这篇 Obituary: George H.W. Bush 赏析来自现象级英语之《经济学人》共读—“老布什”兴趣小分队。标题、摘要及正文1段由灿灿完成，2-3段由路人丁完成，4-5段由Nancy J.完成，6-7段由Becky完成（点击作者名字可跳转至他们各自的简书看赏析原文哦~精彩纷呈，各具特色~）。最后由灿灿整合完成，统一了格式，尽量保留了大家赏析的原汁原味！欢迎大家多多指正。Thank you for your time！*^_^*
Doing his darnedest
网页版摘要：
George Herbert Walker Bush, 41st president of the United States, died on November 30th, aged 94
纸质版摘要：
Obituary: George H.W. Bush died on November 30th
America’s 41st president, the last of his kind, was 94
标题赏析：
Doing his darnedest，意思是“尽他最大的努力”，与“try his best”和“do his best”有异曲同工之妙。do one's darnedest，to put forth the utmost amount of energy or effort toward some task or goal. 是do one's damnedest的more polite version，如果我们想表达，最近手头有点紧，但是你的婚礼我还是尽力会去参加的（言外之意，礼金不会少的），就可以这么说：Money is a little tight at the moment, but I'll do my darnedest to be there for your wedding. 另外，题目用这个darnedest（damnedest）也是与老布什书信集 （All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings）里的用词有暗合之处，老布什自己的书中有三处使用了“damnedest”（下文第一段引用了其中一处“the damnedest experience”），本文用这个词做标题，也有向他致敬的意味，而且表示对逝者的尊敬，作者特意用了更尊敬的“darnedest”而非“damnedest”。
说到老布什总统doing his darnedest，我们就不得不多说一下他如同“开了挂”一般的人生。不论是作为一位总统，还是作为一个人来说，不论是从他的事业、生活还是人格特质来说，他都尽力做到了自己最好的。作为总统，在他的任期内，柏林墙倒塌了，苏联解体了，冷战结束了，海湾战争打响了，伊拉克被打败了，他也赢得了声望；作为丈夫，他和妻子Barbara相濡以沫，从一而终，共谱佳话；作为父亲，他培养了一个总统和一个州长，还有几位商人，教子有方，堪称典范；作为一位有高尚品格的人，他和将自己打败的竞争对手克林顿共同筹集基金救助Katrina飓风受害的人们，对立党派的总统奥巴马向他授予了“总统自由勋章”，这是美国公民所能获得的最大荣誉；作为一个挑战自我极限的人，他上过战场死里逃生、下过商海成为百万富翁、从过政坐到美国总统宝座，就连90岁的生日都以跳伞的方式庆祝，同时，他是目前美国历史上最长寿的总统。以上的种种，都是我们只能仰望难以匹敌的活出“人生巅峰”的姿态。就像小布什致老布什的悼词中说的那样“He was born with just two settings: full throttle, then sleep.”（似乎他生来只有两种设置：全力以赴，酣然入睡。）full throttle，是开足马力的意思。
the last of his kind, 我很喜欢纸质版《经济学人》的摘要对老布什总统的这个描述，“像他这样的总统，他是最后一个了”。一方面，通过查背景资料了解到，像老布什这样经历过二战以及他们那个年代的政治家，他是最后一位了；另一个角度来看，这也是一个很高的评价，说明他那样的作风已经风华绝代，绝无仅有。究竟他是什么风格的呢？这里也卖了个关子，吸引读者赶快去读讣告正文。
George H.W. Bush
Paragraph 1:
①Wherever he went, as America’s president or before it, George Herbert Walker Bush usually carried a felt-tipped pen and a supply of notecards. ②On these he wrote letters. ③Some were thank-yous; others a clumsy, but courteous, attempt to get his views across to other people; yet others just a “good to see you” kind of thing. ④When the time came to write his presidential memoirs, to salve some of that desperate hurt after Bill Clinton thrashed him in 1992, he published instead 600-plus pages of correspondence. ⑤They ranged from doting letters to newborn grandchildren to his worries, as a young seaman in 1943, that his girlfriend Barbara, “so darn attractive”, would drop him while he was away; from his attempt to explain the Watergate scandal to his four young sons, to his mortified account of throwing up in 1992 on the Japanese prime minister, “the damnedest experience”. ⑥He admitted that some of the letters were nutty. ⑦But they were also of the moment. ⑧As he said, “It’s all about heartbeat.”
段落解析：
文章的开头很巧妙的用一个细节的描写展开，亲切而形象。老布什不管去到哪里，无论是以美国总统的身份还是在那之前，他总是带着一支记号笔和一叠便签纸。他用这些写过各种各样的信：有感谢信，也有意见信，还有问候信。这样的开头，很自然而然的，引入了下面他的“总统回忆录”是 600 多页的个人信件，这里作者还戏谑地称出版这本书信集是“抚平惨败于克林顿带来的创伤”，这些信件中，有对新出生孙儿满满的爱，还有对与女友异地恋满满的担心，有尝试向儿子们解释水门丑闻的信件，还有吐了日本首相一身的最尬经历的信件。他承认过有些信写得傻里傻气，但那都是他当下的真性情。正如他所说：“这些都是仿佛心跳一般的存在。”
词句精读：
a supply of，这里的supply是名词，意思是“供给量，一些”，a supply of something is an amount of it which someone has or which is available for them to use. 可以很好地代替“some/a lot of”，但是这个表达更多的体现是“储备量或供应量”。比如我们想说，他有无穷无尽的笑话，就可以说：He has an endless supply of jokes. 再比如说想表达，大脑需要持续的供氧，就可以说：The brain requires a constant supply of oxygen.
