作者：大妮子

　　本课您将学到：puppy love(早恋)，have an eye for/of(对……有眼光)

　　Americans love pets. And it's not just puppy love, either. Many pet owners treat their furry(有毛的) friends as part of the family. Sometimes they spice up(添加情趣) their pets' lives with entertaining(有趣的) videos and amusing(好玩的) toys. If they have an eye for fashion(时尚), pet owners can dress their pets in stylish(时髦的) clothes. For special occasions, they can use canine perfume(狗香水) to make their dogs smell, well, less beastly(动物味道的). You might say Americans treat(对待) their pets like they treat their children-sometimes even better.

　　The average American enjoysshavingspets around, and for good reason. Researchers have discovered that interacting(相互作用) with animals lowers a person's blood pressure(血压). Dogs can offer protection from burglars(夜盗) and unwelcome visitors. Cats can help rid(从……清除) the home of unwanted pests(害虫). Little creatures of all shapes and sizes can provide companionship(友谊) and love. In many cases,shavingsa pet prepares a young couple for the responsibilities(责任) of parenthood(父母身份). Pets even encourage social relationships: They give their owners an appearance(外形，表面形象) of friendliness, and they provide a good topic of conversation(交谈).

　　Pets are as basic(基本的) to American culture as hot dogs or apple pie. To Americans, pets are not just property(所有物), but a part of the family. After all, pets are people, too.

　　【世博读书笔记】

　　美国人很爱宠物，而且这不只是一种不成熟、短暂的爱。(it's not just puppy love)很多宠物的主人把这些毛茸茸的朋友当作家庭的一部分，(Many pet owners treat their furry friends as part of the family)有时候还为宠物准备娱乐用的录像带和玩具(with entertaining videos and amusing toys)来增添牠们生活的乐趣，(spice up their pets' lives)如果宠物的主人具有流行的眼光，(have an eye for fashion)还会让他们的宠物穿上时髦的衣服，在特殊的场合里，(For special occasions)甚至为宠物喷上狗儿专用的香水，(they can use canine perfume to make their dogs smell,)让牠们味道好闻一点，减少一些动物身上的味道。(well, less beastly)你也可以说，美国人待他们的宠物如同待他们的孩子一样(Americans treat their pets like they treat their children)--有时甚至更好。(sometimes even better)

　　Puppy是“小狗”的意思，而puppy love字面上看是指“对小狗的爱”，实际上，它更深层次的含义是指“不成熟的爱”，也就是让老师和家长们闻之色变的“早恋”！比如：

　　Julia and Tom went out together when they were in high school, but their parents believed that it was just puppy love.

　　Julia和Tom在上高中的时候就出去约会了，但他们的父母认为这只不过是小孩子的早恋罢了。

　　puppy love也可称作calf love，从上面的例子中我们不难看出，美国人对待这种事情到是很宽容，不似我们，洪水猛兽一般。呵呵

　　美国人一般(average American)都喜欢有宠物为伴，这是有原因的。(for good reason)研究人员发现，与动物为伍能够降低人的血压。(that interacting with animals lowers a person's blood pressure)狗能防止小偷及不受欢迎的访客。(offer protection from burglars and unwelcome visitors)猫能帮忙清除家里讨人厌的害虫和有害的小动物。(help rid the home of unwanted pests)任何种类及大小的小宠物(Little creatures of all shapes and sizes)都能带给人们相伴与爱的感觉。(can provide companionship and love)很多时候，拥有一只宠物能帮助年轻夫妻做为人父母责任的准备。(having a pet prepares a young couple for the responsibilities of parenthood)宠物甚至有助于人际关系：(social relationships)它们使主人们看起来更友善，(They give their owners an appearance of friendliness)并且也带给人们一个交谈的好话题。(they provide a good topic of conversation)

　　宠物是美国文化中很基本的一部分，就如热狗和苹果派一样。(as basic to American culture as hot dogs or apple pie)对美国人而言，宠物不仅仅是他们所拥有的一样东西而已，(pets are not just property)它是家庭的一部分。毕竟，宠物也是“人”啊！(pets are people)

　　【世博句型留言板】

　　have an eye for

　　对……有鉴别能力

　　这个句子很适合在社交场合使用，请看，下面这两个人就是这么互相恭维的：

　　A:You have very good oil-paintings here.

　　B:I bought them when I was abroad.

　　A:You do have an eye for paintings.

　　B:So do you.

　　甲：你这儿的油画相当不错。

　　乙：都是我出国时买的。

　　甲：你的确对油画有很高的鉴赏力。

　　乙：你也是。

　　把for换成of，可句话还可以有另外一种说法，比如：

　　He has the eye of a painter.

　　他有画家的鉴赏力。

　　下次，如果女朋友再问你，穿那一件衣服好看，不妨这样回答她：

　　Honey, it’s all up to you! You have an eye for beauty!她一定会相当高兴的！

　　今天的节目里，我们了解了宠物们在美国的生活，你还记得puppy love(早恋)的意思和have an eye for/of的用法吗？好，我们下次再见！

　　本栏目是由世博英语(360abc.com)大妮子原创编写！从零开始，循序渐进，地道英语，轻松入门！世博英语版权所有！未经书面授权，请勿转载！