常春藤生活英语【56】Groundhog Day

In the 1700s, a lot of German immigrants moved to the US. According to German folklore¹, certain animals have special powers on certain days. The groundhog is one of those animals. Its special day was previously² on Candlemas, a holiday that was celebrated³ when winter was half over. Later, the groundhog got its own holiday, on which Punxsutawney Phil is now the biggest star.

Groundhog Day is every February 2. On this day, people watch as Phil steps out of his hole after a long winter of sleeping. If he sees his own shadow, he runs back inside, and winter weather will not end soon. On the contrary, it means that six more weeks of cold weather are still ahead. If it is cloudy, Phil won't see his shadow. Therefore, he predicts that spring weather will arrive soon.

Americans aren't the only people who eagerly wait for a groundhog's prediction. In Canada, Wiarton Willie predicts the end of winter weather. While this kind of festival is fun, it's doubtful whether any human or animal can actually understand Mother Nature.

十八世纪时有许多德国人移民到美国。根据德国的民间传说，某些动物在特定日子里拥有特殊的能力。土拨鼠便是那些动物之一　…的特殊之日原先时值 Candlemas，这个节日是在冬天过了一半时庆祝的。尔后，土拨鼠得到了自己专属的节日，现在普苏塔尼?菲尔就是这天最闪亮的巨星（编按：普苏塔尼? 菲尔是一只土拨鼠的名字，他得名于自己所处的小镇，也就是位于美国宾州的普苏塔尼）。

每年的二月二日为土拨鼠节。在这一天，人们会看着菲尔在长长的冬眠后爬出他的洞穴。如果他看到自己的影子，他就会跑回洞里，而冬日气候还不会那么快结束。相反地，这意谓着前头仍然还有六周的严寒气候。如果天气多云，菲尔就不会看到他的影子。因此他便预测大地即将春暖花开。

美国人并不是唯一殷切期盼土拨鼠做出天气预报的民族。在加拿大，威亚顿?威利负责预测冬日气候何时结束。虽然这样的活动很有趣，不过对于任何人或动物真能了解大自然一事，还有待商榷。

1.What is the purpose of Groundhog Day?
(A)To wake the groundhog from its sleep.
(B)To have a little fun before spring comes.
(C)To guess if spring weather will arrive soon.
(D)To worship the groundhog as a star.

1.土拨鼠节的目的为何？
(A)把土拨鼠从睡眠中叫醒。
(B)在春天气候来临前好好享乐一番。
(C)猜测春天是否即将到来。
(D)把土拨鼠当成巨星一样崇拜。

2.How does the writer feel about this kind of predicting method?
(A)It is accurate.
(B)It is not reliable.
(C)The writer is eagerly waiting for it.
(D)The writer doesn't understand it.

2.笔者对这种预测方法做何感想？
(A)这种方法很准确。
(B)这种方法很不可靠。
(C)笔者引颈期盼这种方法。
(D)笔者搞不懂这种方法。

Building Your Vocabulary

1.previously　adv. 以前，先前
The car was previously owned by my uncle.
这台车先前是我叔叔所有。

2.predict　vt. 预测
Carl predicts the red team will win the game.
卡尔预测红队会赢得比赛。

3.doubtful　a. 感到怀疑的，有疑问的
It is doubtful whether she will get this job.
她能不能得到这份工作还不一定。

4.accurate　a. 准确的，精确的
Neal got lost in the mountains because his map wasn't accurate.
因为尼尔的地图不精确，所以他在深山中迷了路。

5.reliable　a. 可靠的，可信赖的
I got this information from a reliable source.
我是从一个可靠来源得到这个消息的。

Phrases for Learning

on the contrary　　相反地
Everyone thinks Terry is lazy, but on the contrary, he is a diligent⁴ worker.
所有人都认为泰瑞很懒惰，不过他其实是名勤奋的员工。

参考字词

1.immigrant　n.（外来的）移民
2.folklore　n. 民间传说
3.groundhog　n. 土拨鼠
4.shadow　n. 影子；阴影
5.prediction　n. 预言，预告
6.Mother Nature　n. 大自然
7.worship　vt. 膜拜；敬奉

Tips In Use

...it's doubtful whether any human or animal can actually understand...
（……不过对于任何人或动物真能了解……还有待商榷。）

doubtful 虽表『感到怀疑的，有疑问的』，但其后接 whether/if 子句或 that 子句时，意思略有不同，使用时必须注意。

1.doubtful + whether/if 子句　　……是未定的
It is doubtful if the patient will recover from her illness.
（患者能否痊愈还不确定。）

2.doubtful + that 子句　　……是不大可能的
It is doubtful that the rescue team will find the missing man in this weather.
（在这样的天候状况下，搜救队伍不大可能找到那名失踪男子。）

1 folklore   

n.民间信仰，民间传说，民俗

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• In Chinese folklore the bat is an emblem of good fortune.在中国的民间传说中蝙蝠是好运的象征。

2 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 diligent   

adj.勤勉的，勤奋的

参考例句：

• He is the more diligent of the two boys.他是这两个男孩中较用功的一个。
• She is diligent and keeps herself busy all the time.她真勤快，一会儿也不闲着。