世界节假日博览 第20期:薄饼节

 　　Pancake Day is a favorite of children in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. It is on thisday they get to eat as many pancakes as they want – all smothered¹ with syrup², or lemon and sugar, or strawberry sauce. It is also called Shrove Tuesday. This is a religious holiday on the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. During the 40 days of Lent, people used to fast and eat only the simplest of food. Things like eggs, milk and sugar had to be thrown away. Instead of wasting food, people traditionally used these ingredients to make pancakes. It became a mini celebration and people topped their pancakes with delicious things they could not eat for another 40 days. Few people nowadays fast for 40 days.

　　薄饼节深受英国、爱尔兰、澳大利亚、新西兰以及加拿大儿童的欢迎。这天，他们想吃多少薄饼就能吃多少薄饼，所有的薄饼上面都抹上了糖浆、柠檬、糖或是草莓酱。这天也被叫作忏悔星期二。这也是复活节前第七个星期三之前（大斋节的开始）要庆祝的宗教节日。在大斋日的40天中，人们将会受斋，只能食用简单的食物。像鸡蛋、牛奶和糖等食物都要丢掉。从传统来讲，人们会用这些食物来制作薄饼，这样以免浪费。这一天成为了小型庆祝活动，人们将会在薄饼上抹上一些他们在40天中无法食用的食物。如今，很少有人会受斋40天。

　　pancacke day.jpg

　　Shrove Tuesday and Pancake Day are not so well known in the United States. Americans are more familiar with Mardi Gras, which is also on the day before Ash Wednesday and is a very similar celebration. Different countries hold different events for Pancake Day. In England, some towns have pancake races. People must runa race with a frying pan and toss the pancakes as they run. The winner is the first person to cross the finishing line with a pancake that is still intact. Children like to have a go at tossing the hot pancakes out of the frying pan in their kitchens. In Newfoundland, Canada, the cook puts a ring or a coin in the pancakes. The person who finds the coin will be rich and the person who finds the ring will be the next to get married.

　　忏悔星期二和薄饼节在美国并不是很流行。美国人对狂欢节更加熟悉，这天是复活节前第七个星期三的前一天，庆祝活动与薄饼节相似。不同国家对举办薄饼节的活动也有所不同。在英格兰，许多城镇会举行薄饼大赛。参赛选手必须一边跑一边用煎锅翻滚薄饼。获胜者必须拿着完好无损的薄饼冲过终点线。孩子们喜欢在厨房里拿着煎锅翻滚薄饼。在纽芬兰和加拿大，厨师会在薄饼中放一枚戒指或是硬币。发现硬币的人会变得富有，发现戒指的人将会成为下一个结婚的人。

　　1.frying pan 煎锅

　　例句：But watching her frazzle like a drop of water placed on a hot frying pan actually helped.

　　这位女士就象掉进热煎锅里的一颗水珠一样让我们这些旁观者气馁。

　　2.be smothered with 覆盖

　　例句：Tomato Sauce. Men who eat a lot of tomatoes, tomato sauce, or pizza smothered with the stuff may be givingthemselves a hedge against prostate cancer.

　　男士多吃番茄、番茄酱或抹有番茄酱的批萨能防止得前列腺癌。

　　3.finishing line 终点线

　　例句：He redoubled his speed when he saw the finishing line ahead.

　　当他看到前面的终点线时，他大大地加快了速度。

　　4.throw away 扔掉

　　例句：I should throw away my pen and move into the slums, where I could relieve poverty better and more efficiently³ than with a poisonous book.

　　我应该扔掉我的钢笔，搬到贫民窟去，我才能更好地缓解贫穷的疼痛，这比对着一本讨厌的书更有效果。

1 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

2 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

3 efficiently   

adv.高效率地，有能力地

参考例句：

• The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
• Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。