that—the mostfamous road in the United States got its name after a silly fight over numbers ending with zero.
那么問(wèn)題來(lái)了，為什么要叫"66號(hào)公路"，而不是"12號(hào)公路"或者"384公路"呢?讓我們回到最初來(lái)一探究竟。1917年，威斯康星州成為第一個(gè)通過(guò)"未經(jīng)政府允許，不得給公路標(biāo)號(hào)或命名"法案的州。在此之前，公路名稱(chēng)一般都由汽車(chē)俱樂(lè)部、私人公司或旅游局來(lái)命名，這些機(jī)構(gòu)選擇最適合他們宣傳的公路予以贊助，而不考慮這條路對(duì)于車(chē)主來(lái)說(shuō)是不是最好、最快、最便捷。所以，為了取代這些紛繁復(fù)雜的公路系統(tǒng)，威斯康星州公路委員會(huì)規(guī)劃以數(shù)字命名公路，這一創(chuàng)舉迅速被其他州所借鑒。1925年，圣路易斯被選為橫跨美國(guó)的四大主要公路網(wǎng)的中心樞紐。起初，人們完全沒(méi)有考慮66這個(gè)數(shù)字，而是計(jì)劃用60命名東西向的那條公路，用61命名南北向的那條公路，用40和50命名另外兩條公路。但是，由于肯塔基州要求以60命名穿過(guò)肯塔基州的那條公路，于是計(jì)劃泡湯。為什么肯塔基想要60呢?因?yàn)樵诿芴K里谷，肯塔基是唯一一個(gè)沒(méi)有以0結(jié)尾公路的州。沒(méi)辦法，誰(shuí)讓肯塔基州規(guī)模小呢。最初的計(jì)劃是將芝加哥到洛杉磯的洲際公路編號(hào)為60，但是肯塔基州想給經(jīng)過(guò)自己州的公路編號(hào)60，所以提議將這條公路改名為62。牧草州(美國(guó)肯塔基州別名)一意孤行，可其他州并不買(mǎi)賬，大家都想要一個(gè)更具紀(jì)念意義的編號(hào)。意識(shí)到彼此相執(zhí)不下也不能解決問(wèn)題，中西部地區(qū)的代理成員Cyrus Avery和B.H. Piepmeier給國(guó)家公共道路管理局寫(xiě)了一封信，說(shuō)"我們不喜歡62，給我們66吧"。于是，在一場(chǎng)激烈的"搶零風(fēng)波"后，偉大的66號(hào)公路就這樣誕生了!
9.Catch-22
9.第22條軍規(guī)
"Catch-22" is a common phrase in English-speaking countries. It can defined as "a paradox inwhich the attempt to escape makes escape impossible." The term comes from Joseph Heller'sclassic novel of the same name, although its popularity as a phrase didn't really take off untilthe 1970 movie came out. In the book and movie, the phrase refers to an Air Force ruling thatonly a crazy person would make an extremely dangerous bombing run without trying to getout of it. Any pilot who doesn't try to get out of it is clearly deranged and therefore qualifiesfor immediate medical leave on the grounds of insanity. However, anyone who asks not tomake the run must be sane (since trying to get out of danger is the sign of a rational mind)and therefore any pilot who requests medical leave for insanity cannot be granted it. Eitherway, every pilot has to make the run. Catch-22.
