如何阅读英文报纸

猪仔虫

学习英文，增进英文阅读能力的管道很多，例如：阅读英文散文、英文小说、英文剧本、英文杂志及英文报纸等。若就内容的现代感、多元化、生活化、知识性、实用性与时效性来说，无疑是英文报纸。国内现有三家英文报纸，其中历史最悠久的是「中国邮报」（China Post）创立于1952年，由于各人的需求和偏好不同，有人订阅「中国邮报」，有人订阅其它英文报。本人订阅「中国邮报」已四十余年，为了方便起见，就以「中国邮报」为例来说明如何阅读英文报纸。
一、 选版阅读
报禁解除之后，国内中文与英文报纸都增张了，以2004年六月二十八日(星期一)「中国邮报」（China Post）为例，共五大张二十版，我们不可能有时间阅读每一版，因此我们就必须依照时间的多寡，兴趣的所在，选版阅读。例如：第一版是头版新闻，第二、三版是国际新，第四版是社论与评论，第五版是亚太新闻，第六版是特别报导，第七、八、九版是体育消息，第十版是艺文与休闲，第十一版是生活，第十二、三版是工商新闻，第十四、十五版是国外工商新闻，第十六版是分类广告，第十七版是广告与卡通，第十八版是邮报导读， 第十九，二十版是国内新闻。因为报纸的张数多，面积大，除非你有一张大桌子，并且只在办公室或书房里阅报，否则要摊开来阅读，非常不便。因此你可以先将该日五大张剪裁为十个半张，选择你所要的几个半张，不但阅读方便，折叠携带也方便。等车，坐车，等人，排队购票，均可从衣袋中取出阅读（成功的人是善用零碎时间的人）。
二、 划记圈选
我们阅读英文报纸和读中文报纸的目的不尽相同，阅读英文报纸主要是为了学习英文，因此阅读时你必须准备一支红色签字笔，看到实用的句子划底线，看到实用的一段文字，划上一个大圈，准备剪贴备用。例如： 几年前停刋的「中国日报」(China News )中有Dear Abby专栏，在1999年一月一日的专栏Promises for a New Year中有一段：
And as we begin this bright, shiny New Year, consider this inspirational Chinese proverb:
“If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.
“If there is beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.
“If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.
\"When there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.”
这一句话正好类似中文「修身，齐家，治国，平天下」的英译。当你读到这句的时候，必定会有「踏破铁鞋无觅处，得来全不费功夫」的惊喜。在我们学习英文的过程中常会自问：「这句话英语怎么说？」但是英文老师不可能如影随形，随时在身边为你解答问题，所以主要还是要靠自己。当你读到这段英文，你就有了「这句话英语怎么说？」的答案，除非你有过目不忘的本事，否则你就得划下底线，事后找时间剪下来，贴在剪贴簿上，或键入计算机，准备将来英文写作或中英翻译时用。
三、中英对照
中英文报纸对照阅读的目的有二。一是为了帮助了解英文报纸的内容。在阅读英文报纸之前，先浏览中文报纸，对当日的国内外新闻有所了解之后，再阅读英文报纸，如此，既使有些英文单字不认识，也可猜得出来，非不得已，不要查字典，因为那样会减低阅读速度和降低阅读兴趣。另一是为了自我练习中英翻译。如果有一则新闻，中英文报纸上都有，你便可以将一段中文译为英文，然后再读英文报纸上同样的那段新闻，看看自己译对多少，译错多少，或者将一段英文译成中文，然后再加比对。例如：1989年五月十四日「中国邮报」第二版有一则新闻，标题是 “WHO votes against admission of PLO.” 其内容第一段是 “Under U.S. prodding, the World Health Organization has deferred until next year a decision on whether to admit the PLO’s self-declared state of Palestine as its 167th member.” 同日「联合报」第十一版中，该则新闻标题的中译是「巴解争取联合国机构承认受挫，世卫组织暂缓接受入会。」其内容的第一段中译是：「在美国大力促使之下，世界卫生组织昨天决议，是否接纳巴勒斯坦解放组织自称的巴勒斯坦国成为该组织的第一百六十七个会员国一案，延至明年才做决定。」这样的中英翻译练习对学习翻译有很大的帮助。
四、教学取材
教英文的老师、学英文的学生，都可以从阅读英文报纸中获得教授或学习英文文法与用法的例句。因此我们在阅读时，可以刻意去寻找。例如：
我们想找一些说明英文文法中分词或分词词组的例句，1989年八月十九日「中国邮报」第一版有关歌者侯德健出现大陆中央电台的那则新闻中就有： “Looking relaxed, smoking and smiling, he reappeared on state television on Thursday evening saying he saw no one hurt in the square and that advancing troops fired into the air.” （划底线者为分词词组或分词。）
我们想找虚字(expletive) “it” 在句前做虚主词代替后出现的真主词的例句，1987年七月二十六日「中国邮报」第六版中就有：
(1) “I think it’s nice to be recognized and it is certainly nice to be appreciated.”
