【英语趣味课堂】以土地为生-Living off the Land

Todd: So you said that you were just eating the local plants. You would actually forage¹ or you would look for food. How did you stomach feel? Like you know, you went from eating processed food or Westernized food to eating just stuff² straight from the ground. Like were you hungry all the time?

 

Steven: Actually, I wasn't hungry at all because whenever I saw some leaves that I could eat, I would just eat them. And of course with the time that we were hiking³ and going and looking for food, we were eating the food, while other people were trying to find food, they were also eating with the constant⁴ time of walking, at the same time eating, the hunger just disappears. And of course it was healthier for us. Most of our friends were actually losing their fat. They were actually becoming healthier. Their cheeks just turned from pale to colorful pink, and every body decided⁵ to actually go back their with their whole family.

 

Todd: That sounds really amazing. So how do people know about this? Is this something new that people just learn about, or is this like an old, ancient tradition that's been passed on from maybe the native population for years and years?

 

Steven: Actually, this place was actually founded by an American who retired⁶ in Costa Rica. He decided that people that are coming into Costa Rica, they are destroying the forest. They are destroying all this nature, and he decided that they need to show people why it is important to save nature, why it is important to protect animals, and why do we have to live between them, and with this he created this project that brings people in, so it wasn't more that twenty years that he created and more people are coming in. There are more people who are checking it out all the time.

 

Todd: Well, it sounds fantastic. I'd love to go myself.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the Lesson

forage

 

You actually forage for food.

 

When you forage for food, you search for it in a natural environment. Notice the following:

 

After the flood, people had to forage for food.

Birds are one of the easiest animals to see foraging⁷ for food.

processed food

 

You went from eating processed food to foraging for food on the ground.

 

Processed food is food made by machines or food produced in a factory. Processed food often lasts longer than fresh food, but is not as healthy. Notice the following:

 

Poor people often eat more processed food because it is cheap.

Many health problems are caused by processed food.

pale

 

His cheeks turned pale.

 

When something is pale it has no color. When people look pale, they do not look healthy. Notice the following:

 

After seeing the ghost, his face turned pale.

I look a little pale. I think I need some sun.

ancient tradition

 

Is this an ancient tradition?

 

An ancient tradition is something people have done for centuries. Notice the following:

 

Hunting whale is an ancient tradition in the Arctic⁸.

Marriage is an ancient tradition that is common in most cultures.

passed on

 

It is a tradition passed on from the natives.

 

This ring was passed on from grandfather to my father to me.

The throne⁹ will be passed on from the King to the Price.

1 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

2 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

3 hiking   

n.徒步旅行

参考例句：

• He has been hiking round Scotland for a month.他围着苏格兰徒步旅行了一个月。
• Hiking is not yet popular in China.徒步旅行在中国还不流行。

4 constant   

n.常数，恒量；adj.不变的，一定的，时常的

参考例句：

• This suit has been in constant wear for two years.这一套衣服已连续穿了两年。
• An absolute constant is fixed and can not be changed.绝对常数是固定而不可以改变的。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 foraging   

v.搜寻（食物），尤指动物觅（食）( forage的现在分词 )；（尤指用手）搜寻（东西）

参考例句：

• They eke out a precarious existence foraging in rubbish dumps. 他们靠在垃圾场捡垃圾维持着朝不保夕的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The campers went foraging for wood to make a fire. 露营者去搜寻柴木点火。 来自辞典例句

8 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

9 throne   

n.御座，宝座；王位，王权

参考例句：

• He was the legal heir to the throne.他是王位的合法继承人。
• The throne was footed with gold.这御座是用黄金做的脚。