英语博客-北美风情 190、The proof is in the pudding

  Has your English improved lately? The proof is in the pudding! In this episode¹, we’re talking about having (or not having) evidence to believe something is true. We look at expressions that can be used to talk about having proof to judge all kinds of things. Is Maura really an alien? You’ll have to see it to believe it. Listen and learn from this episode.

　　Maura: Now, this expression means that too fully² test something, to see if it’s good or not, you have to experience it yourself. And it can’t be judged when it’s in the process of being completed; you have to wait till something is finished and you can judge whether it’s good or not in the end only.

　　Harp³: Yes. And if you think about it, the proof is in the pudding, pudding is a dessert. It’s a creamy substance, and when you make it, it’s liquid, so you have to wait for it to set, so you have to wait until the ending before you know if it’s good or not.

　　Maura: Right. You can’t just make pudding and then one minute later, start eating it, because it’s not ready. You have to make the pudding, let it set, and then the real way to tell if it’s good or not is not by looking at it, it’s by eating it.

　　Harp: Yeah. So the proof is in the pudding means that you have to wait for the end result before you can judge something.

1 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。