听播客学英语 119 烤饼节

 　　Today is Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the beginning of Lent, which is the period of 40 days leading up to Easter. Traditionally, during Lent, Christians² avoid eating rich foods, for example foods containing lots of eggs or milk. So how do we use up our eggs and milk before Lent begins? We make pancakes, like this.

　　First, mix some flour and a pinch³ of salt in a bowl, and then break two eggs into the flour. Whisk the eggs and flour together. While you are still whisking, add a little bit of milk, and then a bit more, until the batter⁴ is like thick cream. Then, heat a frying pan¹ until it is really hot, and pour a small amount of the batter into the pan. Tip the pan from side to side to spread the batter thinly all over the pan, and cook the batter for about half a minute.

　　Then – and this is the really good bit – you turn the pancake over, so that it can cook on the other side. How? You flick⁵ the pan, tossing⁷ the pancake into the air, and catch the pancake in the pan again. Or maybe you don’t catch the pancake. Maybe it lands on the floor, or sticks to the ceiling. Your children will think it is very funny, even if you don’t.

　　Assuming⁸ that you catch the pancake, and that it doesn’t go on the floor, you then cook it for a few more seconds and serve it with lemon and sugar.

　　In many places there are pancake races on Pancake Day. The runners have to toss⁶ a pancake in a frying pan while they are running. One of the most famous pancake races is in London, with teams from The House of Commons, the House of Lords⁹ and the press. I read in today’s paper, however, that one traditional pancake race, in Ripon in Yorkshire, has been cancelled for health and safety reasons. Health and safety reasons? What can be dangerous about a pancake race?

　　The other traditional Shrove Tuesday sport is much more dangerous – football. Shrove Tuesday football is not like the modern game with 11 players on each team, and a referee¹⁰. No, it is a very ancient game and the rules are …let me see….oh, there aren’t any rules. In the town of Atherstone, not far from Birmingham, for example, the Shrove Tuesday ball game is played like this. At 3pm, someone will open an upstairs window in Barclay’s Bank in Atherstone High Street. He or she will throw a ball into the street below. The crowds in the street will then kick the ball, throw the ball, run away with the ball, fight each other for the ball, hide the ball, do almost anything with the ball. (But they are not allowed to take the ball out of Atherstone – that is about the only rule in the game.) At 5pm a klaxon sounds. Whoever has the ball when the klaxon sounds is the winner. It sounds more like total war than a game of football, but everyone seems to enjoy themselves.

　　Have a good Pancake Day!

1 pan   

n.平底锅；v.严厉批评

参考例句：

• The water had all boiled away and the pan was burned.水煮干了，锅也烧坏了。
• The eggs were frying in the pan.鸡蛋正在锅里煎。

2 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

3 pinch   

n.捏，撮，困苦，偷窃；vt.掐，使...困苦，偷窃

参考例句：

• She would pinch on food in order to spend on clothing.她过去常把伙食费省下来买衣服。
• He put a pinch of salt on his food.他在自己的食物上撒了一撮盐。

4 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

5 flick   

n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动

参考例句：

• He gave a flick of the whip.他轻抽一下鞭子。
• By a flick of his whip,he drove the fly from the horse's head.他用鞭子轻抽了一下，将马头上的苍蝇驱走。

6 toss   

n./v.突然抬起，摇摆，扔

参考例句：

• Let's toss to see who pays it.让我们来掷钱币决定谁付账吧。
• The matter made him toss in the bed.那件事使他在床上翻来覆去。

7 tossing   

v.（轻轻或漫不经心地）扔( toss的现在分词 )；（使）摇荡；摇匀；（为…）掷硬币决定

参考例句：

• Poor Joan has been tossing around all night with that fever. 可怜的琼因发烧而一整夜辗转不能入睡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The two boys agreed to decide the matter by tossing a coin. 这两个孩子同意用掷硬币的方法来决定这件事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 assuming   

如果

参考例句：

• You were mistaken in assuming it. 你这样臆断是错了。
• The country's industry is assuming a new aspect. 该国的工业正在呈现新的面貌。

9 lords   

n.主( lord的名词复数 )；领主；上帝；（英国用以称呼法官、主教或某些男性贵族成员，表示尊敬）大人

参考例句：

• The powerful lords were guilty of grinding the villagers under their heels. 那些大领主的罪过是以权势欺压村民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The President elevated him to the House of Lords. 总统提拔他为上院议员。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 referee   

n.裁判员．仲裁人，代表人，鉴定人

参考例句：

• The team was left raging at the referee's decision.队员们对裁判员的裁决感到非常气愤。
• The referee blew a whistle at the end of the game.裁判在比赛结束时吹响了哨子。