美國人的生活及語言—西部
Mention America's West to Sarah Ann McIntosh, and her face lights up like a jack-o-lantern. She becomes animated when talking about one of the largest, most diverse regions in the United States. "Wide open spaces. Cowboys. Movies. Music. Computer chips. Tacos. Espresso stands," she says in rapid succession. "Beautiful people. Surfers. Mountain men. Buffaloes. Las Vegas strip. Blizzards. Icebergs."
向莎拉‧安‧麥金塔談到美國西部，她的臉就會像南瓜燈般亮起來。一談到這個美國其中一個最大、最多樣化的地區，她就顯得興緻勃勃。「寬闊的空間、牛仔、電影、音樂、電腦晶片、炸玉米餅、espresso咖啡攤，」她一個接著一個地說：「還有美麗的居民、衝浪者、山居人、水牛、拉斯維加斯的脫衣舞表演、暴風雪、冰山。」
⊙ Word Bank
jack-o-lantern (n) 南瓜燈
Life and Language (West)(Part 2 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
As Ms. McIntosh shows, the West covers a vast expanse—not only the Pacific and Rocky Mountain states, but Alaska as well. It is a territory that has held a mythical appeal for centuries and comprises what many consider America's last frontier. For many, the American West is an idea, a promise, a seed of hope. Henry David Thoreau once wrote: "Eastward I go only by force; westward I go free."
如同麥小姐所說的，西部涵蓋了一片廣大的地區，不只是瀕太平洋和洛磯山山區的各州，也包括阿拉斯加。幾世紀以來，這個地區一直散發著神祕的吸引力，許多人認為西部是美國最後的邊境。對許多人來說，美國西部是一個信念、一個應許、一粒希望的種子。亨利‧梭羅曾寫過：「東行僅因被迫，西進卻為自由。」
Life and Language (West)(Part 3 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
In the 1800s, Horace Greeley exhorted his countrymen to "Go west," and millions took up his call. The stoic individuals who ventured to the frontier were reverently referred to as pioneers, individuals who embodied the true character of the nation.
十九世紀時，格利禮力勸他的同胞們「西進」，數以百萬的人回應了這個呼召。那些前往邊境冒險堅忍的民眾被景仰為先驅，他們具體表現了這個國家的真實性格。
⊙ Word Bank
exhort (v) 
勸告；勸誡
Life and Language (West)(Part 4 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
Perhaps more than any other region of the United States, the West retains this legacy and still appeals to pioneering souls who want to gamble with their future—whether they visit Las Vegas or not. The city in fact was built on the roll of the dice—and the promise of better things to come in the future.
和美國其他地區相比，或許西部更加保留了此一遺產，仍然吸引著那些想要同未來下賭注的拓荒者——不管他們是不是去拉斯維加斯。事實上這個城市是在擲骰子的隨機致富中建立起來的，也建立在「明天會更好」的承諾之中。
⊙ Word Bank
legacy (n) 
傳承自祖先之物
roll of the dice (n phr) 擲骰子，意指隨機
Life and Language (West)(Part 5 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
The West today continues to be a magnet for immigrants and travelers alike. The pioneer days are gone, of course, but when it comes to language, the past is still very much evident in the present. The region became a hodgepodge of languages and dialects, some from the East, some from the South and some from other countries entirely.
對於移民者和旅行家而言，今天的西部仍像一塊大磁鐵吸引著他們。當然，拓荒的日子已經過了，但談論到語言時，便能非常清楚地看見昔日對今日的影響。這個地區成為語言和方言的大雜燴，有些來自東部，有些來自南部，而有些完全是來自別的國家。
⊙ Word Bank
hodgepodge (n) 
大雜燴
Life and Language (West)(Part 6 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
Spanish words and phrases crept into the language of the West, eventually entering the American language mainstream. Terms such as canyon, plaza, sombrero, patio, burro, stampede, rodeo, bonanza and pronto all trace their origins to the Spaniards who owned the Southwest before the Americans did.
西班牙的字彙和片語悄悄進入西部的語言，最後進入了美國語言的主流。一些像是峽谷、購物中心、墨西哥寬邊草帽、中庭（內院）、馱貨的小毛驢、狂衝的牛群、公開的牛仔競技、走鴻運和立刻等字眼，都可以追本溯源到那些在美國人之前就擁有西南部的西班牙人。
Life and Language (West)(Part 7 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
The days of the "Wild, Wild West" also contributed to language in the western regions. Words and phrases like bogus, rip-roaring, joint (as in a place to gather with friends), gunplay, hold up and caught between a rock and a hard place came into the English language when life in the West was wild and peopled with outlaws, sheriffs and cowboys.
