Garfield: The Cat’s Meow

　　酷猫加菲独领风骚

　　Devoted Garfield fans will no doubt recognize the fat cartoon cat’s favorite quote1, “I’d like mornings better if they started later.” Even if you’re unacquainted with Garfield, you can probably still relate to the philosophy of this cool, but very lazy cat. Garfield takes life “one nap at a time” and defines “diet” as “die with a ‘t’.” Boasting quick wit2 and a sharp tongue, this feline’s favorite pastimes are eating lasagna and napping in cozy3 corners. He also enjoys trying the patience of4 his owner, Jon Arbuckle, and bullying5 Jon’s other pet, a dim-witted dog named Odie.

　　Garfield is the brainchild of American cartoonist Jim Davis. Davis, who spent much of his childhood indoors due to his asthma, would doodle to pass the time. No one in his family dreamed that Jim’s amateur6 drawings would one day make him famous. After graduating from college in 1969, however, Davis decided to become a professional cartoonist. Newspapers thought his first cartoon, Gnorm Gnat, was funny, “But who can relate to a bug?” they asked.

　　 忠实的加菲猫迷一定对这只漫画胖猫挚爱的名言耳熟能详：“如果早晨能慢一点儿来临，我会更爱早晨。”即便你不熟悉加菲猫，可能还是会认同这只虽酷但又懒极了的猫的生活哲学。加菲猫总是“只顾着眼前的小盹儿”，并且将“节食(diet)”定义为“抱着字母 T 去死好了(die + t)”。这只以自己的机智与伶牙俐齿为豪的猫，最喜爱的消遣就是吃意大利千层面和躲在舒适的角落打盹儿。它同时也以惹恼饲主老姜为乐，又爱欺负主人的另一个宠物──笨狗欧弟。

　　 加菲猫是美国漫画家吉姆·戴维斯的创作。戴维斯由于患有气喘病，因此童年时经常待在屋内随意涂鸦来消磨时间。他的家人从没想过，吉姆的业余画作有一天竟会让他声名大噪。然而，戴维斯在 1969 年大学毕业后，便决定成为一名职业漫画家。报纸认为他的第一部漫画《小虫阿诺》饶有趣味，“但谁会对虫子感生共鸣呢？”他们问道。

　　Vocabulary

　　1. quote n. sth. a person said which is written down or said again by others 引用语；引述

　　My favorite quote from Thomas Jefferson goes, “Never spend your money before you have it.”

　　我最喜欢汤姆斯·杰弗逊的一句名言：“千万别把尚未入袋的钱花掉。”

　　● 2. wit n. the ability to say funny and clever things 妙语如珠；机智

　　Famous for his wit, Oscar Wilde once said, “Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

　　素以机智闻名的王尔德曾说：“要原谅你的敌人；没有什么比这件事更让他们生气的了。”

　　● 3. cozy adj. comfortable and warm 舒适温暖的

　　On a cold winter night, few things are as cozy as a warm bed with thick blankets.

　　在寒冷的冬夜里，没有什么比一张覆盖着厚棉被的温暖床铺更舒适的了。

　　4. try sb’s patience phr. to do things that make sb. feel annoyed or impatient 惹 … 生气；惹 … 厌烦

　　In the grocery store, Ruby tried her parents’ patience by continuously asking them to buy her candy.

　　露比在杂货店里不断地要求爸妈给她买糖果，惹得他们很不高兴。

　　● 5. bully v. to frighten and physically harm sb. 威吓；欺负

　　Dennis bullied his smaller classmates by threatening to hit them if they didn’t hand over their lunch money.

　　丹尼斯欺侮弱小的同学，威胁他们若不交出午餐钱就会挨揍。

　　6. amateur adj. done for fun instead of for money 业余爱好的

　　It’s a lot less stressful to take part in amateur sports than it is to play a sport professionally.

　　参加业余体育比赛的压力比职业体育比赛的压力要小得多。