(13) Pleasure means ______. (The giving of pleasure is one of the most lucrative businesses around, and not only in the red-light district. Thus people who “play games” for a living sign contracts for $43 million — much more than people who merely work. Those who can sing may get up to $100 million.)
(14) Ruler means ______. (Anyone who is a member of a royal family is, by law, subject to the nation. Thus the princesses of Britain, say, are employees of the people, used as tourist attractions and given free board and lodging in return for affording the rest of us some entertainment. You may remember how the old kings — like Henry V — used to spy on their subjects; now it’s the subjects who spy on their rulers. Dieu et mon droit.)
(15) Small means mid-size. (If you are renting a car, you need to remember that “small” is several sizes larger than the smallest size. And in McDonald’s, “a small” order of fries is now a regular-size order, which is differ-ent from the situation in most places, where the “regular” size is very small.)
(16) War means peace. (Thus the “cold war” was a way of maintaining a delicate peace between two militant superpowers. The “war against drugs” means saying “Just say no” several times and hoping that people under the influence won’t take a no for a yes.) 医学全在 线www.lindalemus.com
(17) Oh, and one more thing. Alien means resident. (As in “I live here because I’m a ‘resident alien.’ “You’ll see lots of “aliens” in the U.S. — they are the people who come from other countries, as opposed to “real Americans,” who are people who came from other countries a little while ago.)
(18) I hope that all makes sense. I’m sure you will find our world as clear as anything on your planet.
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亲爱的火星人：
(1)我了解您在我们这个外星人星球上碰到的许多颠三倒四、科幻小说式的情形，可能让您有点困惑。希望以下的说明能帮您克服这些障碍。
(2)肯定就是否认。（譬如魔术师约翰逊用乐观、随和的态度来对待他患的致命的疾病。这表示他在“否认”。乐观者只是还不肯承认的悲观者。简单讲，说“是”的意思就是“不”。不过这和另一种状况不同：说“不”意思就是“是”。那是男人说的：“在女人不肯对他说“是”的时候。)
(3) 挑战就是丧失。（一个“身体受挑战”的人就是从前叫做“失能”或“残障”的人——例如曾遭到命运严重打击的人。用现在这个听起来比较友善的名称来称呼他，是为了肯定他的可能性——也就是否认的意思。)
(4) 冷就是热。（这一点当然您早就知道了。只要是别人说“酷”的东西几乎一定很热门。如果说这个东西很“坏”，那就是说它很“棒”的意思。可是如果说一个东西是“in”[流行]，那就是说它快要out [出局]了。毕竟give in 和give out 的意思是一样的。)
(5) 多样性就是单一性。（如果有人说他们希望抬收进来的学生有“多样性”，意思是说他要的学生每一个都和他自己是差不多的人。这也很合理，因为“少数”民族现在有占“多数”的倾向。所以“平等机会”通常表示“不平等”的意思，因为有人比别人更平等——或者该说更不平等？
