新西兰英语 585 Oysters

 　　Bluff¹ oysters³ are now on sale in fish shops and supermarkets, if you can afford them. They cost $26 a dozen which is just over $2 each. Bluff oysters come from the clean, cold waters of Foveaux Strait in the far south of New Zealand. The boats go out from Bluff and return to Bluff.

　　These oysters are shell fish which live on the bottom of the sea, about 35m deep. They have two shells. In 1985 and again in 2000, a disease affected⁴ the oysters for a few years. Now there is a quota⁵ and a season – from March to August. These two things – the quota and the limited season – control the number of oysters that fishermen can take each year.

　　New Zealand has rock oysters and Pacific oysters. The Pacific oysters came to New Zealand by accident, probably on the bottom of a ship. They grow more quickly than the native rock oysters and New Zealand now grows them in oyster² farms.

　　However, Bluff oysters are bigger and most oyster-lovers think they are the best in the world. They are native to New Zealand and Chile.

　　Vocabulary

　　afford – have enough money to buy them

　　a dozen – 12

　　A strait is the sea between two islands

　　quota – limited number e.g. 5000 sacks for each boat

　　by accident – by chance

　　oyster-lovers – people who love oysters; what about strawberry-lovers, desert-lovers, chili-lovers etc?

1 bluff   

v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗

参考例句：

• His threats are merely bluff.他的威胁仅仅是虚张声势。
• John is a deep card.No one can bluff him easily.约翰是个机灵鬼。谁也不容易欺骗他。

2 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

3 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。