本课您将学到:stamp out(消灭),句型no more than和not more than 世界闻名的快餐连锁集团McDonald's最近因为涨价事件,成了媒体瞩目的焦点。不知道“尝尝麦当劳,常常欢笑”的歌声还能在中国唱多久……
McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food company, has about 30,000 restaurants(餐馆) around the globe. More than 460 are on the Chinese mainland(大陆). Many young Chinese love to eat at the international food chain(连锁店). Some students even hold their birthday parties there.
While to most people, McDonald's is no more than a place to stop for a quick meal, to others, it is a symbol(象征) of the bad effects of globalization(全球化). They feel it stamps out unique(独特的) culture and threatens(威胁) local eating places.
「读书笔记」
globe是“地球仪”,在前面加上一个定冠词,变成the globe意思就成了the world,所以如果要表达“我们向全世界出口”就可以说成We export our goods all over the globe.
Global是形容词,意思是“全球的”,globally就是副词“全球地”,在此基础上加名词后缀-ation,变成globalization意思就是“全球化”。这个词在下文出现,这里一并解释。
作为世界上最大的快餐连锁公司,(the world's largest fast-food company)麦当劳现已在全球拥有约30,000家餐厅。(has about 30,000 restaurants around the globe)其中,460多家都在中国大陆。(More than 460 are on the Chinese mainland)中国的很多年轻人都喜欢这个国际食品连锁店。(Many young Chinese love to eat at the international food chain)有些学生甚至在麦当劳举行自己的生日聚餐。(Some students even hold their birthday parties there)
对大多数人来说,(While to most people)麦当劳仅仅是一个可以快速就餐的场所;(McDonald's is no more than a place to stop for a quick meal)而对另一些人来说,(to others)麦当劳已经成了全球化弊端的一个象征。(it is a symbol of the bad effects of globalization)这些人认为麦当劳扼杀了独特的文化,(They feel it stamps out unique culture)对地方饮食业形成了威胁。(threatens local eating places)
stamp做名词是“邮票”的意思,大家都很熟悉;另外,它还有“印记、痕迹”的意思,所以用作动词时,它可以指“踩踏”,比如一位小姐看到了蟑螂,就会出现下面这种情况:
Marta shrieked and started stamping on the cockroach.
Marta尖叫着开始踩踏那只蟑螂。
Out这个词,向来都表示“没了、灭了”之类的意思,比如sold out卖光了,run out of…用光了。
所以,stamp out和起来,意思就可以理解为“踩灭、扑灭”,当然,对象不仅限于“大火”之类的,还可以指灾病一类可以蔓延的东西,比如这次的SARS.下面这个人在谈到今年的经济问题时就使用了这个短语,他说:
The only useful and effective measure is to stamp out the SARS as soon as possible.
唯一有用且