News for the Peanut Gallery 落花生传奇
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2006年5月22日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2011年10月20日
- 作者：Mike Lee
- 点击数：435
课文朗读
课文讲解
Watching from the cheap seats, a group of locals lose interest in a dull performance. To show their dissatisfaction, they mock and toss peanuts at the entertainers. However, the “peanut gallery” should think twice before wasting all their nuts. Peanuts might be more valuable than the performance they are booing!
一群当地人坐在剧院最后排便宜的位置上看表演，对无聊的演出失去兴趣。为了表达不满，他们嘲弄演出者并向他们丢花生。然而，在浪费花生之前，这些「廉价后排座」的人应三思：花生可能比他们正在喝倒采的表演更有价值！
Roasted, garlicky, salted or unsalted, there are many different ways of processing peanuts. Although high in fat, peanuts contain many vitamins and nutrients. An estimated half-a-billion people depend on them as their main source of protein.
不论是烘烤、蒜味、或是咸味及原味，有许多不同的方法可用来处理花生。虽然脂肪含量很高，花生仍有多种维他命和营养素。估计约有五亿的人依赖花生为蛋白质的主要来源。
Yet, contrary to what their name implies, peanuts are technically not nuts. They actually belong to the pea family. Also called groundnuts, peanuts have a fascinating life cycle. They start out as yellow flowers, blooming above the ground. Then, due to the flowers’ heavy weight, they bend down to the ground. After they wither, a tiny shoot begins growing from the base of each stem and slowly burrows into the ground. This is where the peanut matures.
然而，和名字所暗示的相反，花生严格来说并非坚果类(nut)；而是实属豆科(pea)，也被称为落花生，有着令人惊叹的生命周期。它们起初在地面上绽放黄色的花朵，接着，花朵因重量而垂到地上。花朵枯萎后，小幼芽从每朵花的茎部长出来，再慢慢钻入地底，也就是花生成熟的地方。
Shells found in Peru from around 2500 B.C. are the earliest evidence of cultivating peanuts. However, it was not until discoveries dating back to 950 B.C. that the peanut’s importance was revealed. Archaeologists uncovered peanut-shaped pottery and Peruvian artifacts with peanut illustrations. They also dug up tombs containing bags of peanuts for the dead to take with them into the afterlife.
公元前2500年左右，在秘鲁发现的壳是栽培花生的最早证据。然而，回溯到公元前950年的发现才显露花生的重要性。考古学家发现花生形状的陶器，以及花生插图的秘鲁古文物。他们也从坟墓里挖掘出给亡者带到来世的一袋袋花生。
Vocabulary
单词发音
mock [mɑk] v. 嘲弄，嘲笑
nutrient [ˋnjutrɪənt] n. 营养物，滋养物
wither [ˋwɪðɚ] v. 枯萎，干枯
artifact [ˋɑrtɪ͵fækt] n. 人工制品〔有史学价值的武器﹑工具等〕﹐手工艺品
More Information
单词发音
dull [dʌl] adj. 乏味的，单调的
boo [bu] v. 向……喝倒采; 嘘（某人）
garlicky [ˋgɑrlɪkɪ] adj. 有大蒜味的
process [ˋprɑsɛs] v. 处理; 加工
contrary [ˋkɑntrɛrɪ] adj. 相反的，对立的[（+to）]
nut [nʌt] n. 坚果；核果
groundnut [ˋgraʊnd͵nʌt] n. 落花生
start out 开始
burrow [ˋbɝo] v. 钻进某处（或某组织）
archaeologist [͵ɑrkɪˋɑlədʒɪst] n. 考古学家
Peruvian [pəˋruvɪən] adj. 秘鲁的；秘鲁人的
illustration [ɪ͵lʌsˋtreʃən] n. 插图，图案
afterlife [ˋæftɚ͵laɪf] n. 来世﹐来生
课文讲解
Peanuts took on a new shape during America’s Civil War. Soldiers lacking food pulled peanuts from fields. Boiling them in salty water ensured they were clean and safe from bacteria. Today, large pots of soggy peanuts still make a delicious snack to people in the southern U.S.
美国南北战争期间，花生展现了新的面貌。缺乏食物的士兵把花生从田野里拉出来，用盐水煮沸以确保花生干净且没有细菌。今日，在美国南部，一大罐一大罐的潮湿的花生对人们来说依旧是美味的点心。
In the 19th century, a doctor in St. Louis, Missouri, created a ground-up paste made from peanuts. He prescribed his protein-rich creamy creation to his patients. His formula led to the tasty treat known as peanut butter and still enjoyed today. Around the same time, the “father of the peanut industry,” George Washington Carver, introduced other uses for peanuts. They included glue, cream, paint, and shampoo, to name just a few. During his lifetime, he came up with more than 300 ways to use the peanut!
19世纪时，密苏里州圣路易市的一位医生用花生创造了一研磨膏状物。他将这富含蛋白质的乳状物当作药方，开给病人。他的配方造就了一帖花生酱，今日仍被享用的美味食品。大约就在同时，「花生业之父」，乔治华盛顿卡佛，引进花生其他的用法。其中少数几种用法包括了胶水、乳霜、涂料和洗发精。在他有生之年，他想出超过三百种使用花生的方法。
Still today, farmers make use of more than just the peanut itself. No part is ever wasted. The peanut’s oil, shell, skin, and even the peanut plant and its roots are employed. They provide snacks at basketball games, spread for bread, and even everyday products such as soap. So whether it is a pea or a nut, the peanut should never be tossed away!
时至今日，农夫不仅利用花生本身，其他部份也没被浪费。花生油、花生壳、花生皮，甚至花生植株和根部都被拿来运用。它们被用来当作看棒球时的点心，面包的涂酱，甚至像是肥皂等日常用品。所以不管它是豆子还是坚果，花生都绝不该被丢弃！
−by Matthew Wilson
Vocabulary
单词发音
ensure [ɪnˋʃʊr] v. 确保﹐保证
prescribe [prɪˋskraɪb] v. 开（药方），为……开（药方）
formula [ˋfɔrmjələ] n. 配方，处方
employ [ɪmˋplɔɪ] v. 使用，利用
More Information
单词发音
take on 具有; 呈现; 承担
shape [ʃep] n.（表现）形式；体现
soggy [ˋsɑgɪ] adj. 湿透的﹐ 湿软的
ground-up 碾碎的；磨成粉的
protein [ˋprotiɪn] n. 蛋白质
make use of 利用 to utilize; to do something useful
Reading Questions
1. Which of the following in NOT true of peanuts?
A. They contain a lot of healthy substances.
B. They reach maturity above the ground.
C. They have been portrayed on ancient objects.
D. They are known by more than one name.
2. What can we infer from the history of peanuts?
A. That they are a recent fad that is just catching on.
B. That they were only important to ancient Peruvians.
C. That they were valued by different cultures.
D. That their popularity has diminished slowly over time.
3. Which of the following is NOT a use for peanuts mentioned in the article?
A. A meal substitute for hungry soldiers.
B. A prescription for patients who needed more protein.
C. A product used to wash your hair.
D. A fertilizer for gardens and crops.
4. What is the chief characteristic of peanuts, according to the article?
A. The fact that they have many different uses.
B. The fact that they grow almost everywhere on earth.
C. The fact that they are always clean and free of bacteria.
D. The fact that they can be used to toss at entertainers at performances.
fad [fæd] n. 一时的流行；一时的风尚
Answer
|
1. ( B ) |
2. ( C ) |
3. ( D ) |
4. ( A ) |