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When Staring Hurts 目光伤人 Track 4

2016-11-27

疯狂英语·初中天地 2016年1期
关键词:伊莱亚斯后缀

When Staring Hurts 目光伤人 Track 4

by Rosalie Ferrer Kramer

翻译:常青

相信每个人都曾被陌生路人注视、打量过,这种注视的目光大多令人感到不快甚至反感,友善、暖心的目光并不常会遇到。不过,注视完了也就过去了,谁也不会往心里去。然而,下面这个故事的主人公却不幸是身患重病的残疾人,每天只要出门就要承受各种瞪视、呆视、情感复杂的打量和粗鲁的指指点点。也许瞪视者没有恶意,议论者也只是好奇,但这样的情景屡屡发生会无形中给被瞪视、被议论者很大的伤害和困扰。一个社会的素质,从路人的目光中可见一斑。

Once upon a time, whenever I was out with my children—Iris, Marc and Danny—strangers stared at them and told me how2)attractive they were.But that was before my Marc and Danny became3)wheelchair4)bound due to5)muscular dystrophy.Then, going anywhere with the boys led to a different kind of staring.

lt’s sad that even in these times, when people are supposed to know better, my boys still get stared at.A quick6)glance would be one thing, but the7)veiled look, the pointing, or the8)unabashed, open-mouthed9)gawking is difficult to bear.

Watching us enter a restaurant is quite a sight and we get lots of stares.We10)charge in with our electric wheelchairs, we make11)adjustments to the table, we cut the boys’ food, and they wear12)splints on their13)wrists so they can hold their forks.The boys like to go out to eat so we decided to do something about the staring.Here’s what we do—we stare back.

However, just getting into a restaurant can be a problem.One time Marc wanted to go to the new Big Boy restaurant for his birthday.The restaurants were being greatly14)advertised ontelevision with the big Elias Brother’s fat Big Boy,in the red and white15)checkered clothes, going around and around on a thirty-foot16)pole waving to one and all.Watching that ad caused Marc to think that he was being personally invited.So I wasn’t surprised when he said that he wanted to go there for his birthday.

First I called the Big Boy to make sure our group of seven, including grandma and our assistant could be seated there.I explained the situation to the manager but he said, “We don’t take17)reservations.”

I was18)dumbfounded so I explained, “Well I just didn’t want to cause a19)sensation, and I thought you could put us in that quiet corner in the back where you have the super big20)booth.There will be seven people, two in wheelchairs.”

“I told you lady...”

“Mister, this is a special situation.”

He hung up.I put the phone down and called the21)corporate offices of Elias Brothers who owned the Big Boy22)franchise.As an23)advocate for the disabled, one must be prepared to ask for help.Mr.Elias listened to me without cutting in.When I paused for a breath he said, “Mrs.Kramer,you just call me anytime you want to go to any Big Boy, and a table will be reserved for you and your24)party whether is it seven people or twenty-five.”

We went, as quietly as possible, to the Big Boy near our home.The manager greeted us at the door25)bowing and walking backwards, like a26)maitre in a fancy restaurant.Every eye in the place was on us, but our son was very happy.He said with a smile, “Let’s do our thing, Mom.”

“Okay Marc, who seems like the27)prime culprit to you?”

“I see a kid in a red hat.Even his mom is staring; they’re being very rude.And that28)busboy is standing stone cold29)still just looking and looking.”

We stared away and it worked, as always.Sometimes everyone laughs—the starers and the starees.It breaks the ice and shows people around us that we are just a regular family with a few problems.

大男孩国际餐饮有限公司(B i g Boy Restaurants International, LLC.)创立于1936年,最初以特色食物“Big Boy汉堡包”闻名,这种汉堡包形似“歪歪扭扭的滑稽塔楼”,还有个昵称叫“胖男孩”。“伊莱亚斯兄弟”是大男孩国际连锁餐厅的首个加盟代理商,于1987年买下整条连锁产业,将两个总部分别设在美国密歇根州沃伦市和大底特律都市区,一直经营至2000年破产转让。大男孩国际连锁餐厅目前在美国有100家分店,在日本有279家。