"Catch-22"在英語(yǔ)國(guó)家是個(gè)常用短語(yǔ)，用來(lái)形容"自相矛盾、不合邏輯的規(guī)定或條件所造成的無(wú)法脫身或左右為難的困境"。它出自約瑟夫·赫勒的經(jīng)典同名小說(shuō)，不過(guò)直到1970年同名電影上映，這個(gè)短語(yǔ)才真正為人所熟知。在同名小說(shuō)和電影中，catch-22指空軍部隊(duì)的一條軍規(guī)，它規(guī)定"只有瘋子可以免于執(zhí)行轟炸的飛行任務(wù)"。如果一個(gè)飛行員真的瘋了，想不去執(zhí)行轟炸任務(wù)，他可以提出申請(qǐng)，證明自己瘋了，休病假，免于飛行?？墒?，任何想以神智不清為由不去執(zhí)行任務(wù)的人一定是心智健全的(因?yàn)閷?duì)自身安全表示關(guān)注，乃是頭腦理性活動(dòng)的結(jié)果)，所以沒(méi)人能取得瘋癲的病假，因而每個(gè)飛行員都必須執(zhí)行轟炸任務(wù)。這就是第22條軍規(guī)，又謂"坑人二十二"。
But why Catch-22? Well, it's mostly because another book took the original number. In 1955,the first chapter of what became Catch-22 appeared in a magazine under the title Catch-18.The full book hit stores in 1961, but by then there was another popular book with "18" in thetitle: Leon Uris's Mila 18. The publishers thought that the reading public couldn't handle twobooks with the same number in the title, so Catch-18 became Catch-22. But it's not like 18 wasjust some random number Heller pulled out of the sky—it had a specific meaning that the newtitle lost. In Jewish culture, 18 is a highly significant number—the 18th letter in the Jewishalphabet is "chai" which means life (or living). Early drafts of Heller's work had more of a Jewishemphasis. Heller suggested Catch-14 as an alternate title, but the catchier Catch-22 won out.
那么為什么是第22條呢?這就要追溯到另一本書(shū)了。1955年，小說(shuō)《第22條軍規(guī)》的第一章發(fā)表在一本雜志上，不過(guò)當(dāng)時(shí)這本小說(shuō)名為《第18條軍規(guī)》;1961年，全書(shū)完成，小說(shuō)面世。當(dāng)時(shí)，利昂·尤里斯的小說(shuō)Mila18很受歡迎，出版者考慮到讀者可能會(huì)混淆兩本同帶數(shù)字18的書(shū)，于是建議將Catch-18改為Catch-22。赫勒起初選取數(shù)字18，不是一時(shí)興起、毫無(wú)緣由的。在猶太文化中，18是一個(gè)很重要的數(shù)字，猶太字母表中的第18個(gè)字母是"chai"，意思是生命或生存。赫勒的早期作品比較強(qiáng)調(diào)猶太文化，不過(guò)改名之后的小說(shuō)名稱(chēng)失去了這一暗含寓意。赫勒曾經(jīng)想過(guò)用Catch-14，不過(guò)最后還是選擇了更吸引眼球的Catch-22。
8.Unlucky numbers
8.不吉利的數(shù)字
Different cultures consider different numbers to be bad luck. In English-speaking countries, it'susually 13 which is held to be unlucky. This belief might go back as far as the Babylonian Codeof Hammurabi, which skips a 13th law for unclear reasons. There are quite a few otherindications that the number had negative connotations in the ancient world, including Judasbeing the 13th person to arrive at the Last Supper. The belief could have originated in ancientSumeria, where 12 was considered the perfect number.
每個(gè)文化中都有所謂的厄運(yùn)數(shù)字，而在英語(yǔ)國(guó)家，這個(gè)惡名就落到了數(shù)字13身上。"13不吉利"的說(shuō)法最早要追溯到古巴比倫的《漢謨拉比法典》，該法典中跳過(guò)了第13條法律，原因不明。另外，古代有很多關(guān)于13不吉利的傳說(shuō)，其中一個(gè)是說(shuō)在最后的晚餐上，猶大是第13位到場(chǎng)的客人。還有人將不吉利13的緣起歸于古蘇美爾文化，該文化中12被視作完美的數(shù)字。
In modern times, there are still many buildings in North America that don't have a 13th floordue to the superstition. Every year, Friday the 13th sees about 0 million less in economicactivity than you'd expect, as people tend to avoid the day for traveling or events likeweddings. In 1907, Thomas Lawson had a hit bestseller with Friday the Thirteenth, in which acrazed stockbroker attempts to bring down the market, further cementing the day's poorreputation. In Asia, it's four which is considered bad luck. The number four in Chinese soundsremarkably similar to the word for death. Naturally, people don't like to associate with anythingthat sounds like death. China went as far as discontinuing license plates with the number fourin them. As American buildings skip 13, some Chinese buildings skip the fourth floor. Fans ofthe acclaimed Hong Kong police thriller Infernal Affairs (which was given a Hollywood remake asThe Departed) may have noticed that the classic elevator scene skips the fourth floor.
