读者文摘:九个生活小妙招(1)

1 Make Fish Treats for Your Cat. Empty a box of frozen fish sticks onto a cutting board.

为你的猫做鱼食。把一盒冷冻鱼条倒在砧板上.

Sprinkle with half a teaspoon¹ of crushed bonito flakes², whose natural oils help keep cats' coats shiny, and cut the sticks into one-inch squares.

撒上半茶匙压碎的鲣鱼片，它的天然油脂能使猫的皮毛保持光泽，并把冷冻鱼条切成一立方英寸的小块。

Store in the freezer in a sealed plastic bag.

放在一个密封的塑料袋里，储存在冰箱中。

When your feline³ friend needs a treat, remove a square and cook in the microwave according to the directions, cool, and serve at room temperature.

当你的猫咪需要饱餐的时候，拿出一小块，根据指示在微波炉中加热，降降温，在室温下食用。

2 Fix a Stretched-Out Spot on Your Sweater. Soak the sweater in very cold water with a delicate detergent⁴.

搞定你毛衣上被撑开的地方。用柔和的洗涤剂将毛衣浸泡在冷水中。

This makes the fabric⁵ easier to manipulate, says Miriam Mades, owner of AlterKnit New York, a clothing-repair service in New York City that specializes in knits and wovens.

纽约市服装修整服务公司纽约阿尔特公司的老板米丽娅姆·玛德斯表示，这会使面料更容易修整。该公司专门生产针织品和机织织物。

After ten minutes, rinse⁶ the sweater until the water runs clear, then gently squeeze out excess moisture using your hands (never wring⁷ out wool or similar fabrics).

10分钟后，将毛衣冲洗干净，直到水变清，然后用手轻轻地挤出多余的水分(不要拧出毛线或类似的织物)。

Lay it flat and reshape the puckered⁸ areas by pulling very lightly around it, and let the sweater air-dry.

将毛衣放平，轻轻拉一拉，将褶皱处重新塑形，然后让毛衣自然晾干。

3 Take Your Tree Home on Back Woods.

走小路把你的树带回家。

Driving with a Christmas tree on the roof of your car results in a 30 percent degradation⁹ of highway fuel economy, according to the experts at GMC.

通用汽车公司的专家表示，在车顶放一棵圣诞树的情况下，高速公路的燃油经济性会降低30%。

It helps to tie your tree down as tightly as possible and travel on back roads—

走小路，尽可能把你的树绑紧，这是有帮助的，

the drag doesn't affect gas mileage¹⁰ as much when you're moving at lower speeds. (Plus the ride is prettier!)

在你以低速行驶时，它对每加仑汽油里程影响没那么大。（而且开起来也更舒服！）

4 Earn Miles. The list of companies that give you airline miles when you spend money keeps expanding.

挣里程。随着你花费增多，有些公司会赠你航空里程。

For instance, using a dog-walking company called Rover will get you American Airlines miles.

比如，在一家名为Rover的遛狗公司消费可以让你获得美国航空公司的里程。

Several airlines have partnered with utility companies as well.

有几家航空公司也和一些公共事业公司有合作。

You might even earn points when you pay your mortgage.

在付抵押贷款的时候也可能赚取积分。

In short, it may pay to read the fine print.

简言之，读那些附属细则是值得的。

1 teaspoon   

n.茶匙

参考例句：

• Add one teaspoon of sugar.加一小茶匙糖。
• I need a teaspoon to stir my tea.我需要一把茶匙搅一搅茶。

2 flakes   

小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人

参考例句：

• It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
• It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

3 feline   

adj.猫科的

参考例句：

• As a result,humans have learned to respect feline independence.结果是人们已经学会尊重猫的独立性。
• The awakening was almost feline in its stealthiness.这种醒觉，简直和猫的脚步一样地轻悄。

4 detergent   

n.洗涤剂；adj.有洗净力的

参考例句：

• He recommended a new detergent to me.他向我推荐一种新的洗涤剂。
• This detergent can remove stubborn stains.这种去污剂能去除难洗的污渍。

5 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

6 rinse   

v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗

参考例句：

• Give the cup a rinse.冲洗一下杯子。
• Don't just rinse the bottles. Wash them out carefully.别只涮涮瓶子，要仔细地洗洗里面。

7 wring   

n.扭绞；v.拧，绞出，扭

参考例句：

• My socks were so wet that I had to wring them.我的袜子很湿，我不得不拧干它们。
• I'll wring your neck if you don't behave!你要是不规矩，我就拧断你的脖子。

8 puckered   

v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His face puckered , and he was ready to cry. 他的脸一皱，像要哭了。
• His face puckered, the tears leapt from his eyes. 他皱着脸，眼泪夺眶而出。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

10 mileage   

n.里程，英里数；好处，利润

参考例句：

• He doesn't think there's any mileage in that type of advertising.他认为做那种广告毫无效益。
• What mileage has your car done?你的汽车跑了多少英里？