外刊精讀筆記：紐約時報 譚恩美自傳，一本無意中寫就的回憶錄下
Amy Tan, theReluctantMemoirist
譚恩美自傳，一本無意中寫就的回憶錄
感謝Bluce學英語外刊精讀筆記互享1群39號所作筆記
Epic可數名詞 an epic is a long book，poem or film，whose story extends over a long period of time or tells of great events 史詩，敘事詩，史詩般的作品
Featureverb when sth such as a film or exhibition features a particular person or thing，they are an important part of it 由…主演，以…為主要內容，重點介紹
Modelverb if one thing is modelled on another ，the first thing is made so that it is like the second thing in some way 按特定模型製造，仿特定樣式做出 （寫作可能用得到）
There』s no shortage ofdramatic material from Tan』s past, and she could have easilyminedher childhood to write a traditional account of her life. Born in California in 1952 to Chinese immigrants, she grew up in fear of hervolatilemother. Tan』s late mother, Daisy, was depressed and unstable, and repeatedly threatened suicide. She once tried to throw herself out of the car when the family was driving on thehighway. When Tan was 16, her motherbrandishedameat cleaverand threatened to kill her.
官方譯文
譚恩美的過去不乏戲劇化的素材，她可以輕鬆地挖掘自己的童年，用傳統手法敘述自己的生活。她1952年出生在加州的一個中國移民家庭，她從小就害怕自己情緒不穩定的母親。譚恩美已故的母親黛西(Daisy)經常情緒低落、不穩定，多次威脅要自殺。有一次，她一家人在高速公路上開車時，黛西試圖從車裡跳出去。譚恩美16歲時，她的母親揮舞著一把菜刀，揚言要殺了她。
筆記
A shortage of sth不足，短缺
片語 a shortage of hard cash 缺少現金
Mineverb to dig holes in the ground in order to find and obtain coal，diamonds （在某地）開礦，採礦
They were mining for gold 他們在開採黃金 文章關於挖的詞不少，不過都活用了
Volatileadj if someone is volatile，their mood often change quickly （人）易變的，情緒無常的
Highway（尤指城市間的）公路 a main road，especially one that connect towns orcities
Brandishverb to hold or wave sth，especially a weapon，in an aggressive or excited way 挑釁地揮舞，激動地揮舞（尤指武器）
Meat cleaver名詞 a butcher』s knife having a large square blade 意思自己想像
When she was 14, Tan』s familywas struck bya double tragedy: her older brother Peter developed a brain tumor and died at age 16. Then her father, an electrical engineer and Baptist minister, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and died not long after Peter. Her mother believed the family was cursed.
官方譯文
譚恩美14歲時，她的家庭遭受了雙重悲劇：她的哥哥彼得(Peter)患上了腦瘤，年僅16歲就去世了。後來，她的父親——一位電氣工程師和浸禮會牧師——也被診斷出患有腦瘤，在彼得去世後不久也走了。她的母親認為這個家庭受到了詛咒。
筆記
Be struck by/on/with/sthidiom (informal) to be impressed or interested by sb or sth; to like sb or sth very much
I was struck by her youth and enthusiasm 我被她的朝氣和熱心驚呆了
文章中的用法我不懂。。
Tan alsocatalogssome of thetrialsand misfortunes she』s faced as an adult: her feeling of 「relief and sadness」 when she had amiscarriageat 28, and her struggle withchronicLyme disease, which shecontractedin 1999. The diseasespreadto her brain, causingseizuresthatsparkedbizarre butbenign hallucinations, like a Renoir painting or a spinningodometer. When she started taking medication to control the seizures, it made hergiddy, and she worried it would make her writemaudlinfiction. (The side effects eventuallyabated).
