美人鱼 - 6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from BBCLearningEnglish.com.

来自 BBCLearningEnglish.com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC 英语教学的六分钟英语。

I'm Neil.

我是尼尔。

And I'm Georgina.

我是乔治娜。

Do you believe in ghosts, Georgina? 短語搭配

乔治娜，你相信有鬼吗？

Well, I've never actually seen one,

嗯，我其实从来没有见过，

not even at Halloween.

甚至在万圣节也没有。

How about dragons then,

那龙呢，

or fairies and elves?

或者是仙女和精灵？

Have you been reading fantasy books, Neil? 語法

尼尔，你是不是一直在看奇幻小说？

Lord of the Rings?

《指环王》吗？

I have been reading a book, Georgina,

乔治娜，我确实在看一本书，

but not Lord of the Rings.

但不是《指环王》。

My book is about an amphibious creature, 用詞

我的书是关于一种两栖动物的，

a creature that lives both on land and in water. 語法

一种既生活在陆地又生活在水里的生物。

Some kind of frog man? 短語搭配

某种蛙人吗？

Mm, you've almost got the idea, Georgina, 語氣意圖

嗯，你快猜对了，乔治娜，

but think woman not man and fish not frog. 語法

但想想女人而不是男人，鱼而不是青蛙。

Half woman, half fish. 語法

半人半鱼。

Mm.

嗯。

I've got it.

我知道了。

A mermaid.

美人鱼。

That's right.

没错。

Mermaids are magical creatures,

美人鱼是神奇的生物，

half woman, half fish,

半人半鱼，

that feature in the myths and legends of many cultures around the world. 用詞

它们出现在世界许多文化的神话和传说中。

Like the sirens whose seductive singing 講解

就像塞壬，她们诱人的歌声

shipwrecked Odysseus and his sailors in ancient Greek mythology. 用詞

在古希腊神话中让奥德修斯和他的水手们遭遇海难。

The sirens are perhaps the most famous, 語法

塞壬或许是最有名的，

but certainly not the only mermaids we'll be hearing about.

但绝对不是我们将要听到的唯一一种美人鱼。

But before we dive into the program, 習語

但在我们深入探讨本期节目之前，

it's time for my quiz question. 短語搭配

到了我的提问时间。

The book I've been reading was, of course,

我一直在读的书，当然是，

The Little Mermaid.

《小美人鱼》。

Yes, I've seen the Disney movie.

是的，我看过迪士尼的电影。

The mermaid is called Ariel.

那条美人鱼叫爱丽儿。

Right, but the movie was based on a fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. 短語搭配

对，但这部电影是根据汉斯·克里斯蒂安·安徒生写的童话改编的。

It became so famous that a statue of The Little Mermaid 語法

它变得如此著名，以至于《小美人鱼》的雕像

was built in the harbor of Andersen's birthplace.

被建在了安徒生出生地的海港里。

But where?

但在哪里呢？

Was it A) Amsterdam,

是 A) 阿姆斯特丹，

B) Copenhagen,

B) 哥本哈根，

or C) Oslo?

还是 C) 奥斯陆？

I'm going to say B) Copenhagen.

我猜是 B) 哥本哈根。

Okay, Georgina.

好的，乔治娜。

I'll tell you the answer later.

稍后我会告诉你答案。

Disney's defenseless mermaid, Ariel,

迪士尼那条毫无防备的美人鱼爱丽儿，

seems the total opposite to the seductive dangerous sirens in The Odyssey. 短語搭配

似乎和《奥德赛》中诱人而危险的塞壬完全相反。

In fact, 表達脈絡

事实上，

descriptions and stories of mermaids have always changed from place to place. 短語搭配

关于美人鱼的描述和故事在各地总是有所不同。

One mermaid-like character found across Africa and the Americas is named Mami Wata. 講解

在非洲和美洲各地发现的一个类似美人鱼的角色名叫 Mami Wata。

Here's British writer Marcelle Mateki

这是英国作家 Marcelle Mateki

talking about the origins of this legend

正在谈论这个传说的起源，

to BBC World Service program The Forum.

在 BBC 世界频道《The Forum》节目中。

Even the name Mami Wata,

甚至是 Mami Wata 这个名字，

which is pidgin English for mother water, 用詞

这是“mother water”的洋泾浜英语，

so it's loosely translated from pidgin English 用詞

所以它从洋泾浜英语中被粗略翻译为

as the mother of water.

水之母。

And the characteristics are commonly shared 短語搭配

大家普遍认同的特征，

when speaking about Mami Wata across the West African coast

当在西非海岸谈论 Mami Wata 时，

is that this deity is the protector of the water kingdom. 講解

就是这位神明是水上王国的保护者。

The name Mami Wata comes from Nigerian pidgin English, 短語搭配

Mami Wata 这个名字来自尼日利亚洋泾浜英语，

a language which has developed from a mixture of two languages 語法

这种语言是由两种语言混合发展而来的，

and is used as a way of communicating by people who do not speak each other's languages. 講解

被不说对方语言的人用作一种交流方式。

Marcelle says that Mami Wata means the mother of water when loosely translated.

