双胞胎姐妹患异食癖：嚼蜡烛、啃旧书！

　　Most people bite their nails when they're nervous or get cravings for chocolate or crisps.

　　大多数人在紧张的时候有啃指甲的癖好，有些人会渴望吃巧克力或薯片。

　　But two sisters from Bradford have taken it to a whole new level - regularly munching¹ on candles and second-hand² books.

　　但是有一对来自英国布拉德福德市的双胞胎姐妹是上面饮食癖的进阶版：嚼蜡烛、啃旧书！

　　Twins Adele and Anita, both 50, suffer from Pica- an eating disorder³ characterised by the desire to eat items with little or no nutritional⁴ value, such as stones, sand, paint and dirt.

　　双胞胎姐妹阿黛尔和 安尼塔今年都50岁了，两人都患有异食癖：她们对于那些几乎没有营养价值的东西，如石头、沙子、油漆、尘土等，有着特殊的食欲。

　　For Adele, the problem began when she was a child. She now eats around two inches of wax every day, much like many people tuck into a chocolate bar.

　　对于阿黛尔来说，还在童年的时候就出现了这一状况。她现在每天吃两英寸长的蜡烛，打个比方来说就像许多人贪吃两长条巧克力一样。

　　'When I was eight or nine I started sniffing⁵ fire lighters,' she told ITV's This Morning. 'I then started nibbling⁶ on candles and have done ever since.'

　　“我大概八九岁的时候，就开始嗅蜡烛的香味。”她告诉英国独立电视台《今日晨讯》节目记者，“从那时起，我就开始嚼蜡烛、再也停不下来。”

　　She says candles are an emotional crutch⁷ - and the 300 she has eaten in her lifetime have apparently⁸ never caused her any health problems.

　　她说蜡烛对她来说是一种情感支撑，并且她一生中所吃过的300根蜡烛从没对她的健康产生任何危害。

　　'Carrying a candle with me calms my nerves. A whole candle will last me two weeks - I only take a little bit [about at an inch or two] out at a time so people don't see it.'

　　“随身带一根蜡烛可以帮我缓解紧张情绪，一整根蜡烛能让我两个星期保持平静。每次我只吃一点点（大约1~2英寸），这样人们就不会发现。”

　　For her sister Anita, Pica struck later in life - when she was pregnant 24 years ago.

　　而她的妹妹安尼塔在24年前怀孕的时候，也患上了异食癖。

　　'I began having cravings for things that smelled like old bus tickets,' she said.

　　“那个时候我开始对有着旧车票味道的东西产生食欲，”她说道。

　　'When I found the smell again, it was in an old book - and I haven't been able to stop since.

　　“当让再次发现自己对这种味道食欲的是一本旧书，自从那时候起就再也停不下来。”

　　'The older the book, the better it tastes. I just love really old books. It's like eating a chocolate bar.'

　　“书越旧，啃起来味道约好。我就是很喜欢吃旧书的味道，对我来说就像巧克力一样美味。”

　　She now scours⁹ charity shops looking for ripe old tomes - and is unbothered by the germs and dust they may be harbouring.

　　她现在经常去慈善商店搜罗旧书，并且可以无视旧书中的虫子和尘土。

　　Once procured¹⁰, the book is shredded¹¹ to a tagliatelle-sized strand¹² before being consumed.

　　拿到旧书后，安尼塔就把它们撕成条状然后吃掉。

　　'Sniffing them works up an aroma¹³ - and I'm happy with what I do.'

　　“啃旧书真的很香，这让我很开心。”

　　Commenting on the twins' eating condition, eating disorders¹⁴ psychologist Marcia Karp, told the programme:

　　节目中，异食癖心理专家玛西亚·卡普对于这对双胞胎姐妹俩的异食癖评价道：

　　'There are many reasons why people take non-food stuffs into their body.

　　“人们吃非食物类东西是由多种原因造成的。”

　　'Pregnant women often have bizarre cravings and Pica can be sometimes be due to a mineral deficit¹⁵.'

　　“孕妇经常会饮食紊乱或患上异食癖，但有时候是因为缺乏矿物质造成的。”

　　She added: 'I have a friend who eats clay. She says: "It calms me, it soothes¹⁶ me - it's almost like mother's milk".'

　　她补充道：“我有个朋友吃粘土，她说那就想母乳一样可以让她平静和受到安抚。”

1 munching   

v.用力咀嚼（某物），大嚼( munch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was munching an apple. 他在津津有味地嚼着苹果。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Munching the apple as he was, he had an eye for all her movements. 他虽然啃着苹果，但却很留神地监视着她的每一个动作。 来自辞典例句

2 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

3 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

4 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

5 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 nibbling   

v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的现在分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬

参考例句：

• We sat drinking wine and nibbling olives. 我们坐在那儿，喝着葡萄酒嚼着橄榄。
• He was nibbling on the apple. 他在啃苹果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 crutch   

n.T字形拐杖；支持，依靠，精神支柱

参考例句：

• Her religion was a crutch to her when John died.约翰死后，她在精神上依靠宗教信仰支撑住自己。
• He uses his wife as a kind of crutch because of his lack of confidence.他缺乏自信心，总把妻子当作主心骨。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 scours   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的第三人称单数 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• The roasting pan scours better than pot. 烤盘比锅容易擦干净。
• The best scours for UF membrane washing were 0.1%NaOH and 0.5%U10 solution consecutively washing. 0.1%NaOH 和0.5%U10溶液是理想的超滤膜清洗剂。

10 procured   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• These cars are to be procured through open tender. 这些汽车要用公开招标的办法购买。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• A friend procured a position in the bank for my big brother. 一位朋友为我哥哥谋得了一个银行的职位。 来自《用法词典》

11 shredded   

shred的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Serve the fish on a bed of shredded lettuce. 先铺一层碎生菜叶，再把鱼放上，就可以上桌了。
• I think Mapo beancurd and shredded meat in chilli sauce are quite special. 我觉得麻婆豆腐和鱼香肉丝味道不错。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

13 aroma   

n.香气，芬芳，芳香

参考例句：

• The whole house was filled with the aroma of coffee.满屋子都是咖啡的香味。
• The air was heavy with the aroma of the paddy fields.稻花飘香。

14 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

16 soothes   

v.安慰( soothe的第三人称单数 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦

参考例句：

• Fear grasps, love lets go. Fear rankles, love soothes. 恐惧使人痛心，爱使痛苦减轻。 来自互联网
• His loe celebrates her victories and soothes her wounds. 他的爱庆祝她的胜利，也抚平她的创伤。 来自互联网