流行美語第四十八課
今天李華從 Michael那兒學到了兩個新詞 redneck 和 in the sticks。
M: Come in!
L: Hi Michael! 真抱歉，我沒先告訴你就來了。你的電話一直佔線， 所以我沒法打電話給你。
M: That's no big deal. I was on the phone with my friend Bob who lives in Georgia. He is such a redneck!
L: 原來這樣。對了，你把你朋友叫什麼來著？你說他是什麼啊？
M: I said he's a redneck, R-E-D-N-E-C-K.
L: 一個紅的脖子？ 這是什麼意思啊？
M: A redneck is someone from the countryside who lives a country lifestyle.
L: 所以你叫一個人 redneck就是說他是鄉下人或很土氣。哎，這樣 說別人很不禮貌吧。
M: Well, maybe. If you call someone a redneck, it means you think that they are not very cultured or sophisticated.
L: 你就因為你朋友住在鄉下，你就開他玩笑說他是redneck ，未免 不太好吧。
M: I'm not really making fun of him. Some people are proud to be rednecks. Bob likes to call himself that.
L: 你說叫他redneck，Bob他還很得意呀。那我就不懂了。在中國， 大多數住在鄉下的人都巴不得往城裏跑呢。
M: Well, the U.S. is different. Being a redneck doesn't mean being poor or uneducated. It is a way of living, I guess.
L: 那麼rednecks到底像什麼呢？你來說說。
M: Let me see, how can I describe them? When we say someone is a redneck we mean they are from the south, and speak with a southern accent。
L: 現在我懂了， redneck 呢一般是指美國南方人，或者說話有南方 口音的人。不過說真的，那些南方口音我真的聽不太懂。
M: Also, rednecks like life in the countryside. They enjoy sports such as hunting or fishing. They like living in areas with lots of open space.
L: Hmm, rednecks他們不住在 城市，他們更享受鄉下的生活。
M: Exactly. Also, most rednecks have blue-collar jobs, or work on a farm. By the way, Li Hua, be careful how you use this word. Some people might get angry if you call them a redneck.
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L: 哎，對了，Michael，你那個紅脖子朋友Bob為什麼事打電話給你 啊？
M: Well, he asked me if I wanted to visit him this summer. I'm not sure if I really want to go though.
L: 真的嗎？ 為什麼你不想去呢？
M: He lives out in the sticks. There's nothing for me to do out there.
L: 他生活在那兒？The sticks 是什麼地方啊?
M: Oh, when I say in the sticks, that just means in a rural area, far from a big city.
L: 噢，原來是指鄉下啊。哎喲，只不過離開城市幾天，這樣你也受 不了啊？
M: Well, I am used to city life. I don't know how to fish or hunt, and I really don't like farm work. I don't think I would like living in the sticks.
L: 你覺得你不適合鄉下的生活啊，不過偶爾去呼吸一下新鮮空氣不 是挺好的嗎？
M: I guess. Maybe I should visit him.
L: 要是有人自稱是 redneck 的話，他也許覺得生活在鄉下 in the sticks 也是很值得自豪的了？
M: Actually, the phrase in the sticks is not very polite. You shouldn't tell someone that they live in the sticks unless you are just joking with them.
L: 奧，說別人 live in the sticks 並不是很好，除非你是在開玩笑啊？
M: You are right. Usually when you say something is in the sticks you mean it is far from anything civilized.
L: 其實美國人並不懂得什麼是真正的鄉下。就算他們住在鄉下好了， 只要一開車就到城裏了嘛。
M: That's true. Still, some places out in the sticks are pretty far from a big city, even if you drive a car.
今天李華學到了兩個新詞：redneck 和 in the sticks 。Redneck 是指鄉下人。 In the sticks 則是指遠離城市的農村地區。
