星期六的夜晚，任何事都可能發生

繪◎也 圓

在美國，星期一是工作周的開始；大多數美國人最不喜歡這一天。難怪他們最喜歡的一天是星期六，星期六是工作周的結束，周末的開始。

星期六晚上任何事都可能發生。人們跳舞、訪友、舉辦聚會。他們喝過多的酒。他們被殺或殺人。他們睡覺，看電視，有時還相愛。這些事人們在一周的其他晚上也做，但在星期六晚上他們做得更勤，情感更投入，目的性也更強。

In the United States Monday is the beginning of the workweek①; it is the day most Americans like least. It is not surprising then that the day they like most is Saturday. Saturday is the end of the workweek; it is the beginning of the weekend.

Anything and everything can happen on Saturday night.People go dancing; they visit friends and have parties.They drink too much alcohol. They get killed or kill other people.They sleep, watch television, and sometimes fall in love. People do these same things on other nights of the week too, but they do them more often and with more emotion and purpose on Saturday night.

On Saturday night movie theaters sell more admission tickets②. It also is the biggest night for places that sell alcoholic drinks③.That is one reason why Saturday night witnesses④most murders,fights and deadly car accidents.

In a town in Indiana there is a Saturday night custom called"cruising⑤". Cruising means to spend the evening driving your car slowly up and down the town's main street. People who are cruising talk from car to car. They exchange greetings, jokes and friendly insults. Cruising is most popular in small towns where there is not much else to do.

Many people spend the Saturday night at home with friends. They have dinner together.Perhaps they watch a movie on a video cassette⑥recorder. Other people go on a date.A date usually involves⑦two people.People on a date might go to a public concert, yet they talk only to each other.

Is there anything people do not like about the weekend? A study of 1000 Americans found that half would gladly trade⑧a paid workday for an extra day of free time. The only thing wrong with the weekend, they think, is that it does not last longer.

星期六晚上電影院賣出的票比往日多。對于賣酒的地方，這也是贏利最高的夜晚。這也正是星期六晚上謀殺、打架和惡性車禍發生率最高的原因之一。

在印第安納州的一座小城鎮，有一個叫作“滑車”的星期六夜晚習俗。滑車的意思是整個晚上在城鎮的主要街道上來來回回地慢速駕車行駛。滑車人與另一輛車里的人聊天、相互寒暄、開玩笑、說俏皮話。滑車在沒有什么事情可做的小城鎮里十分盛行。

許多人星期六晚上和朋友一起待在家里。他們共進晚餐，也許看錄像電影。有的人則赴約會。約會通常有兩個人。約會的人可以去聽音樂會，但他們只是在兩人 之間交談。

人們對周 末有沒有不喜歡的地方呢？ 對 1000 名美國人的調查發現，一半的人樂 于用可以賺錢的一天去換一天自 由的時間。他們認為周末的唯 一缺陷就是它太短暫。

① workweek 英 ['w??kwi?k] 美 ['w?kwik] n. 一周工作時間

②admission ticket 門票；準考證；入場券

③alcoholic drinks 酒精飲料

④ witness 英 ['w?tn?s] 美 ['w?tn?s]n. 證人；目擊者；證據vt. 目擊；證明；為……做證 vi. 做證人

⑤ cruising 英 ['kru?z??] 美 ['kr?z??] adj. 巡航的 n. 巡航

⑥ cassette 英 [k?'set] 美 [k?'s?t]n. 盒式磁帶；暗盒；珠寶箱；片匣

⑦ involve 英 [?n'v?lv] 美 [?n'vɑlv]vt. 包含；牽涉；使陷于；潛心于

⑧trade 英 [tre?d] 美 [tred] n. 貿易，交易；行業；職業vi. 交易，買賣；以物易物 vt. 用……進行交換