英语地道说|Food for Thought是“精神食粮”?

周末,常爸带小小常和Mike一起喝咖啡。Mike说起自己刚看的一部纪录片:

Mike:

Wow! That documentary isso interesting!Inever knew there are so many different ways torecycle our trash.(哇哦!那部纪录片实在太有趣了!我从来不知道回收垃圾有这么多方法。)

常爸:

Yes,it really is!And it certainly gave me somefoodfor thoughtabout recycling in our own workplace.(没错,真的太有趣了!而且这部纪录片真的给了我关于办公场所垃圾回收的foodfor thought。

小小常:

Food?Whatfood?Wedidn't orderfoodat all!(吃的?什么吃的?我们根本没点吃的啊!)

Mike:

It'snot real food, Victor!Foodfor thoughtmeans something that makes you think seriously.(这里说的并不是真正的食物,小小常!Foodfor thought是指让你认真思考的东西。)

常爸:

Indeed.Now I believe we could recycle more in the office.(没错。现在我相信在办公室我们可以做更多循环利用。)

小小常:

I can help,too!I will teach my friends at school what we learned.(我也能帮忙!我会把学到的方法教给学校的同学。)

Mike:

Excellent!( 非常棒!)

food就是“食物”;thought表示“思考”。“food for thought”字面意思是:给思想(吃)的食物,需要思想消化的食物,实际意思和吃的东西是没有关系的,也不是精神食粮。

food for thought表示值得人深思的事情或问题,引发人思考的观点。give somebody food for thought就是“引起(某人)深思”。

那么,有哪些场景能让人深思呢?

看书时:

Even though the book was bad, the story gave Marlenafood for thought.

即便这本书很糟,但书中的故事还是很值得玛琳娜深思。

上课时:

The lecture was really interesting! It gave me a lot offood for thought.

这堂课真的很有趣!给我留下了很多值得思考的问题。

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择业时:

Now that I have finished university, I need to choose a career path! There are so many options that I have a lot offood for thought.

我大学毕业了,现在面临择业!选择太多了,所以我需要好好思考思考。

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受挫时:

Our team lost the rugby game last weekend, but it is not just the scoreline that caused usmost food for thought.

我们队上周末输了橄榄球比赛,但最让我们深思的不只是比分。

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“food for thought”一词可以追溯到19世纪后期。不过,把消化“从胃转移到头脑”的概念则起源于18世纪的法国大革命和启蒙运动时期,那时的人们开始解放思想,积极地批判专制主义、宗教愚昧和特权主义,宣传自由、平等和民主。

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除了food for thought这个说法,thought还有其他的固定搭配:

● givesomething some thought 仔细想想

I've been giving it some thought.(我一直在考虑这件事。)

● It'sthe thought that counts. 重在情义

Although you don't like this present, it's the thought that counts.(虽然你不喜欢这个礼物,但是它却重在情义。)

● asquick as thought 极快,一闪而过地

I run out as quick as thought.(我飞快地跑了出去。)

没想到吧,这样一个简简单单的词,还有不少有趣的用法呢。各位爸妈们,遇到这些场合时就可以用起来了!最后再强调一遍,“food for thought”可不是“精神食粮”哦!

拓展阅读

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