23_One_Man's_Meat_is_Another_Man's_Poison
23 One Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison¶
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 be able to look at a snail since then.
Words¶
- illogical /ˌɪˈlɑdʒɪkəl/ 不合逻辑
- octopus /ˈɑktəˌpʊs/ 章鱼
- repulsive /riˈpʌlsɪv/ 令人厌恶的
- stomach /ˈstʌmək/ 胃
- turn /tɝn/ 恶心
- frying /ˈfraɪɪŋ/ 油炸
- abuse /əˈbjus/ 辱骂
- snail /snel/ 蜗牛
- luxury /ˈlʌɡʒɚi/ 奢侈品
- despised /dɪˈspaɪzd/ 鄙视
- appealed /əˈpild/ 吸引
- shower /ˈʃaʊɚ/ 阵雨
- taking /ˈtekɪŋ/ a /ə/ stroll /strol/ 散步
- impulse /ˈɪmpəls/ 冲动
- fancy /ˈfænsi/ 喜欢
Expressions¶
- One man's meat is another man's poison(毒药) 萝卜青菜各有所爱
- it is illogical to do sth. 做某事不合逻辑
- turn sb’s stomach 使某人反胃
- sick to my stomach 胃里难受
- animal fat 动物脂肪
- a received more abuse than 受到的辱骂多于……
- associate a with b 把a和b联系起来
- appeal to sb. 吸引某人
- After a heavy shower... 一场大雨过后……
- be in the shower 淋浴
- take a shower 洗淋浴
- take a stroll... /go for a stroll... 散步
- have the impulse to do sth. 有做某事的冲动
- dozens of sth. sb. 几十个……
- for instance 例如
- at the idea of... 一想到……
- The sad truth is that+句子 可悲的事实是……
- be brought up to do sth 被教导要做某事
- stick to sth. 坚持某事
- notice sb. doing sth. 注意到某人正在做某事
- be delighted to do sth. 很高兴做某事
- stay to dinner = stay for dinner 留下来吃晚饭
- to sb’s dismay 令某人沮丧的是
- take possession of sth. 占有某物