2010/03/26

This Day in History March 26

Crystal City, Texas knows a lot about spinach because there are many spinach farmers in the area. Every year, the people of Crystal City hold a spinach festival to celebrate this special vegetable. Therefore, it might come as little surprise that the city's favorite cartoon character is Popeye, the spinach-eating sailor. On this date in Crystal City in 1937, a statue of Popeye was put up in front of its city hall. The statue is six-foot tall and brightly colored. Popeye was the perfect icon to promote spinach because he relied on it to get his strength. In fact, Popeye was one big reason spinach became popular!

歷史上的今天 3月26日

德州的克里斯托市對菠菜可是了解甚深,這是因為當地有許多種菠菜的農夫。每年克里斯托市的居民都會舉辦菠菜祭 來頌揚這種特別的蔬菜。因此,這個城市最喜歡的卡通人物就是愛吃波菜的大力水手卜派,這或許一點都不令人意外。在1937年的今天,克里斯托市的市政廳前 豎立起一座6英尺高、色彩鮮豔的卜派雕像。用卜派作為代表人物來推廣菠菜是再適合不過的了,因為他都靠菠菜來得到力量。事實上,卜派正是菠菜變得受歡迎的 主因之ㄧ呢!

知識大補帖

身穿水手服、嘴上總是叼著菸斗(smoking pipe)的大力水手卜派(Popeye the Sailorman,圖為民眾裝扮成卜派的模樣,資料照片。)是美國著名的卡通人物。1929年,卜派誕生於美國伊利諾州一位連環漫畫家埃爾齊.西格 (Elzie Segar)的筆下,他的漫畫甫一推出,不但受到眾人的歡迎,也引發一股吃菠菜的熱潮。卜派是個獨眼且不修邊幅的水手,愛抽菸斗,愛打拳擊,他有個麻煩的 女友叫奧莉薇(Olive Oyl),經常需要卜派保護。卜派在吃完一罐菠菜後,就會變得力大無窮,因此每每得以擊敗壞人兼情敵的笨驢布魯托(Bluto),而這正是大力水手卡通中 最經典的橋段。

單字片語

◎spinach
n. 菠菜
◎festival
n. 節慶;紀念活動
◎It comes as no/little surprise + that 子句
……不令人驚訝╱不足為奇
例:It comes as no surprise that the talented actress was nominated for an Oscar.(那名才華洋溢的女演員被提名奧斯卡一點也不令人意外。)
◎brightly
adv. 鮮豔地;光亮地
例:The sun shone brightly yesterday.(昨天豔陽高照。)
◎icon
n. 指標性的代表人或物
例:Madonna has been a fashion icon for more than 25 years.(瑪丹娜成為時尚界指標性人物已超過 25 個年頭。)
◎promote
vt. 宣傳,促銷用)
例:We need a catchy slogan to promote the new product.(我們需要一個能朗朗上口的標語來促銷這項新產品。)
◎strength
n. 力氣,力量

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