PETS－2语法讲解(174)

My sister started a new hobby a few months ago.
　　对话
　　Cindy: My sister started a new hobby a few months ago.
　　Heather: Really? Tell me more.
　　Cindy: She's been learning to paint watercolors.
　　Heather: How interesting. What are her favorite subjects?
　　Cindy: She likes painting landscapes best, but she also enjoys doing still lifes.
　　Heather: I envy her. I've tried to paint in the past, but I'm no good - I have no artistic talent.
　　辛迪：我姐姐月前开始有新的嗜好。
　　希瑟：是吗？我愿闻其详。
　　辛迪：她在学习水彩画。
　　希瑟：那真有趣。她喜欢什么主题？
　　辛迪：她最爱画风景画，但也喜欢画静物。
　　希瑟：我羡慕她。我从前也试过学画画，但我不行 - 我没有艺术才华。
　　辛迪说姐姐月前开始有新的嗜好：She started a new hobby a few months ago。有新嗜好，也可以说是to take up a hobby，例如：He has taken up philately (=stamp collecting) as a new hobby（他最近开始嗜好集邮）。Hobby古英语解作‘小马’。现在小孩子骑的马头杆或摇动木马(rocking horse)叫hobbyhorse，就是取‘小马’的意思。从事某种嗜好，好比孩子之骑玩具马，所以hobby的意思后来就变成‘嗜好’。辛迪的姐姐在学画水彩画：she's been learning to paint watercolors。画水彩画或油画，英文叫做to paint，不用draw字；而水彩画或油画就叫oil painting或watercolor painting。She painted this oil (=oil painting) when she was nineteen即‘这幅油画是她十九岁时画的’。素描叫做draw，I did a drawing of the windmill即‘我画了一幅风车的素描画’。当然，无论是素描画、水彩画还是油画，都叫做picture。你可以paint a picture或draw a picture。希瑟说自己没有艺术才华: I have no artistic talent。这和I do not have any artistic talent有什么分别？No 和 not相比，是no的语气较强。强调的no一般用在名词或比较级形容词之前，例如：(1) We have no water（我们没有水）。(2) He is no richer than you are（他一点都不比你富有）。这两句，意思其实和We don't have any water 和He is not richer than you are 相同，只是语气重一点。希瑟用no而不用not，就是要强调自己一点艺术才华都没有。