精读23：One man's meat is another man's poison
导读： 蜗牛加酒烧煮，奈何作者难以咽下？ 阅读英语趣文，寻找答案。
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精读原文
People become quite illogical when they try to decide what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten. If you lived in the Mediterranean, for instance, you would consider octopus a great delicacy. You would not be able to understand why some people find it repulsive. On the other hand, your stomach would turn at the idea of frying potatoes in animal fat -- the normally accepted practice in many northern countries. The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.
No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail. Cooked in wine, snails are a great luxury in various parts of the world. There are countless people who, ever since their early years, have learned to associate snails with food. My friend, Robert, lives in a country where snails are despised. As his flat is in a large town, he has no garden of his own. For years he has been asking me to collect snails from my garden and take them to him. The idea never appealed to me very much, but one day, after a heavy shower, I happened to be walking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll on some of my prize plants. Acting on a sudden impulse, I collected several dozen, put them in a paper bag, and took them to Robert. Robert was delighted to see me and equally pleased with my little gift. I left the bag in the hall and Robert and I went into the living room where we talked for a couple of hours. I had forgotten all about the snails when Robert suddenly said that I must stay to dinner. Snails would, of course, be the main dish. I did not fancy the idea and I reluctantly followed Robert out of the room. To our dismay, we saw that there were snails everywhere: they had escaped from the paper bag and had taken complete possession of the hall! I have never been able to look at a snail since then.
精读注解
One man's meat is another man's poison
- poison /'pɒɪzən/: a substance that can cause death or serious illness if you eat it, drink it etc毒素；毒物；毒药，如：He swallowed some type of poison. 他吞下了某种毒药。
- 这是一句谚语：What one person may consider good, enjoyable, or beneficial may be disliked by someone else.意思是“对一方有利的未必对另一方也有利”，有时译未“各有所爱”、“萝卜青菜各有所爱”等，
- 参考网址：https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/one+man%27s+meat+is+another+man%27s+poison
参考译文： 各有所爱
People become quite illogical when they try to decide what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten. If you lived in the Mediterranean, for instance, you wouldconsider octopus a great delicacy. You would not be able to understand why some people find it repulsive. On the other hand, your stomach would turn at the idea of frying potatoes in animal fat -- the normally accepted practice in many northern countries. The sad truth is that most of us have been brought up to eat certain foods and we stick to them all our lives.
- illogical /ɪ'lɒdʒɪkəl/：If you describe an action, feeling, or belief as illogical, you are critical of it because you think that it does not result from a logical and ordered way of thinking. 没有道理的; 不合逻辑的，如：It was absurd and illogical to go out into such a storm. 在这样的暴风雨中外出简直是荒唐和莫名其妙。
- 【难句解析】…decide what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten.：本句decide后面接由关系代词what引导的两个宾语从句。【语法小学堂】*what包含关系代词that/which与“先行词”，比如：The parents gave her everything that she needed.=The parents gave her what she needed.更多详情，参考英语语法网：http://www.yygrammar.com/Article/201511/4432.html
- octopus /'ɒktəpəs/：An octopus is a soft sea creature with eight long arms called tentacles which it uses to catch food. 章鱼，如：Questions This Movie Will Raise: Did he just eat a living octopus? 电影引发的问题： 他真的吃下了一只活的章鱼吗？
- delicacy /'delɪkəsɪ/：something good to eat that is expensive or rare珍馐，佳肴，如：A pheasant is a delicacy we seldom can enjoy. 野鸡是我们很少能品尝到的美味。
- 【熟词僻义】consider：①If you consider a person or thing to be something, you have the opinion that this is what they are. 认为，把……看作。如：I had always considered myself a strong, competent woman. 我曾一直以为自己是个坚强能干的女人。②If you consider something, you think about it carefully. 仔细考虑 (某事物)，如：The administration continues to consider ways to resolve the situation. 政府继续仔细考虑解决这种情况的办法。
- consider octopus a great delicacy：本句中a great delicacy作octopus的宾语补足语
- repulsive：extremely unpleasant, in a way that almost makes you feel sick令人厌恶的；令人反感的；令人恶心的，如：Many people find slugs repulsive. 很多人觉得鼻涕虫让人恶心。
- on the other hand：(contrastive) from another point of view，另一方面，表示所说的话与前文有所不同，如：On the other hand, no mosquitoes at all. 不过在另一方面，这里完全没有蚊子。常见用法：one the one hand…, on the other hand…一方面，另一方面
- stomach /'stʌmək/：the organ inside your body where food begins to be digested胃，如：I was so hungry my stomach hurt. 我饿得胃都痛了。
- 【熟词僻义】turn /tɜːn/：本文用法是：感到恶心、翻胃
- at the idea of：想到……，如：Some authors scoff at the idea of mixing the two mediums. 一些作家嘲笑将两种媒体混合的想法。
- fry /fraɪ/：to cook something in hot fat or oil, or to be cooked in hot fat or oil油煎，油炸，油炒，如：I could smell onions frying. 我闻到了煎洋葱的味道。
- fat /fæt/：Fat is a solid or liquid substance obtained from animals or vegetables, which is used in cooking. 食用油，如：When you use oil or fat for cooking, use as little as possible.
