书城外语课外英语-自然知识小贴士(双语版)
46291600000010

第10章 创造的灵感(1)

The Necktie ThroughThick and Thin

From hat to shoes,men’s clothes are useful.Only one piece of clothing is worn just for decoration.It is the necktie,or cravat.The necktie is left over from the time when men wore ruffles,ribbons,and tassels.

Beau Brummel was an Englishman of the early 1800’s.He was famous for his fancy clothes.The story is told that he used to invite guests just to watch him knot his white cravat.

Now,perhaps,even the necktie is going out of style.It has been getting smaller and smaller for hundreds of years.It started out as a piece of lace and turned into a silk bow.Then it became a triangle that was tied around the neck.Now many neckties are no wider than a piece of string.

领带的沧桑

人的衣物,从帽子到鞋,都有实用价值。惟有一样完全是为了装饰,那就是领带,或者叫“克拉瓦特”。领带是人们从佩戴饰边、缎带和帽穗的时代遗留下来的。

博·布伦美是19世纪初叶的一位英国人,因穿着的花哨而出名。传说他常邀请客人专程去观看他给自己白色的领带打结。

现在,也许连领带也快不时髦了。几百年来,领带变得越来越小。当初,它只不过是一段带子,后来变成丝制的蝴蝶结,以后又演变为缠在脖子上的三角形饰物。现在许多领带的宽度只不过相当于一根绳子的粗细罢了。

Who First Made Ice Cream

Most Americans think that ice cream is as American as baseball and apple pie.But ice cream was known long before America was discovered.

The Roman emperor Nero may have made a kind of ice cream.He hired hundreds of men to bring snow and ice from the mountains.He used it to make cold drinks.Traveler Marco Polo brought back recipes for chilled and frozen milk from China.

Hundreds of years later,ice cream reached England.It is said that King Charles I enjoyed that treat very much.There is a story that he bribed his cook to keep the recipe for ice cream a royal secret.

Today ice cream is known throughout the world.Americans alone eat more than two billion quarts a year.

谁是冰淇淋的首创者

大多数美国人认为,冰淇淋像棒球和苹果饼一样,是属于美国的。但是,早在人们发现美洲大陆之前,冰淇淋就已经问世了。

古罗马国王尼禄可能配制过一种冰淇淋。他曾雇用几百人从山上搬来雪和冰,用以制作冷饮料。旅行家马可波罗也曾从中国带回了冷冻奶和冰奶的配方。

几百年后,冰淇淋传到了英国。据说国王查理一世十分欣赏这种食品,他曾贿赂御厨,要他把制作冰淇淋的配方作为皇家秘密,守口如瓶。

今天全世界都知道冰淇淋了,仅美国人一年的消耗量就超过20亿夸脱。

The Three Ways of Manto Preserve Meat

Finding enough meat was a problem for primitive man.Keeping it for times when it was scarce was just as hard.Three ways were found to keep meat from spoiling:salting,drying,and freezing.

People near salty waters salted their meat.At first they probably rubbed dry salt on it,but this preserved only the outside.Later they may have pickled their meat by soaking it in salt water.

In hot,dry lands,men found that they could eat meat that had dried while it was still on the bones.They later learned to cut meat into thin strips and hang it up to dry in the hot air.

Men in cold climates found that frozen meat did not spoil.They could leave their meat outside and eat it when they pleased.

人类储存肉的三种方法

对原始人类来说,获得充足的肉是件难事,而把肉类储存到缺肉的时令也同样不容易。人们找到了防止肉类变腐的三种办法:盐腌、风干和冷冻。

靠近咸水地带的居民用盐腌肉。起先,他们可能是把干盐擦在肉上,但这只能使肉的外部不腐。后来,他们也许就改用咸水浸泡的办法来腌肉了。

在炎热、干燥的地方,人们发现他们可以食用已经变干、但仍连在骨骼上的肉。后来,他们学会把肉切成薄条,悬挂起来,让它在炎热的空气中变干。

生活在寒冷气候下的人们则发现冻肉不腐。他们可以把肉置于室外,高兴时随时可吃。

Where Did the New Life Come From