Luis國際資訊事務所

by Marcus Maurice
Cow urine! Cow urine! Who wants to try some fresh cow urine?

　　India has long been known as a place of magic and mystery. To Hindus, the cow is the most sacred of all animals, and anything that comes out of it is holy. Normally, milk from cows is drunk for strong teeth and bones, but in India, the elixir of life is cow urine. While that sounds disgusting, cow pee contains phosphate, nitrogen, and all sorts of ingredients that many people say help their health. In India, belief in the healing power of the cow is so strong that cough medicines, ear drops, shampoos, and soaps composed of cow urine are widely available.
　　Would you drink a soda if the main ingredient were cow urine? What would you do if you were extremely ill and none of the numerous Western medical treatments that you have tried worked? This is the premise of National Geographic Channel's (NGC's) The Witch Doctor Will See You Now. Author and explorer Piers Gibbon travels to exotic locations to find out if some of the world's ancient and most extreme medical practices have any merit. In each episode, he gets two volunteer patients to try these so-called cure-all remedies to see if they alleviate their problems.
　　While cow urine therapy seems outlandish, it's not the only strange practice that Gibbon and the patients try. In Hong Kong, they eat snake soup and drink field mouse wine at a very famous restaurant. In Cameroon, two patients desperate to get rid of their aches and pains cover themselves in goat's blood before eating the goat to honor it. This month, grasp unfamiliar solutions to health problems on NGC.

1. sacred a. 神聖的
The sacred scrolls were displayed in a special temperature-controlled case.
（這些神聖的卷軸放置在特別的溫控箱中展出。）

2. normally adv. 通常；正常地
Normally, I don't like watching cartoons, but this Japanese one is really interesting.
（通常我不喜歡看卡通，但這部日本卡通真的很有趣。）
Despite the power failure, the hospital continued to function normally.
（儘管斷電，醫院還是繼續正常運作。）

3. elixir n. 萬靈丹
the elixir of life　　長生不老藥
Coca-Cola was originally marketed as a healthy elixir.
（可口可樂最初被當成有益健康的萬靈丹來販售。）

4. disgusting a. 噁心的，令人作嘔的
You should never spit in public because it is rude and disgusting.
（你絕不可以在公共場所隨地吐痰，那樣既無禮又噁心。）

5. healing a. 有治療功能的
heal vt. 使痊癒
The man claimed he could heal the sick with a simple touch to their heads.
（這名男子宣稱他只要碰觸病患的頭，就可以把他們的病治好。）

6. be composed of...　　由……組成；包括……
= be made up of...
= consist of...
This new product is composed of bath salts and other minerals.
（這個新產品含有澡鹽及其他種礦物質。）

7. available a. 可得到的；可利用的
Various types of aerobics classes are available at the health club.
（這間健身俱樂部有各式各樣的有氧課程。）

8. practice n. 常見的做法，常規（可數、不可數均可）
It is common practice to V　　（做）……是慣例
It is common practice in Taiwan for guests to bring gifts when visiting friends.
（在台灣，帶伴手禮去拜訪朋友是常見的做法。）

9. merit n. 可取之處；優點，長處
Your suggestion has some merit, so I'll take it into consideration.
（你的建議有可取之處，所以我會好好考慮。）

10. volunteer a. 自願的，志願的 & n. 志願者 & vi. 自願
John is doing volunteer work at a local hospital.
（約翰目前在當地 1 家醫院當志工。）
例: Nick volunteered to help his grandfather in the garden.
（尼克自願到花園裡幫他爺爺的忙。）

11. remedy n. 治療（法）& vt. 治療；補救，修正
The government took measures to remedy the education system.
（政府採取措施修正教育體制。）

12. alleviate vt. 減輕，緩和
This medicine will alleviate your flu symptoms.
（這種藥會可以減輕你的流感症狀。）

13. desperate a. 極度渴望的；迫切需要的
be desperate to V　　極度渴望∕迫切需要……
Bob was desperate to get a job to pay for his rent.
（鮑伯急需找到工作來付房租。）

14. get rid of...　　擺脫∕除去……
You need to start working out regularly if you hope to get rid of your beer belly.
（如果你想消除啤酒肚，就需要開始定期健身。）

15. cover oneself in...　　用……塗滿全身
People that bathe in the Dead Sea often cover themselves in its mineral-rich mud.
（在死海泡澡的人通常用死海中富含礦物質的泥巴塗滿全身。）

16. grasp vt. 理解
I was able to grasp the artist's meaning even though his paintings were abstract.
（雖然這位藝術家的畫作很抽象，我卻能理解他想傳達的意念。）

17. unfamiliar a. 陌生的，不熟悉的
The sailor stood on deck to take in the unfamiliar surroundings.
（這名水手站在甲板上觀看四周陌生的環境。）

1. witch n. 巫師；女巫
2. Hindu n. 印度人
3. holy a. 神聖的
4. urine n. 尿（液）
5. pee n. 尿，小便（口語）
6. phosphate n. 磷酸鹽
7. nitrogen n. 氮
8. cough n. 咳嗽
9. ear drops n. 耳滴劑（恆為複數）
10. shampoo n. 洗髮精
11. premise n. 前提
12. exotic a. 異國的；奇特的
13. episode n.（電視影集∕連續劇的）一集
14. cure-all a. & n. 萬靈丹（的）
15. outlandish a. 稀奇古怪的，奇異的

有請巫醫
牛尿！牛尿喔！有誰想嚐嚐新鮮的牛尿？
　　印度一直有神奇、神秘的國度之稱。對印度人來說，牛是最神聖的動物，任何從牛身上取得的東西都很神聖。飲用牛奶通常是為了有強健的牙齒和骨骼，但在印 度，牛的尿液是長生不老之藥。雖然這聽起來很噁心，但牛的尿液含有磷酸鹽、氮，以及許多人說對健康有益的各類成分。在印度，人們對牛有治療能力深信不疑， 以至於隨處都可買到含有牛尿配方的咳嗽藥、耳滴劑、洗髮精和肥皂。
　　要是 1 罐汽水的主要成份是牛尿，你喝得下去嗎？那要是你病得很重，而任何 1 種西醫療法都沒有效的話，你會怎麼做？這就是國家地理頻道《有請巫醫》節目的前提。作家兼探險家皮爾斯‧吉本到異地旅行，查明世界上一些古老且非常極端的 醫療習慣是否有任何可取之處。每集節目中，都有 2 名病患自願嘗試這些所謂藥到病除的萬靈丹，看看是否真能減輕他們的病症。
　　雖然牛的尿療法看來非常奇特，但這並不是吉本跟病患唯一嘗試過的怪異療法。他們在香港 1 家著名餐廳喝蛇湯跟田鼠酒。在喀麥隆，2 名極度渴望擺脫病痛的病患在把羊吃掉前，先在自己身上塗滿羊血以示尊敬。這個月跟著國家地理頻道，一同來了解你我所不熟悉的疾病療法吧。