現(xiàn)在，北美的很多建筑仍然由于這一迷信而有意跳過(guò)樓層13，甚至每年恰逢13號(hào)星期五的經(jīng)濟(jì)額也比其他時(shí)候少8億之多，因?yàn)槿藗兌急M量避免在那一天出去旅游或舉辦婚禮之類(lèi)的大型活動(dòng)。1907年，托馬斯·勞森所著之書(shū)《黑色星期五》躋身暢銷(xiāo)書(shū)單，書(shū)中描述了一個(gè)精神失常的股票經(jīng)紀(jì)人企圖使市場(chǎng)股價(jià)下滑的故事，這又進(jìn)一步加重了13的不吉利意味。在亞洲，人們往往認(rèn)為數(shù)字4不吉利，中文中數(shù)字"4"的發(fā)音跟"死"的發(fā)音相近，所以人們聽(tīng)到"4"就很自然的聯(lián)想到了"死"。在中國(guó)，人們的車(chē)輛牌照往往沒(méi)有4，就像美國(guó)建筑會(huì)跳過(guò)樓層13一樣，中國(guó)有些大樓也會(huì)跳過(guò)樓層4。一些鐘愛(ài)香港警匪片的粉絲們也許留意過(guò)，在電影《無(wú)間道》(曾于2006年被好萊塢翻拍為《無(wú)間道行者》)經(jīng)典的電梯一幕中，電梯上沒(méi)有4層的按鈕。
7.Sports Numbers
7.運(yùn)動(dòng)場(chǎng)上的數(shù)字
Look around any sporting event and you'll see thousands of fans wearing their favorite players'jersey. These days, the most popular players are practically synonymous with their number.The origin of numbered jerseys couldn't be any simpler. In soccer, or football to most of theworld, shirt numbers were introduced to match up with your position on the field. Goalies wore1, and at the other end of the field the field strikers wore 9 and 10. The first substitute wore12, and the next wore 14—naturally, few players wanted to wear unlucky 13. These days,numbers mostly no longer correspond to position, but some elements of the system remain,like the term "false nine " for a striker who tends to drop deep into midfield instead of stayingforward like a traditional 9.
環(huán)顧各大運(yùn)動(dòng)賽場(chǎng)，會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)無(wú)數(shù)的粉絲穿著代表他們最喜歡的運(yùn)動(dòng)員的運(yùn)動(dòng)服?，F(xiàn)在，運(yùn)動(dòng)員似乎跟他們場(chǎng)上所穿衣服的號(hào)碼融為了一體。運(yùn)動(dòng)員穿帶有數(shù)字的運(yùn)動(dòng)衫，原因很簡(jiǎn)單。比如說(shuō)大多國(guó)家的足球或橄欖球項(xiàng)目，球衣號(hào)碼就代表著球員在場(chǎng)上的位置。守門(mén)員穿1號(hào)，前鋒穿9號(hào)和10號(hào)，第一替補(bǔ)穿12號(hào)，第二替補(bǔ)穿14號(hào)——沒(méi)人愿意穿不吉利的13號(hào)?，F(xiàn)在，數(shù)字大多與位置無(wú)關(guān)，不過(guò)有些數(shù)字的位置信息還是保留了下來(lái)，比如說(shuō)"偽9號(hào)"，指的是一個(gè)經(jīng)?；爻返街袌?chǎng)拿球的中鋒，而不是傳統(tǒng)的只在禁區(qū)線附近活動(dòng)的正統(tǒng)9號(hào)。
In baseball, the first team to wear numbers was the minor league team in Reading,Pennsylvania in 1907. Nine years later, the Cleveland Indians of the majors wore numbers forthe first time (it only lasted a few weeks, but they brought them back later). As with soccer,baseball's numbers coincided with positions—in this case in the usual batting order. So BabeRuth's famous 3 wasn't his personal choice, it was because he batted third in the lineup. ThePhiladelphia Athletics were the last team to fully embrace numbers—they wouldn't wear themfor home games until 1937 .
