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Hello! Our question for today on Ask a Teacher comes from a reader in Brazil.
大家好!今天《名师答疑》的问题来自巴西的一位读者。
I have an easy question.
我有一个小问题。
Why does Sir Elton John use “don’t” and not “doesn’t” in the song This Train Don't Stop There Anymore? Thanks.
为什么艾尔顿·约翰爵士的歌This Train Don't Stop There Anymore（火车不再在此停靠），用的是don't而不是doesn't？谢谢解答。
Luiz, Brazil.
来自巴西的路易斯。
Dear Luiz, That’s a great question.
亲爱的路易斯，这是一个很好的问题。
As an English teacher, I often hear things in songs that do not follow grammar rules.
作为一名英语老师，我经常在歌词中听到一些不合语法的表达。
Sometimes, I believe it is because the songwriter wants to speak in a way that is used by another community.
我认为，有时候这是因为写歌的人想要用另一个群体的语言去表达。
Also, informal, or everyday, language is often not completely grammatical.
此外，非正式的语言或日常语言往往不完全符合语法。
Let’s look at some of the words of This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore.
让我们来看看《火车不再在此停靠》中的一些歌词。
It appears in a collection of songs called Songs from the West Coast, published in 2001.
这首歌被收录在2001年发行的歌曲集《西海岸之歌》中。
The songwriter Bernie Taupin co-wrote this and many other songs with Elton John.
歌曲作者伯尼·陶平与艾尔顿·约翰共同创作了这首歌和许多其他歌曲。
Taupin wrote the words and John wrote the music.
陶平写了歌词，约翰写了旋律。
Taupin said he was always interested in “Americana,” the culture and history of America, and in country and western music.
陶平说，他一直对“美式事物”（即美国历史文化）很感兴趣，也对乡村和西方音乐感兴趣。
That helps explain the images and language he put into this song.
这有助于理解他在这首歌中描写的意象和所用的语言。
In the first part, the singer says he does not believe in miracles anymore and has lost strong feelings about romantic love.
在第一部分中，歌手说他不再相信奇迹，对浪漫爱情失去了激情。
The second part brings in images of an old kind of train:
第二部分出现了老火车的意象：
I used to be the main express
我曾经是最主要的快车
All steam and whistles heading west
蒸汽腾腾，汽笛长啸着驶向西部
Picking up my pain from door to door
挨家挨户接过我的痛苦
Riding on the storyline, furnace burning overtime
沿着故事线行驶，火炉燃烧不熄
But this train don't stop. This train don't stop. This train don't stop there anymore.
但这火车不再停靠，不再停靠。这火车再也不在那里停靠。
The singer tells us of the strong emotions he once had by comparing them to a fast, or express, train.
歌手向我们描述了他曾经有过的强烈情感，他把这些情感比作特快列车。
The high, sharp sound of a train warning people of its approach is called a whistle.
火车进站时发出的响亮尖锐的声音就是汽笛声。
Old trains used to be powered by steam engines that let out whistles as they passed through towns.
老式火车过去是由蒸汽机驱动，当它们经过城镇时会鸣响汽笛。
If we connect these words to the earlier part of the song, we can get a picture in our mind of a lonely, isolated place.
如果我们将这些介绍与歌曲的前半部分联系起来，我们的脑海中就会出现一个孤独的、与世隔绝的地方的画面。
A town where the train no longer stops is usually a quiet place with little activity.
火车不再停靠的城镇通常是一个安静的地方，那里几乎没有什么活动。
We can suppose that town is like the singer’s heart.
我们可以推测，这个城镇就像歌手的内心。
My understanding of the song is that the singer is saying he no longer wants to be in love because the feeling is too strong.
我对这首歌的理解是，歌手说他不想再恋爱了，因为恋爱的感觉太过强烈了。
Continuing the image of the train, he sings,
火车的意象继续出现，他唱道：
It really means my engine's breaking down
这说明我的引擎真的出故障了
What do you think, Luiz?
你对这首歌怎样理解呢，路易斯？
Would the song be just as good if Elton John sang, “That train doesn’t stop there anymore?”
如果艾尔顿·约翰用doesn't，这首歌还会那么动人吗？
Maybe it would not have the quality of informal language Taupin was hoping for.
也许它就失去了陶平想要的非正式语言的质感。
And that’s Ask a Teacher for this week.
以上就是本周《名师答疑》。
I’m Jill Robbins.
我是吉尔·罗宾斯。
