外刊精读(八)：Barack Obama, Comedian in Chief.docx

考研VIP 只为更出众Barack Obama, Comedian in ChiefThe presidents unique approach to the White House Correspondents Dinner will surely be missed.【生词】unique 独特的 White House白宫 Correspondents 通讯员【翻译】总统招待白宫记者晚宴的独特方式肯定会怀念。No U.S. President has been a better comedian than Barack Obama. Its really that simple. 【生词】comedian 喜剧演员【翻译】没有一位美国总统像巴拉克奥巴马一样更像一个喜剧演员。就是那么简单。Now that doesnt mean that some modern-day presidents couldnt tell a joke. John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton excelled at it. But Obama has transformed the way presidents use comedy-not just engaging in self-deprecation or playfully teasing his rivals, but turning his barbed wit on his opponents.【生词】excel at精通 transform改变 self-deprecation自嘲 barbed讽刺的 wit 智慧【分析】句子的主干是But Obama has transformed the way presidents use comedy。破折号后面是补充成分，起到解释说明的作用。【翻译】现在,这并不意味着一些现代总统不能讲笑话。约翰f肯尼迪,罗纳德里根和比尔克林顿擅长讲笑话。但是奥巴马改变了总统使用喜剧的方式不仅仅从事自嘲或逗弄他的竞争对手,就用智慧把矛头指向对手。He puts that approach on display every year at the White House Correspondents Dinner. This annual tradition, which began in 1921 when 50 journalists (all men) gathered in Washington D.C., has become a showcase for each presidents comedy chops. Some presidents have been bad, some have been good. Obama has been the best. Hes truly the killer comedian in chief.【生词】journalists 记者 showcase 展示【分析】句子的主干是This annual tradition has become a showcase for each presidents comedy chops。which began in 1921 when 50 journalists (all men) gathered in Washington D.C.是定语从句修饰annual tradition。【翻译】每年在白宫记者晚宴上他都会展示这种方式。五十位记者齐聚在华盛顿自1921年起就成为一年一度的传统，成为每位总统展示喜剧天分的时机。有的总统不擅长，,有些总统擅长。奥巴马一直是最好的。他是的可以秒杀首席喜剧演员。Presidents typically play it safe at the dinner. You can never go wrong with self-deprecating jokes; they make you more likable. But Obama rejected this approach. Instead, he has used the chance to filet his rivals. Its like a comedic version of Game of Thrones, but instead of gouging out peoples eyes, Obama kills with punchlines.【生词】 typically 典型地，代表性地 rival对手 punchline妙语如珠【翻译】在晚宴上，总统通常小心翼翼地使用喜剧。自嘲永远不会出错，,反而会让你更可爱。但奥巴马没有采用这种方法。相反,他利用这个机会讽刺对手，就像上演一个喜剧版的权力游戏,没又让人感到反感反而妙语连珠吸引人。And its not just the material. Obama has a comedians understanding of timing. Last year, I had the chance to tell him so in person. He paused just long enough, and then responded: “I know.”【生词】pause 停顿【翻译】它不仅仅是物质。奥巴马能像喜剧演员一样领悟到时机。去年,我有机会亲自告诉他。他停顿足够长的时间,然后回答说:“我知道。”To appreciate Obamas performance, it helps to look back at how some of his predecessors have fared at the dinner. In 1988, Ronald Reagan delivered a joke that epitomizes the way past presidents used comedy. The 77-year-old president said that his staff told him “preparing me for a press conference was like reinventing the wheel. Not true. I was around when the wheel was invented, and it was easier.”【生词】predecessor 前任，前辈【分析】句子的主干是Ronald Reagan delivered a joke。that epitomizes the way past presidents used comedy.是定语从句修饰a joke。【翻译】欣赏奥巴马的表现,它有助于回顾他的一些前辈在晚宴上是如何表现的。1988年,罗纳德里根讲了一个笑话，,集中体现了过去的总统用喜剧的方式。这位77岁的总统说,他的工作人员告诉他,“为我筹备一个新闻会就像是重新发明轮子。这是不正确的。轮子发明时我就在场，,发明轮子没有这么难的。”Bill Clinton gave us a parade of these types of jokes over the years. For example, in 1994, with his approval ratings dropping, he shared what he jokingly claimed were letters he had recently received offering him support: “Heres one from my pollster, Stan Greenberg: I dont have a clue what people want from you. Trust your instincts, but send the check anyway.”【生词】 pollster民意调查人 instinct直觉【翻译】比尔克林顿(Bill Clinton那些年也给我们讲了一系列这类的笑话。例如,1994年,他的支持率下降时,他分享了他开玩笑地称是信他最近收到的给他的支持:“这是我从一位叫斯坦格林伯格的民意调查员那得到的，上面写道:“我不知道人们想要什么。相信你的直觉,但还是不能选你。”And at his final Correspondents Dinner in 2000, with the Monica Lewinsky scandal still lurking, Clinton joked, “In just eight years I have given you enough material for 20 years.” 【生词】material 材料【翻译】2000年在他最后的记者晚宴上，他与莫尼卡莱温斯基的丑闻仍未消退,克林顿开玩笑说,“在短短八年间，我给你们提供了足够的新闻素材。”Then there was George W. Bush, a man who should be in the comedy hall of fame for all the material he gave comedians. Bush seemed to relish in telling jokes at his own expense, even poking fun at his struggle to pronounce multisyllabic words. At the 2005 Correspondents Dinner he opened by saying, “I look forward to these dinners where Im supposed to be entionally.”