实战口语情景对话 第1002期:Southern Style 南部特色

Peter: So Sarah, what's so unique about people in the south? You often hear about that.
彼得：萨拉，美国南部地区的人为什么如此特别？经常听到别人这样说。

Sarah: Yes. We're often known for being very laidback and easygoing. And we're also known for a certain accent which usually has a lot to do with the vowels in our speech as well as talking slower. We seem to be not as fast-paced as society in the north and just more friendly and laidback.
萨拉：对。我们通常以悠闲随和闻名。而且我们的口音也很出名，我们说话时使用很多元音，而且我们说得很慢。我们的生活节奏不像北方人那样快，我们更友好更慵懒。Peter: Okay. Why do you think that is? I'm just curious about it now that you say it.彼得：好。为什么会这样？我对你说的情况很好奇。

Sarah: I really have no idea, it just seems to be the way it is. So it's kind of a slower lifestyle, it's not very urban, there's not so much traffic or things going on, it's more rural, very family-oriented. You spend a lot of time with your family and food is also very important. And those are the things that we value the most in life, is probably family and food and time, and so we don't rush through things.
萨拉：我也不知道，情况就是这样。我们的生活方式更慢，不太城市化，我们的交通流量也不大，我们偏向田园生活，以家庭为重。我们会花很多时间陪伴家人，而且食物对我们来说很重要。我们在生活中最看重的是家人、食物和时间，所以我们不会匆匆忙忙地生活。

Peter: Sounds like a really easy lifestyle in many ways.
彼得：从很多方面来看，这都是非常简单的生活方式。

Sarah: Yeah.
萨拉：对。

Peter: Comfortable living there. So you spoke about the lifestyle — some of the lifestyles that you can see in the south. What kind of things, what social activities do people get involved in? Why is family life so important?
彼得：在那里生活很舒适。你刚才谈了南方的生活方式。那一般人们会参与哪些社交活动？为什么家庭生活如此重要？

Sarah: Well, something that's also very important in the south is Christianity. So there's a lot of people who are very involved in their churches. And churches usually have a lot of social gatherings, so besides going to church on Sunday and Bible study on Wednesday night, there's usually picnics and get-togethers and fundraisers and all sorts of things, so very involved with not only our family but our communities as well as church communities.
萨拉：基督教在南方也非常重要。有许多人会参加教会活动。教堂通常会举行许多社交聚会，除了周日去做礼拜以外，周三会组织《圣经》学习，还有野餐、聚会和筹款等活动，所以人们不止注重家庭活动，也会广泛参与社区活动和教会活动。

Peter: I've heard the term Bible belt being used before, would South Carolina and North Carolina be part of the Bible belt in America?
彼得：我听说以前有“圣经地带”这个词，南卡罗来纳州和北卡罗来纳州属于“圣经地带”吗？

Sarah: Yes, absolutely. Most southern states are a part of this, and that's how it got its name.
萨拉：当然了。大部分南方州都属于“圣经地带”，所以才得此名。

Peter: Aside from those social family events and activities, what other things do people like doing? If the weather's really mild, do they get out and do a lot of outdoor activities?
彼得：除了家庭社交活动以外，人们还会参与哪些活动？如果天气温暖，人们会不会参与户外活动？

Sarah: Absolutely, people love to fish, people love to hunt, so a lot of outdoor activities like that, and depending on where you live, if you live in the mountains of course a lot of hiking. And if you live on the coast then a lot of spending time on the beach, laying in the sun, drinking beer, that's what a lot of people do.
萨拉：当然会，人们喜欢钓鱼和打猎，有许多种户外运动，这要取决于你住在哪里，如果你住在山区，可以去徒步旅行。如果你住在海岸地区，那就可以在海滩上享受美好时光，躺在阳光下，喝啤酒，许多人都这样做。

Peter: So you mentioned that you travelled a lot across America, do you notice whether people in other parts of the country are very different to people from the south?
彼得：你之前提到过你去过美国很多地方，你有没有注意到其他地方的人与南方人有什么不同？

Sarah: Oh, definitely.
萨拉：哦，当然注意到了。

Peter: In what ways?
彼得：有哪些不同？

Sarah: People in the north are very time-oriented, they seem to be very scheduled, and very planned out because they have very, maybe strict jobs with times and very little free time because they work a lot and lots of ... if they live in a big city then lots of traffic and lots of ... I don't know, I think of schedules and meetings and time when I think of the north.
萨拉：北方人非常看重时间，他们把一切都安排得井井有条、计划得非常好，因为他们的工作时间非常严格，没有很多自由时间，他们要做很多工作……如果他们生活在大城市，那就会有很多交通问题，提到北方，我就会想到日程安排、会议和时间