salve，这个词的名词意思是“药膏”，这里用作动词是引申义“慰藉；抚平（创伤、伤害等）”，soothe wounded pride or one's conscience，使受伤的自尊心或良知得到宽慰。可以和“ease”同义替换。本文是说老布什通过出版书信集来慰藉他大败于克林顿的伤心史，是“ salve some of that desperate hurt”，我们也可以常用“salve one’s conscience”来表达“宽慰某人的良心”，我们想表达，做善事使我们的良心得到安慰，就可以说：Charity salves our conscience.
thrash，这个词作为“击败”是有“轻易击败，大败，重创”的意思，比defeat显得更轻而易举，defeat someone very easily in a game. 比如我们想说，巴西队以五比零大败意大利队，就可以说：Brazil thrashed Italy 5-0. 本文中用这个词也能表现出克林顿不费吹灰之力且以大比分领先击败了老布什的总统连任，而惨败于克林顿也成为老布什的伤心史。这也是跟军人出身的老布什在国际事务和外交政策上的建树远远大于他在内政和国内经济上的举措有关，而克林顿的竞选标语是：“笨蛋，问题是经济！”（"It's the economy, stupid!"），这样，懂经济的克林顿击败了尚武的老布什，粉碎了老布什追求总统连任的梦想。
doting，是动词dote的ing（形容词）形式，dote的意思是“溺爱，宠爱”， dote on a person or a thing, is love or care about them very much and ignore any faults they may have. 那么，doting就是“溺爱的，宠爱的”，一般会用“ a doting mother, husband, or friend”，这里的doting letters是指老布什写给新生孙儿充满宠溺爱意的信件。比如我们想表达，溺爱子女的母亲把太多的爱给予了孩子而疏远了丈夫，就可以说：A doting mother alienated her husband by lavishing too much love on their child.（这可是夫妻关系的大忌，谨记！）
mortified，形容词，意是是“失面子的；羞愧的；难堪的”，extremely offended, ashamed, or embarrassed. 动词形式是mortify，意思是“使...深感窘迫/丢脸”，to cause someone to feel extremely embarrassed or ashamed. 这里是说老布什书信中写他的“最活见鬼的经历”—1992 年不慎吐到日本首相身上的故事，那种羞愧和窘迫之情跃然纸上。如果想表达，忘记了开场白真使我窘迫，就可以说：Forgetting the introductory remarks really mortified me.
nutty，形容词，意思是“傻里傻气，疯疯癫癫的”，就是“crazy”的意思，If you describe someone as nutty, you mean that their behaviour is very strange or foolish. 我们常用到的是“go nuts”或“somebody is nuts”，来形容“发疯的”。一个说“她完全疯了”的表达，就可以说：She’s nutty as a fruitcake (= completely crazy). 本文中说的是老布什承认过他的有些信件写得傻里傻气，这里作者是引用了他的书信集中序言里的说法，原文节选“...Letters written when my heart was heavy or full of joy. Serious letters. Nutty letters. Caring and rejoicing letters.”这里其实也是老布什对自己的调侃和自嘲，就像小布什悼词里对他父亲的评价一样，“He loved to laugh, especially at himself. He could tease and needle, but never out of malice.”（父亲爱笑，尤其喜欢自嘲。他喜欢调侃，但绝无恶意。）
语句拓展：
*本段的很多语句都是作者引用老布什书信集里的语句或说法，为了更好地理解本文的内容，我特意查找了老布什书信集里的原文，并将节选部分分享出来，便于学习理解。
⑧As he said, “It’s all about heartbeat.”
老布什书信集的序言中出现了三次“heartbeat”，第一次是：“The press never really understood your heartbeat—you owe it to yourself to help people figure out who you really are.” （“舆论界并不懂你的心跳，你应该帮助大家了解你是怎样的人”，这里是大家劝老布什出自传和回忆录时的说辞）第二次是：“...a book giving a deeper insight into what my own heartbeat is, what my values are, what has motivated me in life.”（“一本更深了解我的心跳，我的价值观，我生活驱动力的书”，这里指的是出版的这本老布什书信集是怎样的一本书）第三次出现的就是本文中引用的这句：“It’s all about heatbeat.”（这一切都关乎心跳）这里也是序言的结尾部分，我觉得写得很棒，老布什花了57年来写这本书，如果读者喜欢阅读的感受只有他喜欢他的生活的1/10也是很好的了。序言是以写给读者一封信的形式，结尾的落款巧妙地呼应了老布什书信集的书名All the Best, George Bush。
It's all about heartbeat.
⑤They ranged from 【doting letters to newborn grandchildren】to 【his worries, as a young seaman in 1943, that his girlfriend Barbara, “so darn attractive”, would drop him while he was away】; from 【his attempt to explain the Watergate scandal to his four young sons】, to 【his mortified account of throwing up in 1992 on the Japanese prime minister, “the damnedest experience”】.