官方譯文
譚恩美也列舉了她成年後面臨的一些考驗和不幸：她28歲流產時感到的「解脫和悲傷」，以及她1999年患上慢性萊姆病後所作的鬥爭。這種疾病擴散到了她的大腦，引起癲癇發作，產生了奇怪而良性的幻覺，比如雷諾阿(Renoir)的畫作或旋轉的里程錶。她開始服用藥物控制發作時，會感到頭暈，她擔心那會讓她寫出傷感的小說（藥物的副作用最終慢慢減弱了）。
筆記
Catalogverb catalog sth to give a list of things connected with a particular person，event
Trialsa person，thing or situation that tests a person』s endurance or forbearance (對人的忍耐，自制力的)考驗
片語 the trials and tribulations of everyday life 日常生活的磨鍊與艱難
Miscarriagethe expulsion of a fetus from the womb before it is able to survive independently，especially spontaneously or as the result of accident 流產
片語 have a miscarriage 流產
與abortion區別下 abortion the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy，most often performed during the first 28 weeks 流產，墮胎
Chronic（of an illness）persisting for a long time or constantly，recurring 慢性的，經常複發的，長期的
片語 chronic bronchitis 慢性支氣管炎
反義詞是acute （of a disease or symptoms）of short duration but typically severe (疾病，癥狀)急性的
片語 acute appendicitis 急性闌尾炎
Contractcatch or develop （a disease or infectious agent）染上，感染，得病
Three people contract a killer virus 三個人感染了一種致命的病毒
Spreadverb gradually reach or cause to reach a larger and larger area or more and more people 傳開，散布，蔓延
Seizure可數名詞 a sudden condition in which someone cannot control the movements of their body，which continues for a short time
He had an epileptic seizure 他癲癇發作了
與fit 區別下 fit 可數名詞 a short period of time when someone loses consciousness and cannot control their body because their brain is not working properly
People who suffer from epileptic fits 受癲癇病困擾的人
Sparkif one thing sparks another，the first thing causes the second thing to start happening 觸發，引發
Benign（medical醫）（of tumors growing in the body）not dangerous or likely to cause death 良性的 反義詞 malignant
Hallucinationthe fact of seeming to see or hear sb/sth that is not really there，especially because of illness or drugs （因生病或吸毒所致的）幻覺
Odometera device in a vehicle which shows how far the vehicle has travelled 里程錶，計程器
Giddyfeeling slightly sick and unable to balance，because everything seems to be moving 眩暈 同義詞 dizzy
He felt giddy and light-headed 他感到頭暈目眩
Maudlinadj talking or behaving in a sad，silly and emotional way especially when drunk （尤指酒後）傷感的
Abateverb become less in amount or intensity 減退，減少
Steps are to be taken to abate pollution 應該採取措施減少污染
Now that the book is about to be published, Tan is feelingapprehensive. She worries about family members who might think she』ssulliedher grandmother』s memory, and is terrified of thecriticalresponse. She』s accustomed to having her fictioncritiqued, but this feels much scarier, and more personal. 「There』s so much in there that』sraw,」 she said.
官方譯文
現在，這本書快要出版了，譚恩美為此感到非常不安。她擔心家庭成員可能會認為她玷污了關於祖母的記憶，也對評論人士的反應感到恐懼。她已經習慣了別人批評她的小說，但這一次更可怕，更個人化。「裡面有太多未經修飾的東西，」她說。
筆記
Apprehensiveadj worried or nervous about sth that you are going to do，or about the future 擔心的，憂慮的
搭配 apprehensive about/of
apprehensive that
people are still terribly apprehensive about the future 人們對於將來仍然非常擔心
sullyto spoil or reduce the value of sth 敗壞，有損於
a scandal that sullied his reputation 使他名聲掃地的醜聞
criticaladj expressing or involving an analysis of the merits and faults of
a work of literature，music or art （對文藝作品）批評的，評論性的
she never won the critical acclaim she sought 她從未得到她嚮往的評論界的讚揚
critiqueverb evaluate in a detailed and analytical way 評論，評價
her job involves critiquing designs by fashion students 她的工作包括評判時裝專業學生的設計
raw（of information）not analyzed，evaluated or processed for use 未經處理的，第一手的
片語 raw data 原始數據
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