The-language-is-constantly-changing配套文本和练习

1/5【视听空间】Thelanguageisconstantlychanging配套文本和练习配套文本Martin:Whatareyouworkingon,Dave?马丁:你干什么呢，大卫？David:I’mtryingtofinishmyhistoryessay.TheoneonMarcoPolo.Howaboutyou?大卫:我在努力完成我的历史论文呢，关于马可波罗的。你干什么呢？Martin:I’mwritingmybookreportonShakespeare’splay,"Hamlet".马丁:我在写关于莎士比亚戏剧《哈姆雷特》的读书报告。David:How’sitgoing?大卫:进展如何？Martin:OK,Iguess.It’sjustIfindsomeofthelanguagekindofdifficult.马丁:我想还可以。只是我发现一些语言比较难。David:Welltheplaywaswrittenmorethan400yearsagosoEnglishhaschangedalotinthattime.大卫:这个剧本是在400多年前写的，这期间英语有了很大的变化。Martin:Iknow.Ilikeitinawaybecauseit’sverystrong,verypowerful.Andthestoryisreallyinteresting.Butmanyofthewordsaren’tusedanymoresoIhavetolookuptheirmeaning.It’slikeaforeignlanguageinmanyways.马丁:我知道。在某种程度上，我很喜欢它，因为它非常有震撼力，而且故事很有意思。但是很多词今天不再使用，所以我不得不查它们的意思。很多时候就像外语一样。David:Butisn’tShakespeareconsideredtobethefatherofmodernEnglish?大卫:但莎士比亚不是被认为是“现代英语之父”吗？Martin:Idon’tknowwhetherheisthefatherofit,butthelanguageheusesispartofmodernEnglish.Andwhenhewrotehewaswritingforthecommonpeoplesoheusedlanguagethattheycouldeasilyunderstand.马丁:我不知道他是不是，但是他使用的语言是现代英语的一部分。当他写作时，他为普通大众而写，所以他使用大众很容易理解的语言。David:Butevenwiththatitisdifficultforustounderstanditinthetwentyfirstcentury,isn’tit?大卫:但即使是那样，我们在21世纪也很难理解他的语言，不是吗？Martin:Itis.Therearejustsomanywordswedon’tuseanymore.It’stoobadinawaybecausesomeofthemsoundgreat.Howabout"zounds"?马丁:是的。有太多我们今天已不再使用的词汇。在某种程度上这很糟糕，因为有些词汇听起来很棒。"Zounds"这词怎么样？David:Whatdoesitmean?大卫:是什么意思？Martin:It’slikewhenwesay"Wow"orourparentssay"Goodheavens".ButIlovethesoundofit.Zounds.马丁:就像我们说“哇”或者我们父母说“天哪”。但是我爱这个词的发音。Zounds。David:Youshouldtryusingitinclass.Seehoweveryonereacts.大卫:你你应该试着在课堂上使用它。看看每个人的反应。Martin:They’dprobablyjustlaugh.HowaboutwhenHamletcallshimself"adullandmuddy-meddledrascal"?马丁:他们很可能只会大笑。哈姆雷特把自己称为“无趣、下流、好管闲事的无赖”，怎么样？David:What’sthat?大卫:那是什么？Martin:Someonewhoisnotverysmartandmakestrouble.马丁:不太聪明和惹麻烦的人。David:Iseewhatyoumeanaboutitsoundinglikeaforeignlanguage.It’shardtobelievethatEnglishsoundedlikethatfourhundredyearsago.大卫:我知道你说的听起来像外语是什么意思了。很难相信英语在400年前听起来是那样的。Martin:Evensomethingassimpleas"youdo",theysaidas"thoudost".马丁:即使简单的像"youdo"，他们说成"thoudost"。David:Iwonderwhenthelanguagechanged?大卫:我想知道语言是何时改变的？Martin:Everyday.马丁:每天在变。David:Everyday?大卫:每天？Martin:Sure.Everydaytherearenewwordsthatpeopleinvent.Andeverydaytherearechangesinthemeaningofcertainwords.Thelanguageisconstantlychanging.