英文「現(xiàn)在簡單式」的使用時機(jī) (4)

這是英文“現(xiàn)在簡單式”講解的最后一部份，前三部份在‘英文“現(xiàn)在簡單式”的使用時機(jī) (1)’、‘英文“現(xiàn)在簡單式”的使用時機(jī) (2)’與‘英文“現(xiàn)在簡單式”的使用時機(jī) (3)’。閱讀下面英文時態(tài)解說之前，版主建議先閱讀‘英文時態(tài)概論’與‘英文文法基本概念：動詞的基本型態(tài)’，先掌握基本概念，然后再研究細(xì)節(jié)。

◎ 以現(xiàn)在式陳述故事或笑話

說故事或笑話：以現(xiàn)在式描述 (場景描述)，用于非正式的場合。
說故事或笑話：以過去式描述 (普通敘事)，作者目的是要讓讀者知道它們曾經(jīng)發(fā)生過，此種寫作方式比較正式。

1) There‘s this Scotsman, you see, and he’s walking through the jungle when he meets a gorilla. And the gorilla’s eating a snake sandwich. So the Scotsman goes up to the gorilla… (Practical English Usage by Michael Swan. p462)

(翻譯)
你瞧，這個蘇格蘭人正在穿越叢林，突然間看到一隻大猩猩正在吃著蟒蛇三明治。蘇格蘭人隨即走向大猩猩…
(說明) 說故事時以現(xiàn)在式來“鋪陳劇情”，說明接二連三發(fā)生的事情?，F(xiàn)在進(jìn)行式則提供“背景信息”，所謂“背景信息”就是故事開始時正在發(fā)生的事情，或者故事中持續(xù)某段時間的事情或動作。

2)??A panda walks into a cafe. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then pulls out a gun and shoots the waiter. “Why?” groans the injured man. The panda shrugs and walks out, tossing a badly punctuated wildlife manual over his shoulder. When the waiter consults the book, he finds the explanation for this behaviour. The entry for “panda” reads: “Large black and white mammal native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

(翻譯)
一隻貓熊走進(jìn)咖啡廳，點(diǎn)了三明治，吃完之后掏出槍，朝服務(wù)員開了一槍。受傷的服務(wù)員呻吟著，問道：“這是為什幺？”貓熊聳聳肩，走了出去，從肩部上方拋下一本亂用標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號的野生動物手冊。服務(wù)員翻看手冊，找到貓熊這種行為的說明?！柏埿堋钡臈l目這樣記載：黑白相間的大型動物，土生于中國。吃東西、射殺，然后離開。
(說明) 這則笑話以現(xiàn)在式來“鋪陳劇情”，說明接二連三發(fā)生的事情。內(nèi)容是講亂用標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號而鬧出的笑話，最后一句原本應(yīng)該是?“Eats shoots and leaves” (專吃嫩芽與樹葉)，結(jié)果多了一個標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號 “Eats, shoots and leaves” (吃東西、射殺，然后離開)，意思完全走樣。

3) Seeing that people were becoming more and more wicked, God was grieved that he had made them. But there was one man, called Noah, who found favor in the eyes of God.? “I am going to destroy all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them,” God told Noah.? “Every living animal will die. I want? you to make an boat of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The boat is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high.”

Then,? God added, “I am going to send flood to cover the earth. Only you, your family, and the animals that are inside the boat, will be kept safe.” With the help of his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), Noah obeyed God and began to build an enormous boat called an “ark”.? He followed what God had commended him precisely. When the ark was finished, God sent two of every kind of animal and bird – one male and one female – and they all went into the ark. As soon as the last animal was on board, God told Noah and his family to get in, too. God himself closed the door behind them.

(翻譯)
神看到世人變得愈來愈邪惡，心理難過，后悔創(chuàng)造了人類。然而，唯有挪亞在 神眼前蒙恩。 神告訴挪亞：“我要?dú)缢械娜?，因?yàn)樗麄冏尩厣铣錆M邪氣敗壞。凡有血?dú)獾幕钗锒紝缤?。你要用歌斐木造一艘船，里面要有隔間，內(nèi)外要抹上松香。船的造法如下：長 450 英尺，寬 75 英尺，高 45 英尺。”

然后， 神接著說：“我要使洪水氾濫于地上。唯有你、你的家人，以及船上的活物能夠保全生命。”挪亞照著 神的旨意，在三個兒子 (閃、含與雅弗)? 的協(xié)助之下建造了一艘巨大的船，稱為“方舟”。凡 神所吩咐的，挪亞都照樣行。方舟完成之后， 神吩咐凡有血肉的活物，每樣兩個，一公一母，都進(jìn)入到方舟之內(nèi)。最后一隻活物上船之后， 神命令挪亞與其家人也進(jìn)到方舟。然后， 神親自關(guān)上方舟的門。
(說明) 說故事時以過去式來“鋪陳劇情”，屬于正式的用法。

◎ 一般雜誌或文章常以現(xiàn)在式講述事件或描述物體

Nestled amidst a neighborhood of single story bungalows in Venice, California, the Solar Umbrella Residence boldly establishes a precedent for the next generation of California modernist architecture. Located on a 41’ wide x 100’-0” long through lot, the Solar Umbrella addition transforms the architects’ existing 650 square foot bungalow into a 1900 square foot residence equipped for responsible living in the twenty-first century.