这里作者列举了老布什的四封信的内容，我根据内容在书中找到了这四封信的原文节选，用以更好地理解这句话的描述。
Letter 1：doting letters to newborn grandchildren
这封信是老布什写给他的儿子杰布（佛州州长）和他妻子，表达了对新生孙子降临的无尽喜悦。
doting letters to newborn grandchildren
Letter 2：his worries, as a young seaman in 1943, that his girlfriend Barbara, “so darn attractive”, would drop him while he was away
这是老布什写给他爸妈的信，信里直言不讳他对Barbara浓浓的爱意，担心和她的异地恋会无疾而终。那一堆的感叹号真的将老布什的“真性情”展露无遗。
his worries Barbara would drop him while he was away
Letter 3：his attempt to explain the Watergate scandal to his four young sons
这里的Lads，就是指老布什的四个儿子，老布什的注释很有意思，说他爸爸很常用这个老掉牙的lads，他开玩笑式的用这个词来特指他的四个儿子，像是对他们的昵称。
explain the Watergate scandal to his four young sons
Letter 4：his mortified account of throwing up in 1992 on the Japanese prime minister, “the damnedest experience”
老布什吐完了日本首相官泽喜一之后，他在记录的最后写到，他十分尊敬这位首相，并且两人一直是很好的朋友，老布什退任后，他们在东京和休斯敦都见过面。这就是“不吐不相识”啊！
the damnedest experience
背景补充：
a felt-tipped pen，就是“毡头笔，记号笔”，通过搜索图片（如下图）更直观地了解这个词。felt除了是feel的过去式，做名词，是“毡，毡制品”，a thick cloth made from wool or other fibres packed tightly together. 分享一个学习方法，其实遇到这样的具象的词，通过搜索图片更直观的理解反而比看释义更有效。
a felt-tipped pen
600-plus pages of correspondence，这里的600多页的书信集，就是前文多次提到的那本老布什书信集，All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings，为什么出这本书信集而不是回忆录或自传呢？老布什在序言里写到，一方面是Barbara出的回忆录已经很好地把他们的公众生活和家庭生活里里外外都写到了，他也没什么补充的了，而且，他和Brent Scowcroft合著的书也把他在任期间的政治和世界格局变化的历史时刻都记录了；另一方面，那些书信他都写完了，剩下的工作就是编辑们去整合吧（这位作者真的很傲娇，谁让人家是前总统呢）。不论如何，这本书还是获得了很高的评价。Amazon的书评中，Barbara的评价中说到“These letters really are a window into George Bush's soul.”这些信件中，读者可以感同身受她与他共度的这68年时光，她将这些信件读了5遍之多（这波高调秀恩爱我真是妥妥地喜欢）；Washington Post的评价我也很喜欢，“It captures the reflections of a man who has scaled the highest mountain of political success — then moved beyond ambition and discovered peace and fulfillment in simpler things in life: his friends, his family and a genuine love of the country he once led.” 反正我是被安利了，已经开始读起这本承载着老布什“真性情”关乎他heartbeat的书信集，要不你也来读读看吧！
老布什的书信集
Paragraph 2:
①In one letter he happened to mention a childhood rebuke from his mother: “Now, George, don’t walk ahead.” ②He took her words to heart, staying, for most of his political career, loyally behind and modestly to one side. ③As chairman of the Republican National Committee in 1974, he stuck by Richard Nixon until it became more urgent to save the party; at which point, he publicly asked him to resign. ④He felt afterwards as though someone had died. ⑤In his eight years as Ronald Reagan’s vice-president, though they had sparred bitterly in the 1980 primaries over Reagan’s “voodoo economics” and his callow Hollywood sparkle, he never criticised or upstaged him. ⑥During the Iran-contra affair of the 1980s, though present at many salient meetings, he declared himself out of the loop, and it was hard to prove otherwise.
段落解析：
"In one letter"继续第一段的信上内容引出第二段内容。这段主要讲老布什一直坚守“不要当出头鸟”。前2句总的说明这句话。后面几句话都是来支持这个结论，除非不得已才会公开表态。就在那次他公开表示让尼克松下台之后，他觉得好像有人死了，用短句“He felt afterwards as though someone had died”来突出。其它地方用“though”“never”来补充他听妈妈的话：“don't walk ahead”。
听妈妈的话，别让她受伤~
词句精读：
take something to heart，表示“十分介意某人的话或行为；耿耿于怀”，to think about something seriously, often so that you become upset by it. 《经济学人》讲维多利亚的秘密业绩下滑，它的对手看到了客户的新需求，并认真对待，是这么说的：A slew of competitors, promoting comfort and inclusivity, have taken that message to heart. 如果想安慰别人不要把什么事都放在心上，你可以这么说：You can’t take everything people say to heart.
rebuke，表示“指责；谴责”， to speak in an angry and critical way to (someone)。这个词很常见，经常在新闻里听到“我们谴责……”。在《经济学人》最新的一期就出现了3次。It was several years after the agency first became aware of problems that it finally took action, and even then its written rebuke was brief and mild.(有关洗钱）如果想表示这个老师很严格，迟到一分钟都会被责骂，可以这么说：Even one minute’s lateness would earn a stern rebuke.
