【英语趣味课堂】两种文化-Two Cultures

Todd: So, Rina, now you are Lebanese (Mm-hm) and you grew up in a very small Canadian town.

 

Rina: Oh, yes.

 

Todd: So you really have two cultures. What's it like growing up with two cultures?

 

Rina: In the beginning it was very hard. My dad was very strict. I wasn't allowed to work. I had to fight to have my first job at 19.

 

Todd: Wow. At 19.

 

Rina: At 19. I wasn't allowed to have a boyfriend. I had to fight for that one two, and I had my first boyfriend at 18. Wasn't allowed to go out. First high school dance was grade 11. So, I hated it in the beginning. I was, but now I appreciate it and I know where my parents were coming from.

 

Todd: So, it this the standard Lebanese family type culture where daughters are not allowed to work?

 

Rina: Ah, yeah, my dad had basically¹ believed that if I went out and worked I would, you know, be hit on by guys. It just wasn't a place for his daughter, and typically before, yeah, women don't work. They stay home. They took care of the kids. They, you know, it was a typical patriarchal society and my dad was very, very strict, and I spent a lot of my childhood pushing away my culture because of that.

 

Todd: And how do you feel about your culture now?

 

Rina: I'm very, very proud of it. I love it. It's nice to be different and I'm glad I get that chance to do that. Um, the only thing, when I was in Lebanon, it was hard as well because people didn't see me as Canadian, and they didn't see me as Lebanese You know I was, a lot of people didn't talk to me because of it. I went there and a lot of people shunned² me basically, so.

 

Todd: So even though you had no language barrier³ at all cause you speak Lebanese?

 

Rina: Yep, yep, no, they basically, you know they were mad at me because I was too Canadian, or they were mad at me that I wasn't enough Canadian, and like, it was just, you know, insane⁴.

 

Todd: That's pretty tough.

 

Rina: Yeah, well, they have their, they have their image of what you know, what Western society is like from movies and, you know, because you know I have my tattoos⁵, they thought I was just basically Satan's spawn,and because I wasn't running around like a tramp⁶, they thought well, "What is she is doing? What is she supposed to?" it was just the worst of both world's really.

 

Todd: Ah, that's terrible.

 

Rina: Yeah, so because, they do, they have, and actually I have to specify⁷ this: I was in a village. Like, both of my parents are from villages

 

Todd: Oh, I see.

 

Rina: In Beirut, it's different, but when I was in the villages, where I stayed the majority of the time, it was like that, but I got, I made my little older ladies love me, but they were talking to me at the end, having coffee with me while I smoked my cigarettes, yep, yep.

 

Todd: Oh, that's good to hear.

 

1 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

2 shunned   

v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was shunned by her family when she remarried. 她再婚后家里人都躲着她。
• He was a shy man who shunned all publicity. 他是个怕羞的人，总是避开一切引人注目的活动。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 barrier   

n.栅栏，障碍，壁垒，关卡

参考例句：

• You must show your ticket at the barrier.你在关卡处必须出示许可证。
• The driver jumped a horse over a barrier.骑手骑马跳过障碍。

4 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

5 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 tramp   

n.流浪者，步行，跋涉；v.步行，跋涉

参考例句：

• She wants to go for a tramp in the country.她想去乡间远足。
• A tramp came to the door and asked for food.一个流浪汉来到门前讨饭吃。

7 specify   

vt.指定，详细说明

参考例句：

• We should specify a time and a place for the meeting.我们应指定会议的时间和地点。
• Please specify what you will do.请你详述一下你将做什么。