英語沙龍

The little boy did not like the look of the barking dog.

"It's all right，" said a gentleman， "don't be afraid. Don't you know the proverb： Barking dogs don't bite？"

"Ah， yes，" answered the little boy. "I know the proverb， but does the dog know the proverb， too？"

一個小男孩非常不喜歡狗狂叫的樣子。

“沒有關系，”一位先生說，“不用害怕，你知道這條諺語嗎：‘吠狗不咬人。”

“啊，我是知道，可是狗也知道嗎？”

“Are you sure it doesnt scream， yell， or swear？ ”asked the preacher.

“Oh absolutely. Its a religious parrot，” the storekeeper assures him.

“Do you see those strings on his legs？ When you pull the right one， he recites the Lords Prayer， and when you pull on the left he recites the 23rd Psalm.”

“Wonderful！ ”says the preacher， “but what happens if you pull both strings？”

“I will fall off my perch， you stupid fool！” screeched the parrot.

“你確信它不會尖叫，大叫或詛咒別人嗎？”傳教士問。

“哦，絕對不會。它是一只虔誠的鸚鵡。”店主保證說。

“你看見它腿上的這些細繩了嗎？當你拉動右面的這根，它會背誦天主經，當你拉動左面的那根，它會背誦贊美詩。”

“太棒了！”傳教士說，“但是如果我同時拉動兩條繩子，會發生什么呢？”

“我會從棲木上掉下去的，你這個笨蛋！”鸚鵡尖聲說道。

Professor Tom was going to meet his students on the next day， so he wrote some words on the blackboard which read as follows： "Professor Tom will meet the class tomorrow." A student， seeing his chance to display his sense of humor after reading the notice， walked up and erased the "c" in the word "class." The Professor noticing the laughter， wheeled around， walked back， looked at the student， then at the notice with the "c" erased--calmly walked up and erased the "l" in "lass"， looked at the flabbergasted student and proceeded on his way.

湯姆教授打算第二天與他的學生見面，因此他在黑板上寫道：“湯姆教授明天將和大家見面。”一位學生看到這條通知后，覺得展示自己幽默感的機會來了，就走上前，將“class”中的“c”擦掉，教授聽到笑聲，轉過身走回來，看了看那位學生，又看看被改動過的通知，不動聲色地走上前，把“lass” 中的“l”擦掉，看了看那位目瞪口呆的學生，教授揚長而去。（譯注：class去掉了c，就變成了lass，意為情侶；再去掉l，就變成了ass，意為蠢驢。）

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

我知道籠中鳥為何歌唱（節選）

--Maya Angelou （4 April 1928 - 28 May 2014）

——瑪雅·安吉羅（1928年5月4日——2014年5月28日）

The free bird leapson the back of the windand floats downstreamtill the current endsand dips his wingsin the orange sun raysand dares to claim the sky.

有一只鳥兒蹦蹦跳跳乘上云做的輕舟隨長風漂流直抵天盡頭看橙紅暖陽將翅膀染透天空都歸它所有

But a bird that stalksdown his narrow cagecan seldom see throughhis bars of ragehis wings are clipped andhis feet are tiedso he opens his throat to sing.

另一只鳥在狹窄籠里僵硬地踱來踱去偶爾往外覷欄桿卻不許剪掉了飛羽雙足也縛起只好放聲歌一曲

The caged bird singswith fearful trillof the things unknownbut longed for stilland his tune is heardon the distant hillfor the caged birdsings of freedom

被囚的鳥兒展開歌喉發出戰栗的啁啾向未知低頭心卻仍祈求調子回蕩在遠處的山丘因為這只鳥它歌頌的是自由

作者簡介：瑪雅·安吉洛是20世紀美國最傳奇的黑人女性，她是三屆格萊美獎得主，身兼作家、詩人、舞蹈家、教授、導演等多重身份，還曾在卡特和福特總統兩屆政府中任職。瑪雅還寫過六部自傳、六部散文集和數十部詩集等。1993年，她應邀在克林頓總統的就職典禮上朗誦詩作《晨曦的脈動》，成為在總統就職典禮上朗誦詩歌的非洲裔第一人。