【英语早间课堂】话说地道美语 Lesson 20(2)

【课堂热身】

首先，let's warm up。我们先来做个热身，进入今天的Review（复习）环节。在第20课第一讲中，对于下面的这类人——a person who likes to spend a lot of time, sitting or lying down and doing nothing else while watching television，我们称之为a couch¹ potato。它可不是指上发上的土豆，而是指把大量时间花在坐着或躺着看电视而不做其它事情的极为懒惰的人。简而言之，就是“电视迷”。

【今日主题】

那么为何在美国会有couch potato（沙发土豆；沙发马铃薯）这种说法呢？I am told the American couch potato has been a part of American tradition。我听说Couch potato已经成为美国文化的一部分了。那么今天我们就来透视一下关于“沙发土豆”“沙发马铃薯”的美国文化。这就是我们今天的“早餐”。

【文化透视】

Robert Armstrong, an artist from California, developed the term couch potato in nineteen seventy-six. He drew a caricature in which there is a potato lying down on a couch to concentrate it's attention on watching television. Several year later, he listed the term as a trademark² with the United States goverment. Mr. Armstrong also wrote a funny book about life as a full-time³ television watcher. It's called the "Official Couch Potato Handbook⁴". So, a couch potato has widely been used by people.

 

转自可可英语

1 couch   

n.睡椅，长沙发椅；vt.表达，隐含

参考例句：

• Lie down on the couch if you're feeling ill.如果你感觉不舒服就躺到沙发上去。
• The rabbIt'sprang from its grassy couch.兔子从草丛中跳出。

2 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

3 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

4 handbook   

n.手册，便览，指南

参考例句：

• Her mother bought a handbook of English grammar for her last Sunday.上星期天她母亲给她买了一本英语语法手册。
• None of them has got a handbook to tourists.他们谁也没搞到旅游指南。