2013年1月2日 星期三

It's All in the Name 一『名』多用‏


 



  Many everyday items and activities have gotten new names. This is not an official decision by any means. It just happens over time as the inventors' names become interchangeable with their products. These names are also almost always used as nouns. An example of how a name became equal to a noun is the Heimlich maneuver1. Today, we know this as a way to save someone from choking to death. Henry Heimlich, the doctor who invented this life-saving procedure, is now much more well-known because his name is a noun.
許多日常生活中的物品和活動都有了新的名字。這絕對不是任何來自政府的官方決定所致。這單純是由於發明者的名字會隨著時間演進而慢慢變得跟他們所發明的產品通用。這些名字也幾乎總是被當成名詞來使用。當中一個姓名變得可以與名詞劃上等號的例子就是哈姆立克急救法。如今,我們知道這是一種能夠避免人們噎死的施救術。亨利‧哈姆立克醫生發明了這套救命程序,正由於他的名字成了一個名詞,而使他現在變得更加出名。
  Another famous noun in history came from Alfred Bernhard Nobel. He was the Swedish chemist2 that invented dynamite3. He made a great deal of money with his invention, but he left it all for the creation of the Nobel Prize. This award is given to recognize cultural and scientific advances. Today, winning the Nobel Prize is a huge honor.
歷史上另一個著名的名詞來自於阿爾弗雷德‧伯恩哈德‧諾貝爾。他是一位發明了代拿邁炸藥的瑞典化學家。他靠著自己的發明賺進了巨額財富,不過他卻將所有錢都拿來用於創設諾貝爾獎上。這個獎項頒發的目的是要表揚文化及科學上的各項進步。在今日,贏得諾貝爾獎可是莫大的光榮。
  The next name to become a noun can be seen on many city streets. Enzo Ferrari's cars started bearing his name after World War II. Today, there are few people in the world that would turn down the opportunity to drive a Ferrari.
下一個成為名詞的姓名在許多城市的街道上都可以看到。恩佐‧法拉利的汽車是於第二次世界大戰後開始冠上他的姓名的。時至今日,世上沒有幾個人能拒絕得了駕駛一台法拉利跑車的機會。
  Additionally, we can thank the Jacuzzi brothers for the whirlpool4 bath. The world would be a lot hairier without King Camp Gillette's safety razor5. Let's not forget the famous graham cracker6. Crunchy7 and delicious, this sweet cracker was invented by Reverend8 Sylvester Graham, who promoted it as a health food.
除此之外,我們還可以感謝Jacuzzi兄弟,因為他們發明了這種漩渦式噴水的按摩浴缸。而要是沒有King Camp Gillette這個人的安全刮鬍刀,這世界就會變得更加毛髮叢生(編按:Gillette就是著名的『吉列』)。我們可別忘了十分有名的graham餅乾(編按:此為在美國地區極為常見的一種全麥餅乾)。這種香脆可口、滋味甜美的餅乾是由Sylvester Graham牧師所發明的,而且他還把它當成是一種健康食品來推銷呢。
Building Your Vocabulary 
1. interchangeable a. 可以互換的
These two words are often interchangeable because they have similar meanings.
這兩個字的意思十分近似,因此時常可以交替使用。
2. choke vi. 噎住,哽住;呼吸困難
I choked on my food because I was eating too fast.
我因為吃太快而被食物噎住了。
3. procedure n.(處理事情的)程序
The procedure for applying for a loan is complicated because it involves many steps.
申請銀行貸款的程序頗為複雜,因為當中包含了許多步驟。
4. recognize vt. 表彰,表揚
The mayor publicly recognized the outstanding service of the fire department in his speech.
市長在演講中公開表揚消防局的傑出服務。
5. advance n. 進步,進展
Advances in technology have benefited our lives.
科技上的種種進步對我們的生活很有幫助。
6. bear vt. 具有,擁有(名字或頭銜,三態為:bear, bore [ bOr ], borne [ bOrn ]。)
The name tag on Dora's uniform also bears her title of night manager.
朵拉制服上的名牌也印著她夜班經理的職稱。
Phrases for Learning 
1. not by any means/by no means  一點都不
Joe is by no means a serious person. He jokes with his co-workers all the time.
阿喬絕對不是個嚴肅的人。他常常會跟他的同事開玩笑。
2. turn down.../turn...down  拒絕……
Ann invited me to dinner, but I had to turn her down because I was too busy.
小安邀請我去吃晚餐,不過因為我太忙,所以只好回絕她。
Extra Words 
1. maneuver n.(需要技巧或謹慎操作的)動作
2. chemist n. 化學家
3. dynamite n. 代拿邁炸藥(炸藥的一種)
4. whirlpool n. 漩渦(本文中作形容詞用)
5. razor n. 刮鬍刀,剃刀
6. cracker n. 薄脆的餅乾(例如蘇打餅乾)
7. crunchy a.(口感)脆的,(咬起來)嘎吱作響的
8. Reverend n. 牧師(尊稱,僅用於頭銜中)
Tips In Use 
He made a great deal of money with his invention...
(他靠著自己的發明賺進了巨額財富……)
a great deal of + 不可數名詞  大量的……
注意:
"a great deal"在本句中與 of 並用,其後接不可數名詞,表『大量的……』。此外,"a great deal"本身亦可作代名詞,代替不可數名詞;或是作副詞修飾動詞,置於該動詞後,即等於"very much",或修飾比較級形容詞或副詞,此時則置於被修飾的詞類之前。
 My dad has a great deal of faith in me.
(我爸對我很有信心。)
 Al lost a great deal with that investment.
(艾爾在那項投資上賠了許多錢。)
 The new machine lightens our workload a great deal.
(這台新機器大大減輕了我們的工作量。)
 The team still needs a great deal more money to finish the project.
(那個團隊還需要更多資金才能完成企劃。)

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