Inspired by Paul Rudolph’s Umbrella House of 1953, the Solar Umbrella provides a contemporary reinvention of the solar canopy—a strategy that provides thermal protection in climates with intense exposures. In establishing the program for their residence, which accommodates the couple and their one child chose to integrate into the design, principles of sustainability that they strive to achieve in their own practice. The architects carefully considered the entire site, taking advantage of as many opportunities for sustainable living as possible.? Passive and active solar design strategies render the residence 100% energy neutral. Recycled, renewable, and high performance materials and products are specified throughout.? Hardscape and landscape treatments are considered for their aesthetic and actual impact on the land.? The Brooks Scarpa Residence elegantly crafts each of these strategies and materials, exploiting the potential for performance and sensibility while achieving a rich and interesting sensory and aesthetic experience.

(翻譯)“太陽傘住宅”坐落于加州威尼斯海灘 (Venice)，四周皆為單層平房，這間住宅作風(fēng)大膽，為下一代加州的現(xiàn)代主義建筑創(chuàng)下了先例?！疤杺阕≌睂?41 英尺，長 100 英尺，整體宅院為通透形式，其擴(kuò)建部份將原本 650 平方英尺的單層平房轉(zhuǎn)變成 1900 平方英尺的住宅，居家設(shè)施是針對二十一世紀(jì)環(huán)保生活而規(guī)劃。

“太陽傘住宅”的設(shè)計概念源自于保羅．魯?shù)婪?(Paul Rudolph) 1953 年興建的“雨傘住宅”(Umbrella House)，將“大陽能頂蓬”重新塑造成現(xiàn)代形式，可在烈日的氣候中發(fā)揮隔熱效果。本宅院是供一對夫婦及其獨(dú)生子居住，設(shè)計師在規(guī)劃設(shè)施時將他們致力推動的永續(xù)原則整合進(jìn)去。建筑師曾經(jīng)仔細(xì)考慮過整個場址，僅可能在各個細(xì)節(jié)去實(shí)踐永續(xù)生活的原則，無論消極或積極的太陽能設(shè)計都讓整間住宅在能源使用上自給自足。住宅內(nèi)隨處可見回收、再生與高效率的建材與產(chǎn)品。設(shè)計師在規(guī)劃景物設(shè)施 (hardscape) 與宅院風(fēng)貌時，都曾針對美感與對土地的實(shí)際衝擊來加以考量。“布魯克斯卡帕住宅”(Brooks Scarpa Residence) 以高雅的方式運(yùn)用每一項(xiàng)環(huán)保設(shè)計與建材，將效能與敏銳度發(fā)揮到極致，同時營造出豐富有趣的感官體驗(yàn)與美學(xué)效果。

◎ 撰寫‘評論’

Du Fu?is one of the undisputed geniuses of Chinese poetry – still universally admired?and read thirteen centuries after his death. Du Fu?masters all the forms of Chinese poetry.?His poems use a wide range of registers, from the?colloquial to the allusive?literary.

(翻譯)
杜甫毫無疑問是寫中國詩的天才，他逝去已一千三百多年，至今仍然受到舉世讚揚(yáng)，讀者遍佈全球。杜甫精通各種類型的中國詩。他詩中的語言風(fēng)格多樣廣泛，從口語到文學(xué)典故都有。

(說明) 寫杜甫傳則必須用過去式
Du Fu (杜甫, 712-770) was a prominent Chinese poet of the Tang Dynasty. Along with Li Bai (Li Po), he is frequently called the greatest of the Chinese poets. His own greatest ambition was to help his country by becoming a successful civil servant, but he proved unable to make the necessary accommodations. His life, like the whole country, was devastated by the An Lushan Rebellion of 755, and the last 15 years of his life were a time of almost constant unrest.
出處：http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du_Fu

(翻譯)
杜甫 (公元 712 年 – 770 年) 乃是著名的唐朝詩人，常與李白并稱為中國最偉大的詩人。他胸懷壯志，矢志考取功名為國效力，可惜卻窮途潦倒，難以溫飽。杜甫的一生風(fēng)雨飄搖，猶如當(dāng)時的朝廷，因著安祿山之亂而顛沛流離。杜甫離世前的15年，生活大多艱辛困頓。

◎ 其他

• This issue is discussed in Chapter One. (將整本書視為完整的整體)
  This issue?was discussed in Chapter One.(將整本書視為逐次完成)
  This issue?has been discussed in Chapter One. (強(qiáng)調(diào)已經(jīng)討論過這項(xiàng)問題了)
• As you will see from my resume, I have a great deal of experience in program development, administration, contract development, and budget planning.
  – Cover letter 寫法，應(yīng)征者認(rèn)定雇主待會會讀他的履歷表
  As you can see, there is a river at the bottom of the canyon. It is the Colorado River.
  – 書本寫法，作者要讀者看書中圖片
  As you should know by now, I like to be very upfront with the membership about RIOY. We have been hit by a few unforeseen circumstances that have had a significant impact on our business.
  – 發(fā)文者假定收信者已經(jīng)知道某件事
  As you already may have heard by now, the FTC has some new rules coming into effect in December.
  – 發(fā)文者假定收信者已經(jīng)知道某件事

上述類似的情況，可以運(yùn)用不同的時態(tài)來寫，這就是版主之所以再三強(qiáng)調(diào)，時態(tài)的運(yùn)用要存乎一心，視情況予以調(diào)整，不要太拘泥于文法規(guī)則。