老外最想聊的100個英語口語話題（55)：杯灑人生

　　Drinking 杯灑人生

　　dialogue 1

　　Yang: Bob! Your eyes look bloodshot. Did you not sleep well?

　　鮑勃!你滿眼血絲,沒睡好?

　　Bob: I had a drop too much last night. I attended a banquet given by a Chinese colleague of mine. And it was startling for me to find that people are forced to drink against their will on a Chinese table.

　　昨晚參加一個中國同事的聚會,多喝了幾倍.中國人喝起酒來真可怕,人們老是被逼著多喝幾杯.

　　Y: you have it right. Alcohol is a medium for communicating emotion in China. Drinking with business partners or would-be friends is a way of solidifying friendship, especially in Northern China.

　　這你可說對啦.在中國,喝酒是感情交流的介質(zhì).尤其是在北方,和業(yè)務(wù)伙伴或者準(zhǔn)朋友喝可以增進(jìn)感情.

　　B: I just felt embarrassed if I refused to drink when people toasted to me. But if I keep gulping down one cup after another, I'm afraid I would feel unfit or sick.

　　別人向我敬酒,我要是不喝吧,不好,但是我要是一杯一杯不停地喝,我會感到很不舒服,甚至惡心.

　　Y: you lose face by refusing to drink, and the host might think you refuse to give him face. The right thing to do seems to be drinking yourself into incoherence until you throw up. This will endear you to your friends.

　　拒絕喝酒時很丟面子的,主人可能會覺得你是不給面子.看起來,唯一的做法是喝它個神魂顛倒,知道嘔吐.這反倒會拉近你和朋友們之間的距離.

　　B: a few guys even threw a drunken fit last night, crying hoarsely and bawling whole heaps of nonsense that I never understood.

　　昨晚有幾個人還發(fā)酒瘋,嘶聲竭力,不知道在吼什么.

　　Y: then he must be opening his heart to the friends. In a word, as long as you demonstrate a rediness to drink more in spite of already suffering extreme discomfort, no one will jeer at you.

　　他說的一定是推心置腹的話.總之,在酒席上,只要表明你不顧自己已經(jīng)喝得渾身不舒服,還準(zhǔn)備再喝,沒人會笑話你的.

　　B: I got you. Next time. I'll perface a toast with a statement like 'I can't drink any more' and then drink anyway.

　　明白了.下次,我會在敬酒之前加上一句”其實我已經(jīng)喝不下了”,然后不管三七二十一,一飲而盡.

　　dialogue 2

　　Y: What reasons do westerners drink for?

　　人們喝酒是為了什么?

　　B: I don't think drinking requires any special purposes. For us people in the West, the purpose is generally quite simplc-to savor the wine.

　　其實，我認(rèn)為喝酒應(yīng)該就是喝酒，不為別的.對于我們 西方人來說，目的是很明確的——品酒。

　　Y: I know what you mean there. In many circumstances, people kiss the baby for the nurse's sake. And that's what we do wh朋 drinking at a banquct. Even though wc do have a rich variety of brand-name wines,likc Maotai and Shaoxing Yellow Rice Wine, alcohol is usually served not for the enjoyment itsclf. We just be its Dionysus effect to cnliven the atmosphere, improve personal association with each other and solidify friendship.

　　我明白你的意思。許多情況都是醉翁之意不在灑.我們 中國人酒宴上就是這樣.盡管我們名酒不少，如茅臺，紹興黃酒，我們喝酒并不是為了享受酒本身，我們是利用灑神效應(yīng)，活躍活躍氣氛，彼此之間增進(jìn)交情。

　　B: And to make matters worse, you're urged to drink "one more cup time and again.Thcrc is too much etiquette to obscrvc. You'II be set frcc at a Western banquet It seems we are keen to it asconver =nt as possible to savor the wine, its color, its tuoma and its delicate taste.

　　更糟的是，經(jīng)常被人勸酒：“再來一杯嘛!”要注意的禮節(jié)太多r.可是一到西式酒宴上，你可就自由了-我們樂于為品酒創(chuàng)造便利，品味酒的顏色、氣味和口感。

　　Y: Yeah. It's of supreme importance that the goblet, tablc-cloth, and plates should be madeshiningly clean, so that the color of the winc is clearly VisibIc and the delicate aroma and taste are fully appreciable.

　　是的。所以有一點非常重要，那就是酒杯、桌布和盤子都要擦洗得一塵不染，為的就是使酒的顏色清楚可見.酒的口感和氣味再微妙也能感受出來.

　　B: Yes. For me, who can't hold much liquor, it's particularly ag陀cabIe.1f only I had the

　　chance to cnjoy Chinese Maotai at a leisured pace whilC

　　sitting at a Westcrn banquet!

　　這對于戎這個喝不了多少的人來說挺好的.要是我能在西式灑宴上—杯一】剛鱺翱瞻哉地品嘗中困茅包那就再好不i由短。