stick by，在这里表示“ to continue to support or be loyal to (someone )” ，就是“继续帮助;继续支持”。同样的意思，stick by 后面还可以接something。举个例子，Alice不管什么情况下都帮助Bob，可以这么说：Alice'd stuck by Bob through thick and thin.（在这里，through thick and thin是固定表达，表示“不顾艰难险阻的”) 再比如说，我要坚守我的诺言，可以这样表达：I stick by my promise.
upstage，这个词很形象，它当副词的意思是“在舞台后部”，当动词时就是“将……置于幕后”，引申为“抢…的风头”。《经济学人》有篇讲很多法国人不知道法国总理的名字，有人这么风趣地解释道：“The main job for a French prime minister is not to upstage the president,” says one observer wryly. 我们要表达，结婚时，谁都不希望被花童抢了风头，可以说：We don't want the flower girl upstaging the bride.
背景补充：
“voodoo economics”，“巫术经济学”。老布什用这个词来嘲弄里根的供给面政策。
一小群经济学家劝说总统候选人罗纳德·里根，说全面削减所得税率将增加税收收入。他们认为如果人们能保留其收入的较高比例，就会工作更加努力，以赚取更多的收入。尽管税率较低，税收收入将增加。几乎所有职业经济学家，包括大多数支持里根提议的学者，都认为这一结果太过乐观了。较低的税率可能鼓励人们更努力地工作，这额外的努力将一定程度上抵消降低税率的直接影响，但没有可信的证据表明，工作努力会上升得足够大，以导致低税率下税收收入的增加。……那些尝试流行的节食计划的人损害自己的健康，却很少能实现他们所期望永久减轻体重。同样，当政客依靠骗子和怪人的建议，他们也很少能得到他们期待的良好效果。里根当选后，国会批准了里根倡导的削减税率，但减税没有导致税收收入上升。
Iran-contra affair，这是指伊朗门事件，一个发生在美国80年代中期的政治丑闻。它具体是指美国里根政府向伊朗秘密出售武器一事被揭露后而造成严重政治危机的事件。具体细节可以参考Iran–Contra affair。
Iran-contra affair
Paragraph 3:
The vision thing
①People often supposed him out of the loop in other ways, too: a boy born to privilege, called “Poppy” by his parents, a product of Phillips Academy and Phi Beta Kappa at Yale, who was (falsely) rumoured in the 1992 campaign never to have passed a quart of milk through a supermarket scanner. ②He was a Yankee aristocrat who could have followed his Daddy on to Wall Street but instead became a Texas oil man (the only Texan, growled Speaker Jim Wright, who ate lobster with his chilli), and went on to represent the toniest bit of Houston in Congress. ③All this, as well as the tennis-playing summers in Kennebunkport, seemed to set him firmly apart from the average Joe, though he let it be known as president that his favourite food was pork rinds, and banned from the White House the broccoli his mother had made him eat.
段落解析：
The vision thing是个分界线，同时也概括了接下来几段的内容。在它之前，基本上跟他具体履历无关的东西，讲信讲他妈妈的话对他的影响；在它之后，文章要开始讲他非凡的一生，比如成长背景、政治生涯及兴趣爱好等等。
在第二段末尾提到老布什说不在伊朗门事件的决策圈里，但这很难证明。第三段开头人们觉得老布什在其它很多方面都很出格。两句话里都用了out of the loop，很巧妙地衔接。他出身显赫，爸妈都是高材生。没有跟随父亲进军华尔街，而成了一名Texas油商。接着成了政客。他夏天在Kennebunkport打网球。人们都很少这些事。不过为了吃，他一改内敛闹了西兰花风波。
词句精读：
out of the loop，注意它属于非正式用语，我们用它来描述“不了解、不知道某圈子內的最新消息和状况。”
out of the loop
《经济学人》里有关沟通的文章里，信息不对等产生了社会地位，是这么表达：Not being up with the news, or being out of the loop with the activities of our acquaintances, seems to diminish our social status. 比如我们想表达，你看起来什么都不知道，可以说：All right. It's just that I've been out of the loop for a while.
set sb/sth apart (from)，这个词组表示“使与众不同；使突出；使优于”。这跟out of the loop都表示跟别人不一样。《经济学人》讲法国家长跟讲英语的家长不同时，它就用了这个词：With a dollop of research and a big helping of anecdotes gleaned from friends, Ms Druckerman identifies two elements to French parenting that set it apart from what she calls the “Anglophone” version. 比如我们想表达，自信使他有别于同班同学，可以说：His confidence sets him apart from his classmates.
let it/sth be known，这个短语表示“使人们知道或清楚；明确表示；公开表示”。还有个相类似的表达叫“make it/sth be known”。《经济学人》在难民带来的挑战的文章里，提到德国官方的决定：German officials have let it be known that countries that resist such efforts will meet a sceptical eye when they next try to win subsidies from the EU budget. 比如我们想表达，他公开表示他要参加市长竞选。我们可以说：He let it be known [=he announced] that he intends to run for mayor.
