Lesson 4b 英美报刊选读(端木义万版)概要1.pptVIP

9. Euphemism(委婉语） 委婉语是用以替代被认为过于露骨，过于伤人或不太悦耳的词或短语。主要有两种：缩小性委婉语和夸张性委婉语。 （1）缩小性委婉语是用比较含蓄、性质较轻的词语来表达不便直言的事情。主要表现在以下几个方面： A.生老病死 英语常说： She is expecting，而不是说 She is pregnant.(怀孕) 常用pass away, depart替代die; 用elderly people, senior citizens替代old people; 用social disease替代venereal disease(性病) B.贫穷 Poor常用needy, underprivileged, disadvantaged替代； C.犯罪 Prison correctional center教养中心 Prostitute—call girl应招女郎 或 sex worker性工作者 D. 性或性器官 Have sex---make love Illegitimate 私生子---love child 爱情之子 Pornographic movie 黄色电影---adult film成人电影 Sextual organs生殖器官—private parts阴部 夸张性委婉语 （2）夸张性委婉语就是将原词语替换成意思更雅致、更体面、更重要的词语。 A.机构 Madhouse疯人院---mental hospital 精神病院 mental health center 精神健康中心 将一些实力不雄厚的公司称作industry 企业 hotel industry旅馆业 garbage industry 垃圾清理业； B.职业 Hairdresser 理发员---beautician 美容师； Floorsweeper 清洁员----custodian engineer 房屋工程师； Gardener园丁----landscaper 园林师 Janitor 看门人—superintendant 监管人 C.政治军事 用一些温和词语掩饰社会问题，美化政府形象。如economic crisis经济危机说成recession 衰退或depression 萧条; strike罢工---industrial action 工业行动—industrial dispute 工业纠纷； relief 救济---welfare福利; ghetto贫民区---inner city 内城区； ground war地面战争---ground operation 地面行动； neutron bomb中子弹---clean bomb 清洁弹；aggression 侵略---invasion 进入或involvement 介入 上述美化性词语(cosmetic words)在西方报刊中较为常见。 2.Growth of elderly population 老年人的增长 It is true that the world’s population overall will increase by roughly one-third over the next 40years, but this will be a very different kind of population growth than ever before--- driven not by birth rates, but primarily by an increase of elderly people. 3.Reasons for the growth of elderly population One reason is that people are living to advanced old age. 现在的人比较长寿 The baby boom generation are now retiring. Striking decline in infant and child mortality 婴儿，少儿的死亡率显著下降 Birth-rate’s drop below replacement level Low fertility rate 出生率低于替代率 Our numbers will fall as fast as the rate once they grew. …the last echoes of the global baby boomers will fade away (Line 1, Para. 4) — 全球婴儿潮最后的余韵将会逐渐消失 (fade away: to disapp