1) stare [steə] v.瞪视,盯着看

2) attractive [ə'træktIv] adj.有吸引力的

3) wheelchair ['wiːltʃeə] n.轮椅

4) bound [baʊnd] adj.被束缚的

5) muscular dystrophy 肌肉萎缩症

6) glance [glæns] n.一瞥,匆匆一看

7) veiled [veIld] adj.含蓄的,不清楚的

8) unabashed ['ʌnə'bæʃt] adj.厚脸皮的,不害羞的

9) gawk [gɔːk] v.呆呆地看

10) charge in 冲进,快速进入

11) adjustment [ə'dʒʌstmənt] n.调整,调节

12) splint [splInt] n.(用来固定断骨的)夹板,托板

13) wrist [rIst] n.手腕

14) advertise ['ædvətaIz] v.做广告

15) checkered ['tʃekəd] adj.有方格的

16) pole [pəʊl] n.杆

17) reservation [rezə'veIʃn]n.保留,(旅馆房间等)预定、预约

18) dumbfounded [dʌm'faʊndId]adj.哑然失声的,目瞪口呆的

19) sensation [sen'seIʃən] n.轰动,引起轰动的人或事

20) booth [buːð] n.饭馆中的隔间

21) corporate office 公司总部

22) franchise ['fræntʃaIz] n.经销权,特许经营权

23) advocate ['ædvəkeIt] n.拥护者,提倡者

24) party ['pαːtI] n.团体,一伙人

25) bow [bəʊ] v.鞠躬,弯腰

26) maitre [法] n.管家,餐厅领班

27) prime culprit 罪魁祸首

28) busboy ['bʌs'bɔI] n.餐馆杂工

29) still [stIl] adv.静止地,不动地

take reservation 接受预订

例句:Could you take reservation?

你们接受预订吗?

同义表达:accept booking

例句:We can’t accept any more bookings.我们不能再接受任何预订了。

cause/create a sensation 引起轰动

例句:His poem appeared in a newspaper,which caused a sensation at that time.

他的诗登在了报纸上,这在当时引起了轰动。I knew I should create a great sensation.

我就知道我会大出风头的。

英语后缀-er和-ee

后缀-er附于动词后面,表示“施动者”,即动作的执行者;后缀-ee附于动词后面,表示“受动者”,即动作的承受者。文中的stare 与-er结合形成派生词starer(瞪视者),与-ee结合形成派生词staree(被瞪视者)。文中出现的franchise(经销权)一词也可以这样变化:franchiser(授予特权者)—franchisee(经销商)。这种构词方法十分常见,例如:trainer(训练员,助理教练)—trainee(学员,培训生,受训者),interviewer(采访者)—interviewee(受访者),employer(雇主)—employee(雇员),examiner(考官,主考人)—examinee(考生,应试者)。

参考译文

从前,每当我和我的三个孩子—艾尔丽斯、马尔克和丹尼一起外出,路人都会盯着他们,还会跟我说我的孩子们很可爱。可是,后来因为肌肉萎缩症,马尔克和丹尼只能靠轮椅行动。自那之后,每次我带他们出去便会招来别样的目光。

让人伤心的是,在当今时代,人们对这个病应该有了更多的了解,可是我的孩子们依然被路人盯着看。如果是轻轻的一瞥,那没什么。但那些微妙含糊的目光,那些指指点点,甚至是目瞪口呆的神情,都叫人难以承受。

我们一家人去餐厅吃饭会成为一景,吸引众人的目光。我们的电动轮椅开进餐厅,我们调整桌子的高度,我给孩子们切食物,他们的手腕要绑着夹板才能握稳刀叉。孩子们喜欢在外面吃饭,不得已之下,我们决定这样应对那些异样的目光—瞪回去。

然而,进入餐厅本身就已经是个问题。有一次马尔克想去新开张的“大男孩”餐厅庆祝生日。电视上大肆宣传着这家餐馆。“伊莱亚斯兄弟”公司旗下“大男孩”连锁餐厅的广告里面,穿着红白格子服装的胖嘟嘟的“大男孩”塑像在一根30英尺的杆子上绕着圈,向每个人招手。看完那个广告之后,马尔克认为自己被特别邀请到餐厅用餐了。所以当他说要在那里庆祝生日时,我并没有感到惊讶。

一开始,我给“大男孩”餐厅打电话,要确认会有座位能容下我们全家七个人,包括奶奶和我们的护工。我向经理说明我们家的情况后,经理说:“我们餐厅不接受订位。”

我顿时惊呆了。我解释说:“我只是不想引起轰动,我以为您能给我们安排角落里安静的大卡座。我们总共有七个人,其中两位坐着轮椅。”

“女士,我已经告诉过你了……”

“先生,这是特殊情况。”

他挂了电话。我又给“大男孩”餐厅的经销公司“伊莱亚斯兄弟”的总部打了电话。身为残疾人权利的倡导者,我必须时刻准备为残疾人寻求援助。伊莱亚斯先生倾听着我的诉求,一直没有插话。当我停顿下来歇口气时,他说:“克雷默太太,任何时候您想去任何一家‘大男孩’餐厅用餐,只要给我打电话,餐厅就会为您预留座位。无论你们有7个人还是25个人,餐厅的大门永远为您打开。”

于是,我们尽可能低调地来到离家不远的“大男孩”餐厅。餐厅经理像五星级饭店里面的领班一样迎接我们。他在门口向我们鞠躬,走路也始终面朝我们。餐厅里每个人的目光都投向我们,不过我的儿子非常高兴。他笑着说:“妈妈,我们也开始行动吧。”

“好的,马尔克,你觉得是谁带头盯着你的?”

“我看到一个戴着红帽子的小孩。连他的妈妈也一直在盯着我们,非常无礼。那个餐厅服务员也像冷冰冰的石头一样站着一动不动,不停地打量着我们。”

我们也瞪回去。像往常一样,这十分奏效。有时候,瞪人者和被瞪者都笑了起来。这反而打破了僵局,同时也向周围的人表明,我们只是一个有些小问题的普通家庭。

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