2019年翻译资格考试高级口译模拟试题：泼水节

　　傣族的泼水节是在四月十三至十五号，这三天也是他们族的新年节日。傣族的节庆活动一共分三个层次，一天一个花样儿。第一天，大家清扫各家房屋，清理四周环境。第二天，人们倾巢而出，涌向各个大街小巷，用或锅或桶，盛满水，互相泼水嬉闹。傣族人认为这些纯水能为他们带来好运。最后一天，人们便划龙舟，放高升，不亦乐乎。

　　关于泼水节的来历，民间流传着一个故事。很久很久以前，一个魔王觊觎景洪这块肥沃多产的土地，便霸占了该地，还强迫七位美丽的傣族姑娘做他的“夫人”。当地老百姓恨透了它，这些姑娘们也想尽办法要除掉它。

　　一天，“七夫人”想了个主意。她用美酒灌醉他，甜言蜜语地奉承他，终于套出了他的死穴：原来只有用这魔头自己的一缕头发勒住他的脖子，才能将其置于死地。

　　很快魔王就醉醺醺地唾去了。七姑娘便如法炮制，勒住魔头的脖子，魔王的头果然就骨溜溜滚到了地上。这个魔头本是个火魔，所以它头滚到哪儿，哪儿就燃起熊熊大火。七位“夫人”和众人一起奋力朝火上泼水，最终火熄灭了。以后几百年里，傣族人民每年都要欢庆斩除妖魔，庆祝“泼水节”。

　　答案

　　The Water-Splashing Festival The Water-Splashing Festival is on April 13-15, when the Dai people celebrate their New Year's Day. The celebrations change on each day. The first day is for cleaning up the houses and neighborhood. The next day everyone goes out to the streets and splashes water to each other with their pans, pails and buckets. The clean water is believed to be the best blessing. And on the third day people have fun by taking dragon boats and setting off firecrackers.

　　As to where the Water-Splashing Festival comes from, there is a folk legend. A long time ago, a demon king impressed by the fertility of the Jinghong area in Yunnan, appropriated it and forced seven beautiful Dai maidens to be his wives. The people hated the demon, and the ladies tried to find out ways to get rid of him.

　　One day, one of them hit upon an idea. She plied him with alcohol and showered him with flatter. At last she got to know a secret: the only thing that could kill him was to tie a piece of hair from his own head around his neck.

　　Soon he was snoring in drunken slumber. The lady did as she had found out about, and the demon's head dropped to the floor, rolling. As he was a "fire demon", whatever the rolling head touched burst into flame. The seven wives and all the people splashed water over the fire and managed to extinguish it. Since then, the Dai people have been celebrating the "Water-Splashing Festival".