又中又英 | Cats or dogs? | 褚简宁

　　Former US President Barack Obama was being interviewed on TV a few months ago when the host surprised him with a series of rapid-fire questions. Rapid-fire questions are short questions asked very quickly one after another. Guests must give short answers immediately. They cannot ponder and think. To ponder and think means to think for a long time before answering. The host asked Obama if he preferred apples or oranges. Obama immediately replied that he preferred apples. How would you respond during rapid fire questioning if asked if you prefer cats or dogs?

　　I know what my answer would be without pondering and thinking if someone asked me this question. I would immediately reply that I prefer neither dogs nor cats. Pets are not my thing. If something is not your thing, it means you are not interested in it. I often laugh quietly when I see dog owners taking their dogs for walks in baby prams. A pram is a four-wheeled carriage to take babies out. If you take a dog for a walk, you should let the dog walk. You should not treat it like a VIP in a baby pram, for goodness’ sake!

　　Pet owners have long preferred dogs to cats. But I read a recent Washington Post article that said the ground is shifting. If the ground is shifting, it means opinions are changing. The article said more US households now own kittens than puppies. Fewer puppies mean fewer dogs in the future. The article explains that cat ownership is not booming. Figures just show dog ownership is declining. The article said far more people still own dogs than cats but that is changing quickly.

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　　美国前总统奥巴马几个月前在电视上接受访问，主持用一连串的rapid-fire questions突击他。Rapid-fire questions就是快问快答，问的一方连环快速地问些短问题，嘉宾则要立即答出短答案，他们不能ponder and think。To ponder and think是指细细思量、长时间地思考。主持问奥巴马偏好苹果还是橙，奥巴马便立即回答他偏好苹果。你在快问快答（rapid fire questioning）环节中，若被问到你偏好猫还是狗，你又会怎样回答？

　　若有人问我这道问题，我已经知道我会答甚么，不用多作思考（pondering and thinking）。我会立刻回答，我不偏好狗也不偏好猫。宠物不是我喜欢的事物（not my thing）。若某事物is not your thing，意即你对它并不感兴趣。当我见到有狗主用婴儿车（prams）带他们的狗只出外散步时，我常暗暗地笑了。A pram就是四轮的婴儿手推车。若你要遛狗，你好应该让牠遛啊。你不应把牠放在婴儿车内，将牠奉为贵宾啊，拜托！

　　宠物主人长久以来都偏好狗多于猫。但我最近读到一则《华盛顿邮报》的报道，说the ground is shifting－－若the ground is shifting，意即立场正在转变。报道指，美国现在养小猫的家庭比养小狗的为多。少些小狗意味将来会有少些狗只。报道解释道，不是养猫的人数暴升，数据显示只是养狗的人数下降了。报道指，养狗的人仍然远超养猫的人，但局势正在迅速改变中。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