美国文化脱口秀 第338期:你能听懂这些英语段子吗

 听听奥巴马白宫记者协会晚宴段子。我们解释这些笑话的精华语言点，这样你不只看热闹，更能学习英语的门道。

关键词：

首先，什么是White House Correspondents' Dinner?

白宫记者协会WHCA(White House Correspondents' Association)，成立于1914年，由各大媒体专门负责报道白宫和总统新闻的记者们组成。

自1920年起，白宫记者协会在每年4月的最后一个星期六举行晚宴活动。

本意是白宫每年答谢媒体。不过，现在已经变成历届美国总统展现喜剧功力的秀场了。

总统们的段子当然都由speech writers (专业写手)精心打磨、撰写。

Top 10 Obama Zingers 奥巴马10佳段子

Zinger: 段子，特别指挖苦、吐槽人的段子

你能听懂这些英语段子吗

1. "If this material works well, I'm gonna use it at Goldman Sachs next year. Earn me some serious Tubmans."

笑点和语言点:

“Material”这里的意识是内容。奥马巴说如果这次演讲内容受欢迎，那明年我就拿到投行Goldman Sachs(高盛)去演讲了。

这是拿希拉里给Goldman Sachs做天价演讲的事开涮。

"Earn me some serious Tubmans". "Earn me some serious money"的意思是大赚一笔钱。Tubman是美国将在20美金纸币上印黑人废奴女领袖Harriet Tubman的头像。所以奥巴马说"earn me some serious Tubmans"的意思就是大赚一笔。

2. "I am hurt though, Bernie, that you've been distancing yourself a little from me. I mean, that's just not something that you do to your comrade."

笑点和语言点:

我们节目以前说过，这次民主党的候选人之一Bernie Sanders是社会主义者，所以奥巴马叫他“Comrade", 同志。

3. "It is an honor to be here at my last, and perhaps the last, White House Correspondents Dinner. Next year this time, someone else will be standing¹ here in this very spot, and it's anyone's guess who she will be."

笑点和语言点:

"It's anyone's guess"本意是局面扑朔迷离，什么都有可能发生；

但是奥巴马说“it's anyone's guess who she will be", 大家get到这个笑点吗？

4. "Eight years ago, I was a young man, full of idealism and vigor². And look at me now."

笑点和语言点:

8年前，我充满idealism(理想主义)和vigor(活力), look at me now.

看，这个工作把我摧残成现在这样了......

5. "Bernie, you look like a million bucks³, or to put it in put it in terms you'll understand, you look like 37,000 donations of $27 each."

笑点和语言点:

英语里"You look like a million bucks"的意思是你超级好看，看上去就像值100万美金一样。

“To put it in terms you'll understand"的意思是“用你听得懂的话来说”；

奥巴马又拿社会主义老爷爷Bernie Sanders开玩笑。意思是你是社会主义者，反对财富阶级，所以你应该不懂100万美金是什么意思；但是你的支持者平均每人给你捐了$27美金，所以100万美金就等于37000笔小额捐款。

接下来这两个笑话，大家试试看，能否get其中的笑点和语言点？

6. "Hilary trying to appeal to young voters is a little bit like your relative who just signed up for Facebook."

7. "And there's one area where Donald's experience could be invaluable⁴, and that's closing Guantanamo, because Trump⁵ knows a thing or two about running waterfront properties into the ground."

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

3 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。