斗牛是西班牙的国粹,代表了他们的民族精神。斗牛季节从每年3月19日的“巴伦西亚火节”到10月12日的“萨拉戈萨之比拉尔祭”结束,一般在礼拜天和假日举行。而整个斗牛季节最高潮的时候就是每年7月6日到7月14日期间举行的旁普罗纳奔牛节—一大早,人们放出成群的斗牛,而大街上成千上万身穿传统服装的当地年轻人和观光客冒着危险带着牛只冲向斗牛场;下午这些斗牛就会迎来与勇敢斗牛士的激战。
斗牛是一项这么危险的运动,为什么还不断有人参与其中,斗牛士与斗牛之间又是怎样的关系呢?希望下面的文章能帮助你多了解此项运动一点。
这段文章的语速比较慢,适合练发音咬字的朋友跟听,并一句句跟读。
发音：英美发音
语速：110词/分钟
使用方法：精听+复述
Bullfighting is a sport where men fight a bull. This sport raises strong emotions in people. People who like it, love it. People who do not like it, hate it. The men who fight the bulls can become heroes. Or they can lose their lives.
斗牛是一项人与公牛搏斗的运动。这项运动能激发人们强烈的感情。喜欢它的人,趋之若鹜;不喜欢它的人,恨之入骨。那些与公牛搏斗的人们有可能成为英雄,也有可能因此丧命。
Bullfighting is linked to Spain. In some form, people have been bullfighting there for 1,300 years. However, modern bullfighting began in the year 1133. Instead of riding on horses, bullfighters began to walk around the bull. These men, called 1)matadors, became the symbol of modern bullfighting. Today, bullfighting shows the courage, the power, and the character of both man and animal.
斗牛是和西班牙紧密联系在一起的。形形式式的斗牛在那已经有一千三百年的历史了。不过,现代斗牛是从1133年开始的。从那时起,斗牛士们不再骑马,而是徒步与公牛周旋。这些人被称为“斗牛士”,成为了现代斗牛运动的象征。如今,斗牛体现的是人与动物的勇气、力量和品质。
Who would want to fight a one thousand pound bull? Matadors are treated like any other sport stars. They have money, followers, and newspapers report on them. But many matadors do not do it for any of these reasons. In fact, most matadors begin training at a young age. Matador Uceda Leal says:
谁会想和一头上千磅的公牛搏斗呢?斗牛士们和其他体育明星的待遇并没有什么不同。他们也拥有财富、粉丝,以及连篇的报章报道。但是很多斗牛士并不是为了这些而从事这项运动的。事实上,大多数斗牛士的训练从很小的时候就开始了。斗牛士乌谢达·雷阿说:
Uceda Leal: I was twelve when I fought my first bullfight in public. It made a deep mark on me.
乌谢达·雷阿:我第一次上场斗牛的时候才12岁。这经历给我留下了一道很深的疤痕。
For matadors, killing a bull is about more than death. It is about courage and control. Bullfighter Eduardo Dávila Miura says:
对于斗牛士来说,杀死一头公牛不单单意味着结束它的生命。这还意味着巨大的勇气和强大的控制力。斗牛士爱德华多·大卫拉·缪拉说道:
Eduardo Dávila Miura: I am an artist. But unlike a painter or a writer, I only have one chance. The only aim of a bullfighter is the death of the bull. For that, every matador puts his life in danger. A matador never thinks about his own death.
爱德华多·大卫拉·缪拉:我是一个艺术家。不过与画家或者作家不同的是,我只有一次机会。斗牛士的唯一目标就是杀死公牛。为此,每个斗牛士都要冒生命危险。而他们从来就不会去想自己有可能因此丧命。
Like Dávila Miura, many people believe that bullfighting is not a sport, but a kind of art. However, other people believe that bullfighting is not a sport, or art, but just the meaningless killing of an innocent animal.
正如大卫拉·缪拉一样,很多人认为斗牛并不是一项运动,而是一种艺术。然而,其他人却认为斗牛并非运动,也非艺术,而只是杀戮无辜生灵的无聊把戏。
Animal rights groups estimate that in the country of Spain, 30,000 bulls are killed each year. Other people argue that the risk to human life is not worth it. Most matadors have been seriously injured by a bull.
据动物权益组织的粗略统计,每年西班牙国内要杀掉三万头公牛。另外有人提出,要冒着搭上人命的风险,这样做很不值得。大部分斗牛士曾经因斗牛而严重受伤。
When people are not part of a culture it can be difficult to understand it. Bullfighting is part of Spanish culture and history. People who want to ban bullfighting have good reasons to do so. And many of these people are Spanish people. However, when you listen to matadors talk, it is clear they care a great deal about the life and death of the bulls they fight. Eduardo Dávila Miura thinks that most people do not want to understand bullfighting. He says:
没有相关文化背景的人们,可能很难真正理解这项运动。斗牛是西班牙文化和历史的一部分。想禁止斗牛的人们自然很有道理,而且他们当中很多还是西班牙本国人。不过,如果你跟斗牛士们谈谈,就会发现,他们其实非常在意与之搏斗的公牛的生死。爱德华多·大卫拉·缪拉觉得,其实大多数人并不愿意去真正了解斗牛。他说:
Eduardo Dávila Miura: There are different kinds of bulls and you have to fight in a different way with each one. As a matador you have a deep connection with the bulls. That is what most people do not want to understand.
爱德华多·大卫拉·缪拉:公牛有千万种,而每一头都要用不同的方法来对付。作为一名斗牛士,你与公牛有一种深厚的联系。这一点正是大部分人无法领会的。
文化小链接：西班牙语在美国英语中的渗透
西裔(Hispanics)是一支在人数上仅次于美国黑人的第二大族裔集团,也是美国社会中最大的有色人种之一。它是指“居住在美国,但在西班牙出生,或在讲西班牙语的或其文化渊源于西班牙的拉美国家出生的人。”随着西裔移民对美国社会所产生的政治、经济、文化的撞击,美国社会很多方面已经深受西裔影响了,最直接的就是语言上的渗透。下面是几个比较出名的语言例子。
美国英语 西班牙语
奇异的bizarre bizarre
辣椒chilli chile
椰子coco icaco
美洲虎jaguar yaguar
玉米maize maiz
土豆potato batata
烟草tobacco tabaco
西红柿tomato tomate
龙卷风tornado tronada