「西部拓荒」的日子也有助於西部地區的語言發展。在西部生活仍然狂野，並居住著一些亡命之徒、警長和牛仔時，一些像是贗品、吵鬧喧嘩的、廉價酒館（一個朋友相聚的地方）、槍戰、持槍搶劫以及進退維谷等字，也被收容於英語之中。
⊙ Word Bank
people (v) 
居住於
Life and Language (West)(Part 8 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
Hollywood greatly contributed to the cowboy culture and the cowboy legend as well. The producers and directors who churned out the Western flicks would have everyone believe that the West was filled mostly with cowboys, when in fact farmers outnumbered them almost 1,000 to one. Terms such as bounty hunter, gunslinger and to have an itchy trigger finger came from the pens of Hollywood scriptwriters rather than the dusty cattle drives.
對於牛仔文化和牛仔傳奇來說，好萊塢的貢獻也很大。拍攝西部電影的製作人和導演會使大家相信西部最多的就是牛仔，然而事實上農夫與牛仔數目的比例大約是1,000比1。一些字彙像是追捕懸賞之罪犯者、槍戰者，以及愛扣板機，都是出自好來塢劇本家的筆下，而非來自灰塵瀰漫的驅趕牛群隊伍之中。
Life and Language (West)(Part 9 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
Outside Hollywood, California itself is an incubator of American slang, producing phrases such as bodacious, awesome and many more. The state's Silicon Valley also contributed to English's high tech lingo: software, hardware and megabyte. And as the computer age has just begun, more are surely on the way.
出了好萊塢，加州本身就造就了美國俚語的普遍，創造了膽大包天的（很棒的）、引人敬畏的以及許多其他的詞彙。這一州的矽谷也增加了英語的高科技字彙：軟體、硬體及百萬位元。而因電腦時代剛剛開始，肯定還有很多高科技字彙會出現。
⊙ Word Bank
incubator (n) 
培養器
Life and Language (West)(Part 10 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
No discussion of the West would be complete without mention of food. Words for foods of immigrant cultures can now be found in many grocery stores. Typical American housewives can buy pesto, tomatillos, focaccia, bok choy and tofu. As un-American as these may sound, foods such as these appear more and more often in dishes on menus in restaurants, particularly in California and the Pacific Northwest.
如果不提到食物，就無法完整的討論西部。現在在許多食品雜貨店，可以發現移民文化帶來的飲食字眼。典型的美國家庭主婦可以買到pesto醬（義大利麵調味醬之一），墨西哥櫻桃，義大利圓麵包，白菜和豆腐。即使這些食物聽起來一點也不美國化，但它們卻愈來愈常出現在餐廳的菜單上，特別是在加州和西北太平洋區。
Life and Language (West)(Part 11 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
Chefs blur cultural lines by adding new ingredients to old stand-bys. Mexican cuisine, including tacos, enchiladas and burritos are now being blended with Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and other influences to create new delicacies for Western gourmands.
餐廳主廚們在舊的佐料中加入了新的成分，藉此模糊了文化的界限。墨西哥烹調，包括炸玉米餅、辣醬玉米餅和潤餅，現在和泰國、中國、越南及其他的文化影響混合，為西方的饕餮們創造出新的佳餚。
⊙ Word Bank
delicacy (n) 
佳餚
gourmand (n) 
美食者
Life and Language (West)(Part 12 of 12)
美國人的生活及語言—西部
As in every area of the United States, language and culture of the West ebb and flow as society changes. Whether it's new groups of people adding their individual characteristics to the linguistic melting pot or Hollywood, popular novelists, and technological advances changing the lexicon, English continues to change. And as language changes, America changes with it.
如同美國的每個地區，西部的語言和文化隨著社會的改變而盛衰更迭。不論是新的群體在這個語言鎔爐中加入個別差異，或者是因為好萊塢電影、流行小說作者及科技進步改變了詞彙，英語持續改變。隨著語言改變，美國文化也改變了。
⊙ Word Bank
ebb and flow (n phr) 如潮汐變化，時漲時落
lexicon (n) 
詞彙
We can either take the bus or the MRT.
我們可以搭公車，或是捷運。
Can I have a non-smoking table by the window please?
可以給我坐在非吸煙區靠窗的座位嗎？
I'm going to the restroom to wash my hands.
我要去洗手間洗個手。
What are your specials today?
你們今日特餐是什麼呢？
I have a reservation for four people.
我有四個人的訂位。
Can you prepare this dish without MSG?
可以請你這道菜不要加味精嗎？
We would like two orders of stir-fried vegetables.
我們要兩份炒青菜。
You don't need to rush through your meal. We have lots of time.
你不用急著吃完。我們時間很多。
I'm so full; can you finish this for me?
我好飽；你可以幫我把這吃完嗎？
Can I please have another set of chopsticks?
我可不可以再要一雙筷子呢？
If I send Cindy a dozen roses, do you think she'll get the message that I'm in love with her?
假如我送Cindy一打玫瑰花，你想她會了解我愛上了她嗎？
I really like that dish. Let's order another one.
我好喜歡那道菜。我們再多點一份吧。
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