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The History of the World in 6 Glasses 历史六瓶装

 

课文朗读

 

课文讲解

 

繁體中文譯本

 

Did you know that world history can be divided into six different kinds of drinks? In TheHistory of the World in 6 Glasses, Tom Standage links beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola to different periods of civilization.

你是否知道世界史可以六种不同饮料区分？在《历史六瓶装》一书中，汤姆．斯丹迪奇把啤酒、葡萄酒、烈酒、咖啡、茶与可口可乐，和六个不同时期的文化相互结合。

 

Beer in Mesopotamia and Egypt  美索不达米亚及埃及的啤酒

 

Beer was discovered in the Fertile Crescent and came to be used in religious ceremonies, agricultural ritual, and cooking. By 5,000 BC, people in Mesopotamia and Egypt had settled into an agricultural way of life, in part because they needed to grow grain for beer. Beer held a significant place in the beginning of civilization. Citizens used beer to pay taxes and workers were compensated with it. People were even buried with jugs of beer to take with them into the afterlife. Beer was believed to have magical healing qualities, and toasting to someone’s health is a custom that we still observe today. Since ancient times, beer has been associated with good times, sharing, and bringing folks together.

啤酒是在肥沃月弯发现的，用于宗教典礼、农业仪式及烹饪上。公元前五千年时，美索不达米亚人及埃及人便已开始定居，过着农耕的生活，部份原因便是他们需要种植谷物以制作啤酒。啤酒在文化发源之始具有重要地位，百姓以啤酒纳税；工人以啤酒支薪；甚至人死后也以啤酒陪葬，让他们能带往来生。据信啤酒拥有神奇的治疗特质，而举杯祝颂健康的习俗至今仍在。从远古时期开始，啤酒便始终让人联想到美好时光、分享及家人团聚。

 

Wine in Greece and Rome  希腊罗马的葡萄酒

 

The Greeks were the first to cultivate and produce wine on a large commercial scale. Wine was their prime export, and it helped spread Greek culture. One major example is the Greek symposia, in which intellectuals (including Plato and Socrates) gathered to drink wine and discuss philosophy. Plato believed drinking wine exposed a man’s true nature. When Rome conquered Greece, it absorbed much of the Greek culture. Guests at Roman parties would be served different grades of wine depending on their social status. Wine’s association with culture and class remains to this day.

希腊人是最早以商业规模栽植并生产葡萄酒的民族，葡萄酒是他们的主要输出品，且有助于希腊文化的传播。一个重要的例子便是希腊讨论会，会中知识分子（包括柏拉图及苏格拉底）聚集，一边饮酒一边讨论哲理。柏拉图相信饮酒可让人表露真性情。罗马征服希腊后，吸收了许多希腊文化，罗马人宴会中供宾客饮用的葡萄酒，会依社会地位高低而有等级之差异。葡萄酒与文化及阶级的关联至今依然存在。

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

divide [dəˋvaɪd] v.  分，划分[（+into/from）]

civilization [͵sɪv!əˋzeʃən] n. 文明

fertile [ˋfɝt!] adj.（土地）肥沃的

ceremony [ˋsɛrə͵monɪ] n. 仪式，典礼

ritual [ˋrɪtʃʊəl] n. 仪式

compensate [ˋkɑmpən͵set] v. 补偿，赔偿；酬报

bring together 联合, 团结, 集中

commercial [kəˋmɝʃəl] adj. 商业性的

export [ˋɛksport] n. 输出品

philosophy [fəˋlɑsəfɪ] n. 哲学

conquer [͵kɑŋkɚ] v. 克服；征服

absorb [əbˋsɔrb] v. 吸收

 

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单词发音

 

spirit [ˋspɪrɪt] n. 烈酒

Mesopotamia [͵mɛsəpəˋtemɪə] n. 美索不达米亚

crescent [ˋkrɛsnt] n. 新月；弦月

in part  在某种程度上 in some degree; partly

jug [dʒʌg] n. 水罐

afterlife [ˋæftɚ͵laɪf] n. 来世

toast [tost] v. 为…举杯祝酒

symposium [sɪmˋpozɪəm] n. 讨论会；座谈会

intellectual [͵ɪnt!ˋɛktʃʊəl] n. 知识分子

 

