EZCNN 易英网

Bagels: Still Making the Rounds 小小贝果：连战皆捷

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Sweet, salty, rich or light – no matter the taste, there’s a bagel to match it. Once relegated to the breakfast table, bagels are now served at any time of the day and in more flavors than you can shake a stick at.

不管甜的、咸的、味道浓或淡，贝果(bagel注)应有尽有。贝果曾经一度只出现在早餐桌上，现在则是随时都可吃到，而且口味多样，丰富到让你很难做选择。

In its basic form, a bagel consists of flour, water, salt and yeast. It’s twisted into a donut shape, and is the only bread product that is boiled in water before it’s baked. This creates its characteristic hard, glazed crust and chewy interior.

贝果的基本原料是面粉、水、盐、和酵母，外型做成甜甜圈的样子，是唯一烘烤前先经煮过的面制品，这种做法造就其坚韧、光泽的外皮，独具特色，而且里面很耐嚼。

The origin of the bagel is something of a mystery, but it probably dates back to 1683. According to legend, a Jewish baker in Vienna, Austria wanted to thank the king of Poland for protecting its countrymen from Turkish invaders. He baked him a special hard roll shapes as a stirrup (“bugel” in German) in celebration of the king’s favorite pastime.

贝果的起源有些神秘，不过大致可追溯至公元1683年。据说是奥地利维也纳的一名犹太面包师傅，为了感谢波兰国王保护他的同胞免受土耳其欺侮，而特意制做一种圆形硬面包，状似马镫（bagel德文为bugel，意为马镫铁），以纪念国王最喜欢的消遣活动。

Two centuries later, courtesy of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, bagels hit American shores. There, the art of making bagels became a closely guarded secret as the Bagel bakers’ Union only admitted sons of its members as apprentices. However, as the bagel’s popularity grew, the secret diminished. Today, bagels can be found anywhere, from supermarkets to coffee shops around the world.

两世纪后，因为东欧的犹太移民之故，贝果登上美洲大陆。贝果的做法成为最高机密，因为贝果面包师父工会只接纳会员的儿子做学徒学艺。不过随着贝果受欢迎的程度，它的神秘感也随之递减。如今世界各地，从超级市场到咖啡店，贝果随处可见。

【注】：bagel贝果面包，圆形中间有孔的发面饼。

Vocabulary

单词发音

make the rounds 串门拜访；四处走动 to be passed from person to person

relegate [ˋrɛlə͵get] v.【正式】将…置于次要地位; 贬低

more than one can shake a stick at 数量多到数不清的 a large quantity, more than one can count

twist [twɪst] v. 捻，搓；捻成，搓成

glazed [glezd] adj. 光滑的，像玻璃的

stirrup [ˋstɝəp] n. 马镫

pastime [ˋpæs͵taɪm] n. 消遣；娱乐

courtesy [ˋkɝtəsɪ] of (用来表示感谢)承蒙…的好意，蒙…提供

apprentice [əˋprɛntɪs] n. 学徒，徒弟

diminish [dəˋmɪnɪʃ] v. 减少，减小

Sentence of the Day

They're the greatest thing since sliced bread.

那真是一项好用的发明。

the greatest thing since sliced bread if someone or something is described as the best thing since sliced bread, people think they are extremely good, often better than they really are

课文讲解

Carla’s boyfriend, Eric, is raiding her kitchen in search of a meal:  卡拉的男友艾力克在她厨房里搜括，想找顿饭吃：

E: Bagels! But I’m ravenous! I’m not a baby whining for a teething ring! Don’t you have something less mundane?

只有贝果！我饿死了，不是小婴儿只想找磨牙饼而已！妳还有其他东西没有，比较实在，可以填肚子的？

C: Bagels are far from ordinary! Once, people even used to sing songs about them!

别小看贝果了，以前还有人曾经唱歌称颂它呢！

E: A bagel kicking up a song and dance – now I’ve heard everything!

为一只贝果大惊小怪称颂连连！这说法可真是新鲜！

C: It’s true. People in Russia thought they brought good luck and possessed magical powers.

是真的，俄罗斯人认为它有魔力，可带来好运。

E: Don’t you think that’s a bit over the top?

妳不觉得这说法有些夸张吗？

C: I don’t know, but I do know what to put on top of a bagel to make it a tantalizing treat.

我不知道，但我晓得贝果上头需要放什么料，会更开味可口。

E: I doubt that! A bagel will always be just a hard piece of bread!

我很怀疑，贝果就是贝果，再怎么样，不过是个硬面包罢了！

C: When we’re finished preparing these strawberries and cream bagels you’re going to eat humble pie! Help me mix a quarter cup of mashed strawberries with half a cup of cottage cheese and a teaspoon of sugar.

待我们料理好涂上草莓酱和奶油的贝果，你就知道你错了！拜托帮我搅拌四分之一杯碎草莓、半杯家乡口味的起司、和一茶匙糖。

E: OK. Let me guess, we now spread this on the four toasted bagel halves and top them with the sliced strawberries.

好，我猜猜看，我们是不是把它涂在四片烤好切半的贝果上，然后再摆上草莓切片？

C: That’s right! Wow, they look good enough to frame! But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so taste one.

没错，哇！看起来真水当当，美得可以裱框了。不过口味如何才是真考验，吃吧。

E: That’s unreal! I had no idea bagels could taste so heavenly.

不可思议，我从不知道贝果这么美味！

－by Wade Barnett

Vocabulary

单词发音

raid [red] v. 【幽默】〔因饥饿而〕扫荡(食物橱/冰箱)

ravenous [ˋrævɪnəs] adj. 饿极了的，狼吞虎咽的

whine [hwaɪn] v. 哀诉；嘀咕着说

teething ring（婴儿长牙时咬的）橡皮环；塑料环

mundane [ˋmʌnden] adj.【正式】世俗的; 尘世间的﹐人世间的

kick up 激起 to stir up

song and dance【口】(常和make连用)小题大作, 大肆宣传 typical answer, old routine, cliché

over the top 【主英】【口】过火; 过头 excessively expressive or dramatic

tantalizing [ˋtænt!͵aɪzɪŋ] adj. 逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的

eat humble pie 赔罪; 赔礼; 道歉 to act very humble when one is shown to be wrong

mashed [mæʃt] adj. 磨碎的

cottage cheese 农家干酪〔一种白色软干酪﹐用酸奶制成〕

frame [frem] v. 给……装框子

the proof of the pudding is in the eating 【谚】布丁好不好, 吃了才知道(评价人或事物只能凭实际体验不能凭表象或理论) the only real test of something is as what it is intended to be used for

unreal [ʌnˋril] adj. 不真实的﹐ 虚幻的

heavenly [ˋhɛvənlɪ] adj. 【口】极好的，美好的

Sentence of the Day

They broke bread.

他们在用餐。

break bread 进餐