胡敏读故事记托福词汇031：狂欢节 The Carnival
I can’t wait until the next carnival comes to town. I love the casual atmosphere and the taste foods. There’s nothing like watching a cascade of popcorn flowing out of the machine. In fact, I eat so much of it that my friends call me “the cast-iron stomach!”
我几乎要等不及去下一次城里举行的狂欢节了。我喜欢那里的随和的气氛和美味的食物。看着一堆堆爆米花像瀑布似的从机器里涌出来真乃一大爽事。事实上，我吃了太多的爆米花，以至于朋友们都叫我(什么都消化得了的)“铁胃”。
I especially enjoy the wide variety of entertainment, including the animal shows. The lions are the most exciting because they’re carnivorous. Imagine the carnage if they ever escaped their cages. I would suffer a cardiac arrest. I’d probably be the first casualty since I’m so fat and slow. That’s why I also like the tortoise. He’s sluggish, just like me, although I don’t have a huge carapace on my back to slow me down. It looks like he’s carrying cargo in that big shell of his. However, the cardinal rule is not to bring too much money.
我尤其喜欢欣赏丰富多彩的娱乐节目，比如动物表演。狮子是最激动人心的，因为它们是食肉动物。想象一下它们一旦逃出铁笼后会出现的残杀景象!我会犯心脏病的。我很可能是第一例伤亡，因为我又胖又笨重。这也是我为什么喜欢乌龟的原因。乌龟慢吞吞的，跟我一样，只不过我用不着背着那块大龟甲而放慢速度。看起来乌龟像是在搬运装在它那大甲壳里的货物。但首要准则是别带太多钱。
You can buy lots of things at a carnival. You can shop for 24 carat gold jewelry. You can ask an artist to draw you a caricature of a famous person. You can watch someone carve your name into a piece of wood. You can even buy a type of superglue that comes in two parts. After you use the catalyst to catalyze the glue, it takes only five minutes to form a solid bond.
在狂欢节上，你可以疯狂采购。你可以选购24克拉的金首饰;你可以请一名画家为你画一幅某名人的漫画;你可以看着你的名字被人刻在一块木头上;你甚至可以买一种由两部分组成的超级胶水。你先用催化剂催化胶水，5分钟后，胶水就粘得很牢固了。
There are a lot of unusual attractions too. Often there will be a fortuneteller who will seem pretty skilled at predicting cataclysms. Sometimes, they will have a wizard who pretends to cast spells.
此外，还有很多稀奇古怪的东西吸引你。时常会有一位善于语言灾难的算命先生。有时，又有一位巫师假装在那里下魔咒。
Occasionally, there will be a show that appeals solely to carnal desires. I always stay away from these shows. The last thing I need it to be castigated by my parents, again!
偶尔，在狂欢节上会有单纯满足肉欲的表演，遇上这些表演，我总会离得远远的。我才不愿意再让父母训斥一番呢!
Words:
carapace n. (蟹或龟等的)甲壳
carat n. (宝石重量单位)克拉
cardiac adj. 心脏的
cardinal adj. 首要的，主要的;红衣风头鸟(一种美洲鸟，雄性有深红色羽毛)
cargo n. 船货，货物
caricature n. (滑稽模仿的)讽刺画
carnage n. 大屠杀，残杀
carnival n. 狂欢节
carnivorous adj. 食肉的
carve vt. 切开，雕刻
cascade n. 小瀑布;一连串，连续大量涌出(或落下)的东西
cast vt. 浇铸;投、抛
castigate v. 谴责，训斥
cast-iron adj. 铸铁的
casual adj. 非正式的，随便的;漫不经心的
casualty n. 伤亡人员，意外事故
cataclysm n. 大灾难，大变动(常指大洪水或地震)
catalyst n. 催化剂;促使事情发展的因素
catalyze vt. 促使;激励;(化)催化
