一雙筷子，承載著中國人數(shù)千年的的情感和記憶，蘊(yùn)藏著深厚的文化積淀?？曜訆A起來的不僅僅是食物，更是家的味道、愛的味道。

The Story of Chopsticks

We've discussed the story of the knife and fork, but there's another set of utensils used by billions of people around the world—and it has a truly ancient past. The Chinese have been wielding chopsticks since at least 1200 B.C., and by A.D. 500 chopsticks had swept the Asian continent from Vietnam to Japan. From their humble beginnings as cooking utensils to paper-wrapped bamboo sets at the sushi counter, there's more to chopsticks than meets the eye.

utensil

/ju?'tens?l/ 表示“器皿，用具（指烹調(diào)用具）”，英文解釋為“a thing such as a knife, spoon etc that you use when you are cooking”，如：

kitchen utensils 廚房用具

回顧下上周末剛出現(xiàn)過的cutlery，表示“餐具”，英文解釋為“Cutlery consists of the knives, forks, and spoons that you eat your food with.”，舉個(gè)??：

There was a serving spoon missing when she put the cutlery back in its box.

當(dāng)她將銀餐具裝回盒子中時(shí)，少了一把分菜用的匙子。

wield

此處表示“拿著 (武器、工具或設(shè)備)”，英文解釋為“If you wield a weapon, tool, or piece of equipment, you carry and use it.”，舉個(gè)??：

He was attacked by a man wielding a knife.

他遭到一名持刀男子的襲擊。

也可以指“擁有/掌握（權(quán)力/影響/權(quán)威等）”，英文解釋為“If someone wields power, they have it and are able to use it.”如：wield power/influence/authority，舉個(gè)??：

He remains chairman, but wields little power at the company.

他還是主席，但在公司內(nèi)沒有什么權(quán)力。

there's more to sb/sth than meets the eye

表示“比表面所看到的更為有趣（聰明等），比開始認(rèn)為的還難以應(yīng)付；比當(dāng)初看上去的更復(fù)雜”，英文解釋為“used to say that someone or something is more interesting, intelligent etc than they seem to be; If there is more to something than meets the eye, it is more difficult to understand or involves more things than you thought at the beginning.”

The fabled ruins of Yin, in Henan province, provided not only the earliest examples of Chinese writing but also the first known chopsticks—bronze sets found in tombs at the site. Capable of reaching deep into boiling pots of water or oil, early chopsticks were used mainly for cooking. It wasn't until A.D. 400 that people began eating with the utensils. This happened when a population boom across China sapped resources and forced cooks to develop cost-saving habits. They began chopping food into smaller pieces that required less cooking fuel—and happened to be perfect for the tweezers-like grip of chopsticks.

fabled

表示“傳說中的; 寓言中的; 充滿傳奇色彩的”，英文解釋為“If you describe a person or thing as fabled, especially someone or something remarkable, you mean that they are well known because they are often talked about or a lot of stories are told about them.”，如：

the fabled city of Troy 傳說中的特洛伊城

boom

在外刊中經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)的一個(gè)詞，可以作動(dòng)詞也可以作名詞，可以表示“（生意/經(jīng)濟(jì)）繁榮，興旺，激增”，英文解釋為“a quick increase of business activity”，如：economic boom經(jīng)濟(jì)繁榮，a sudden boom in the housing market 房產(chǎn)市場的突然興旺；

也可以理解為“流行，風(fēng)靡”，英文解釋為“an increase in how popular or successful something is, or in how often it happens”

補(bǔ)充：baby boom

表示“生育高峰（期），嬰兒潮”：an increase in the number of babies born during a particular period, compared to other times – used especially about people born between 1946 and 1964. 如：

the baby boom generation

生育高峰期出生的那一代人

sap

表示“消耗，削弱（通常指力量/決心/信心等）”，英文解釋為“to make something weaker or destroy it, especially someone’s strength or their determination to do something”，如：sap sb’s strength/courage/energy，舉個(gè)??：

I was afraid the sickness had sapped my strength.

恐怕這場病已經(jīng)消耗了我的力氣。

chop

chop/chop up表示“切，劈，砍”，英文解釋為“to cut something into smaller pieces”，舉個(gè)??：

Chop the butter into small pieces.