在棒球運(yùn)動(dòng)中，賓夕法尼亞州雷丁的一支棒球小聯(lián)盟于1907年首次身著帶號(hào)碼的球衣進(jìn)行比賽。9年后，美國(guó)職棒大聯(lián)盟球隊(duì)克里夫蘭印地安人隊(duì)首次身著號(hào)碼球衣。跟足球一樣，棒球服的數(shù)字也跟位置對(duì)應(yīng)，不過(guò)棒球服的數(shù)字排序簡(jiǎn)單，是根據(jù)打擊順序排列的。所以，巴比·魯斯身著三號(hào)球服并不是出自個(gè)人意愿，而是由他在場(chǎng)上的位置決定的。費(fèi)城的棒球運(yùn)動(dòng)員是最后一批完全接納數(shù)字球衣的隊(duì)伍，直到1937年，他們才愿意穿上帶號(hào)碼的球衣進(jìn)行主場(chǎng)比賽。
6.205 Communists
6.205名共產(chǎn)黨員
In one of the most infamous speeches in American political history, Senator Joseph McCarthymade a shocking allegation—there were communists working in the US government! Thespeech was headline-grabbing then, and it might be even more notorious now. McCarthy wouldeventually flame out after accusing the US Army of harboring communists and becoming thebutt of ridicule for his over-the-top antics, which famously climaxed with him being chided, "Have you no sense of decency?"
美國(guó)參議員約瑟夫·麥卡錫曾大肆宣稱(chēng)美國(guó)政府有共產(chǎn)黨員滲透，這一演講也成為美國(guó)政壇史上一次臭名昭著的演講。該演講的主題在當(dāng)時(shí)奪人眼球，在當(dāng)下更是聲明狼藉。麥卡錫譴責(zé)美國(guó)軍隊(duì)包庇共產(chǎn)黨員，這種滑稽透頂?shù)难哉撟屗兂闪巳藗兊男Ρ?，大家斥?zé)他："你難道都沒(méi)有一點(diǎn)良知嗎"，麥卡錫這才消停了。
But his 1950 speech caused a sensation. The speech was given in the rather incongruoussetting of the Women's Republican Club of Wheeling, West Virginia. There's some debate overhow many communists McCarthy claimed were in the government, since he later announcedthat there were 57 card-carrying communists in the State Department, but most agree that theoriginal number he gave was 205. So where did the flamboyant McCarthy pull that 205number out of? Believe it or not the number did have some basis in reality. In 1946, the StateDepartment's screening committee identified 284 potential security risks—people with far leftties. Later in the year, 79 of them were let go, leaving 205. Congress had been informed ofthese findings in 1946, but it didn't raise much of a stir. In 1950, immediately after the AlgerHiss trial, the first Soviet atomic bomb test, and the fall of China to communism, the mood wasvery different. So despite McCarthy's questionable motives, he did have reason to believe thataround 205 State Department employees could potentially be security risks. Naturally,McCarthy wildly exaggerated (he was so adamant that he had discovered 205 communiststhat it took the State Department weeks to realize he was alluding to their own investigation)but he didn't just make the number up out of thin air either.