背景补充：
Poppy，（这部分经灿灿同学提醒开悟，想明白了为什么Poppy打引号）这里的poppy是由“Pop”+后缀“y”构成，表示“小爸爸”的意思。Pop表示“爸爸”。
pop
而-y有种表示“有什么属性的”，这里指“有爸爸特征的”，戏称"小爸爸“。
-y
谁把自己的孩子叫成“小爸爸”？估计没有，但老布什的父母就这例外。这也足以说明他是圈外人。
为什么老布什被父母称作“爸爸”呢，从他自己写的All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings自传可以了解一二。
Poppy的由来
老布什的名字是以他外祖父的名字，而外祖父是舅舅们的“pop”，所以自然他就被他们叫成“poppy”,也成了他的小名（nickname）。
average Joe，表示“普通人”，上世纪90年代末21世纪初用得比较多。类似的表达还有：
*for males：average Joe / ordinary Joe / Joe Sixpack / Joe Lunchbucket / Joe Snuffy / Joe Schmo
*for females：ordinary Jane / average Jane / plain Jane
Banned from the White House the broccoli his mother had made him eat. 这个趣闻是指“西兰花风波”。大致情况是这样的：
老布什尤其讨厌西兰花，还闹过一次西兰花风波。话说有一天他忍无可忍，和“空军一号”的服务员说，以后再也不想在餐单中见到西兰花了，后来这个消息被泄漏给了记者，《U.S. News》刊出了以下煽情的标题：“经过8年的忍气吞声（布什当了里根8年的副手），布什终于为自己的饮食品味赢回一仗！”结果惹来一场不大不小的风波，被人批评：“总统实在是‘教坏’小朋友，你叫那些为人父母的，以后见到子女吃饭时吃剩西兰花和其他蔬菜，还能怎么办？”稍后记者更对此穷追不舍，但布什仍选择强硬回应：“我小时候已经十分讨厌西兰花，但我的母亲却强迫我把它吃下，到了今天，我已经贵为美国总统，我是不会再吃它了。”一些种植西兰花的农夫感到气愤难平，把一整辆货车的西兰花送到白官，希望总统回心转意，但布什始终没有妥协，只委托太太到白宫草坪接收，并把这批蔬菜转赠给当地的露宿者之家。可怜第一夫人拿着一束束西兰花的模样，成了大家茶余饭后八卦的照片。幸好这位第一夫人的对答还算得体，她说：“总统当然可以决定怎么做，但美国的小朋友还是多吃西兰花比较好。”这个由“空军一号”掀起的西兰花风波，成了接连几天当地政治新闻的主题，更令人尴尬的是，不少民意调查显示，很多美国人不知道布什的政策是什么，却十有八九知道这位总统不爱吃西兰花。
小布什在致老布什的悼词中也拿“西兰花”说事幽了一默，“The man couldn't stomach vegetables, especially broccoli. And by the way, he passed these genetic defects along to us.”（他不爱吃蔬菜，尤其讨厌西兰花。 顺便说一句，他把这些缺陷也遗传给了我们。）
西兰花风波
Paragraph 4:
①With the label “preppy” came the tag “wimp”, which infuriated him far more. ②He had had a brave war, enlisting at 18 and completing one mission with his aircraft on fire. ③Later he did not hesitate to send 27000 troops to dislodge Manuel Noriega from Panama, or to launch a ground war against Saddam Hussein in 1991-declearing victory and pulling out in 100 hours ,which pushed his approval ratings to 89%. ④He was not above nasty attack ads in the 1988 campaign, excoriating Michael Dukakis for giving furlough to a black rapist. ⑤But Nixon, who hated Ivy Leaguers, seemed to think him soft; Reagan said he lacked spunk; and his talk of “Big Mo”and “kicking ass” on the campaign trail often ended in retreat. ⑥In1990 a dust-up with Congress forced him to capitulate on his steely election pledge of “No new taxes”. ⑦This, as well as the brief recession of 1990-91,cost him the 1992 election, though even as voters went to the polls the figures for growth were ticking upwards, ushering in almost a decade of prosperity.
段落解析：
从本段开始，具体来说老布什作为总统的从政风格，还有他的政绩，别人对他的评价，他的政治主张以及他连任惨败的原因。
词句精读：
①With the label “preppy” came the tag “wimp”, which infuriated him far more.
preppy，表示“学院风”，a young person from a rich family who goes to an experience school and who wears experience，tidy clothes. 比如我们想表达，上一季的学院风似乎仍在今秋的繁华街道占据主导地位，就可以说：Last season’s preppy look continues to dominate the high streets this autumn.
wimp，表示“懦夫”，a person who is not strong，brave or confident.
As a public speaker, his stage presence is awkward and his voice pitched. Whiny, they call it. The camera somehow makes him smaller than he is.（JOHN BALZAR | Times Political Writer）作为公众演讲者，老布什给人的舞台表现有点尴尬，他的声音很稳重。大众称之喋喋不休，镜头下的老布什看起来并没有本人高大。这是时代周刊一位政治评论记者关于老布什的一部分描写。
关于老布什“wimp”的标签，1992年代表共和党的在任总统老布什和代表民主党的候选人克林顿角逐总统宝座，克林顿指责老布什在某些问题上对中国太软弱，并主张对中国的贸易应该成为干涉中国人权的筹码。
对本句的解析：比起保守的“学院派”标签，让布什更生气的是“懦夫”。他代表着共和党人中“更友善”、“更温和”的类型。这句话中出现两个表示标签的词语“label”“tag”，可见用词的多样性。
infuriate，表示“激怒某人”，to make someone extremely angry. 比如说我妈妈被我淘气的哥哥给激怒了，就可以这样表达：My Mum was infuriated by my naughty brother.
