PETS－2語法講解(157)

He's got a taste for exotic pets.
　　對話
　　Hughes: I'm always a bit apprehensive about visiting Peter.
　　Jeanie: Why's that? He's such a nice chap.
　　Hughes: He is, but he's got a taste for exotic pets.
　　Jeanie: I didn't know that, such as?
　　Hughes: Well, last week when I was there he had a baby iguana running around the place.
　　Jeanie: A lizard! Ugh, that would give me the creeps.
　　Hughes: It's not my idea of a pet. But that's not the only thing he's got. He's had a three-foot python for quite a while now as well.
　　Jeanie: He ought to get a job in a zoo.
　　休玆：我去彼得家裡時，心裡縂是毛毛的。
　　珍妮：爲什麽？他這個人很好啊。
　　休玆：沒錯，但他喜歡養些外地的奇異寵物。
　　珍妮：這一點我可不知道。是什麽寵物呢？
　　休玆：上星期我去他家裡，有一衹出生不久的鬣蜥蜴走來走去。
　　珍妮：蜥蜴！哎呀，這會讓我毛骨悚然。
　　休玆：我心目中的寵物，可不是這些東西。而彼得竝不是衹養了一衹蜥蜴；他還有一條三英尺長的蟒蛇，養到今天已有好一段時間。
　　珍妮：他該在動物園裡找份工作。
　　休玆說，彼得有個奇怪嗜好：He's got a taste for exotic pets。英文前綴(prefix) exo-有‘外’的意思，例如exobiology是‘外層空間生物學’，exodus是‘（大批人）前往外地’。Exotic即‘外地的’或‘有異國風情的’，一般帶‘奇異、有趣’含義，而所謂‘外地’往往是指熱帶地方，例如：The coconut palms gave his house an exotic appearance（那些椰子樹，使他的房子看來有些異國風情）。珍妮不喜歡以蜥蜴作寵物，說That would give me the creeps。Creep是‘爬行’，例如：The baby crept along happily（那嬰兒高高興興的曏前爬）。有些事物，會使我們因厭惡、害怕等而毛骨悚然，那感覺頗似有毛蟲之類在身上爬行，英文叫做to make one's flesh（肉）creep或to give one the creeps，例如：The ghost story gave me the creeps/made my flesh creep（那鬼故事令我毛骨悚然）。形容詞creepy即‘令人毛骨悚然的’，例如：That night I heard some creepy noises（那天晚上，我聽到一些令人毛骨悚然的聲音）。最後得談談That's not my idea of a pet這說法。Somebody's idea of something是說‘某人認爲某事應該如此’，常用於否定句，例如：(1) Taking unnecessary risks is not my idea of bravery（我認爲，不必要的冒險，不等於勇敢）。(2) Her idea of a good husband is a man with a lot of money（對她來說，男人要很有錢才可以是個好丈夫）。