1950年，在對(duì)西弗吉尼亞共和黨婦女俱樂(lè)部的演講中，麥卡錫聲稱(chēng)自己有一張紙，上面記錄著為國(guó)務(wù)院工作的57名共產(chǎn)黨人名單，這一舉動(dòng)引起輿論嘩然。不過(guò)大家都認(rèn)為最初的人數(shù)有205個(gè)。那么，狂傲的麥卡錫是從哪里挑出的205人呢?不管你信不信，這個(gè)數(shù)字還真有現(xiàn)實(shí)依據(jù)。1946年，國(guó)務(wù)院審查委員會(huì)指控了284名潛在危險(xiǎn)人物，唯一的證據(jù)就是對(duì)公務(wù)員進(jìn)行"忠誠(chéng)調(diào)查"后的甄別材料。其后一年，284人中有79人被解雇，剩下205人。國(guó)會(huì)早在1946年就公布過(guò)這些材料，但當(dāng)時(shí)并未引起注目。而到了1950年，阿爾杰·希斯審判案后不久，蘇聯(lián)發(fā)起第一次原子彈實(shí)驗(yàn)，中國(guó)也成為共產(chǎn)主義共和國(guó)，于是使得美國(guó)的氣氛也變得不同。所以，盡管麥卡錫動(dòng)機(jī)可疑，但他確實(shí)有理由質(zhì)疑國(guó)務(wù)院存在205名左右的危險(xiǎn)分子。很明顯，麥卡錫夸大了事實(shí)(他堅(jiān)持說(shuō)有205名共產(chǎn)黨員，國(guó)務(wù)院花了數(shù)周才意識(shí)到麥卡錫是拐彎抹角的指明他引用了他們之前調(diào)查的數(shù)據(jù))，但這個(gè)數(shù)字也不是憑空捏造的。
5.Towns
5.城鎮(zhèn)的命名
Naming a town seems like a pretty straightforward thing. In America, they're mainly namedafter people, local landmarks, or other towns. So if someone tells you it's called New Yorkbecause people just liked it better that way, you can correct them and say it was named for theeventual King James II of England, then known as the Duke of York and Albany.
給城鎮(zhèn)命名聽(tīng)上去似乎很簡(jiǎn)單。美國(guó)的城鎮(zhèn)一般以人物、地標(biāo)或其他城鎮(zhèn)的名字為名，所以如果有人跟你說(shuō)紐約之所以叫紐約，只是因?yàn)槿藗兿矚g這么叫時(shí)，你就可以糾正并告訴他，紐約的叫法其實(shí)包含了對(duì)當(dāng)時(shí)的約克和奧爾巴尼公爵、英王詹姆斯二世的尊敬。
But what about towns named for numbers? One such town came to public attention via thenational pastime. Bill Voiselle was a major league baseball pitcher during the 1940s. Today,he's best remembered for his uniform number—at a time when everyone wore low numbers,Voisselle wore #96. His reasoning was pretty simple: he was from the town of Ninety Six,South Carolina. Ninety Six got its unusual name from a simple quirk of cartography. In 1730,surveyor George Hunter marked the area as being 96 miles from the Cherokee town ofKeowee. The number made it onto the maps, and the name has stuck around ever since.Thenational building supply chain 84 Lumber got its name in a similar way—the company wasfounded in the town of Eighty Four, Pennsylvania. Like most number-based towns, there are allsorts of crazy stories about how Eighty Four came to be named, but the most likely story isactually quite simple. The small rural community wanted the name Smithville for their postalroute. That name was already taken in eastern Pennsylvania, so postmaster H.F. Weir asked forthe route to be named after the year the post office was built: 1884. A slightly abbreviatedversion ended up becoming the town's official name.