②He had had a brave war, enlisting at 18 and completing one mission with his aircraft on fire.
老布什18岁应征入伍，被派到太平洋与敌人交火，在飞机起火的情况下还圆满完成任务。（“驾驶舱里充满浓烟，我被呛住了，”他在海上被潜水艇救起后给父母写信说道）
对本句的解析：这里的brave和前一句的wimp就形成了一个有趣的矛盾之处。被贴上的“懦夫”标签布什，在战争中表现非常英勇。他曾是一名海军功勋飞行员，1944年，他驾驶的战机在太平洋上被击落，他是最后一位入主白宫的二战一代。
③Later he did not hesitate to send 27000 troops to dislodge Manuel Noriega from Panama, or to launch a ground war against Saddam Hussein in 1991-declearing victory and pulling out in 100 hours ,which pushed his approval ratings to 89%.
dislodge，表示“驱逐”，to remove something or someone, especially by force， from a fixed position. 常用搭配是“dislodge...from...”，比如说，我们难以将她赶下台，就可以这样表达：We were unable to dislodge her from the office.
approval ratings，表示“支持率”，我们用来表达总统的支持率很高，就可以说：The president's approval rating remains high. 本文这里老布什的支持率很高，相关背景材料显示，在入主白宫的第一年，老布什出兵巴拿马，推翻了那里的铁腕统治者曼努埃尔·安东尼奥·诺列加(Manuel Antonio Noriega)。1991年海湾战争的速战速决以及相对来说较少的流血，让他在那年三月的一次国会联席会议演讲上得到三分钟的全体起立鼓掌，人们高喊着“布什！布什！”据纽约时报/CBS新闻民调，为期四天的巴格达空袭把他的选民满意度推到了将近89%。
④He was not above nasty attack ads in the 1988 campaign, excoriating Michael Dukakis for giving furlough to a black rapist.
excoriate，表示“指责”，to write or say that a play，book，political action etc. is very bad. 我们还可以表示，excoriate a person.
furlough，表示“ 休假”，a period of time that a worker or a soldier is allowed to be absent， especially to return temporally to their own town or country.
对本句的解析：在1988年的大选中，老布什没有被恶意的攻击广告所影响，指责迈克尔·杜卡基斯给黑人强奸犯放假。
⑤But Nixon, who hated Ivy Leaguers, seemed to think him soft; Reagan said he lacked spunk; and his talk of “Big Mo”and “kicking ass” on the campaign trail often ended in retreat.
spunk，表示“ 勇气”，courage，比如要表达，我钦佩她的独立和勇气，就可以说：I admired her independence and her spunk.
对本句的解析：非常讨厌常春藤联盟的尼克松，（布什就是常春藤联盟高校之一耶鲁大学毕业）认为老布什很软弱，里根说他缺乏勇气，他在竞选演讲中关于“大动作”和“大承诺”的言论最后都以撤退告终。
⑥In1990 a dust-up with Congress forced him to capitulate on his steely election pledge of “No new taxes”.
dust-up，表示“ 争吵，争斗”，a commotion，quarrel, or fight. 可以说have a dust-up with somebody表示与某人争吵。
capitulate，表示“ 放弃”，to give up; stop resisting.
对本句的解析：1990年老布什与国会的一场争吵，使他被迫放弃了自己在竞选中关于“不增税”的承诺。
我们可以对这句进行仿写：Yesterday a dust-up with his wife forced him to capitulate on his wedding pledge of“wage freedom”.
⑦This, as well as the brief recession of 1990-91,cost him the 1992 election, though even as voters went to the polls the figures for growth were ticking upwards, ushering in almost a decade of prosperity.
recession，意思是“经济不景气，经济衰退”，A recession is a period when the economy of a country is doing badly，for example because industry is producing less and more people are becoming unemployed.