马丁:肯定。每天都有人们发明的新词汇，每天都有一些词义的变化，所以语言是在不断变化的。David:Isupposeso.IknowthatsometimesIwillbelisteningtoaCDathomeandmydadwillsay"Whataretheysinging?Idon’tunderstandit."ButformeIunderstandthewordsperfectly.大卫:我想也是。有时我在家听CD，我爸爸会说：“他们在唱些什么？我不明白。”但我却能很好地理解歌词。Martin:Exactly.马丁:确实如此。David:TheInternethascreatedmanynewwordsthatdidn’texisttenyearsago.Theycatchonandbecomepartofoureverydayspeech.大卫:互联网创造了很多十年前不存在的词汇。这些词汇流行起来，成为我们日常语言的一部分。Martin:Thesamethinghappenedwhencomputerswereinvented.TheyhelpedbringahugenumberofnewwordsintotheEnglishlanguage.Atfirsttheywerejustslangwordsbutnowyoucanfindthemingooddictionaries.马丁:电脑被发明时也是一样。电脑把大量的新词汇引入英语。起先它们只是俚语，但是现在你能在好的字典当中找到这些词汇。David:Yousayyouhavesomedifficultyunderstandingthelanguageintheplay"Hamlet".WilliamShakespearewrotethatin1600.大卫:你说你理解《哈姆雷特》这部剧本的语言有些困难，威廉·莎士比亚可是在1600年写的那部剧本。Martin:Yes,attimesit’slikereadingadifferentlanguage.马丁:是的，有时像读一种不同的语言。David:Well,justimaginethis.ImagineifShakespearevisitedustoday.IwonderwhathewouldthinkoftheEnglishlanguagenow?大卫:哦，想象一下。想象莎士比亚来到现在。我很想知道他会怎么看我们今天的英语。Martin:Heprobablywouldn’trecognizeit.Itwouldbelikeadifferentlanguageforhim.马丁:他很有可能认不出这种语言，对他来说就像一种不同的语言。David:Right.Andheprobablywouldreallylikethesoundofcertainwordsthatweuseandwishthattheywerearoundwhenhewaswritinghisplaysfourhundredyearsago.大卫:对。他可能会喜欢我们使用的一些词汇的发音，并且希望400年前他写戏剧时就有这些词汇。Martin:Ihadn’tthoughtofitthatwaybeforebutyou’reprobablyright.马丁:我以前没那样想过，但你可能是对的。David:Now,speakingofwriting,IhavetogetthisessaywrittensoImustgettowork.Lookatthetime.大卫:现在，说到写作，我得把这篇文章写出来了。我要工作了。看看时间吧。Martin:Zounds!It’sgettinglate.马丁:Zounds！太晚了。

情景剧练习WhatschoolworkisDaviddoing?a)Doinghishomework.b)Workingonthecomputer.c)WritinganessayonMarcoPolo.HowdoesMartinthinkofthewordsusedinShakespeare’splay?a)Theyarelikeaforeignlanguage.b)Theyarestillusedforthetimebeing.c)Hehasnodifficultunderstandingthem.Whichofthefollowingistrue?a)ThelanguageShakespeareusedwaspartofoldEnglish.b)Shakespearewaswritingforthecommonpeoplec)Martindoesn’tlikethesoundofthewordsShakespeareused.Whatdoesthephrase"thoudost"mean?a)"Theyshould".b)"Youmust".c)"Youdo".Whichofthefollowinghasbeenmentionedinthedialogue?a)LanguagechangesbroughtbytheInternet.b)Communicationbetweendifferentlanguages.c)Thediscoveryofanewlanguage.Whatwouldpeoplewholived400yearsagofind