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Eat Your Grain, Old Man! 吃全麦，好自在

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Diane and her dad, Pete, are at a bakery, choosing some bread for lunch:  黛安和她的父亲彼特在面包店选午餐吃的面包。

P: Ah! That’s what I want – nice, crusty white loaf.

啊！这就是我要的？一条美味的硬皮面包。

D: But Dad, a man of your age should be eating healthier bread.

但是爹地，像你这种年纪的人应该吃更健康的面包。

P: Hey, I’m not that old! Anyway, I don’t believe all that stuff-and-nonsense about white bread versus brown, brown rice versus white, and what have you.

嘿，我才没那么老！不管怎样，我才不相信那些白面包跟黑面包相比，糙米跟白米相比之类的事。

D: Dad, I’m not a med student for nothing! There was a Harvard report published in a nutrition journal all about this. I think you should hear me out.

爹地，我医学院学生可不是白当的！有一篇发表在营养学期刊上的哈佛大学报告都在谈论这件事。我认为你应该听完我要说什么。

P: OK, OK. But no lectures. I know I’m overweigh with high blood pressure, and I don’t see how eating whole-grain bread is gonna make much difference.

好，好。但是不要长篇大论。我知道我过胖又有高血压，但我不认为吃全谷物的面包会有什么改善。

D: Well, it does. Research has shown that a diet high in whole grain helps in staving off diabetes in older men, even obese ones.

嗯，有差别的。研究已显示全谷物含量高的食物能帮助老人预防糖尿病，甚至对肥胖的老人也有用。

P: Hey, lay off on the “obese” bit; I’m cuddly, OK. So, white bread increases the risk – is that what you’re saying?

嘿，不要说我肥；我胖得很可爱，好吗。你是说白面包提高患病的风险，是这样吗？

D: Actually, no. Eating white bread and rice doesn’t increase the natural chance of developing diabetes per se, but eating whole grains instead will reduce it.

事实上，不对。吃白面包和白米本身不会增加罹患糖尿病的自然机率，但是吃全谷物面包相对地可以减少这种可能性。

P: So I’m right! This white bread won’t do me any harm!

所以我是对的！这种白面包不会对我有什么坏处！

D: Yes, but it won’t do you any good, either.

没错，但也不会对你有什么好处。

Vocabulary

单词发音

bakery [ˋbekərɪ] n. 面包[糕饼]烘房; 面包[糕饼]店

crusty [ˋkrʌstɪ] adj.〔面包〕脆皮的

stuff-and-nonsense【旧】【口】(用以驳斥对方的观点)胡说八道

med medicine 医学

hear out 听完 to listen in regard to every detail and give a proper or full hearing to

lecture [ˋlɛktʃɚ] n. 冗长的训话，告诫，责备

stave [stev] off 击退; 赶走 to delay or postpone something unwanted

diabetes [͵daɪəˋbitiz] n. 糖尿病

obese [oˋbis] adj. 肥胖的; 臃肿的

lay off 【非正式】停止﹐ 中止 to leave someone or something alone

cuddly [ˋkʌdlɪ] adj. 逗人喜爱的; 可爱的

per se【拉】就其本身而言（= in or by itself）

Sentence of the Day

They chewed the fat.

他们闲聊。

chew the fat  闲聊; 【口】谈论某事物; 发牢骚; 唠叨; 拌嘴

课文朗读

课文讲解

Pete wants Diane to enlighten him further:  彼特要黛安再指点他多一点。

P: Funny, isn’t it – by definition, you’d think that, if something were “refined”, it would be better for you. Why isn’t it, exactly?

真有趣，不是吗？依照定义，妳当然会这样想：如果某些东西是「精致的」，它会对妳比较好。到底为什么不是这样呢？

D: The scientists aren’t sure, just yet; they think it may be because the wheat germ and bran in unrefined grain help slow the release of sugar into the blood by causing the stomach to process food more slowly.

科学家至今还没确定：他们认为可能是因为在未加工谷物中的麦物中的麦菌和糠皮会减缓胃处理食物的速度，使得糖份进入血液中的速度变慢。

P: What good does that do? Is diabetes linked to there being too much sugar in the bloodstream?

这样有什么好处？是不是糖尿病与血液中过多的糖份有关？

D: Yes, type-two diabetes is. There’s also more magnesium in unprocessed grains; it’s supposed to improve sugar metabolism.

是的，糖尿病二型就是这样。在未加工过的谷物中也含有较多的镁，应该可以改善糖份的新陈代谢。

P: Well, it’s over my head, all this metalicism and manganism.

嗯，什么「霉」和「新陈代写」的，这超过我的理解范围了。

D: Metabolism and magnesium.

是新陈代谢和镁啦。

P: Whatever. So, will eating whole wheat bread prevent me getting diabetes, or won’t it?

随便啦。所以吃全谷物面包可以预防我得糖尿病？不是吗？

D: No one can make that kind of guarantee, but it can certainly reduce the risk – by as much as forty-two percent, they say.

没人可以保证那种事，但是他们说这样做一定可以降低风险──降低百分之四十二那么多。

P: All right, then, get me the loaf that looks like rabbit food; I’ll see if I can get used to it.

好吧，给我那条看起来像兔子食物的面包，看看我习不习惯。

D: Great! Now, it’s go next door, quickly; I’m going to get that woolen sweater I showed you.

太好了！我们赶快去隔壁吧。我要去买那件刚给你看过的羊毛衣。

P: The white one? After all, you just said about white not being good for you?

那件白色的？妳刚刚还跟我说白色的对妳没好处？

－by Sean McCormack

Vocabulary

单词发音

enlighten [ɪnˋlaɪtn] v.【正式】指导﹐教导; 启迪

definition [͵dɛfəˋnɪʃən] n. 定义﹐释义

refined [rɪˋfaɪnd] adj. 精炼的，精致的

germ [dʒɝm] n. 微生物；细菌；病菌

bran [bræn] n. 麦麸; 糠; 谷皮

grain [gren] n. 谷物，谷类

magnesium [mægˋniʃɪəm] n. 镁

metabolism [mɛˋtæb!͵ɪzəm] n. 新陈代谢

over one’s head 难以理解 beyond one's depth

guarantee [͵gærənˋti] v. 保证；担保

Sentence of the Day

He ate humble pie.

他低声下气赔不是。

eat humble pie  赔罪; 赔礼; 道歉