又中又英——Numb With Disbelief
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
2021-09-16 04:17 HKT
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On September 11, 2001, when I was living in the US, I turned on the TV to watch the news. What I saw made me numb with disbelief. Terrorists from al-Qaeda had used two hijacked planes to separately crash into both World Trade Centre buildings in Manhattan. The planes flattened both skyscrapers. If your body is numb, it means your body cannot feel anything. But if something makes you numb with disbelief, it means you are so shocked or frightened you are unable to feel any emotions or think carefully. The word “flatten” (or raze) used this way means to completely destroy a building. Powerful storms flatten buildings.
I clearly remember that day even now. America was in shock. I went down from my apartment to see how people were dealing with the shock. The streets were almost empty. People who went out seemed numb with disbelief. Where I lived I could sometimes hear planes but I could not hear even the noise from a single plane. The government had grounded all civilian planes. To ground a plane means to prohibit or prevent it from flying. The streets were eerily quiet. The adverb “eerily” means in a strange and scary way. There was a surreal atmosphere across the US on September 11 and the following days. The word “surreal” means very strange, unreal, and like a dream.
Little did I know at the time that I would be back in the US on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The expression “little did I know” used this way means I did not know or could not have guessed something would happen. Seeing President Joe Biden and ordinary Americans on the TV news commemorating (remembering and showing respect for) 9/11 brought back sad memories of the day terrorists attacked the US. My brother-in-law drove me around Indianapolis last Saturday, the 20th anniversary of 9/11. We saw people collecting donations for the families of those who died on 9/11. I donated too.
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二○○一年九月十一日，我还在美国居住，当日我开电视看新闻。我眼所见的，令我难以置信，整个人惊呆（numb）了。阿盖达的恐怖份子用上两架骑劫的客机，分别撞向曼克顿世贸中心的两栋大楼。客机最终令两栋摩天大楼摧毁，夷为平地（flattened）。若你的身体是numb，意即你的身体麻木了，失去了知觉；但若某事令你numb with disbelief，意即你震惊得发愣，已经没有感觉或不懂好好思考了。Flatten（或raze）在这里解作完全摧毁一栋大厦。威力强大的风暴可将建筑物夷为平地（flatten）。
即使事隔多年，现在我仍很清楚记得那一天。全美国大为震惊，我从我住的单位下楼到街上，看看人们怎样应对这个巨大的冲击。街道差不多是空的，那些外出的人看来都惊呆（numb）了，面露难以置信的神情。我在我住的地方有时会听到飞机飞过之声，但当天我连一架飞机飞过的声音也听不见。政府停飞了（grounded）所有的民航客机。To ground a plane意即禁止或阻止一架飞机起飞。街道是诡异地（eerily）宁静。副词 eerily是指怪异恐怖的。九月十一日和打后一段日子，整个美国都笼罩着超现实的（surreal）氛围。Surreal意即离奇、荒诞、如在梦中般不现实的。
当时我压根儿也没有想过（little did I know），我会在九一一恐怖袭击二十周年的当儿，重返美国。习语“little did I know”在这里是指我对某事一无所知，又或猜也猜不到某事会发生。在新闻报道上看着总统祖‧拜登与一般的美国平民纪念（commemorating）九一一，勾起了我恐怖份子袭击美国的忧伤回忆。上星期六，即九一一二十周年当天，我的姐夫载我于印第安纳波利斯游逛，我们看见有人在为九一一死者的家庭募捐，我也有捐献。
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
I clearly remember that day even now. America was in shock. I went down from my apartment to see how people were dealing with the shock. The streets were almost empty. People who went out seemed numb with disbelief. Where I lived I could sometimes hear planes but I could not hear even the noise from a single plane. The government had grounded all civilian planes. To ground a plane means to prohibit or prevent it from flying. The streets were eerily quiet. The adverb “eerily” means in a strange and scary way. There was a surreal atmosphere across the US on September 11 and the following days. The word “surreal” means very strange, unreal, and like a dream.
Little did I know at the time that I would be back in the US on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. The expression “little did I know” used this way means I did not know or could not have guessed something would happen. Seeing President Joe Biden and ordinary Americans on the TV news commemorating (remembering and showing respect for) 9/11 brought back sad memories of the day terrorists attacked the US. My brother-in-law drove me around Indianapolis last Saturday, the 20th anniversary of 9/11. We saw people collecting donations for the families of those who died on 9/11. I donated too.
＊＊＊＊＊＊
二○○一年九月十一日，我还在美国居住，当日我开电视看新闻。我眼所见的，令我难以置信，整个人惊呆（numb）了。阿盖达的恐怖份子用上两架骑劫的客机，分别撞向曼克顿世贸中心的两栋大楼。客机最终令两栋摩天大楼摧毁，夷为平地（flattened）。若你的身体是numb，意即你的身体麻木了，失去了知觉；但若某事令你numb with disbelief，意即你震惊得发愣，已经没有感觉或不懂好好思考了。Flatten（或raze）在这里解作完全摧毁一栋大厦。威力强大的风暴可将建筑物夷为平地（flatten）。
即使事隔多年，现在我仍很清楚记得那一天。全美国大为震惊，我从我住的单位下楼到街上，看看人们怎样应对这个巨大的冲击。街道差不多是空的，那些外出的人看来都惊呆（numb）了，面露难以置信的神情。我在我住的地方有时会听到飞机飞过之声，但当天我连一架飞机飞过的声音也听不见。政府停飞了（grounded）所有的民航客机。To ground a plane意即禁止或阻止一架飞机起飞。街道是诡异地（eerily）宁静。副词 eerily是指怪异恐怖的。九月十一日和打后一段日子，整个美国都笼罩着超现实的（surreal）氛围。Surreal意即离奇、荒诞、如在梦中般不现实的。
当时我压根儿也没有想过（little did I know），我会在九一一恐怖袭击二十周年的当儿，重返美国。习语“little did I know”在这里是指我对某事一无所知，又或猜也猜不到某事会发生。在新闻报道上看着总统祖‧拜登与一般的美国平民纪念（commemorating）九一一，勾起了我恐怖份子袭击美国的忧伤回忆。上星期六，即九一一二十周年当天，我的姐夫载我于印第安纳波利斯游逛，我们看见有人在为九一一死者的家庭募捐，我也有捐献。
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
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