把黃油切成小塊。

tweezers

表示“鑷子，小鉗子”，英文解釋為“a small tool that has two narrow pieces of metal joined at one end, used to pull or move very small objects”。

As food became bite-sized, knives became more or lessobsolete. Their decline—and chopsticks' ascent—also came courtesy of Confucius. As a vegetarian, he believed that sharp utensils at the dinner table would remind eaters of the slaughterhouse. He also thought that knives’ sharp points evoked violence and warfare, killing the happy, contented mood that should reign during meals. Thanks in part to his teachings, chopstick use quickly became widespread throughout Asia.

obsolete

作形容詞，表示“廢棄的，淘汰的；過時(shí)的”，英文解釋為“no longer useful, because something newer and better has been invented”，舉個(gè)??：

Will computers render/make books obsolete?

計(jì)算機(jī)會(huì)把書籍淘汰掉嗎？

近義詞：out-of-date/outdated

slaughterhouse

表示“屠宰場”，英文解釋為“a building where animals such as cows or pigs are killed for their meat”；

近義詞：abattoir /??b?twɑ?/ a place where animals are killed for their meat 屠宰場

reign

表示“支配，盛行，主宰”，英文解釋為“if a feeling or quality reigns, it exists strongly for a period of time”，If you say, for example, that silence reigns in a place or confusion reigns in a situation, you mean that the place is silent or the situation is confused. 舉個(gè)??：

Silence reigned while we waited for news.

我們?cè)诘却⒌臅r(shí)候鴉雀無聲。

Last night confusion reigned about how the debate, which continues today, would end.

昨晚，這場在今天繼續(xù)進(jìn)行的辯論將如何結(jié)束的問題令人困惑。

Different cultures adopted different chopstick styles. Perhaps in a nod to Confucius, Chinese chopsticks featured a blunt rather than pointed end. In Japan, chopsticks were 8 inches long for men and 7 inches long for women. In 1878 the Japanese became the first to create the now-ubiquitous disposable set, typically made of bamboo or wood. Wealthy diners could eat with ivory, jade, coral, brass or agate versions, while the most privileged used silver sets. It was believed that the silver would corrode and turn black if it came into contact with poisoned food.

blunt & pointed

blunt表示“鈍的，不鋒利的，不尖的”，英文解釋為“not sharp or pointed”，從英文解釋里也可以看出blunt的反義詞就是sharp或者pointed，pointed作形容詞表示“尖的”，也可以指話語、問題、批評(píng)等“尖銳的，犀利的”，如：a pointed question/look/remark 尖銳的問題/犀利的目光/刻薄的話

corrode

表示“腐蝕”，英文解釋為“If metal or stone corrodes, or is corroded, it is gradually destroyed by a chemical or by rust.”，舉個(gè)??：

He has devised a process for making gold wires which neither corrode nor oxidize.

他發(fā)明了一種制造程序，使金線既不會(huì)腐蝕也不會(huì)氧化。

Throughout history, chopsticks have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with another staple of Asian cuisine: rice. Naturally, eating with chopsticks lends itself to some types of food more than others. At first glance, you'd think that rice wouldn't make the cut, but in Asia most rice is of the short- or medium-grain variety. The starches in these rices create a cooked product that is gummy and clumpy, unlike the fluffy and distinct grains of Western long-grain rice. As chopsticks come together to lift steaming bundles of sticky rice, it's a match made in heaven.

staple

此處為名詞，直接表示“主食；主要產(chǎn)品；主要活動(dòng)；重要部分”，還可以指“訂書釘”；作形容詞時(shí)，則表示“基本的；主要的（食物、產(chǎn)品、活動(dòng)）”，英文解釋為“A staple food, product, or activity is one that is basic and important in people's everyday lives.”，舉個(gè)??：

Rice is the staple food of more than half the world's population.

大米是世界上半數(shù)以上人口的主食。

lend itself to sth

表示“適合于，適用于，有助于”，英文解釋為“If something lends itself to something else, it is suitable for that thing or can be considered in that way.”，舉個(gè)??：

The novel's complex, imaginative style does not lend itself to translation.

小說復(fù)雜而充滿想象力的風(fēng)格無法翻譯出來。

variety

此處表示“（動(dòng)植物的）種類，品種”，英文解釋為“a type of thing, such as a plant or animal, that is different from others in the same group”。

starch

表示“淀粉；含淀粉的食物”，英文解釋為“a substance which provides your body with energy and is found in foods such as grain, rice, and potatoes, or a food that contains this substance”。

a match made in heaven

表示“天作之合”，英文解釋為“A marriage that is likely to be happy and successful because the marital partners are very compatible”，當(dāng)然不一定指婚姻，也可以指某兩事物的完美結(jié)合，A very successful combination of two people or things，舉個(gè)??：

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