2008-05-14

It's Good to Be a Finn 波羅的海的女兒

 
每週 四 出刊.2008.05.15
 
本 期 目 錄 簡介/舊報明細
It's Good to Be a Finn 波羅的海的女兒
單字小舖
文法一點靈
精解字詞片語
中文翻譯
健身房風雲
在健身房會遇到的事
長篇閱讀 

It's Good to Be a Finn 波羅的海的女兒


by Kevin Lustig

From language to light shows, Finland has many features to explore.
從語言到北極光,芬蘭有許多特點值得大家探索。

When visiting Helsinki, the capital of Finland, for the first time, it is a good idea to enter by way of the sea. Helsinki is said to make a dazzling appearance on the horizon as you sail towards it, which is why it has been poetically called "The Daughter of the Baltic Sea." It is not only the spectacular sight of Helsinki that makes Finland distinct from its neighbors, Norway and Sweden. While the latter countries are in many ways quite similar, Finland has an altogether different language, culture, and history.

The people of Finland, or Finns, are descended from nomads who traveled north from Eastern Europe thousands of years ago. Avoiding the fate of other nomadic groups around Europe, the Finn's ancient traditions survived and evolved over time. For this reason, the Finnish language sounds very different from other European languages. For example, the Finnish word for Finland is actually "Suomi."

The most famous product that has its roots in the ancient Finnish culture is probably the sauna. Saunas are rooms in which water is thrown on heated stones, making the air hot and humid. Visiting a sauna is a great way to relax and escape the cold, but it has also been an important social activity for Finns for centuries. In saunas, Finns celebrate a sense of community; controversial topics of conversation are avoided and formal titles are dispensed with.

For ages, Finnish culture has kept traditions alive that have disappeared almost everywhere else. Luckily for us, modern Finns aren't going to let their unique culture disappear any time soon.
單字小舖 


1. dazzling a. 炫目的,燦爛的
2. sail vi. 航行
3. poetically adv. 詩意地
4. Baltic Sea n. 波羅的海
5. spectacular a. 壯觀的
6. altogether adv. 完全,全然
7. nomad n. 遊牧民族
8. nomadic a. 遊牧的
9. sauna n.(芬蘭的)蒸汽浴(室),三溫暖(室)
10. humid a. 潮濕的
11. escape vt. 避免;逃脫
12. community n. 社區
a sense of community  社區意識
13. controversial a. 受爭議的
controversy n. 爭議
文法一點靈 


While the latter countries are in many ways quite similar, ...
= While Norway and Sweden are in many ways quite similar, ...

注意:
原句的 the latter countries 指的就是前一句句尾的 Norway(挪威)和 Sweden(瑞典)這兩個國家。the latter 亦可作代名詞,表兩者中的『後者』,而『前者』則用 the former 來代替。

the former...the latter...  前者……後者……
例: Bill and Jeff are brothers. The former is a college student, and the latter is a lawyer.
(比爾和傑夫是兄弟;前者是大學生,而後者是律師。)
精解字詞片語 


1. on the horizon  在地/水平線上
be on the horizon  即將到來
= be near at hand
= be around the corner
= be fast approaching
例: The sailors were excited when they saw an island on the horizon.
(水手們在水平線上看到一座島嶼時非常興奮。)
例: John never studies except when exams are on the horizon.
(除非考試即將到來,否則約翰從不唸書。)

2. distinct a. 與其他不同的
be distinct from...  和……截然不同
例: Our magazine is distinct from other English-teaching magazines.
(我們雜誌和其他英語教學雜誌迥然不同。)

3. be descended from...  是……的後代/後裔
descend vt. 系出(用被動式)
例: My professor is descended from one of China's emperors.
(我的教授是中國某位皇帝的後裔。)

4. evolve vi. 發展;進化
evolve into...  演變成……;進化成……
例: Though the company started very small, it evolved into a worldwide enterprise.
(該公司雖然一開始規模很小,後來卻發展成跨國企業。)

5. have one's roots in...  根源於/來自於……
例: Rock has its roots in blues.
(搖滾樂源自於藍調音樂。)

6. dispense with...  免除……
dispense vi. 免除
例: Let's dispense with the business talk and have lunch.
(我們不談公事,好好享用午餐吧。)

7. keep sth alive  使某物繼續存在/持續下去
例: Sean keeps his dream of owning a coffee shop alive.
(史恩開咖啡店的夢想從沒間斷過。)
中文翻譯 


第一次去拜訪芬蘭的首都赫爾辛基時,經由海路進入這個城市是個不錯的點子。據說當你航向這座城市時,地平線上的赫爾辛基會呈現出燦爛的景象,難怪她有個詩意的名字:『波羅的海的女兒』。使芬蘭與其鄰國挪威和瑞典大不同的,不僅僅是赫爾辛基的壯麗景觀而已。後兩者在各方面都很相近,但芬蘭在語言、文化和歷史上卻與它們大相逕庭。
  
芬蘭人是遊牧民族的後裔,他們的祖先幾千年前從東歐往北遷移。但芬蘭並沒有步上其他歐洲遊牧民族的後塵,他們的古老傳統得以保存,並隨著時代演變。基於這個原因,芬蘭語聽起來和其他的歐洲語言很不一樣。例如,Finland 這個字在芬蘭語中是 Suomi。
  
源自古芬蘭文化最有名的產物大概就是蒸汽浴了。蒸汽浴室就是把水潑在加熱的石頭上,因而產生熱氣和溼氣的隔間。去洗蒸汽浴不僅是放鬆和避寒的好方式,更是數百年來芬蘭人重要的社交活動。在蒸汽浴室裡,芬蘭人有個不成文的習慣,就是不可以討論爭議性的話題,也不用正式頭銜稱呼對方。
  
長久以來,芬蘭保存了傳統文化,相對的,其他地方的傳統卻幾乎消失殆盡。我們何其有幸,現代的芬蘭人並不打算讓自己獨特的文化隨著時間消逝。
前期文章 全部歷史文章
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2008-05-08 The Sea in a Glass 魚兒魚兒...
2008-05-01 A Good Diet 正確的減肥飲食
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2008-04-17 The Virgin Queen 女王未出嫁
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