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url: >-
  https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/23-one-man-s-meat-is-another-man-s-poison.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：One Man's Meat is Another Man's Poison。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 23 · 各有所爱

### 第1段

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 been able to look at a snail since then.

中文理解：人们在判断什么能吃、什么不能吃时，往往很不讲道理。比如，如果你生活在地中海地区，就会把章鱼当作美味，也很难理解为什么有人一看见它就反胃。反过来，你可能一想到用动物油脂炸土豆就觉得恶心，可这在许多北方国家却是再平常不过的做法。遗憾的是，我们大多数人从小就习惯了某些食物，此后一辈子也不肯改变。
普通的花园蜗牛，恐怕是最能让人褒贬两极的动物了。在世界许多地方，葡萄酒煮蜗牛是昂贵的佳肴。无数人从小就知道，蜗牛是可以吃的。我的朋友罗伯特，却住在一个人们厌恶蜗牛的国家。他的公寓位于一座大城市，没有自己的花园，多年来一直央求我从花园里收集些蜗牛带给他。我对这个主意一直没多大兴趣。可有一天，大雨刚过，我恰好在花园散步，发现一大群蜗牛正悠闲地爬在我几株珍爱的植物上。我一时兴起，捉了几十只，装进纸袋，带去给罗伯特。他见我来很高兴，对这份小礼物也同样满意。我把纸袋留在门厅，和他进了客厅，一聊就是好几个小时。蜗牛早已被我忘得一干二净，这时罗伯特突然坚持要留我吃晚饭，主菜当然就是蜗牛。我实在不想吃，只好勉强跟着他走出客厅。眼前的景象让我们大惊失色：到处都是蜗牛！它们已经从纸袋里逃了出来，彻底占领了整个门厅。从那以后，我再也没法面对蜗牛了。

* **a great delicacy**：一道难得的美味；consider A a delicacy，评价取决于文化和个人口味。

* **On the other hand**：另一方面；补充另一面，不表示直接否定前面的全部信息。

* **your stomach would turn**：胃里会翻腾；感到恶心；one's stomach turns at… 常表达厌恶，不是肚子真的转动。

* **have been brought up**：从小受到某种教育；be brought up to do 说成长塑造，不是正在把某物带上楼。

* **stick to**：坚持；不改变；to 为介词；可指守计划，也可指不愿变通。

* **ever since**：从那时起一直；把过去的起点与后续持续的情况连起来，后面必须说清起点。

* **associate snails with food**：把蜗牛与食物联系起来；associate A with B，替换对象但保留 with。

* **of his own**：属于他自己的；加强独有或自主拥有的意味，放在名词后。

* **appealed to**：对……有吸引力；兴趣义不同于呼吁或上诉。

* **taking a stroll**：悠闲地散步；take a stroll 的语气比 walk 更悠闲；课文用于蜗牛，有拟人效果。

* **Acting on a sudden impulse**：一时冲动采取行动；on 引出行动依据，不表示事先计划。

* **for a couple of hours**：大约两小时；couple 通常指两个，日常表达也可略带大概意味。

* **did not fancy the idea**：不喜欢这个主意；fancy the idea of doing，注意否定和态度，而非想象某个主意。

* **To our dismay**：令我们沮丧的是；to one's + 情绪名词，先提示发现带来的情感。

#### 原文注释 · People become quite illogical when they try to decide what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten.

注释：①illogical = unreasonable。②instance = example。③repulsive = disgusting。 ④stick = stay (with), remain (with)。

#### 原文注释 · No creature has received more praise and abuse than the common garden snail.

注释：①various = different。②associate = connect。③appealed to = attracted。 ④taking a stroll = having a walk。⑤that 引导的宾语从句说明“我们看到”的内容。冒号后的 they had escaped… 是进一步解释蜗牛为何到处都是的分句，they 是主语，不是引导从句的连接词；saw 是实义动词，that 从句不是表语从句。

#### Summary 摘要

The writer collected several dozen snails, put them in a paper bag and took them to Robert who was delighted to see him, and pleased with the snails. The writer left the bag in the hall and he and Robert went into the living room and talked for a couple of hours. He had forgotten the snails until Robert invited him to dinner, and he followed Robert into the hall to find snails everywhere. They had escaped from the bag. (80 words)

#### Composition 作文 Snails, Snails, Snails! 大蜗牛！

\[1]The snails had escaped from the paper bag and they were everywhere—on the walls, on the ceiling, on the carpet, and even on the large hall mirror. When we began to look carefully, we found that they were even in coat pockets in the clothes hanging on the clothes hooks in the hall. It was disgusting! Snails move slowly, but it's amazing how far they can travel in a couple of hours!

\[2]It took Robert and me ages to collect them. He fetched a pair of steps for me and ladders for himself, and we collected them in two buckets. There were snail marks everywhere, too, and it took hours to clear up the mess—remember, there were several dozen of them. Snails may not be fast, but we had been talking for a couple of hours, and they can travel. Even now I am sure we didn't find them all: some are still crawling round Robert's house.

\[3]The ones that we did not find were lucky! Robert was amused, but I wasn't. He decided to cook the snails and invited me to stay. I said before that I didn't fancy the idea, so I left him to his meal for one. I just couldn't look at the snails and have never been able to face them since then. (220 words)

## 学完这一课

换一个地区或成长背景，设想食物习惯可能怎样改变。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文依据整理稿，由本站按中文表达重新校订；解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第79—81页，2022年2月第3版。*