那么，以數(shù)字為名的城鎮(zhèn)又有什么說(shuō)法呢?比爾·維斯樂(lè)是20世紀(jì)40年代棒球大聯(lián)盟的一名投手，他因自己的球衣號(hào)碼為人所熟知，那個(gè)時(shí)候，大家的球衣號(hào)碼都是小數(shù)字，而維斯樂(lè)球衣背后的號(hào)碼是大數(shù)字96。他說(shuō)選這個(gè)數(shù)字的原因很簡(jiǎn)單：他來(lái)自南卡羅來(lái)納的九十六小城，這個(gè)小城因制圖時(shí)的一個(gè)小失誤而得名96。1730年，測(cè)量員喬治·亨特一時(shí)疏忽把這個(gè)小城距切羅基原住民居住地的距離標(biāo)到了地圖上，自那之后，這個(gè)小城就成了96小城。84木材是一家連鎖國(guó)家建材供應(yīng)商，跟96小城一樣，它的命名也是源自公司所在的地區(qū)：賓夕法尼亞州的84小城。大多以數(shù)字命名的小城都有著各種各樣的稀奇?zhèn)髡f(shuō)，84小城也不例外，不過(guò)，它的來(lái)歷相對(duì)比較簡(jiǎn)單。起初，這個(gè)小城想以Smithville來(lái)命名其郵遞路線，但那個(gè)名字已經(jīng)被賓夕法尼亞州東部的一個(gè)小城用了，于是郵政局長(zhǎng) H.F. Weir征求大家意見(jiàn)，建議用郵局所建年份1884做名字，最后，大家選擇了年份的后兩位數(shù)作為小城的官方名稱(chēng)。
4.Heinz 57
4.亨氏57變
The Heinz Company is known for making condiments—so many of them that the companyfamously adopted the advertising slogan "57 Varieties." The company was founded in 1869 andhas prospered ever since, although it took a bit of a tumble when John Kerry ran for Presidentin 2004. Since Kerry was married to Teresa Heinz, the widow of company Heir John Heinz III,some Republicans claimed that purchasing Heinz products was "like giving to the Democrats."Unsurprisingly, Heinz survived this backlash and continues to produce well over 57 products.
亨氏集團(tuán)以其調(diào)味品著稱(chēng)，很多調(diào)味品都采用了"57變"的廣告語(yǔ)。亨氏集團(tuán)自1869年成立以來(lái)生意一直很好，只是2004年約翰·克里競(jìng)選總統(tǒng)時(shí)業(yè)績(jī)有些下滑，因?yàn)榭死锶⒘撕嗍霞瘓F(tuán)繼承人約翰·海茵茨三世的遺孀特麗莎·海茵茨，所以一些共和黨人認(rèn)為購(gòu)買(mǎi)亨氏集團(tuán)的產(chǎn)品"就像在給民主黨投票"。不過(guò)，亨氏集團(tuán)最終還是熬過(guò)了這次抵制行動(dòng)，繼續(xù)生產(chǎn)了57種產(chǎn)品。
So why is the number 57 associated with Heinz? It all started in 1896, when company founderHenry Heinz was on a train in New York City and passed a sign advertising 21 different styles ofshoes. Heinz thought that was brilliant—it made the company seem complex and diversifiedand appealed to many different tastes in shoes. By that point, his company already had wellover 60 products available, but Heinz decided 57 worked better. Some sources say heconsidered 57 his lucky number, others claim that his lucky number was five, and his wife's wasseven. Or maybe he just liked how it sounded. Regardless, the number 57 doesn't actually referto 57 specific varieties of anything—it's just a catchy marketing device.
為什么57會(huì)跟海茵茨扯上關(guān)系呢?這要追溯到1896年，那一年，亨氏集團(tuán)創(chuàng)始人亨利·海茵茨在紐約市的火車(chē)上，正巧看到路邊一則廣告上展示著21種不同風(fēng)格的鞋子。海茵茨心想，這個(gè)廣告主意不錯(cuò)，能展現(xiàn)出公司鞋子產(chǎn)品的多樣化并吸引不同需求的消費(fèi)者購(gòu)買(mǎi)。那個(gè)時(shí)候，他的公司已經(jīng)生產(chǎn)了60余種產(chǎn)品，但是海茵茨覺(jué)得57更好。有傳言說(shuō)57是海茵茨的幸運(yùn)數(shù)字;還有人說(shuō)5是他的幸運(yùn)數(shù)字，7是他妻子的幸運(yùn)數(shù)字;也或者他就僅僅是喜歡57的發(fā)音呢。不管怎么說(shuō)，雖然是選擇了57，但這并不是指代57種特定的調(diào)味品，而是吸引市場(chǎng)眼球的一個(gè)手段。
3.Six Million Jews
3.600萬(wàn)猶太人
There are some numbers that shouldn't be questioned, yet Holocaust denial has been aroundsince the 1950s, when the influential American priest Gerald L. K. Smith claimed that no Jewshad been killed by the Nazis—they had all secretly emigrated to America instead. Former IranianPresident Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is still telling anyone who can stand to hear him talk that theHolocaust is a myth, while others content themselves with claiming that the six million Jewsestimated to have been killed is an exaggeration.
