考满分网托福项目总监,中国托福培训界名师,精通TOEFL、SAT等英语类出国考试的输出端(口语、写作)教学与教师培训,是中国培训行业精细化教学的代表性人物。以注重实战、结果导向的教学风格著称,曾任新东方教育科技集团演讲师,北京新东方学校国外考试部写作中心项目经理。
I love that woman. I love her more than shark loves blood. Kevin Spacey有一种很性感的坏,这话从他口中说出毫不做作。有一种爱,是高手之间的较量和厮守,如鲨鱼般冷酷,似热血般炙烈。弄潮儿的情仇,总是让旁人觉得消受不起。当Frank发现自己不是下一任国务卿而颇为沮丧地为自己的失算向Claire道歉时,这王一般的女人却说My husband never apologize Even to me. (《纸牌屋》)或许真正的女王,不会允许自己有一个hen-pecked husband (惧内的丈夫). Claire独特的魅力让她可能被任何人追求,但我清楚地记得她在拒绝别人时评价丈夫的话:You know what Francis said to me when he proposed? I remember his exact words. He said, “Claire, if all you want is happiness, say no. I’m not gonna give you a couple of kids and count the days until retirement. I promise you freedom from that. I promise you’ll never be bored.” 很多人不明白,爱一个人未必是给予他世俗的幸福,而是看到对方心中真正的所需。这是为什么不仅王子和公主可以幸福,任何人都有可能与合适的另一半live happily ever after.
说到爱情,我们都经历过青葱岁月,窃以为最纯美的情话,多出于此时。You can sit here if you want 对于little Forrest来说,不仅是the sweetest voice in the wide world, 更是一生挚爱的开始。(《阿甘正传》)在他们婚后一个安静的早晨,病榻中的Jenny问自己的丈夫:“Hey, Forrest. Were you scared in Vietnam?”后面的对话让我感到无比的平静,这或许是爱的另一种表象。Gump:“Well, I… I don’t know. Sometimes it would stop raining long enough for the stars to come out, and then it was nice. It was just like before the sun goes to bed down on the bayou. There were always a million sparkles on the water. Like that mountain lake. It was so clean, Jenny, it looked like there were two skies, one on top of the other. And then in the desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn’t tell where heaven stopped and the earth began. It’s so beautiful.” Jenny:“I wish I could have been there with you.”Gump:“You were.”看似跑题的回答,让Jenny知道Gump always has her in mind. 生命中的美好与快乐,常常是因为心中有爱,于是任何地方都有风景,即使独处也不孤单。不久之后,Jenny故去,经历了战火和生活洗礼的“大男孩”Forrest在墓前用最简单的话语说出了对爱妻的朴素情感—if there is anything you need, I won’t be far away. 当你需要时,我在不远处。爱是陪伴,相对则厮守,离别则思念。
广义上的爱,并不只限于两情相悦,而是有着更加丰富的内涵。我喜欢《当幸福来敲门》,不仅因为Chris Cardner的生活折射了所有在外漂泊的苦与乐,也因为那对父子之间的惺惺相惜。Love makes people tough. Chris爱自己的孩子,对要带走孩子的妻子说:Don’t you ever take my son away from me. Christopher is living with me! 有人或许会奇怪,为什么一个没有受过高等教育,每天还被孩子拖累的人能够在竞争中胜出,我想,爱有时看似拖累,可却是力量的源泉。Chris对孩子的爱,并不体现在玩具或零食的多少,而是体现在无处不在的关怀和正能量的传递。这对父子在天台篮球场上的对白,相信很多人都印象深刻,甚至能够脱口而出:Don’t ever let somebody tell you that you can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves wanna tell you that you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it, Period. 爱别人与自爱,很多时候是我们强大的本源。
When I was asked to write an article on the topic “how to say love in English”, I planned to, at least for a sec, write about sentences and vocabularies that you may be able to use in love letters. But when I started to search in mind what love really looks like, I changed the topic. Now this article is called “What does love sound like in English”. When we talk about love, the word “love” isn’t always necessary. If we do have love in our hearts, every word can delivery that information without being misunderstood. Love, is a language itself, isn’t it?