对本句的解析：放弃“不增税”承诺，再加上1990-1991年美国短暂的经济衰退，使得老布什在1992年的大选中失利。尽管选民们在投票期间，经济已经开始回暖且带来了近十年的繁荣，也没能阻止老布什大选败给克林顿。
背景补充：
Manuel Noriega：曼努埃尔·安东尼奥·诺列加，巴拿马独裁者。1989年5月巴拿马总统大选开票统计结果，反对党联合推举之总统候选人吉列尔莫·恩达拉（Guillermo Endara）获得选举胜利，但曼努埃尔·诺列加宣布选举无效，同年9月美国对巴国实行经济独裁12月15日诺列加宣布与美进入战争状态，自任国家元首。
Saddam Hussein：萨达姆·侯赛因，伊拉克前政治人物、独裁者。从1979年至2003年任伊拉克总统、伊拉克总理、阿拉伯社会主义复兴党总书记、伊拉克革命指挥委员会主席与最高军事将领等职。2003年伊拉克战争中，萨达姆的复兴党政权被美国推翻，其本人也在逃亡半年后被美军掳获。经伊拉克法庭审判，于2006年11月5日被判处绞刑，并于12月30日执行，终年69岁。
Michael Dukakis：迈克尔·杜卡基斯，退休美国政治家，马萨诸塞州历史上任职时间最长的州长，是继Spiro Agnew之后的美国历史上第二位希腊裔美国州长。他在1988年的选举中被民主党提名为总统，输给了共和党候选人，副总统老布什 。
Nixon：理查德·米尔豪斯·尼克松（1913年1月9日－1994年4月22日）美国政治家，曾于1969年至1974年担任第37任美国总统，1974年时成为美国历史上唯一一位在任期内辞职下台的总统。
Reagan ：罗纳德·威尔逊·里根（1911年2月6日－2004年6月5日），美国政治家，第40任美国总统（1981年－1989年），第33任加利福尼亚州州长（1967年－1975年）。踏入政坛前，里根也曾担任过运动广播员、救生员、报社专栏作家、电影演员，他的演说风格高明而极具说服力，被媒体誉为“伟大的沟通者”，美国人心目中最伟大的总统之一。
Paragraph 5:
①What he lacked, as he more or less admitted, was “the vision thing”. ②Ideologically, he was flexible: moderate sometimes (indeed, in one Texas race, left of the Democrat), while at others he would traipse round pandering to conservatives, as George Will cruelly put it, with a thin tinny “arf”, like a lap-dog. ③On domestic policy, as president, he inclined to the hard right (prayer in schools, gun rights, anti-abortion), while also loosening immigration policy and expanding the rights of the disabled. ④Wearing his mild Episcopalian hat, he mentioned a thousand points of light, a kinder, gentler America, and a new breeze blowing away the leaves of an old tree. ⑤It was all as vague as it was all deeply hoped for.
段落解析：
这段仍承接上一段，讲老布什的从政风格和政治主张。老布什他或多或少也承认，自己缺少的是“远见”那点事儿。思想上，老布什很灵活：有时候温和，有时像保守派一样徘徊不前。正如乔治·威尔残忍地表示，就像一个哈巴狗。国内政策方面，作为总统的老布什更倾向于强硬的右派（学校祈祷，枪支权力，反堕胎方面），同时也放宽了移民政策，赋予残疾人的更多的权力。老布什戴着他文雅的“主教派帽子”，口中谈及了“万千微光”，描绘了一个更善良温和的美国，还有一阵微风吹走老树的叶子。这一切都模糊不清，却让人心生向往。老布什良好教养所表现出的彬彬有礼，常被人误会成个性温顺。他的善良常被人误会成软弱。面对嘲笑和讽刺，布什呈现了一种优雅的气度和诚挚。他对美国的意义，将会永记史册。
词句精读：
①What he lacked, as he more or less admitted, was “the vision thing”.
more or less，表示“或多或少，多少有点”，approximately. 比如想表达，我们年纪相仿，经历相似，就可以说：We were more or less the same age，had been through this and that. 本文中的意思是，老布什他或多或少也承认，自己缺少的是“远见”那点事儿。在1989年最后一天，那是老布什总统任期第一年的尾声，他在自己的日记里写道“I’m certainly not seen as visionary, but I hope I’m seen as steady and prudent and able.”（我肯定不会被认为是一个有远见的人，但是我希望我是稳重、审慎而干练的。）
②Ideologically, he was flexible: moderate sometimes (indeed, in one Texas race, left of the Democrat), while at others he would traipse round pandering to conservatives, as George Will cruelly put it, with a thin tinny “arf”, like a lap-dog.
traipse，表示“徘徊；游荡；漫步”， to walk or travel about without apparent plan but with or without a purpose .
arf，表示“汪汪（狗叫声）”，其他表示狗叫的仿声词还有：woof, bow-wow, ruff ruff。英语中表示“狗叫”的说法还有：bark（正常狗叫）, yap（小狗乱叫）， yelp（狗尖叫），snarls（狗咆哮）.
lap-dog，表示“哈巴狗”，a small dog that may be held in the lap，也是指“马屁精”的意思，a servile dependent or follower。这里是引用George Will（乔治·威尔），美国政治评论家1986年在《华盛顿邮报》发表一篇关于老布什的文章 George Bush：The sound of a lap-dog。
背景补充：
left of the Democrat，美国民主党是左派政党，民主党支持者多为支持全球化的大城市和城郊居民，包括多数知识精英、少数族裔和女性。共和党是右派政党，支持者现主要来自白人蓝领工人阶级、农民、宗教保守派、工商业、能源业及专业人士。老布什是共和党。
a thousand points of light，布什成立的私人的非营利性组织，用来支持志愿服务。
Paragraph 6
①His forte, and first love, was foreign policy. ②He had been ambassador to the UN for Nixon, an envoy to China for Gerald Ford (he and Barbara riding round delightedly on bicycles) and head of the CIA, besides, as vice-president, a follower-of-the-hearse at dozens of state funerals. ③Instinctively, he thought in terms of global power games;fortuitously, his time as president coincided with the end of the cold war, a heady and fascinating moment. ④With Mikhail Gorbachev he struck up an easy working friendship, and in 1991, in the wake of the Gulf war, he even had a moment of comprehensive vision: a new world order, based not on force but on the rule of law, which America would strongly lead.