有些數(shù)字不容人們質(zhì)疑，可是自20世紀(jì)50年代起，否認(rèn)大屠殺的事就一直未平息。美國(guó)一位很有影響力的牧師Gerald L. K. Smith聲稱(chēng)，納粹不曾殺害過(guò)一個(gè)猶太人，相反，猶太人都被秘密安全轉(zhuǎn)移到美國(guó)了。前伊朗總統(tǒng)馬哈茂德·艾哈邁迪-內(nèi)賈德仍然大言不慚的跟那些能忍著聽(tīng)完他講話的人說(shuō)納粹德國(guó)對(duì)猶太人的大屠殺是一個(gè)迷;還有一些人則安慰自己說(shuō)600百萬(wàn)猶太人被殺害有些夸大其詞。
But six million isn't just a random guess—it's well documented. The Nazis kept detailedrecords of their atrocities, including how many Jews were moved to concentration camps orkilled by roving death squads. Adolf Eichmann, as responsible as anyone for planning theHolocaust, was confident that a bit over five million Jews had been killed. Historians have doneextensive work to determine the exact number—including those who never even made it toEichmann's camps. For example, SS records confirm at least 7,000 died during the fighting ofthe 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. After meticulously scouring the records, the historian LucyDawidowicz put the total number killed at 5.93 million. Other historians have reached similarfigures. The fact that these figures derive from German bureaucratic records should beenough to blow a hole in any Holocaust denier's theories. There was a Holocaust, it was real,and the Nazis are the ones who said so.
但是600萬(wàn)這個(gè)數(shù)字并不是隨意的猜想，而是有文件記載的。納粹黨人保留了他們暴行的詳細(xì)記錄，包括有多少猶太人被運(yùn)往集中營(yíng)，有多少人死于敢死隊(duì)。在猶太人大屠殺中執(zhí)行"最終方案"的主要負(fù)責(zé)者納粹戰(zhàn)犯阿道夫·艾希曼承認(rèn)有500多萬(wàn)猶太人被殺害。歷史學(xué)家做了大量工作以獲得確切數(shù)字，想知道那些都沒(méi)能到集中營(yíng)就喪命的人數(shù)。就如，根據(jù)SS黨衛(wèi)軍的記錄，單在1943年華沙猶太人隔離區(qū)起義中，就有至少7000名猶太人被殺害。經(jīng)過(guò)細(xì)致調(diào)查和統(tǒng)計(jì)，歷史學(xué)家Lucy Dawidowicz指出，被迫害的猶太人有593萬(wàn)，其他歷史學(xué)家的統(tǒng)計(jì)也跟這個(gè)計(jì)算結(jié)果相近。這些根據(jù)德國(guó)官方記錄而得出的受害人數(shù)足以抨擊否認(rèn)大屠殺的人的陰謀論。大屠殺真實(shí)存在，迫害方納粹黨就是這場(chǎng)殘暴屠殺的見(jiàn)證者。
2.The 38th Parallel
2.三八線
The 38th parallel is a circle of latitude that served as the initial basis for the famousdemilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea—the most heavily fortified border inthe world. The DMZ traces its origins to World War II. As US forces landed in the south ofKorea and the Soviet Red Army overran the Japanese forces in the north, there needed to be aline where the two armies could meet without overlapping (and possibly ending up fighting eachother). The 38th parallel was chosen. But why?
三八線是一條用以劃分南北朝鮮之間受降范圍的暫時(shí)軍事分界線，是世界上防衛(wèi)最森嚴(yán)的一條邊界線。其歷史要追溯到第二次世界大戰(zhàn)，那時(shí)，美國(guó)武力登陸朝鮮南部，蘇聯(lián)紅軍將日本軍力控制在北部，所以需要有一條分界線來(lái)劃分兩國(guó)部隊(duì)控制的受降區(qū)，以免兩國(guó)軍隊(duì)見(jiàn)面打起來(lái)。于是，就選擇了三八線，為什么呢?