【生词】pronounce 发音 multisyllabic 多音节的 intentionally故意地【分析】句子的主干是there was George W. Bush。a man 是指George W. Bush，可看做是其同位语，who should be in the comedy hall of fame for all the material he gave comedians是定语从句修饰a man。【翻译】然后是乔治布什(George w . Bush),他所做的一切都可以成为喜剧演员的素材。布什似乎喜欢讲笑话挖苦自己，甚至取笑他难以发音多音节词的弱点。在2005年记者晚宴他以,“我期待着在这些晚宴上，,我应该刻意显得很有趣。”So into this kinder, gentler world of presidential comedy stepped Obama. His preferred jokes were of the type made popular by Jon Stewart on The Daily Show. Obamas comedy, like that of Stewart, HBOs John Oliver, and the Comedy Central host Larry Wilmorewho is hosting this years Correspondents Dinnerhas a bite to it. In fact, Obamas jokes have been criticized as “caustic” or “cruel.”【生词】caustic 尖刻的 cruel 残忍的【分析】句子的主干是Obamas comedy has a bite to it。who is hosting this years Correspondents Dinner是插入成分，定语从句修饰Larry Wilmore。【翻译】奥巴马对这种友善和温和的总统喜剧嗤之以鼻。他更喜欢笑话是乔恩斯图尔特每日秀中最流行的笑话风格。奥巴马的喜剧,像斯图尔特,HBO的约翰奥利弗和喜剧中心主持人拉里威尔莫的喜剧，拉里威尔莫主持了今年的记者晚宴。事实上,奥巴马的笑话已经被批评为“尖刻的”或“残忍的”。Over the years Obama has slammed everyone from his GOP rivals to billionaires like Sheldon Adelson to actors like Matt Damon who once supported him but then publicly turned on him. One of my favorite Obama jokes came in 2013 when he brought the house down with this biting line: “Some folks still dont think I spend enough time with Congress. Why dont you get a drink with Mitch McConnell? they ask. Really? Why dont you get a drink with Mitch McConnell?!”【生词】slam 猛烈抨击【分析】句子的主干是Obama has slammed everyone from his GOP rivals to billionaires。who once supported him but then publicly turned on him是定语从句修饰Matt Damon 。【翻译】多年来不管是共和党中的所有竞争对手，还是谢尔登埃德森等亿万富翁，到像曾支持他但后来又公开拒绝他的演员马特达蒙，奥巴马都进行了抨击。我最喜欢奥巴马的一个笑话，这个笑话是在2013年,他打倒议会时说的：“有些人仍然不认为我花足够的时间与国会打交道。“你为什么不跟麦康奈尔喝酒?“他们问。真的吗?你为什么不喝一杯麦康奈尔? !”In 2014 Obama went after the media, but not playfully like past presidents. He cut to the bone with jokes like this: “MSNBC is here. Theyre a little overwhelmed. Theyve never seen an audience this big before.” He then pivoted to take on his media nemesis on the right: “Lets face it, Fox, youll miss me when Im gone. It will be harder to convince the American people that Hillary was born in Kenya.”【生词】playfully 开玩笑地 overwhelmed被压制的，被打败的，不知所措的 pivot以.为中心旋转【翻译】2014年奥巴马在媒体上很活跃,但并不像过去的那些总统一样开玩笑。他的笑话直截了当比如:“微软全国有线广播电视公司在这里。他们有点不知所措。他们以前从未见过这么多的观众。“他随后旋转至右边的媒体说:“让我们面对现实吧,福克斯,我当我走了你会想念我的。很难说服美国人民,希拉里在肯尼亚出生。”And in 2015 Obama really let loosehitting everyone from Dick Cheney to Ted Cruz to Benjamin Netanyahu. One of the jokes that stands out as something you never wouldve heard a past president tell was his needling of John Boehner for unilaterally inviting Netanyahu to address Congress: “People keep pointing out how the presidency has aged me. I look so old John Boehners already invited Benjamin Netanyahu to speak at my funeral.”【生词】let loose 释放，放出，放任 funeral 葬礼【分析】句子的主干是One of the jokes was his needling of John Boehner for unilaterally inviting Netanyahu to address Congress。that stands out as something you never wouldve heard a past president tell是定语从句修饰jokes.其中you never wouldve heard a past president tell又是定语从句修饰something。【翻译】2015年奥巴马真的释放了-从迪克切尼到泰德克鲁兹再到班杰明奈坦亚户都被他抨击过。其中一个比较出名的笑话是你不会听到过去的总统说对约翰博纳的讽刺是单方面邀请奈坦亚户解决国会:“人们不断指出总统使我成熟。我看起来很老约翰博纳(John Boehner)已经邀请奈坦亚户在我的葬礼致词。”Obama then moved on to the 2016 presidential race, taking on Ted Cruz, who had a short time before compared himself to Galileo: “Galileo believed the Earth revolves around the sun. Ted Cruz believes the Earth revolves around Ted Cruz”【生词】revolve around 围绕.转动【分析】句子的主干是Obama then moved on to the 2016 presidential race。who had a short time before compared himself to Galileo是定语从句修饰Ted Cruz。【翻译】奥巴马随后参加了2016年总统大选,竞争对手,泰德克鲁兹不久前把自己比作伽利略，与其较量时，奥巴马说:“伽利略相信地球绕着太阳转。泰德克鲁斯相信地球围绕着泰德克鲁兹转”Now, other presidents have taken isolated shots at rivals at the Correspondents Dinner. And Obama has mixed self-deprecating material in among his barbs. But no one before has used comedy as a weapon to prod and taunt his rivals to the same extent as Obama.【生词】weapon