Unit-10-The-Jeaning-of-America课文翻译综合教程二

1、Unit10TheJeaningofAmericaThisisthestoryofasturdyAmericansymbolwhichhasnowspreadthroughoutmostoftheworld.Thesymbolisnotthedollar.ItisnotevenCoca-Cola.Itisasimplepairofpantscalledbluejeans,andwhatthepantssymbolizeiswhatAlexisdeTocquevillecalled"amanlyandlegitimatepassionforequality-"Bluejean

2、sarefavoredequallybybureaucratsandcowboys;bankersanddeadbeats;fashiondesignersandbeerdrinkers.Theydrawnodistinctionsandrecognizenoclasses;theyaremerelyAmerican.Yettheyaresoughtafteralmosteverywhereintheworld-includingRussia,whereauthoritiesrecentlybrokeupateen-agedgangthatwassellingthemontheblackmar

3、ketfortwohundreddollarsapair.Theyhavebeenaroundforalongtime,anditseemslikelythattheywilloutliveeventhenecktie.ThisubiquitousAmericansymbolwastheinventionofaBavarian-bornJew.HisnamewasLeviStrauss.HewasborninBadOcheim,Germany,in1829,andduringtheEuropeanpoliticalturmoilof1848decidedtotakehischancesinNe

4、wYork,towhichhistwobrothersalreadyhademigrated.Uponarrival,Levisoonfoundthathistwobrothershadexaggeratedtheirtalesofaneasylifeinthelandofthemainchance.Theywerelandowners,theyhadtoldhim;instead,hefoundthempushingneedles,thread,pots,pans,ribbons,yam,scissorsandbuttonstohousewives.Fortwoyearshewasalowl

5、ypeddler,haulingsome180poundsofsundriesdoor-to-doortoekeoutamarginalliving.WhenamarriedsisterinSanFranciscoofferedtopayhiswayWestin1850,hejumpedattheopportunity,takingwithhimboltsofcanvashehopedtosellfortenting.Itwasthewrongkindofcanvasforthatpurpose,butwhiletalkingwithaminerdownfromthemotherlode,he

6、learnedthatpants-sturdypantsthatwouldstanduptotherigorsofthedigging-werealmostimpossibletofind.Opportunitybeckoned.Onthespot,Straussmeasuredtheman'sgirthandinseamwithapieceofstringand,forsixdollarsingolddust,hadthecanvastailoredintoapairofstiffbutruggedpants.Theminerwasdelightedwiththeresult,wor

7、dgotaroundabout"thosepantsofLevi's,"andStrausswasinbusiness.Thecompanyhasbeeninbusinesseversince.WhenStraussranoutofcanvas,hewrotehistwobrotherstosendmore.Hereceivedinsteadatough,browncottonclothmadeinNimes,France-calledsergedeNimesandswiftlyshortenedto"denim"(theword"je

8、ans"derivesfromGenes,theFrenchwordforGenoa,whereasimilarclothwasproduced).Almostfromthefirst,Strausshadhisclothdyedthedistinctiveindigothatgavebluejeanstheirname,butitwasnotuntilthe1870sthatheaddedthecopperrivetswhichhavelongsincebecomeacompanytrademark.TherivetsweretheideaofaVirginiaCity,Nevad

9、a,tailor,JacobW.Davis,whoaddedthemtopacifyamean-temperedminercalledAlkaliIke.Alkali,thestorygoes,complainedthatthepocketsofhisjeansalwaystorewhenhestuffedthemwithoresamplesanddemandedthatDavisdosomethingaboutit.Asakindofjoke,Davistookthepantstoablacksmithandhadthepocketsriveted;onceagain,theideawork

10、edsowellthatwordgotaround;in1873Straussappropriatedandpatentedthegimmick-andhiredDavisasaregionalmanager.Bythistime,Strausshadtakenbothhisbrothersandtwobrothers-in-lawintothecompanyandwasreadyforhisthirdSanFranciscostore.Overtheensuingyearsthecompanyprosperedlocally,andbythetimeofhisdeathin1902,Stra

11、usshadbecomeamanofprominenceinCalifornia.Forthreedecadesthereafterthebusinessremainedprofitablethoughsmall,withsaleslargelyconfinedtotheworkingpeopleoftheWestcowboys,lumberjacks,railroadworkers,andthelike.Levi'seanswerefirstintroducedtotheEast,apparently,duringthedude-ranchcrazeofthe1930s,whenva

12、cationingEasternersreturnedandspreadthewordaboutthewonderfulpantswithrivets.AnotherboostcameinWorldWarII,whenbluejeansweredeclaredanessentialcommodityandweresoldonlytopeopleengagedindefensework.Fromacompanywithfifteensalespeople,twoplants,andalmostnobusinesseastoftheMississippiin1946,theorganization

13、grewinthirtyyearstoincludeasalesforceofmorethantwenty-twothousand,withfiftyplantsandofficesinthirtyfivecountries.Eachyear,morethan250,000,000itemsofLevi'sclothingaresold-includingmorethan83,000,000pairsofrivetedbluejeans.Theyhavebecome,throughmarketing,wordofmouth,anddemonstrablereliability,thec