 

 

课文讲解

 

Spirits in the Colonial Period  殖民时期的烈酒

 

Spirits became popular during the Age of Exploration as European explorers erected empires around the world. They grew sugarcane on several continents, generating huge profits. The sugar trade was made possible by slave labor. Rum, a liquor made from the waste products of sugar production, was used to control and purchase African slaves. The independence movement in Britain’s American Colonies began with the colonists’ love of rum. When the British tried to tax molasses, an ingredient of rum, Americans became very angry and refused to pay.

烈酒在探险时代开始流行，当时欧洲探险家正在全球广建帝国。他们在几个大陆种植甘蔗，并因而获取暴利。糖业的诞生全靠奴隶的劳力，砂糖制程中产生的废弃品兰姆酒，被人用来控制及购买非洲奴隶。大英帝国在非洲殖民地的独立运动，便是因被殖民者热爱兰姆酒而起，当时大英帝国想对兰姆酒的原料糖蜜课税，非洲人在盛怒之下展开抗税。

 

Coffee in the Age of Reason  理性时代的咖啡

 

After centuries of drinking alcoholic beverages, coffee became known as the sobering drink. European coffee houses became hotbeds of intellectual exchange, fueling the Age of Reason. Gossip, philosophy, business, and politics were all subjects for coffee house discussions. Standage likens 17^th century coffee houses to today’s Internet. They were hubs of information, both factual and fanciful, and ideal places to create social and business connections.

饮用含酒精饮料几世纪后，人们开始明白咖啡可做为提神饮料，欧洲的咖啡屋成为知识交流的热门场所，理性时代因此蓬勃发展。闲谈、哲学、生意、政治，都是咖啡屋里的讨论主题。斯丹迪奇把十七世纪的咖啡屋比喻为现今的网络，它们是实际及想象的讯息中心，也是建立社交及生意关系的理想场合。

 

Many important advances were founded in coffee house. The idea behind the formalized theory of gravity was born during a coffee house discussion. The London Stock Exchange began as an informal trading business at a coffee house. Even The French Revolution began at a coffee house. At Café de Foy in Paris, a young lawyer jumped on top of a table, waving a pistol and yelling to a crowd of revolutionaries “To arms, citizens! To arms!”

许多重大进步的基础都源自咖啡屋，重力理论的最终概念，是在一次咖啡屋的讨论后成型的；伦敦证券交易所最初是一家咖啡屋里的非正式交易公司；甚至连法国大革命也源自咖啡屋。在巴黎的佛伊咖啡馆，一名年轻律师跳上桌子，手里握着手枪挥动着，对着一群革命份子高喊：「武装起来，同胞们！武装起来！」

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

colonial [kəˋlonjəl] adj. 殖民地的，殖民的

exploration [͵ɛkspləˋreʃən] n. 探索; 探险

rum [rʌm] n. 兰姆酒

liquor [ˋlɪkɚ] n.（尤指白兰地，威士忌等）烈酒

purchase [ˋpɝtʃəs] v. 购买

beverage [ˋbɛvərɪdʒ] v. 饮料

fuel [ˋfjʊəl] v. 激起；刺激

factual [ˋfæktʃʊəl] adj.（根据）事实的；真实的

fanciful [ˋfænsɪfəl] adj. 想象的

gravity [ˋgrævətɪ] n. 重力；引力；地心吸力

informal [ɪnˋfɔrm!] adj. 非正式的，非正规

 

More Information

单词发音

 

erect [ɪˋrɛkt] v. 树立；建立

sugarcane [ˋʃʊgɚ͵ken] n. 甘蔗

molasses [məˋlæsɪz] n. 糖蜜；糖浆

sobering [ˋsobərɪŋ] adj. 使清醒的；使冷静的

hotbed [ˋhɑt͵bɛd] n. 温床

liken [ˋlaɪkən] v. 把……比作 [（+to）]

formalize [ˋfɔrm!͵aɪz] v. 正式化

 

