英国的煎薄饼比赛

By Jenny Blogger/刘宝喜（译）

◆语篇导读

我们都见过接力赛，但是你见过参赛选手端着正煎着薄饼的平底锅奔跑的比赛吗？这种比赛不但有围围裙、戴头巾的家庭主妇等平民百姓参加，而且穿西服、打领带、戴厨师帽的议会成员和知名记者也乐在其中。它是英国许多奇怪的传统之一——煎薄饼比赛。

There are tons of strange traditions in the UK.One of those is pancake racing.The race is usually held on Pancake Day which is the last Tuesday of February.People all over the UK make and eat pancakes so that they can use up the food that they have in their houses before the start of Lent．

Pancakes are usually made from flour,eggs and milk.People usually put different sweet ingredients on the tops of the pancakes.Pancakes in the UK are large and thin.

In a typical pancake race,there are four members in a team.It's a bit like a relay race.While running,the team members have to hold a frying pan with a pancake in it.They also have to turn the pancake over several times during the running,but don't let the pancake fall out.The winner is the first to reach the finishing line.But they should also be careful to make sure that the pancake is complete and hasn't broken along the way．

Every year,the most exciting race must be in Olney,Buckingham Shire.At 11∶55 p.m.,the runners were running from the square.All of them are local housewives.Everyone is holding a pan with a frying pancake in it.They must wear an apron and scarf.The first to finish running the 375 meters and to the church to give the pancake to the bell man,to get his kiss blessing is the winner.

One of the most famous pancake races is named the Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race.This takes place outside the Houses of Parliament,in London.The race is a competition between two teams—one team of Members of Parliament,and the other team of reporters.Most of them take part in the race,wearing their work suits.The race is shown on the news and is covered on TV all around the world.And as well as a bit of fun,the race is also held for a good cause.Its goal is to make people pay much attention to the charity Rehab.

◆词语积淀

tons of许多的；无数的；一大堆的

Lent/lent/n.大斋节；大斋期

flour/'flaʊə /n.面粉；粉状物质

ingredient/ ɪn'griːdɪənt/n. 成分；配料；主要成分

apron/'eprən/n.围裙

the Houses of Parliament议会大厦

◆典句赏析

1.The race is usually held on Pancake Day which is the last Tuesday of February．这一比赛通常是在二月最后一个星期二的薄饼日举行。

该句是一个含有定语从句的复合句，由关系代词which引导的定语从句“which is the last Tuesday of February”修饰先行词Pancake Day。

【即时尝试】约翰出生在一个到处是红花绿树的小村庄里。

2.People all over the UK make and eat pancakes so that they can use up the food that they have in their houses before the start of Lent.所有的英国人都做薄饼、吃薄饼，为的是在大斋节之前用完家中的食物。

这是一个比较复杂的复合句。so that作为连词，意为“为了”，引导目的状语从句，这个状语从句中的“that they have in their houses”是关系代词that引导的定语从句，修饰先行词food。“before the start of Lent”是before引导的介词短语；use up是固定词组，意为“用完，耗尽”，在这里相当于eat up（吃光）。

【即时尝试】这个男孩攒下每一分钱（coin）为了在母亲节给他的妈妈买一份礼物。

译文助读

英国有许多奇怪的传统，其中之一是煎薄饼比赛。这一比赛通常在二月最后一个星期二的薄煎饼日举行。所有的英国人都做薄煎饼、吃薄煎饼，为的是在大斋节之前用完家中的食物。

薄煎饼通常是由面粉、鸡蛋和牛奶做的。人们通常把不同的甜味材料放在薄煎饼的最上面。英国的薄煎饼又大又薄。

在典型的薄煎饼比赛中，一个队中有四个成员。这有点儿像接力赛。在奔跑的时

候，队员们必须拿着一个有薄煎饼的煎锅。他们也必须在奔跑的过程中把饼翻转几次，并且不能把饼翻出去。第一个到达终点线的是获胜者。但是在行进的过程中，他们也应该小心翼翼，以确保薄煎饼完好无损。

每年，最热闹最精彩的那场比赛一定在白金汉郡奥尔尼市。当天上午十一点五十五分，选手们从广场出发奔跑，清一色全是当地的家庭主妇，人手一锅，锅里装着一张正煎着的薄煎饼。参赛选手必须围围裙、戴头巾。最先跑完375米全程，并且到教堂里把薄煎饼献给撞钟人，得到他的亲吻祝福的人便是获胜者。

其中最著名的薄煎饼比赛叫“康复议会薄煎饼比赛”。它通常在伦敦的议会大厦外面举行。这一比赛是两个队之间的竞争——一个队是议会成员，另一个队是记者。他们大多数人穿着工作套装参加比赛。比赛在新闻上播出，世界各地都有电视报道。除了一点乐趣之外，这场比赛也有很好的理由：它的目标是让人们更加关注慈善康复中心。