每日英語 #017: The Least Influential People in the News

ESLPOD

The Least Influential People in the News

Every year, the well-known news magazine Time “compiles” (puts together) a list of the Time 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

每年，知名新聞雜誌《時代》會「彙編」（組合）一份時代100人的名單，這是一份全球最具影響力的100人名單。

“Influential” people are those whose actions, ideas, or products affect a lot of other people, changing the way people think and behave.

「有影響力的」人是指其行為、想法或產品影響很多其他人，改變人們思考和行為方式的人。

Joel Stein, a “columnist” (writer or journalist who writes regularly for a newspaper or magazine) at Time, writes a “humorous” (funny) column or article that appears on the last page of the magazine each week.

Joel Stein 是《時代》的一名「專欄作家」（定期為報紙或雜誌撰寫文章的作家或記者），每週在雜誌的最後一頁寫一篇「幽默的」（有趣的）專欄或文章。

In 2010, he decided to compile his own list: The 100 Least Influential People of 2010.

2010年，他決定編纂自己的名單：2010年最無影響力的100人。

This list was “divided into” (separated into) four categories: Losers, Flameouts, Morons, and Slimy Bastards.

這個名單被「分成」（劃分為）四類：失敗者、徹底失敗者、蠢材和卑鄙的混蛋。

These are all informal terms and insults for people who are undesirable, or that are unpleasant or unwanted, or simply people you don’t want to know or to be friends with.

這些都是非正式術語和侮辱用語，用來形容那些不受歡迎的、令人不愉快或不想結識或交朋友的人。

A “loser” is someone who is not successful in life and often fails at what he or she tries to do.

「失敗者」是指在生活中不成功，且經常在嘗試做的事情中失敗的人。

“To flame out” is an informal phrase meaning to fail in a very “conspicuous” (easy to see; seen by many people) way.

「徹底失敗」是一個非正式短語，意思是在非常「顯眼的」（容易看到的；被很多人看到的）方式下失敗。

We usually describe someone as flaming out if that person has tried to do something difficult or very public and failed “miserably” (very badly).

如果某人嘗試做某些困難或非常公開的事情並且「慘敗」（非常糟糕地失敗），我們通常會形容這個人徹底失敗。

“Moron” is a very insulting term for a very stupid person.

「蠢材」是對非常愚蠢的人的一個非常侮辱性的稱呼。

It is similar to “idiot,” but is even stronger and describes someone who is very, very stupid.

它類似於「白癡」，但更強烈，形容一個非常、非常愚蠢的人。

On Stein’s list are several famous people from “reality shows” (shows putting real people in real or unusual circumstances) that he thinks are morons.

在Stein的名單上有幾個來自「真人秀」（把真人放在真實或不尋常情境中的節目）的名人，他認為他們是蠢材。

The last category is “Slimy Bastard.”

最後一類是「卑鄙的混蛋」。

The dictionary meaning of “bastard” is a child who is born to an unmarried mother.

「混蛋」的字典意思是未婚媽媽所生的孩子。

This is an old-fashion usage of this term and it isn’t used this way very often anymore.

這是這個詞的一種老式用法，現在已不常這樣使用。

Instead, we use “bastard” as a synonym for jerk, someone who does bad things to other people and who deserves to be hated.

取而代之，我們用「混蛋」作為「混球」的同義詞，指做壞事且應該被憎恨的人。

Bastard is stronger than jerk, so people usually use it when they are very angry.

「混蛋」比「混球」更強烈，所以人們通常在非常生氣時使用。

We use “bastard” for men and almost never for women.

我們用「混蛋」來形容男人，幾乎從不用來形容女人。

We describe someone as “slimy” when that person does dishonest, “immoral” (wrong) things, especially if he is “obsequious,” acting like a servant to other people hoping to gain some benefit from that person.

當某人做不誠實的、「不道德的」（錯誤的）事情時，我們形容他為「卑鄙的」，尤其是當他「諂媚」地對待他人，希望從中獲得某些利益時。

So, a slimy bastard is a person who does bad things in a dishonest way, but always hoping to gain something for himself or herself.

所以，卑鄙的混蛋是一個以不誠實的方式做壞事，但總是希望為自己獲得一些利益的人。

重要單字

• 1. Compile (彙編) - /kəmˈpaɪl/
• 2. Influential (有影響力的) - /ˌɪnfluˈɛnʃəl/
• 3. Columnist (專欄作家) - /ˈkɑləmnɪst/
• 4. Humorous (幽默的) - /ˈhjuːmərəs/
• 5. Divide into (分成) - /dɪˈvaɪd ˈɪntu/
• 6. Loser (失敗者) - /ˈluːzər/
• 7. Flame out (徹底失敗) - /fleɪm aʊt/
• 8. Conspicuous (顯眼的) - /kənˈspɪkjʊəs/
• 9. Miserably (慘烈地) - /ˈmɪzərəbli/
• 10. Moron (蠢材) - /ˈmɔːrɒn/
• 11. Reality show (真人秀) - /riˈæləti ʃoʊ/
• 12. Slimy (卑鄙的) - /ˈslaɪmi/
• 13. Bastard (混蛋) - /ˈbæstərd/
• 14. Immoral (不道德的) - /ɪˈmɔrəl/
• 15. Obsequious (諂媚的) - /əbˈsiːkwiəs/
• 16. Synonym (同義詞) - /ˈsɪnənɪm/
• 17. Jerk (混球) - /dʒɜrk/
• 18. Dishonest (不誠實的) - /dɪsˈɑnɪst/
• 19. Undesirable (不受歡迎的) - /ˌʌndɪˈzaɪərəbl/
• 20. Insult (侮辱) - /ɪnˈsʌlt/
• 21. Fail (失敗) - /feɪl/
• 22. Successful (成功的) - /səkˈsɛsfəl/
• 23. Try (嘗試) - /traɪ/
• 24. Public (公開的) - /ˈpʌblɪk/
• 25. Describe (形容) - /dɪˈskraɪb/
• 26. Fail miserably (慘敗