- 当你用油烹饪时，要尽可能少放。
- 【熟词僻义】bring up: ①When someone brings up a child, they look after it until it is an adult. 养育,本文用法，如：She brought up four children. 她养育了4个孩子。②If you bring up a particular subject, you introduce it into a discussion or conversation. 提出，如：He brought up a subject rarely raised during the course of this campaign. 他提出了一个在该运动进程中很少被提及的话题。
- stick to：坚持 (诺言、协议、决定或原则等)，如：Perhaps he should have stuck to writing. 或许他本该坚持写作。Immigrant support groups are waiting to see if he sticks to his word. 支持移民的团体正观望他是否遵守诺言。
- all one’s life/ lives：一生，一辈子，如：He loves his wife all his life.他用一生爱着他妻子。
参考译文： 在决定什么能吃而什么不能吃的时候，人们往往变得不合情理。比如，如果你住在地中海地区，你会把章鱼视作美味佳肴，同时不能理解为什么有人一见章鱼就恶心。另一方面，你一想到动物油炸土豆就会反胃，但这在北方许多国家却是一种普通的烹任方法。不无遗憾的是， 我们中的大部分人，生来就只吃某几种食品，而且一辈子都这样。
No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail. Cooked in wine, snails are a great luxury in various parts of the world. There are countless people who, ever since their early years, have learned to associate snails with food. My friend, Robert, lives in a country where snails are despised. As his flat is in a large town, he has no garden of his own. For years he has been asking me to collect snails from my garden and take them to him. The idea neverappealed to me very much, but one day, after a heavy shower, I happened to be walking in my garden when I noticed a huge number of snails taking a stroll on some of my prize plants. Acting on a sudden impulse, I collected several dozen, put them in a paper bag, and took them to Robert. Robert was delighted to see me and equally pleased with my little gift. I left the bag in the hall and Robert and I went into the living room where we talked for a couple of hours. I had forgotten all about the snails when Robert suddenly said that I must stay to dinner. Snails would, of course, be the main dish. I did not fancy the idea and I reluctantly followed Robert out of the room. To our dismay, we saw that there were snails everywhere: they had escaped from the paper bag and had taken complete possession of the hall! I have never been able to look at a snail since then.
