美国人说的 God\'s country 是什么意思？

 

按照字面意义，God's country 应译为 ‘上帝之国’。但在美国人嘴里，God's country 的意思与字面意义却相差十万八千里，或者说是风马牛不相及，真正意义是：农村地区／乡村地区＝ A rural area: country, countryside.

比如内华达等人口稀少的州，除了拉斯维加斯，其他地带都可称作God's country。

美国就有拿 God's country 开涮的一个著名笑话，每个老美读了这则笑话，无不哈哈大笑。请欣赏，我们也笑笑。

Golden Phones In Church

A man in Topeka , Kansas decided to write a book about churches around the country.
He started by flying to San Francisco and started working east from there.

Going to a very large church, he began taking photographs and making notes.

He spotted a golden telephone on the vestibule（门厅） wall and was intrigued（有趣的） with a sign,  which read "Calls: $10,000 a minute." Seeking out the pastor he asked about the phone and the sign. The pastor answered that this golden phone is, in fact, a direct line to heaven and if he pays the price he can talk directly to GOD.

The man thanked the pastor and continued on his way. As he continued to visit churches in Seattle , Dallas , St. Louis , Chicago , Milwaukee , and around the United States , he found more phones, with the same sign, and the same answer from each pastor.

Finally, he arrived in Kentucky , upon entering a church in Corbin,  K.y. , behold（注意到） - he saw the usual golden Telephone. But THIS time, the sign read "Calls: 35 cents."

Fascinated（被强烈地吸引住了，被雷倒了）, he asked to talk to the pastor,
"Reverend(牧师), I have been in cities all across the country and in each Church I have found this golden telephone and have been told it is a direct line to Heaven and that I could talk to GOD, but in the other churches the cost was $10,000 a minute. Your sign reads only 35 cents a call. Why?"

The pastor, smiling benignly（和蔼地）, replied, "Son, you're in Kentucky now...... You're in God's Country, It's a local call."