双语趣听精彩世界 第205期:"熊孩子"三毛的不老青春

 　　At 80, Sanmao, China's most popular comic strip hero, is not aging at all.

　　"熊孩子"三毛的不老青春

　　Skinny limbs, big head and three curly strands¹ of hair crowning the top, he is brave and quick-witted as Tintin and acts as an ultimate survivor² like Charlie Brown.

　　But unlike his western counterparts, Sanmao's tales are much darker, since they mirror some of the most turbulent moments of Chinese history in the 20th century.

　　Shao Jianqiu is a comic buff born in the 1980s.

　　"When I read the books as a kid, I could only memorize the scenes. But as I get older, I start to recognize the political connotation and irony³ of these comic strips. There are many elements of historical background embedded⁴. In terms of the plot, drawing style, and the incisive⁵ reflection on the society, Sanmao series are truly master pieces. "

　　In 1935, Sanmao, literarily meaning "three hairs" in Chinese, was devised by cartoonist Zhang Leping in Shanghai. Though at that time, modern comics had already been popularized for ten years, it was rare to see a comic strip featuring a child as protagonist⁶.

1 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

3 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

4 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。

5 incisive   

adj.敏锐的，机敏的，锋利的，切入的

参考例句：

• His incisive remarks made us see the problems in our plans.他的话切中要害，使我们看到了计划中的一些问题。
• He combined curious qualities of naivety with incisive wit and worldly sophistication.他集天真质朴的好奇、锐利的机智和老练的世故于一体。

6 protagonist   

n.(思想观念的)倡导者；主角，主人公

参考例句：

• The protagonist reforms in the end and avoids his proper punishment.戏剧主角最后改过自新并避免了他应受的惩罚。
• He is the model for the protagonist in the play.剧本中的主人公就是以他为模特儿创作的！