基础英语轻松学【54】假日——发胖的时节

　　本课您将学到：be faced with（面对），cannot help but句型（不得不，忍不住）及英语惯用语的省略

　　假日总是充满快乐的，和亲人朋友团聚，尽情玩乐，还有丰盛的晚餐。可这样的放纵自己的食欲，后果你想过吗？

　　A study done in the United States confirmed（证实） that people gain weight during the holiday season more than at other times of the year.

　　When faced with a threat（威胁）, our common responses（反映） are to fight, or take flight. However, when we are faced with an overwhelming variety（琳琅满目的）of food, our response seems to be to eat all we can.

　　Experts say that when people are faced with an all-you-can-eat buffet（自助餐）, they eat more because they think they are getting more for their money. They often forget they are paying the same amount whether they eat just what they need, or everything they want.

　　In fact, behavior（行为） like this puts people on the same level（水准） as laboratory（实验室） mice（老鼠）. When mice are faced with many different foods to choose from, they too cannot help but overeat（吃的过饱）.

　 「读书笔记」

　　美国的一项研究（A study done in the United States）证实（confirmed）人们在假日期间增加的体重比在一年中的其他时候多。（that people gain weight during the holiday season more than at other times of the year.）

　　be faced with是面对（难题、阻碍）的意思，当今世界面对的最大威胁是什么呢？当然是战争。

　　Our world today is faced with many major threats. The most dangerous threat of all is war.

　　在我们面对威胁时，（When faced with a threat）一般的反应（our common responses are）是抵抗（to fight）或者逃走。（or take flight）

　　然而，当我们面对琳琅满目的食物时，（when we are faced with an overwhelming variety of food）我们的反映似乎是竭尽所能的吃。（our response seems to be to eat all we can）

　　（看来，诱惑往往比威胁更难以抵抗。）

　　专家们表示人们在吃尽兴吃自助餐时（Experts say that when people are faced with an all-you-can-eat buffet）往往会吃的比较多，（they ear more）因为他们认为这样他们话的钱才划算。（because they think they are getting more for their money）

　　他们常常忘了，（They often forget）不论他们只吃自己所需的分量，（whether they eat just what they need）还是他们想吃什么就吃什么，（or they eat everything they want）付出的钱都一样多。（they are paying the same amount）

　　事实上，像这样的行为（behavior like this）把人（puts people）和试验室用的老鼠放到了同一水准上。（on the same level as laboratory mice）当老鼠面对各种食物可以自主选择时，（When mice are faced with many different foods to choose from）它们也会忍不住吃得过多。（they too cannot help but overeat）

　 「句型留言板」

　　运用今天的句型，你可以表达不得不、不禁、忍不住的意思，这就是

　　cannot help but

　　如果你做某件事有特殊的苦衷，就要用到这句话了

　　I cannot help but do so.

　　我不得不这样做。

　　每次看悲剧影片都要预备一大卷纸巾，因为

　　I always could not （help） but weep at the sad movies.

　　我总是忍不住为悲惨的电影哭泣。

　　你可能发现了，第二个例句里没有出现help，但表达的意思是一样的。类似的表达还有:

　　The heart-broken woman cannot help crying in front of the sympathizers.

　　这个心碎的女人忍不住在同情者面前痛哭。（cannot help + V-ing）

　　The teacher cannot choose but fail the weakest students.

　　老师不得不放弃了最差的学生。（cannot choose but + V）

　 「语法小教室」

　　今天的小教室，我们来讲讲英语中的省略。语言是社会的产物。任何语言都在随着社会的发展而发展。其中一个突出的倾向，就是简化。例如英语有些惯用语中的小小成分就可以省略不用，趋向于较简单的形式。

　　本课的to take flight如果完整写出来应该是to take to flight，这里省略了介词to.类似的例子还有很多：

　　the long and the short ofthe long and short of总而言之（省略定冠词the）

　　in a great measurein great measure在很大程度上（省略不定冠词a）

　　to rack ones brainsto rack ones brain绞尽脑汁（名词复数符号的省略）

　　to save ones faceto save face保存面子（所有格的省略）

　　to adapt oneself toto adapt to适应（反身代词的省略）

　　at long lastat last终于（形容词的省略）

　　to put out to seato put to sea启航（副词的省略）

　　his word is as good as his bondHis word is his bond重视诺言（as及其它词语的省略）

　　今天的内容比较多，我们学习了be faced with（面对），cannot help but句型（不得不，忍不住）及英语惯用语的省略，你记住了多少呢？

　　好了，这次的基础英语就是这样，下次再见！