段落解析：
本段主旨就是老布什在外交方面的出色表现及想法。外交是老布什的长项，也是其事业上的初恋。由此，引申出老布什的丰功伟绩：尼克松任期担任常驻联合国代表，杰拉尔德·福特任期担任中国特使，美国中情局（CIA）局长，并在任职副总统期间常于国葬仪式中跟随灵车。他对全球的权力博弈判断精准，又在机缘之下成为冷战结束时期的总统。他与戈尔巴乔夫建立友谊（老布什逝世后，戈尔巴乔夫在表示深切哀悼的同时还提到老布什为结束冷战及核军备竞赛所做的贡献。），海湾战争后，他有了一个宏愿：由美国强力领导的以法治而非武力为基础的世界新秩序。
词句精读：
forte，意思是“长处，特长”，you can say that a particular activity is your forte if you are very good at it. 这个词完美替换了strength，advantage。比如你想说自己的长处就是能吃不胖，就可以说：My forte is that I can eat a lot of without getting fat. 这真是每个小仙女都想要的长处了。
in terms of，意思是“依据；按照；在…方面；以…措词”，with respect to or in relation to. 这是个非常实用的词组，和in accordance with相似，用起来更灵活。比如电视剧中女主对给自己开出百万支票的男主母亲表示自己是真爱无敌，就可以说：It can not be measured in terms of money.
strike up，意思是“开始(交谈)；建立(友谊)；开始(来往)”，when you strike up a conversation or friendship with someone, you begin one. struck是strike的过去式和过去分词，strike的本意是“打击，敲击；罢工；突然发生”。strike除了可以如本文这样建立友谊，也可以开启一段交谈，毕竟有过交流，才可能产生友谊的小火花。比如旅行时和同行者聊聊天，就很不错：It’s so good to strike up a conversation with other travelers.
in the wake of，意思是“随着；效仿”，close behind and in the same path of travel. 这个词组的起源就是传教士随征服者四处开枝散叶，因此什么灾难啊，金融危机啊，恐怖袭击啊这类恶性事件就特别喜欢用这个，但其实更类似于触底反弹，我们总是需要在这种事情中总结教训经验防止他们再次发生，因此其他情况下它也适用。比如科技发展使我们对自然了解的更多，就可以说：In the wake of developments in science and technology, man has become more knowledgeable of nature. 再比如最近备受关注的基因组编辑婴儿事件，有人说贺建奎打开了潘多拉的魔盒，类似的事情很可能在生物学界再次发生，就可以说：Something similar will soon happen in biology in the wake of such things as the first genetically modified humans.
好句赏析：
④A new world order, based not on force but on the rule of law, which America would strongly lead.
提炼句型：based not on... but on...
对于文章当中的新世界秩序...看看现在还在打仗的地方哪里没有美国老大哥的影子...我们就不多说了，但提炼出来的这个句型非常好用。上至科研论文，下至营销推广可谓走过路过不要错过。比如你对家论文写的漂亮，但其实实验数据特别少，你和他结论相反，想说他这论文不靠谱，就可以说：This consequence is based not on large randomized trials but on individual case reports. 再比如你老大接了个面膜广告，你试用完发现肤感差到不行，翻来覆去这面膜也就成分表好看点，你就只能逮着这条说：My evaluation of a mask may be based not on personal feeling, but on the active ingredient.
Paragraph 7
①Such grandiloquence, like eloquence, was rare in him. ②He was schooled in modesty, fond of the small behind-the-scenes gesture rather than the large public show. ③He belonged to a generation that had no patience for today’s blowhards who, putting self before nation, always push themselves forward. ④But when the times and events demanded he could, perhaps to his own surprise, find the right words and walk confidently ahead.
段落解析：
这段描写了老布什的优良品格。老布什是一个不善言辞的人，而且非常谦虚低调，比起台上更喜欢幕后工作。他属于对今天这种将自己置身于国家之上、总爱画大饼的吹牛大王没有耐心的一代人。虽然如此，当需要挺身而出时，他总是知道该说什么鼓舞人心，并挑起大梁。
词句精读：
grandiloquence & eloquence，pretentious, pompous speech or writing & the quality of effective speech.两者都有夸夸其谈的意思，eloquence仅用于形容口才好，雄辩，而grandiloquence不仅可以形容豪言壮语还可以描述华丽辞藻的文章。
fond of，意思是“喜欢...，爱好...”，可以与having a like for和be interest in进行同意替换。比如，过年回家被灵魂拷问完找小伙伴吐槽xx亲戚的时候就可以说：He(or she) is fond of having a hand in everything.
behind-the-scenes & public show，两个一组，一个幕后，一个台前公映，非常相得益彰了。
后记：
在这个共赏的过程中，我们一起查阅了老布什的书信集（All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings）、小布什致老布什的悼词以及其他相关背景资料，我们了解到了一个立体的老布什，也更能体会到读Obituary的乐趣所在，谢谢我们小组成员们自己争取来的这次赏析机会，收获也是满满的！
网友评论