正文
Why clowns like the 'Joker' give us the creeps
为什么类似于电影《小丑》中的形象会让我们毛骨悚然
Hollywood has long exploited our deep ambivalence about clowns, and this fall's film lineup is no different. How did a mainstay of children's birthday parties start to become an embodiment of pure evil?
好莱坞长久以来都在用我们对小丑深深的矛盾情绪来牟利，而今年秋天的几部电影也不例外。这个孩子们生日聚会上的台柱子怎么就开始成为一个纯粹邪恶的化身呢？
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In fact, a 2008 study conducted in England revealed that very few children actually like clowns. It also concluded that the common practice of decorating children's wards in hospitals with pictures of clowns may create the exact opposite of a nurturing environment.
其实，一项 2008 年在英格兰进行的研究显示，只有很少的孩子真正喜欢小丑。这项研究还得出了一个结论——用小丑的图片来装饰孩子们的医院病房这样一种惯常做法，可能会营造出一个与充满爱心的氛围截然相反的环境。
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Psychology can help explain why clowns often end up sending chills down our spines.
心理学有助于解释为什么小丑往往最后会让我们脊背发凉。
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Rami Nader is a Canadian psychologist who studies the irrational fear of clowns. Nader believes that clown phobias are fueled by the fact that clowns wear makeup and disguises that hide their true identities and feelings.
拉米·内德是一位研究人们对小丑怀有无端恐惧这一现象的加拿大心理学家。他相信，小丑画的妆以及穿戴的伪装物可以隐藏他们真实的身份和情绪，而正是这些东西激化了人们的小丑恐惧症。
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People interacting with a clown during one of his routines never know if they are about to get a pie in the face or be the victim of some other humiliating prank. The highly unusual physical characteristics of the clown — the wig, the red nose, the makeup, the odd clothing— only magnify the uncertainty of what the clown might do next.
在小丑的某个固定表演节目中，和他进行互动的人们从来不知道他们接下来是会被馅饼扣到脸上，还是成为某个其他丢脸恶作剧的受害者。小丑极度不寻常的物理特征（假发、红鼻子、妆容、以及怪异的服装）只会增加他们接下来可能要做之事的不确定性。
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It is the inherent ambiguity surrounding clowns that makes them creepy.
正是小丑自带的不确定性，让他们变得惊悚。
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主编：里昂
品控：毛西
审核：Jack
重点词汇
clown
/klaʊn/
n. 小丑；愚蠢可笑的人
例句：I can't understand what she sees in that clown.
give sb. the creeps
使某人毛骨悚然
例句：That house gives me the creeps.
exploit
/ɪkˈsplɔɪt/
v. 利用；剥削
搭配短语：to exploit our resources as fully as possible
搭配短语：to exploit employees
ambivalence
/æmˈbɪv.ə.ləns/
n. 矛盾心理
相关词汇：ambivalent（adj. 矛盾的）
搭配短语：ambivalent about/towards
例句：Young people are ambivalent about/towards having a child.
搭配短语：ambivalence about/towards
搭配短语：the ambivalence about/towards one's ex-boyfriend
lineup
/ˈlaɪn.ʌp/
n. 阵容，阵列
相关词汇：line（n. 排）
搭配短语：a line of trees
搭配短语：a lineup of guests
mainstay
/ˈmeɪn.steɪ/
n. 支柱
相关词汇：main（adj. 主要的，重要的）
例句：She is the mainstay of our team.
embodiment
/ɪmˈbɑː.di.mənt/
n. 化身，体现
相关词汇：embody（v. 代表，体现）
近义词：represent
例句：She embodies everything I admire in a teacher.
例句：Venus is the embodiment of beauty.
reveal
/rɪˈviːl/
v. 揭露，显示
搭配短语：to reveal a secret
practice
/ˈpræk.tɪs/
n. 惯例，习俗；练习
搭配短语：a cruel practice
ward
/wɔːrd/
n. 病房
nurture
/ˈnɝː.tʃɚ/
v. 养育
英文释义：to care for and protect sb./sth. while they are growing and developing
例句：Children are usually nurtured by their parents.
end up
到头来，以...告终
例句：Every time I went out to relax myself, I ended up feeling even more tired.
send chills down sb's spine
使某人毛骨悚然
相关词汇：chill（n. 害怕的感觉；寒气）
相关词汇：spine（n. 脊柱）
例句：Her laughter sent chills down my spine.
irrational
/ɪˈræʃ.ən.əl/
adj. 不合理的
反义词：rational（adj. 合理的）
搭配短语：a rational thought/decision
词根词缀：ir-（否定前缀）
phobia
/ˈfoʊ.bi.ə/
n. 恐惧
例句：He has a phobia about flying.
词根词缀：-phobia（对...的恐惧）
相关词汇：technophobia
fuel
/ˈfjuː.əl/
v. 给...提供燃料；加强，激起
词性拓展：fuel（n. 燃料）
搭配短语：nuclear fuels
搭配短语：to fuel a car
disguise
/dɪsˈɡaɪz/
n. 伪装物
例句：Many stars wear sunglasses as a disguise.
routine
/ruːˈtiːn/
n. 惯例；一套固定的动作，固定的表演节目
搭配短语：daily routine
搭配短语：a dance routine
humiliating
/hjuːˈmɪl.i.eɪ.t̬ɪŋ/
adj. 丢脸的，使蒙受耻辱的
相关词汇：humiliate（v. 羞辱）
例句：His teacher humiliated him in front of all his classmates.
搭配短语：a humiliating defeat
prank
/præŋk/
n. 恶作剧
近义词：trick
characteristic
/ˌker.ək.təˈrɪs.tɪk/
n. 特征
词性拓展：characteristic（adj. 典型的）
搭配短语：a characteristic feature
例句：A red nose is a characteristic of clowns.
wig
/wɪɡ/
n. 假发
magnify
/ˈmæɡ.nə.faɪ/
v. 放大；加强，使严重
相关词汇：magnifier（n. 放大镜）
例句：The dry summer has magnified the problem of water shortages.
inherent
/ɪnˈhɪr.ənt/
adj. 固有的，内在的
例句：Every business has its inherent risks.
ambiguity
/ˌæm.bɪˈɡjuː.ə.t̬i/
n. 不确定性
相关词汇：ambiguous（adj. 不明确的，模棱两可的）
搭配短语：an ambiguous statement
搭配短语：an ambiguous agreement
creepy
/ˈkriː.pi/
adj. 怪异的，令人毛骨悚然的
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