又中又英｜A chameleon

US President Donald Trump is like a chameleon. He changes from day to day. That means adversaries as well as allies must guess what his next move is. A chameleon is a slow-moving lizard that can change colour to match what surrounds it so that it cannot be seen. This protects chameleons from predators. A predator is an animal that hunts, kills, and eats other animals. Predators can be large, such as lions and tigers, but also small, such as bats, which feed on insects. A chameleon also means an inconsistent person whose behaviour and opinions are changeable.

It’s been only two months since Trump became president for the second time, but his unpredictability has already kept world leaders guessing. He has threatened allies such as Canada, Ukraine, and Europe. Critics say he has showed deference to Russian President Vladimir Putin who is considered a US adversary. To show deference to others means to show respect and politeness to others by accepting their opinions or wishes. American critics of Putin describe him as Trump’s frenemy. The slang word “frenemy” means a person who pretends to be your friend but is, in fact, your enemy.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently said Trump’s changing position about defending Ukraine means Europe must do the heavy lifting to protect Ukraine, which Russia invaded in 2022. To “do the heavy lifting” means doing most of the work involved and the most difficult part of it. Starmer believes Europe must defend Ukraine to deter Russia from invading other European countries as well.

美国总统唐纳德．特朗普就像变色龙（chameleon），他天天都在变。那就意味着，他的对手和盟友都必须猜度他下一步是什么。A chameleon是一种行走缓慢的蜥蜴，会变色配合周遭环境，以至牠不会被看见。这就能保护变色龙（chameleons）避开predators。A predator就是会猎食其他动物的动物。捕食性动物（predators）可以有体形大如狮子老虎的，但也有体形小的，例如蝙蝠，牠们以昆虫为食。A chameleon也解作一个反复无常，行为和意见常常改变的人。

特朗普第二次做总统不过两个月，但他的善变已令世界领袖不断猜度。他曾威胁盟国如加拿大、乌克兰和欧洲。他的批评者说，他曾向俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔．普京，就是被视为美国敌人的，showed deference—to show deference to others是指遵从他人的意见或意愿，以表达尊重和礼貌。美国批评普京的人，形容他为特朗普的frenemy—俚语。frenemy是指一个人假装是你的朋友，但其实，是你的敌人。

英国首相施纪贤最近说，特朗普在保卫乌克兰的立场上不断改变，意味着欧洲必须do the heavy lifting去保护在2022年被俄罗斯入侵的乌克兰。To do the heavy lifting是指去做工作中最主要、繁重和最困难的部分。施纪贤相信，欧洲必须守卫乌克兰，以威慑俄罗斯不能入侵其他欧洲国家。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