讀取中
正在加載···
公開精選文章

★ 培樂多: 一場歡樂的意外(上) Play-Doh: A Very Happy Accident

培樂多有一段淵遠流長且複雜的歷史,故事就從骯髒的壁紙說起吧!
#娛樂·新奇
難度 收藏文章
培樂多,一個陪伴成千上萬孩童度過快樂童年的玩具
>> 1.科學家在高海拔山頂發現老鼠「木乃伊」 2.恐龍滅絕之謎真相揭曉!

 [人物傳記]   [電子報精選文章] 

文章主講 Chris, Minnie

   What does Play-Doh have to do with burning coal and perfume? Theres a surprising connection between them. Play- Doh has a long and complex history, and the story starts with dirty wallpaper.

  培樂多和燃煤及香水怎麼扯得上關係?它們之間可有著驚人的關連。培樂多有一段淵遠流長且複雜的歷史,而這故事得從骯髒的壁紙說起。

connection [ kəˈnɛkʃən ] n. 關係,關聯

   At the beginning of the 20th century, many people still heated their homes with coal, which was cheap but dirty. It would leave black marks on the insides of peoples houses and ruin the wallpaper. A company called Kutol, run by Cleo and Joseph McVicker, developed a soft, sticky, safe material that people could use to clean their walls. It worked and sold very well at first. Later, however, the public started switching to cleaner sources of heat like oil, gas, and electricity. The McVickers and their sticky invention were in trouble.

  二十世紀初,許多人仍然在家中燃煤生火取暖,便宜但也導致很多污染。燃煤會在房子內部留下黑色的痕跡並毀壞壁紙。一間由克雷歐和喬瑟夫.麥維克所經營,名為庫多的公司開發了一款既軟黏又安全的物質,能讓人們用來清理牆壁。這個產品很有效而且起初賣得很好。不過接著下來,大眾開始轉而使用更乾淨的能源產熱,如石油,天然氣和電力。於是麥維克家族和他們黏答答的發明陷入了困境。

heat [ hit ] vt. 加熱 & n. 熱(度)
ruin [ ruɪn ] vt. 毀壞
material [ məˈtɪrɪəl ] n. 物質;材料
switch to...  轉為⋯⋯,改為⋯⋯
electricity [ ɪˌlɛkˈtrɪsətɪ ] n. 電,電力

Play-Doh: A Very Happy Accident 培樂多:一場歡樂的意外 圖片來源:stoatphoto / Shutterstock.com
圖片來源:stoatphoto / Shutterstock.com

   With lots of the stuff lying around, Joseph McVickers sister-in-law had an idea. She brought the soft, moist, and safe material to a class she taught. The kids loved it. They used the cleaning dough to make Christmas decorations. Thus, in the middle of the 20th century, a humble wallpaper cleaner became one of the world’s most famous toys. It was renamed Play-Doh and has been popular ever since.

  許多黏土就這樣堆放在地上無用武之地,喬瑟夫.麥維克的大嫂於是想到一個主意。她將這款濕濕軟軟又安全的物質帶到她教課的班級。孩子們愛不釋手。他們將清潔用的黏土拿來做聖誕裝飾。正是如此,在二十世紀中葉,一款簡陋的壁紙清潔物搖身一變成為世界最知名的玩具之一。它被重新命名為培樂多,並一直廣受歡迎到現在。

moist [ mɔɪst ] a. 潮溼的
humble [ ˈhʌmbl̩ ] a. 簡陋的;卑微的

 

Play-Doh: A Very Happy Accident 培樂多:一場歡樂的意外

延伸學習|情狀介詞片語「with + 受詞 + 受詞補語」的用法

情狀介詞片語「with + 受詞 + 受詞補語」可用來表示附帶狀況或補充說明原因,受詞補語可以是分詞(受詞與受詞補語的關係為主動時用現在分詞,為被動時用過去分詞)、形容詞或介詞片語,句型如下:

  1.  with + 受詞 + 現在分詞(表主動關係)* 本文第三段第一句的用法。
    With so much dust floating in the air, Lisa was sneezing non-stop.
    空氣中砂塵瀰漫,讓麗莎不停地打噴嚏。
  2. with + 受詞 + 過去分詞(表被動關係)
    Sally sat on the sofa with her eyes closed.
    莎莉閉著眼睛坐在沙發上。
  3. with + 受詞 + 形容詞
    Hank stared at the stars in the sky with his eyes wide open.
    漢克瞪大眼睛凝視天上的星星。
  4. with + 受詞 + 介詞片語
    Steve was reading with his head against the pillow. 
    史提夫頭靠著枕頭讀著書。

 

You Can Do This    英文試金石
請圈選出最適當的選項以完成句子

  1. There is a close (connection / electricity / material) between pollution and the death of trees.
  2. Our vacation plans were (heated / switched / ruined) by the terrible weather.
  3. Tim’s (humble / moist / cheap) background didn’t stop him from aiming for greatness

Ans: 1. connection 2. ruined 3. humble

>> 衣服髒了嗎? 洗衣服務了解一下 Stain on Your Shirt? Get a Laundry Service
想看完整文章內容嗎?《常春藤生活英語》雜誌裡有更多實用的單字片語、例句與文法補充喔!

點我訂閱回家看 >>

本篇內容出自《常春藤解析/生活英語雜誌》,
2024/04/16 00:00 前買享優惠
Ivy Engrest 訂戶在訂閱期間訂閱紙本(無贈品版本)再享最低 62折優惠!)>>
【雜誌訂閱】綻放英花季

回饋與建議

為了提供更好的閱讀體驗與學習感受,有任何建議或問題歡迎留言讓我們知道,感謝~
1000

學會了嗎?✋來答題得 熊贈點






作者

Enjoy Editors
Enjoy Editors
學英文就是要暢所欲言才夠酷▝ν▘希望讓大家學到更多英文單字、正確發音及最道地的用法,讓我們成為你在英語學習道路上的最佳戰友!歡迎來信給我們鼓勵鼓勵:service@ivy.com.tw
立即享每週精選文章及最新優惠訊息推播!