 

 

课文讲解

 

Tea and the British Empire  茶与大英帝国

 

In the late 1600s, the British East India Company established a monopoly on the tea trade. It played a pivotal role in Britain becoming a world power, acting as the government’s extended arm overseas. Tea drinking helped launch the British industrial revolution in the 18^th century as well. It helped keep factory workers alert, focused, and healthy due to its natural antibacterial properties. Rich and poor Brits alike fell madly in love with tea, and “tea-time” became as important as eating and sleeping. Britain’s disputes with the Colonies over tea taxes eventually played a big part in the American Recolution.

1600年代后期，英属东印度公司确立了茶叶交易的独卖地位，它在英国成为世界强权上扮演着重要角色，让英国政府的势力得以向海外扩张。饮茶并在十八世纪期间，促成了英国的工业革命。由于茶具有一些天然的抗菌特质，因此有助于让工厂工人保持警醒、专注及健康。英国人无论贫富，全都疯狂的爱上饮茶，「午茶时间」的重要性不下于吃饭睡觉。但大英帝国与殖民地间因课征茶税所引发的争端，终究成为引爆美国革命的主因。

 

Coca-Cola and the Rise of America  可口可乐与美国的兴起

 

Coco-Cola began as a medicinal drink in 1886, and rose to become the most sought-after and recognized soft drink in the world. The United States also rose to become a world power during this time period. Coco-Cola’s brilliant advertising and public relations made it an international phenomenon. “It’s globalization in a bottle,” says Standage. “It may be the second most widely understood phrase in the world after ‘OK.’” Love it or hate it, Coke is a symbol of America.

可口可乐在1886年问世时为医疗用饮品，但随即窜升为全球最畅销且最家喻户晓的软性饮料，美国也在同一时期成为世界强权。可口可乐出色的广告及公关，让它成为一种国际现象。斯丹迪奇表示：「这是瓶装的全球化，它可能是仅次于OK，最广为人知的世界用语。」不管你喜不喜欢，可口可乐都是美国的象征。

 

Epilogue – Back to the Source  结语－回到源头

 

Oddly enough, bottled water signals a new period of history. Tap water in developed nations is safe to drink, yet, bottled water is favored. Meanwhile, less developed nations suffer from severe shortages of clean water, negatively affecting the health of those populations.

奇怪的是，瓶装水象征历史步入一个新时期。已开发国家的自来水可以安心饮用，但瓶装水仍较受欢迎。然而此时的低度开发国家，却苦于极度缺乏洁净的水，并因此对人民健康构成负面影响。

 

The book concludes with an appendix full of recipes for the ancient beverages. The author warns, however, that some might not taste very good! Cheers!

本书结尾所收的附录，载满远古饮料的配方，然而作者却提醒，有些可能不尽然非常可口！干杯！

 

−by Amy Gittelson

 

Vocabulary

单词发音

 

monopoly [məˋnɑp!ɪ] n. 独占；专卖；垄断

alert [əˋlɝt] adj. 警觉的；留神的

property [ˋprɑpɚtɪ] n. 特性

dispute [dɪˋspjut] n. 争论；争执

medicinal [məˋdɪsn!] adj. 药用的

sought-after [ˋsɔt͵æftɚ] adj. 受欢迎的

brilliant [ˋbrɪljənt] adj. 杰出的，优秀的；出色的

signal [ˋsɪgn!] v. 发信号; 标志

severe [səˋvɪr] adj. 严重的

shortage [ˋʃɔrtɪdʒ] n. 缺少，不足

appendix [əˋpɛndɪks] n. 附录

 

More Information

 

单词发音

 

 

pivotal [ˋpɪvət!] adj. 重要的

antibacterial [͵æntɪbækˋtɪrɪəl] adj. 抗细菌的

Brit【非正式】英国人

recognize [ˋrɛkəg͵naɪz] v. 认出﹐认识; 辨认出

epilogue [`ɛpəˏlɔg] n. 结语,尾声, 收场白

tap water 自来水（非蒸馏水）