(2) “It was not clear whether the U.S. officials referred to the same incident…”
(3) It was not immediately clear what impact the bills would have on two two major U.S. military bases in the Philippines.”
我们想找一个说明英文用法的例句，1989七月二十五日「中国邮报」第三版中就有：
(1) “Four in 10 of the institutions surveyed were already having difficulty filling business posts an one in four said they were having trouble recruiting faculty in mathematics and health professions.”
(在difficulty 与 trouble 之后用动名词，即filling与 recruiting.)
(2) 另一个英文用法的例句也出现在「中国邮报」，但日期与版码未录：
(a) “None of the crewmen aboard the supertankers was injured. An official
of Nissho shipping, owners of the Nichiharu Maru, and oil industry sources said
damage was minor on both.”
(b) “None (of the differences) are really important,”he said, repeating his statement in Bonn that “nothing can decouple the United States from Europe.”
以上两句中，第一句none之后，用单数was，第二句none之后用复数are，只要none之后跟可数名词，两者皆对。
我们想找一个说明前置词在构句中的重要性的例句，
1990年7月10日「中国邮报」就有：
Deputy Defense Minister Ran-jan Wijeratne elaborated on Monday on proposals by President Ranasinghe Premadasa for possible international involvement in any further talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
五、学习修辞
我们都学过英文文法，但学过英文修辞的不多，但阅读英文报纸我们可以有机会学到。英文修辞学中有八种方法写「加强句」。其中一种是「重复法」 (repetition)，也就是重复使用句中某一个字或某几个字以达到加强该句的目的。例句：
“We have challenged these evil forces that are trying to waken our independence, our security and our future.” （摘自「中国邮报」，惜未录日期。）本句中重复 “our” 一字。
“No troops were sent into combat to die unnecessarily, no laws were broken, no papers were shredded, no money changed hands, no one lied to Congress and every one of those thins happened under this administration,” he said.（摘自「中国邮报」，惜未录日期。）本句中重复 “no” 一字。
“Now is not the time for anger and bitterness, for recrimination and blame. Now is the time for calm reflection… Now is the time to tell Rich Higgins that we love him and we miss him,” she said. （摘自1989年八月十日「中国邮报」。本句是美国人质Rich Higgins被处决后，他的太太向新闻界所发表的谈话。）句中重复 “now is (not) the time” 与for。
六、专题研究
此处「专题研究」并非指什么学术性的专题研究，而是指新闻英语的文体，表现方式等。在阅读时，我们稍加注意，不难发现，新闻英语特别简洁。要简洁就会用到分词，动名词和不定词。另外是同样一句话的不同表达方式。在阅读时对这些加以研究可以增进阅报能力。例如：1987年七月二十一日「中国邮报」第三版有一则新闻标题是 “Merry-go-round falls over in Poland; 16 kids, 9 adults hurt. （波兰一旋转木马，16个小孩，9个大人受伤）。则该则内容入下：
Warsaw, July 20 (AFP) Sixteen children and nine adults were injured when a merry-go-round collapsed at a crowded fairground in a working-class neighborhood of Warsaw on Sunday, the Polish news agency APA reported.
The injured were taken to hospital but their lives were not in danger, the agency added, without giving details on their condition.
The cause of the accident was not immediately known. The merry-go-round was apparently going at high speed when it fell over, throwing animal figures and carriages containing children to the ground and hitting people standing by, the agency said.
此一新闻内容仅九十字，但却含有七个分词（划底线者）：crowded, working, injured, throwing, containing, hitting, standing及动名词一个giving，此外，标题中尚有一个分词：hurt.
