李薇 注

The Yeti is an animal that walks on two legs like a man, but is hairy.[1] Over the years, many people say they’ve seen one, especially in the mountains. So far, there is no proof. Have you heard of strange animals like this, such as the Scottish Loch Ness Monster[2]? Do you believe in them?

A: This is a story about the Yeti. There has been a sighting[3]!

B: What’s a Yeti?

A: He’s a creature, also known as The Abominable Snowman or Bigfoot[4]. People catch glimpses of him from time to time, but nobody’s sure if he’s real. They haven’t caught one yet.

B: Is he kind of like the Loch Ness Monster? I already know about that one.

A: Yes, he’s an almost extinct hairy animal who walks on two legs like a human and leaves big tracks, so they call him “Bigfoot”.

B: I see. Is he like a missing link, between an ape and a human?[5]

A: Perhaps. Someone saw him yesterday in the Rocky Mountains[6]. They took a picture. Have you seen it yet? It’s a little fuzzy. Still, you can see his outline.

B: Oh, that. Yes, I saw it this morning. I didn’t read the caption. It’s pretty blurry, it could be anything.

A: Here’s another picture, taken in Asia ten years back, and yet another.

B: I’ve already seen them. They’re yet more unclear. I can make out[7] nothing.

A: Yes, but Yeti don’t stand still for pictures. They’re strong yet shy. They run away from people. That’s why they’ve yet to get a convincing picture.

B: I see. Do you believe in Bigfoot?

A: I’m open[8] to it. How about you?

B: I’m inclined to think it’s a hoax. People claim they’ve seen one, yet they haven’t found a Yeti yet. Still, it’s a nice fantasy[9].

A: Don’t dismiss it out of hand. Aliens[10] are stranger still, yet many scientists believe they exist.

B: I still think it’s all rubbish. Why do you believe in Bigfoot?

A: Because I think my mother-in-law[11] is one.

Vocabulary

1. Yeti: （傳說中喜馬拉雅山的）雪人；hairy: 多毛的。

2. Loch Ness Monster: 尼斯湖水怪。

3. sighting: 目擊，看見（不尋常的事物）。

4. Bigfoot: 大腳，長毛野人（傳說生存于美國西北部山區的長毛猿人）。

5. missing link: （類人猿進化到人類的過程中）或許存在過的一種過渡動物；ape: 猿。

6. Rocky Mountains: 落基山脈，位于北美洲西部，北起阿拉斯加北部，縱貫加拿大和美國西部，南至墨西哥邊境。

7. make out: 看出，辨認出。

8. open: 不對某事存先入之見。

9. fantasy: 幻想，想像。

10. alien: 外星人。

11. mother-in-law: 岳母，丈母娘。

Exercise

1. abominable a. I won’t use your idea or think about it

2. catch a glimpse of b. tending to behave in a particular way

3. from time to time c. animal kind is all dead now

4. extinct d. not clear

5. tracks e. not clear

6. fuzzy f. to state that something is true, even though it
has not been proved

7. outline g. it’s not just a story, but is real in the world

8. caption h. see (only for a second)

9. blurry i. footprints

10. convincing j. garbage or nonsense (you’re wrong, I disagree)

11. inclined k. only sometimes, not regularly

12. hoax l. writing under a picture to explain it

13. claim m. the shape around it

14. dismiss it out of hand n. making you believe that something is true or right

15. exist o. terrible

16. rubbish p. trick. Makes many people believe a lie (for fame/cash)

Answers: 1–o, 2–h, 3–k, 4–c, 5–i, 6–e, 7–m, 8–l, 9–d, 10–n, 11–b, 12–p, 13–f, 14–a, 15–g, 16–j.

Usage Tips

本期內容中用了很多的yet，但依語境的不同，yet有著不同的含義。現列舉幾個常用的用法：

a) 作副詞，意思是“尚未，仍未”，常用在否定句中，如：I haven’t seen it yet. / It isn’t dark yet.

b) 作副詞，意思是“還”，“仍然”，“仍舊”，如：There is hope for her yet.

c) 作副詞，意思是“然而，不過”，如：strong yet shy或young yet wise。

d) 作副詞，意思是“已經”，常用于疑問句，如：Have you had your dinner yet?

e) 作連詞，意思是“然而，可是”，用于連接句子，表示含驚訝之意的轉折，如：She promised she would be early, yet she arrived quite late.

（來源：英語學習雜志）