又中又英——Gasped in horror
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
2021-01-21 04:16 HKT
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In my previous column I said the recent dry air has made my whole body itch. Last week, on two occasions, I went to a pharmacy to buy skin cream for my itch. Both pharmacies I went to, in Tseung Kwan O and Central, belong to the same pharmacy chain. There are only two major pharmacy chains in Hong Kong. Both stores had a device at the entrance to check the temperature of people entering. These devices are called thermal scanners or infrared palm thermometers. The device checks the temperature of people by scanning their palm or forehead.
A pharmacy is a store that sells prescription and non-prescription medicines as well as other things, such as cosmetics. They are called drug stores in the US. A chain store is one of a group of stores with the same name and owned by the same company. Chain stores sell similar things and have a similar look. I scanned my hand when I entered the chain store in Tseung Kwan O. It gave two beeps instead of one. People around me gasped in horror, making me feel like a walking virus. To "gasp in horror" means to suddenly inhale (breathe in) because you are shocked or surprised.
A "walking virus" is an informal term I made up to mean a human walking who is infected with a virus. It is common for fluent English speakers to make up slang expressions. There were also two beeps when I scanned my hand on the infrared palm thermometer at the Central chain store. What the people who gasped in horror didn't know was the temperature device beeped twice because I had a low temperature, not a high one indicating a fever. My temperature is always a bit low. A doctor I asked told me different people have different normal temperatures. Some are a bit above 37 degrees and some are a bit below. I don't know why this particular chain store device gives two beeps when other stores give only one beep for low temperatures.
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在上一个专栏中，我说最近干燥的空气令我浑身发痒。上星期，为了止痒我分别去了两次药房（pharmacy）去买润肤霜。我去的那两间药房（pharmacies）在将军澳和中环，附属于同一连锁药房（pharmacy chain）。在香港，只有两大连锁药房（pharmacy chains）。那两间分店在入口处都设有为顾客量体温的仪器。这些体温探测器叫做thermal scanners（热像体温探测仪）或infrared palm thermometers（红外线手掌测温仪），这些仪器可透过扫描人的手掌或额头，探测其体温。
A pharmacy就是售卖处方或非处方药物的药房，也有售卖其他货物如化妆品。它们在美国会叫drug stores。A chain store就是同一家公司持有、有着相同店名的连锁店。连锁店舖（chain stores）所卖的东西相似，店面亦相近。我进入将军澳那间连锁店（chain store）时，伸手扫过测温仪，它发出两下声响而非一下，身边的人都gasped in horror，令我觉得自己像个walking virus。To“gasp in horror”意即因为震惊或讶异而倒抽（inhale）一口凉气。
A“walking virus”并非正式的用语，是我作的，用来形容感染了病毒的人，就像一个「活病毒」般四处行走。操流利英语的人很常会创作一些俚语的说法。当我在中环那间连锁店（chain store），伸出手掌扫过那红外线手掌测温仪（infrared palm thermometer）时，同样是两下响声。那些因惊讶而倒抽一口凉气（gasped in horror）的人所不知道的是，那测温仪响了两声，其实是因为我体温低，而非显示发烧的高温。我的体温常常偏低。我曾问过的一位医生告诉我，不同人有不同的正常体温，有些人会稍高于三十七度，另一些人则会稍低。我不知道为何独独这连锁店的仪器，测到低温会响两下，而其他店舖的只会响一下。中译：七刻
[email protected]
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
A pharmacy is a store that sells prescription and non-prescription medicines as well as other things, such as cosmetics. They are called drug stores in the US. A chain store is one of a group of stores with the same name and owned by the same company. Chain stores sell similar things and have a similar look. I scanned my hand when I entered the chain store in Tseung Kwan O. It gave two beeps instead of one. People around me gasped in horror, making me feel like a walking virus. To "gasp in horror" means to suddenly inhale (breathe in) because you are shocked or surprised.
A "walking virus" is an informal term I made up to mean a human walking who is infected with a virus. It is common for fluent English speakers to make up slang expressions. There were also two beeps when I scanned my hand on the infrared palm thermometer at the Central chain store. What the people who gasped in horror didn't know was the temperature device beeped twice because I had a low temperature, not a high one indicating a fever. My temperature is always a bit low. A doctor I asked told me different people have different normal temperatures. Some are a bit above 37 degrees and some are a bit below. I don't know why this particular chain store device gives two beeps when other stores give only one beep for low temperatures.
＊＊＊＊＊
在上一个专栏中，我说最近干燥的空气令我浑身发痒。上星期，为了止痒我分别去了两次药房（pharmacy）去买润肤霜。我去的那两间药房（pharmacies）在将军澳和中环，附属于同一连锁药房（pharmacy chain）。在香港，只有两大连锁药房（pharmacy chains）。那两间分店在入口处都设有为顾客量体温的仪器。这些体温探测器叫做thermal scanners（热像体温探测仪）或infrared palm thermometers（红外线手掌测温仪），这些仪器可透过扫描人的手掌或额头，探测其体温。
A pharmacy就是售卖处方或非处方药物的药房，也有售卖其他货物如化妆品。它们在美国会叫drug stores。A chain store就是同一家公司持有、有着相同店名的连锁店。连锁店舖（chain stores）所卖的东西相似，店面亦相近。我进入将军澳那间连锁店（chain store）时，伸手扫过测温仪，它发出两下声响而非一下，身边的人都gasped in horror，令我觉得自己像个walking virus。To“gasp in horror”意即因为震惊或讶异而倒抽（inhale）一口凉气。
A“walking virus”并非正式的用语，是我作的，用来形容感染了病毒的人，就像一个「活病毒」般四处行走。操流利英语的人很常会创作一些俚语的说法。当我在中环那间连锁店（chain store），伸出手掌扫过那红外线手掌测温仪（infrared palm thermometer）时，同样是两下响声。那些因惊讶而倒抽一口凉气（gasped in horror）的人所不知道的是，那测温仪响了两声，其实是因为我体温低，而非显示发烧的高温。我的体温常常偏低。我曾问过的一位医生告诉我，不同人有不同的正常体温，有些人会稍高于三十七度，另一些人则会稍低。我不知道为何独独这连锁店的仪器，测到低温会响两下，而其他店舖的只会响一下。中译：七刻
[email protected]
Michael Chugani 褚简宁
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