新闻标题中用分词、动名词或不定词更多。例如：1987年七月二十日「中国邮报」全部十二版上的新闻标题中有四十四个新闻标题含有分词、动名词或不定词。现在各举一二：（划底线者即是）
p.1
(1) Thatcher to tell Gorbachev of U.S. concern on arms talks.
(2) Two Kuwaiti tankers to receive U.S. flags, protection tomorrow.
P.2
(1) Four Iranian embassy staff members expelled from France.
(2) Iranian activist killed in Vienna, newspaper says.
P.3
(1) Bus mishap death toll rises to 8; 2 still missing.
(2) 30 feared dead as floods sweep northern Italy.
P.4
(1) M’land China faces growing population among the elderly.
(2) Main witnesses at Iran arms hearings cast doubt on each other’s
credibility.
P.5
(1) 76,000 Mercedes cars recalled.
(2) Mexico continues cooperating with OPEC oil producers.
P.6
(1) Death toll from typhoon climbs to 111 with 257 missing.
(2) 38 die in 9 insurgency-related incident.
P.8
Paper gown designed for bride on a budget.
P.9
(1) Wilander to face Carlsson in U.S. Clay Court tennis finals.
(2) Tour de France cycling race moves into Alps.
P.11
(1) Smoking youths stab moviegoer.
(2) 8 detained on uninhabited island.
P.12
(1) Truckers boycotting Miaoli pottery plants.
(2) Cabinet says military to stay “nonpartisan.”
另外是同一句话用各种不同的表达方式中，最常见的是「要求匿名」或「拒绝透露姓名」这句话。例如「中国邮报」1985年六月十八日的新闻中就有五则新闻用到「拒绝透露姓名」。现抄录二十五种不同说法以为证明如下：
1. …speaking on condition he be not identified.
2. …speaking on condition he not be named.
3. …who spoke with the condition that he not be identified.
4. …who spoke only on condition that his name not be used.
5. …who declined to be named.
6. …who did not want to be named.
7. …who asked to remain anonymous.
8. …who did not want to identify himself.
9. …who declined to be identified.
10. …who asked not to be named.
11. …who insisted on not being identified.
12. …who demanded anonymity.
13. …who insisted on anonymity.
14. …who briefed reporters on condition of not being named.
15. …who wished to remain anonymous.
16. …who did not wish his named used.
17. …who spoke in condition he not be identified by name.
(以上均摘自「中国邮报」，惜未记录刊出日期)
18. …said a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, speaking on routine condition of anonymity.(5/18/01)
19. …. said a BBC spokeswoman on customary condition of anonymity.(1/13/02)
20. A police spokesman told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.(04/21/02)
21. Diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Arab ambassadors couldn’t agree on language in the proposed resolution. (7/26/02)
22. The official, who asked not to be identified, gave no other details. (11/27/02)
23. With the votes tallied from more than half of Iran's 207 districts, the turnout was 43.29 percent, said Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity. (2/22/03)
24. said an MOJ official who preferred anonymity. (9/18/03)
25. Saddam Hussein greeted his initial interrogation with a mix of sarcasm and defiance, said the officials, who discussed the questioning on the condition of anonymity. (12/16/03)
(以上均摘自「中国邮报」)
七、阅报工具书
我们在阅读英文报纸的时候，时常感觉到所读的英文在教科书里并不常见，而且既使查阅字典，也只能查到个一个个的单字，多数的语词却查不到，例如：(1) zero-sum game (零和游戏)， (2) win-win situation (双赢局面)， (3) lose-lose situation (双输局面)， (4) automated teller machine (ATM提款机)，(5) drug lord (毒枭)，(6) drug trade (毒品交易)，(7) drug smuggling (毒品走私)，(8) landing visa (落地签证)， (9) sunset industry (夕阳工业)，(10) traditional industry (传统产业)等。
「工欲善其事，必先利其器」 (One who wishes to be good at his work should sharpen his tools first.)。因此，我们在阅读英文报纸的时候，为了排除阅读的障碍，及摆脱字典上查不到的困境，我们必须具备「英汉、汉英新闻词汇」方面的工具书。
上述七种阅读英文报纸的方法，是本人多年来阅读英文报纸的一点心得，自觉不仅在扩大知识领域方面，而且在增进英文知识方面获益良多，特别写出来，供给初阅英文报纸者参考。