何苗

Monkeys are very similar to us in many ways—most have ten fingers and ten toes， and brains much like ours. We enjoy watching them because they often act like us. In fact， Charles Darwins Theory of Evolution （進(jìn)化論） says that monkeys and humans share a common ancestor （祖先）.

猴子在許多方面與我們很相似，它們大多有十個(gè)手指和十個(gè)腳趾，還有著與我們類似的大腦。我們喜歡看猴子，因?yàn)樗鼈兊呐e止常常與我們的相似。實(shí)際上，達(dá)爾文進(jìn)化論認(rèn)為，猴子和人類擁有共同的祖先。

Songwriter William Gilbert， in the musical “Princess Ida，” wrote： “Darwinian （達(dá)爾文主義的） man， though well-behaved （行為端正的;乖的）， at best （至多;充其量） is only a monkey shaved （修剪;剃毛）.”

歌曲作家William Gilbert在歌劇《艾達(dá)公主》中寫道：“達(dá)爾文派的人雖然乖巧，但充其量只是一只剃掉毛的猴子。”

His words—sung to Sir Arthur Sullivans music—make listeners smile. Well， monkeys make us smile， too， because they are creatures full of playful tricks.

他的歌詞，配上Arthur Sullivan的音樂，讓聽眾們發(fā)笑。當(dāng)然，猴子也能引我們發(fā)笑，因?yàn)樗鼈兪腔影俪龅膭?dòng)物。

This is why many monkey expressions are about tricky people or playful acts. One of these expressions is “monkeyshines” which means tricks or foolish acts. The meaning is clear if you have ever watched a group of monkeys playfully （好玩地;戲謔地） chasing each other—pulling tails， stealing food， doing tricks. So， when a teacher says to a group of students “Stop those monkeyshines right now！” you know that the boys and girls are playing instead of studying.

這就是為什么很多與猴子相關(guān)的表達(dá)是與狡猾的人或者搞笑的行為有關(guān)的。其中有一種表達(dá)叫做“猴子的把戲”，意思是詭計(jì)或愚蠢的行為。如果你曾看到過一群猴子嬉戲著相互追逐——扯尾巴、偷食物、耍把戲，你就很清楚這個(gè)詞的意思了。因此，如果老師對學(xué)生們說“立即停下你們的猴把戲！”，你就知道這些學(xué)生們是在玩耍而不是學(xué)習(xí)。

You might hear that same teacher warn a student not to “monkey around” with a valuable piece of equipment. You “monkey around” with something when you do not know what you are doing. You are touching or playing with something you should leave alone.

你可能聽到該老師提醒一位學(xué)生，不要對一件昂貴器材“胡鬧”。當(dāng)你不知道自己在做什么的時(shí)候就是在“胡鬧”。你正在觸碰或倒弄一些你不該碰的東西。

Also， you can “monkey around” when you feel like doing something， but have no firm idea of what to do. For example， you tell your friend you are going to spend the day “monkeying around” with your car. Well， you do not have any job or goal in mind—it is just a way to pass the time.

同樣，當(dāng)你想做點(diǎn)事但不知道做什么好的時(shí)候，你是在“閑混打發(fā)時(shí)間”。比如，你告訴朋友你會(huì)準(zhǔn)備花一天時(shí)間來“折騰”你的車。而你沒有任何任務(wù)或目的，這只是打發(fā)時(shí)間的方式而已。

“Monkey business” usually means secret （maybe illegal） activities. A news report may say there is “monkey business” involved in building the new airport， with some officials getting secret payments from builders.

“猴子的業(yè)務(wù)”常指秘密的（也許是非法的）活動(dòng)。新聞報(bào)道可能說，新機(jī)場建設(shè)中有人搞鬼，因?yàn)槟承┕賳T暗中收取建筑商的賄賂。

You may “make a monkey out of someone” when you make that person look foolish. Some people “make a monkey out of themselves” by acting foolish or silly.

當(dāng)你愚弄某人時(shí)，你可能在“把某人當(dāng)猴?！?。有人行為愚蠢可笑，結(jié)果愚弄了自己。

If one monkey has fun， imagine how much fun “a barrel （桶） of monkeys” can have！If your friend says he had “more fun than a barrel of monkeys” at your party， you know that he had a really good time.

如果你覺得一只猴子有趣，可以想象“一堆猴子”又該多有趣！如果你朋友對你說他覺得你的聚會(huì)“比一堆猴子還有趣”，你就知道他真的玩得很開心。

“Monkey suits” are common names for clothes or uniforms soldiers wear. In earlier years in many American cities， you would find men playing musical hand organs （手風(fēng)琴） on the street. Dancing to the music would be the mans small monkey dressed in a tight-fitting （緊身的）， colorful jacket similar to a military uniform. So， people began to call a military uniform （軍裝） a “monkey suit”.

“猴子裝”是士兵所穿衣服或制服的通用名稱。早些年，在美國很多城市，有人會(huì)當(dāng)街演奏手風(fēng)琴。他會(huì)有一只小猴子，穿著類似軍裝的緊身迷彩夾克，隨著音樂起舞。因此人們逐漸稱軍裝為“猴子裝”。