新西兰英语 769 Bluff Oyster Festival

 　　Today was the annual Oyster¹ Festival in Bluff², Southland. More than 4,000 people attended to eat oysters³ – raw or cooked – and to watch competitions: to see how fast someone can open 50 oysters or how fast someone can open and eat 6 oysters. Bluff oysters are bivalves (have 2 shells). You need skill and a special knife to open them. The record for opening 50 oysters is just under 2 and a half minutes.

　　Bluff is 30km from Invercargill, in the far south of the South Island. Fishing boats leave Bluff harbour to dredge for oysters in Foveaux Strait, between the South Island and Stewart Island. These oysters are dredged from the sea floor by a boat. A dredge is a large net made of metal. The oyster season starts March 1st and finishes in August. In that time, fishermen are allowed to collect 12 million oysters. These are sent all over New Zealand to fish shops, supermarkets, restaurants and fish and chip shops. Raw oysters cost about $2 each. Most oyster-lovers think Bluff oysters are the best.

　　Many years ago, fishermen used to collect 82 million oysters each year but in 1986, a disease killed many Bluff oysters. From 1991 to 1994, there was no oyster fishing. Now the numbers are starting to increase again but there is a quota⁴ to make sure that oysters will return to a healthy number again.

　　Vocabulary

　　?annual – every year

　　?record – the fastest

　　?to dredge – to scoop⁵ up

　　?Strait – sea between two islands

　　?quota – maximum number they can collect

1 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。

2 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。

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 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。

5 scoop   

n.铲子，舀取，独家新闻；v.汲取，舀取，抢先登出

参考例句：

• In the morning he must get his boy to scoop it out.早上一定得叫佣人把它剜出来。
• Uh,one scoop of coffee and one scoop of chocolate for me.我要一勺咖啡的和一勺巧克力的。