Marcelle 说，粗略翻译的话，Mami Wata 的意思是水之母。

Translated in a way that carries over the basic ideas, 短語動詞

以一种传达基本概念的方式进行翻译，

but using words which may not be so accurate. 語氣意圖

但使用的词语可能不那么准确。

Mami Wata is also described as the protector of the water kingdom 短語搭配

Mami Wata 也被描述为水上王国的保护者，

and a deity, a god, goddess, or other divine being. 用詞

以及一位神明，即神、女神或其他神圣存在。

Another version of mermaid-like creatures called selkies 語法

另一种被称为 selkies 的类似美人鱼的生物，

are found in the remote Orkney Islands north of the Scottish mainland. 文化背景

在苏格兰大陆以北偏远的奥克尼群岛被发现。

The selkies can take human form and marry men, 短語搭配

selkies 可以化作人形并与人类结婚，

but every now and then they return to their watery kingdom under the sea. 短語搭配

但偶尔她们会回到海底的水下王国。

Cristina Bacchilega is co-editor of The Penguin Book of Mermaids.

Cristina Bacchilega 是《The Penguin Book of Mermaids》的联合编辑。

According to her, these different versions of mermaids share something in common. 講解

根据她的说法，这些不同版本的美人鱼有一些共同之处。

They force us to question our relationship to water and other beings in the natural world, 短語搭配

它们迫使我们质疑我们与水以及自然界中其他生物的关系，

and even to question how we see ourselves.

甚至质疑我们如何看待自己。

Here's Cristina explaining more in the BBC World Service's The Forum.

以下是 Cristina 在 BBC 世界频道的《The Forum》节目中做的进一步解释。

The beings, not just mermaids, 語法

这些生物，不只是美人鱼，

but selkies and water deities and other water spirits,

还有 selkies 和水神以及其他水精灵，

are often shapeshifters. 用詞

通常是变形者。

They have a certain kind of fluidity of being. 習語

它们在存在上有一种流动性。

So do we approach this world with humility 短語搭配

那么我们是以谦卑的态度对待这个世界，

or do we really uphold a kind of anthropocentric view, 用詞

还是真正坚持一种人类中心主义的观点，

human-centered view of life?

即以人类为中心的生命观？

Mythical creatures are often shapeshifters.

神话生物经常是变形者。

They have the power to change into a different shape or form. 短語搭配

它们拥有变成不同形状或形态的力量。

Moving between the sea and the earth, 語法

在海洋和陆地之间穿梭，

mermaids link two natural worlds. 表達脈絡

美人鱼连接了两个自然世界。

Christina thinks that as humans,

Christina 认为作为人类，

we should approach them with humility.

我们应该以谦卑的态度对待它们。

Someone who has humility is not proud

一个拥有谦卑之心的人是不骄傲的，

and doesn't think they're better than others.

也不认为自己比别人更好。

Well, Neil, I don't think I'm better than a ghost,

嗯，尼尔，我不认为我比鬼魂、

a water spirit,

水精灵、

or a mermaid.

或美人鱼更好。

It's just that I've never seen one. 語氣意圖

只是我从来没见过罢了。

But then again, 表達脈絡

话又说回来，

I've never seen electricity and I believe in that.

我也从来没见过电，但我相信它存在。

Maybe it would help if you saw a statue of a mermaid, 語法

也许如果你看到一座美人鱼的雕像会有所帮助，

if not the real thing. 語法

就算不是真的。

Maybe, but where would I find one?

也许吧，但我在哪里能找到呢？

In my quiz question,

在我的问答题中，

I asked you where you'd see the statue of Hans Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid. 語法

我问你会在哪里看到汉斯·克里斯蒂安·安徒生的《小美人鱼》雕像。

What did you say, Georgina?

你说了什么，乔治娜？

I guessed B) Copenhagen.

我猜的是 B) 哥本哈根。

Which was the correct answer.

这是正确的答案。

The Little Mermaid statue is found in Andersen's birthplace of Copenhagen,

小美人鱼雕像就在安徒生的出生地哥本哈根，

and it really is little, 語氣意圖

而且它真的很小，

only 1 and 1/4 m high.

只有 1.25 米高。

In this program,

在这个节目中，

we've been talking about mermaids,

我们一直在谈论美人鱼，

mythical half-woman, half-fish creatures

神话中半人半鱼的生物，

which are amphibious,

它们是两栖的，

live both on land and in water.

既生活在陆地上也生活在水里。

In some cultures,

在某些文化中，

mermaids are deities or goddesses.

美人鱼是神明或女神。

They can also be shapeshifters,

它们也可以是变形者，

imaginary creatures with the power to change into different shapes.

即有能力变成不同形状的假想生物。

One African mermaid is called Mami Wata in pidgin English,

有一种非洲美人鱼在洋泾浜英语中被称为 Mami Wata，

a mixture of English and local languages

它是英语和当地语言的混合体，

which enables people who do not share a common language to communicate. 語法

使没有共同语言的人们能够交流。

Mami Wata means mother water,

Mami Wata 意思是水之母，

but this is a loose translation,

但这是一个粗略翻译，

a translation which carries over the basic idea,

一种传达基本概念的翻译，

but using words which may not be so accurate.

但使用的词语可能不那么准确。

That's all for this program,

这就是本期节目的全部内容，

but the next time you're near the sea, 語法

但是下次你在海边的时候，

keep an eye out for a splash in the waves. 習語

留意一下海浪中的水花。

You never know what you might see. 語氣意圖

你永远不知道你可能会看到什么。

Join us again soon for more discussion and vocabulary here at Six Minute English

欢迎不久后再次加入我们六分钟英语的更多讨论和词汇学习，

and follow us on social media.

并关注我们的社交媒体。

Bye for now.

暂且拜拜。

Bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

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