14、ommonpantsofAmerica.Theycanbepurchasedpre-wash-ed,pre-faded,andpre-shrunkforthesuitablyproletarianlook.Theyadaptthemselvestoanysortofidiosyncraticuse;womenslitthemattheinseamsandconvertthemintolongskirts,menchopthemoffabovethekneesandturnthemintosomethingtobewornwhilechallengingthesurf.Decorationsan

15、dornamentationsabound.Thepantshavebecomeatradition,andalongthewayhaveacquiredahistoryoftheirown-somuchsothatthecompanyhasopenedamuseuminSanFrancisco.Therewas,forexample,theturn-of-the-centurytrainmanwhoreplacedafaultycouplingwithapairofjeans;theWyomingmanwhousedhisjeansasatowropetohaulhiscaroutofadi

16、tch;theCalifornianwhofoundseveralpairsinanabandonedmine,worethem,thendiscoveredtheyweresixty-threeyearsoldandstillasgoodasnewandturnedthemovertotheSmithsonianasatributetotheirtoughness.Andthenthereistheparticularlyterrifyingstoryofthecarelessconstructionworkerwhodangledfifty-twostoriesabovethestreet

17、untilrescued,hissolesupporttheLevi'sbeltloopthroughwhichhisropewashooked.美国的牛仔裤之路本文讲述了美国一个坚实的象征物，如今已经遍及世界大部分地区。这个象征并不是美元。也不是可口可乐。而是一条被称作蓝色牛仔裤的普通裤子。这种裤子所象征的，正如亚克力西德托儿所谓的对平等的果断的正当的追求”。无论是官员还是牛仔，银行家还是赖账徒，时尚设计师还是酗酒者都同样青睐蓝色牛仔裤。这种裤子不分高低贵贱，只要是美国人都可以穿。可是牛仔裤几乎在世界的任何地方都广受欢迎-包括俄罗斯，其当局最近刚刚粉碎了一个在黑市贩卖牛仔裤的团伙，他

18、们的牛仔裤卖到了200美元一条。牛仔裤已经流行了很长时间了，看起来其生命力已经超过了领带。这种无处不在的美国象征是一个出生在巴伐利亚的犹太人发明的。他与1982年出生于德国的巴德奥且姆。1848年欧洲政局动荡期间，他决定去纽约试试运气，他的两个哥哥已经移民到了那里。到了纽约，里维发现他的两个哥哥广域他们在这片充满机遇的土地上生活的比较安逸的说法有点言过其实。他们说他们拥有土地。可他发现他们正向家庭主妇推销针线、锅罐、缎带、见到和纽扣。里维做了两年寒酸的小贩，拉着180磅的杂货挨家挨户的叫卖，勉强维持生计。他的一个嫁到旧金山的姐姐为他提供西行路费，他急忙抓住这个机会，带着几个帆布卷，他打算卖给别

19、人做帐篷。岂料这些帆布并不适合做帐篷，不过里维与自主矿脉的矿工交谈后了解到，人们买不到耐得起采矿磨损的坚实耐穿的裤子。机会在向他招手。施特劳斯当场用一根带子量了那人的腰围和裤长，用帆布做成了一条粗硬的耐穿的裤子，卖了六美元的沙金。矿工觉得很满意，于是有关里维斯的裤子一词不胫而走。他的公司一直在运转。当施特莱斯用完了那些帆布料，他写信给他的两个哥哥，让他们在送点过来。没想到却受到了法国尼姆产的一种坚韧的棕色的棉布。称作尼姆哗叽"（sergedeNimes）,很快就简称为劳动布"（英语词jeans牛仔裤）源自于法语的Genes，即英语的Genoa（热那亚）此地盛产一种类似的棉布

20、）。从一开始，斯特赖斯将他的布料染成了湛蓝色。蓝牛仔裤因此而得名。不过，知道19世纪70年代，他才在牛仔裤上加了铜柳钉。长期以来，这铜柳丁成；公司的标志。给裤子加上柳丁是内华达州的一名名叫雅各布W戴维斯的裁缝所想出的主意。他这样做是为了安抚一个名叫叫阿尔克利.艾可的脾气暴躁的矿工。这名矿工抱怨他往牛仔裤里放矿石标本时，牛仔裤的口袋那里总是被撕破，他要求戴维斯想想办法。戴维斯有点像开玩笑，把裤子拿到了铁匠铺，给口袋打上柳丁。这一招果然奏效，消息不胫而走。1873年，施特莱斯采纳了这一小发明，出资为其申请了专利，并雇用了戴维斯去做地区经理。这时候，斯特赖斯把他的两位哥哥和两个姐夫带进了公司，并准备在旧金山开办他第三家商店。此后的几十年，公司在当地生意兴隆。直到1902年施特劳斯去世时，他已经成为加利福尼亚的知名人士。在此后的30年，生意虽