- abuse /ə'bjuːz/：rude or offensive things that someone says when they are angry辱骂，谩骂，如：The other driver started hurling abuse at me. 另外一个司机朝我破口大骂起来。
- snail /sneɪl/：a small soft creature that moves very slowly and has a hard shell on its back蜗牛，如：I even slept in the snail as well. 我甚至也在蜗牛壳中睡觉
- Cooked in wine,…：过去分词作状语，表条件
- luxury /'lʌkʃ(ə)rɪ/：something expensive that you do not need, but you buy for pleasure and enjoyment奢侈品，如：luxuries like chocolate and perfume 巧克力、香水之类的奢侈品
- associate /ə'səʊʃɪeɪt /：to be related to a particular subject, activity etc 与（某人/某物）有关，与（某人/某物）有瓜葛，如：He did not associate himself with the pro-democracy movement. 他没有表示支持这场拥护民主的运动。
- There are countless people who, ever since their early years, have learned to associate snails with food.：本句中ever since their early years是时间状语，提前表示对时间状语的强调。
- despise /dɪ'spaɪz/：to dislike and have a low opinion of someone or something鄙视，看不起，藐视，如：She despised her neighbours. 她看不起她的邻居。
- As his flat is in a large town：本句中as为从属连词，引导原因状语从句，表示“由于”的意思。请参考Lesson 1
- appeal/ə'piːl/：If something appeals to you, you find it attractive or interesting. 有吸引力，搭配appeal to…对……有吸引力。如：On the other hand, the idea appealed to him. 另一方面，这个主意对他有吸引力。
- shower /'ʃaʊə/：a short period of rain or snow阵雨；阵雪，如：More heavy showers are forecast for tonight. 预报今晚还有强阵雨
- happen to：碰巧
- stroll /strəʊl/：to walk somewhere in a slow relaxed way散步，漫步，闲逛，溜达，如：We were strolling along, laughing and joking. 我们有说有笑，信步走着。本文take a stroll：散步，是采用拟人手法
- Acting on a sudden impulse, ①现在分词短语作原因状语；②act on: carry further or advance根据／按照／凭借……行动，对……起作用，如：The medicine acted on his fever at once.这药使他立即退了烧。
- impulse /'ɪmpʌls/：a sudden strong desire to do something without thinking about whether it is a sensible thing to do冲动；突然的欲望，如：Marge’s first impulse was to run. 玛吉的第一个念头就是跑。
- dozen /'dʌzən/：twelve一打〔12个〕，如：a dozen eggs 一打鸡蛋
- be delighted to do：乐于做……，如：I am delighted to tell you a story.
- be pleased with…：对……感到高兴／满意， 如：You are never pleased with your job.你对工作从不满意。
- fancy /'fænsɪ/：to like or want something, or want to do something喜欢，想要，如：Sorry, but I don’t fancy going out tonight. 对不起，今晚我不想出去。
- take possession of：占据，占领，如：I will give it to them and they will take possession of it. 我要将那地赐给他们，他们必得为业。
参考译文： 没有一种生物所受到的赞美和厌恶会超过花园里常见的蜗牛了。蜗牛加酒烧煮后，便成了世界上许多地方的一道珍奇的名菜。有不计其数的人们从小就知道蜗牛可做菜。但我的朋友罗伯特却住在一个厌恶蜗牛的国家中。他住在大城市里的一所公寓里，没有自己的花园。多年来，他一直让我把我园子里的蜗牛收集起来给他捎去。一开始，他的这一想法没有引起我多大兴趣。后来有一天，一场大雨后，我在花园里漫无目的散步，突然注意到许许多多蜗牛在我的一些心爱的花木上慢悠悠的蠕动着。我一时冲动，逮了几十只，装进一只纸袋里，带着去找罗伯特。罗伯特见到我很高兴，对我的薄礼也感到满意。我把纸袋放在门厅里，与罗伯特一起进了起居室，在那里聊了好几个钟头。我把蜗牛的事已忘得一干二净，罗伯特突然提出一定要我留下来吃晚饭，这才提醒了我。蜗牛当然是道主菜。我并不喜欢这个主意，所以我勉强跟着罗伯特走进了起居室。使我们惊愕的是门厅里到处爬满了蜗牛：它们从纸袋里逃了出来，爬得满厅都是！从那以后，我再也不能看一眼蜗牛了。
Summary writing：(last paragraph)
用不多于80个单词描述作者把园子里的蜗牛收集起来后的故事发展。（摘自新概念英语教师用书新版3）
The writer collected several dozen snails, put them in a paper bag and took them to Robert who was delighted to see him, and pleased with the nails. The writer left the bag in the hall and he and Robert went into the living room and talked for a couple of hours. He had forgotten the snails until Robert invited him to dinner, and he followed Robert into the hall to find snalis everywhere. They had escaped from the bag.
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