[J-161] Humbug
哼骗小虫
A son of one of Darwin's
friends wanted to play a joke on Darwin.
The child caught six insects each belonging to a different species. He then
tore each of the insects apart, and then, by gluing, reassembled different parts
of the insects into a “new species.” When he met Darwin, he produced the freak and asked the
naturalist what this creature might be. Darwin looked at the “new species” for a while and then questioned, “Did it hum when you caught it?”
“Yes, it hummed like a bee,” the boy answered with complacency.
“Then it must be a humbug,” the naturalist assured the boy.
[译注]
达尔文一位朋友的儿子想要跟达尔文开个玩笑。那小孩抓了六只昆虫，每只属于不同种类。他然后把每只昆虫撕成几个部分，而然后，以胶黏的方式，把昆虫的不同部分重新组合成一个「新物种」。当见到达尔文时，他就拿出那怪物而问这位自然学家这东西是什么。达尔文看看那「新物种」一会儿，接着问：「你抓到它时，它会哼哼叫吗？」
「会的，它像蜜蜂一样的哼哼叫。」男孩沾沾自喜地回答。
「那么，它必定是哼骗小虫。」这自然学家向男孩保证说。
注：1. 达尔文这位自然学家 (naturalist) 以《物种原始》(The Origin
of Species)一书出名。
2. tear (tore) apart (拆开、撕成碎片)，reassembled A into B (把A重新组合成B)，produced (拿出)，humbug (骗子)。
[复习填充]
A son of one of Darwin's
friends wanted to play a joke __ Darwin.
The child caught six insects each belonging to a different s_____. He then
tore each of the insects a____, and then, by g____, reassembled different parts
of the insects ___ a “new species.” When he met Darwin, he p____ the f____ and asked the naturalist
what this creature might be. Darwin looked at the “new species” for a while and then questioned, “Did it h___ when you caught it?”
“Yes, it hummed like a bee,” the boy answered with c______.
“Then it must be a h_____,” the naturalist a_____ the boy.