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衰老趣话与永葆青春 精选

已有 6022 次阅读 2008-5-21 02:27 |个人分类:生活点滴|系统分类:生活其它

 

(For new reader and those who request 好友请求, please read my 公告栏 first).

  美国最伟大的“单口相声”明星之一乔治·卡林是一位英语语言大师(这种站着表演的喜剧形式就是一位喜剧演员不利用任何道具和舞台设计,自己站着一个笑话接一个笑话地讲,类似中国的单口相声。)我在这里转贴他的几个保留节目,这些笑话正在通过电子邮件在美国流传。有些幽默之处很微妙,中国人不一定能马上理解,需要在美国人中间生活过,理解他们的文化背景才行。不过这可以作为我“语言与翻译”系列中的一篇吧。

 

过去的一周是悲伤和压抑的一周,希望这些幽默能带给大家带来一丝欢笑。

 

乔治·卡林的“衰老观”

 

你知道吗,人一生中,只有还是小孩儿的时候才希望变老?你不到十岁的时候,一想到要变老了,你那个兴奋啊,想问题的时候都是按照分数来想的。

 

“你几岁啦?”“我四岁半!”你绝对不会说你三十六岁半吧。你四岁半,马上就要五岁啦!这就是关键。

 

等到终于长到十几岁了,他们再也管不了你啦。你尽可以给自己加一两岁,甚至几岁。

 

“你多大啦?”“我快16了。”你也许只有13岁,不过拜托,人家早晚会长到16岁的嘛!终于等来了21岁,光听听21岁这几个词儿都像在过节。你终于21岁啦!耶~~~!!!

 

不过有一天你30了,哇,怎么搞的?听上去就像牛奶变酸啦。你变质了,我们只好把你扔掉了。这可一点也不好玩,你不过是块臭豆腐罢了。怎么搞的?到底发生了什么?

 

满了21过了30岁生日,现在年近40,哇塞!刹车刹车快刹车!时间过得太快了。你还没回过神来,你50,你的梦想都破灭了。

 

等一下!!你竟然熬到了60岁,你从来没想到过有一天会60呢。

 

也就是说你满了21岁,过了30岁生日,逼近40,过了50岁的坎儿,现在居然都60

 

你的速度太快啦,结果一下子冲到了70!过了70,就开始数日子了,哇,今天是星期三耶!

 

等到了80多,每一天都是一个轮回,吃早饭了,四点半了睡觉了。这还不算完哪,等到了90多,你又开始倒车了。“我92哪。”

 

然后奇怪的事情发生了。要是你能活到100,你就又变成小孩啦。“我100岁半了!”

 

祝所有的人长命百岁!

 

 

如何永葆青春

 

1. 忘掉那些乱七八糟的数字。什么年龄啦,体重啦,身高啦。让医生操心这些事好了。不然你付那么多钱给他们干什么?

 

2. 只跟乐天派做朋友,牢骚满腹的人只会把你拉下水。

 

3. 活到老,学到老。计算机、手工、园艺,随你选。不要让大脑生锈。“生锈的大脑是魔鬼的乐园。”这个魔鬼就是老年痴呆。

 

4.享受单纯的快乐。

 

5. 笑口常开,仰天大笑,笑到喘不上气来,笑到肚子痛。

 

6. 悲伤总是难免的。要坚强,哭过痛过,路还要继续走下去。人一辈子能陪你走过一生的只有你自己。活着的时候就好好活着。

 

7. 让你的生活充满爱。不管是亲人、宠物、纪念品、音乐、植物、爱好,随便什么。你的家就是你的港湾。

 

8. 珍惜健康。如果你身体不错,保持住。如果你身体不好,努力改善。如果你自己没法改善,寻求帮助。

 

9. 永远不要去那负罪之乡。你可以去逛超市,甚至去邻县玩,还可以出国旅游,但是绝对绝对不要去负罪所在的地方。

 

10. 抓住每个机会,告诉大家你有多么爱他们。

 

最后,永远记住:

 

生命的计算,靠的不是我们呼吸了多少次,而是有多少次我们屏住了呼吸。

 

如果你不把这些福音送给8个人——谁在乎呢?不过请一定与某个人分享。我们每个人都要充分享受生命的每一天!

 

(科学网 何姣译)

 

译者注:做过翻译的人都知道,诗歌和笑话是最难翻的。我在这里只能尽力而为,不当之处欢迎大家批评指正。

21岁对美国人来说非常重要,因为21岁标志着一个人完全成年,特别是可以喝酒了。其他标志性年龄有:13岁,可以在家长的指导下看一些内容比较复杂的节目和电影。16岁,可以开车了。18岁,获得选举权。

希望大家能理解何老的这片心意。

George Carlin is one of American’s great standup comics (Note: stand up comic means actor who delivers funny jokes one after another standing alone with no props and stage scenary, et al. 同中国的相声一樣,不过就是一个人單讲 ) He is a master of the English language usage. I reproduce one of his routines currently circulating via e-mail among US correspondents. Some of the subtle humor may not be immediately apparent to Chinese-English readers since they require some cultural background of having lived among the US population. But it could be another example in my “Language and Translation” series.

May be some humor and philosophy can brighten up a depressing and sad week.

George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There' s no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.


But wait!!!
You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that i t's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4 . Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10.Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,but by the moments that take our breath away.

 

 

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!! 

Note added ten years later 6/26/2018 at age 84. Three secrets of old age from experience:
Genes, No Stress, and Be Engaged

 



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