It turns out that the line had no real historical significance. Prior to the Allied invasion, Koreafunctioned as a whole pretty well. It was the Soviets and Americans who decided to split thenation. Dean Rusk, a member of General George Marshall's staff (and a future Secretary ofState), looked over a National Geographic map with Army Colonel Charles "Tic" Bonesteel. Thepair were determined that Seoul should be in the American zone, but they couldn't find anatural break north of the city. They eventually settled for the 38th parallel, around 56kilometers (35 mi) north of Seoul. The Soviets agreed to the entirely arbitrary dividing line andthe rest is (war-torn) history.
事實(shí)證明這條分界線的確立并沒(méi)有什么歷史性的意義。盟軍入侵之前，朝鮮還是個(gè)完整的國(guó)家，是蘇聯(lián)和美國(guó)硬生生把這個(gè)國(guó)家一分為二。喬治·馬歇爾將軍的一位年輕參謀迪安·拉斯克上校(Dean Rusk，后來(lái)?yè)?dān)任美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)卿)和陸軍軍官查爾斯·邦斯迪爾審視了國(guó)家地圖后，認(rèn)為首爾應(yīng)該歸在美國(guó)受降區(qū)，但是他們沒(méi)能在這個(gè)城市的北部找到一個(gè)自然分界線。于是最后選擇了距首爾北部大約56,000米，位于北緯38度附近的一條線。蘇聯(lián)對(duì)這個(gè)隨意劃分的分界線也表示同意，三八線就這么形成了。
1.Letterman's Top 10 lists
1.萊特曼的前10榜
Everyone loves lists. There are even websites based on the idea. But the idea behind a Top 10list didn't originate in the Internet age—magazines have been doing them for decades. Butnothing helped popularize Top 10 lists as much as Late Night with David Letterman.
每個(gè)人都喜歡榜單，有很多網(wǎng)站也是基于排名而設(shè)立。不過(guò)，前十排行這個(gè)主意可不是緣起于互聯(lián)網(wǎng)時(shí)代，雜志媒介已經(jīng)采用這種形式數(shù)十年了。但要說(shuō)讓前十榜單這一形式紅起來(lái)的，那還要屬午夜聊天節(jié)目《大衛(wèi)深夜脫口秀》。
In its early days, Letterman was known for being edgier than other talk shows—since it was onlater in the evening, it had more leeway to get away with silly stunts. Writer Randy Cohen hasoften been given credit for the idea of doing a humorous Top 10 list, but Cohen himself saysit was more of a team effort. Which is good, because it seems like everyone who worked forLetterman except Letterman himself thinks they came up with the idea as a spoof of other Top10 lists. The direct inspiration was likely a Cosmopolitan list of the 10 sexiest men over 60.The first list, written by Kevin Curran, was the Top 10 Words That Almost Rhyme With "Peas."But what about Listverse? Well, our very first list was published way back in 2007. And whileListverse didn't always follow the 10-item format, it works well, as history has shown us.
早期時(shí)候，這檔脫口秀以其生動(dòng)犀利的語(yǔ)言而聞名，因?yàn)楣?jié)目是在午夜播出，所以可以盡情嬉笑怒罵，將娛樂(lè)精神展現(xiàn)的淋漓盡致。人們常常將前十排行這一創(chuàng)意歸功于寫(xiě)手蘭迪·科恩，不過(guò)科恩自己說(shuō)這更多的是團(tuán)隊(duì)協(xié)作的成果。這樣想也好，因?yàn)檫@樣一來(lái)，似乎除了主持人萊特曼以外，每個(gè)為這檔脫口秀工作的人都可以把自己算作創(chuàng)造前十榜單笑料的一員。前十排行的直接靈感來(lái)源于Cosmopolitan的"十大60歲以上的最性感大叔"榜單?！洞笮l(wèi)深夜脫口秀》中的第一份前十排行榜是凱文·庫(kù)然寫(xiě)的"十大跟peas(豌豆)押韻的詞語(yǔ)"。
翻譯：毛志遙
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