「プラスチックを食べる虫とは？」トピックスを使って英単語を学習♡Day4

youtu.be

【語注】

get rid of 取り除く

worm spit 虫（細長くて気持ち悪い虫、、）

spit 唾

saliva 唾、唾液を出す

break through （科学・交渉の）新開発、（難関・弊害の）突破

enzyme 酸素

turkey 七面鳥

guzzle がぶがぶ

animal kingdom 動物界 ex) run the animal kingdom 動物界を支配する

glamorous きらびやかな、魅力に満ちた

今回も動画の内容をまとめてみました。

Getting rid of plastic with worm spit, Spanish scientists have discovered something in wax worms saliva which helps them eat plastic. It’s hoped the break though will be an effective and natural way of reducing plastic pollution. In the future, plastic-eating worm kits could be used in the home. Now, I would like to introduce three new words in this topic.

1.Plastic gobbling enzymes in worm spit may help ease pollution.

It means that something useful has been found in the spit of a certain kind of worm and it’s the enzymes in a spit. Enzymes are things that help chemical process happen more quickly in this case destroying plastic. Gobbling is the word connected to the noise as a turkey noise. When a turkey gets its food, it eats very quickly and loudly. So we say this is “gobble”. The headliner has turned this into an adjective, just like that noise gobble gobble, and we’re got a word - plastic gobbling. The headline makes you imagine a worm noisely eating plastic. But it’s quite entertaining and it gives you a strong mental image.

2.lowly waxworm’s salivamay boost fight against plastic pollution.

The saliva is the spit, another meaning is wax worms might boost that means help the attempt to reduce plastic. Wax worm aren’t really high up in the animal kingdom and a little bit dirty. Most people think of them as a pests and don’t really like them. But even though wax worms don’t seem to be important, it’s actually doing a really important job, which is eating plastic. It may not be the glamorous in the world but it’s very important. Lowly is used like this situation. For example, I used to be a lowly tea maker in the office, I call myself lowly. But I’m performing a really important task like the worm. Everyone loves tea.

3.Humble worm saliva can break down tough plastic

The saliva of this type of wax worm can destroy ones that are difficult to break down. Humble can have the same meaning as lowly, meaning “ordinary” or not important and another meaning. It can describe a person who isn’t proud and doesn’t believe that they’re important. For example, imagine someone win an award, they get on stage to give their speech and they say, “This isn’t for me, it’s for everyone else. Thank you everyone who helps me.” They’re humble. Even though this worm maybe looks just like a worm, it’s really special and important. It has plastic-eating abilities.

このトピックスでハイライトしたい文法と単語を赤文字で表記したのですが、

①turn A into B →AをBに変える

②mental → おかしな、馬鹿げている

③the same 〜 as... → 〜するような…

①と③はforest（英語の文法書）に出てきたやつだ！と嬉しくなったもので、

②はハリーポッターで学んだスラング的な？意味だとすぐに分かりました。

mentalって「精神的な」という意味でもあるけど、イギリスではcrazyに近いニュアンスで使われているみたいです。

ハリーポッターの賢者の石で、組み分け帽子による寮の組み分け儀式を行うシーンで、

マクゴガナル先生に呼ばれて組み分け帽子の元へ行くハーマイオニーを見ながら、

ロンがmental, the one, I’m telling you. とハリーに言います。

日本語版では「変な子だよなぁ、あいつ」と言ってますが、恐らく実際のニュアンスではもっとディスっている感じだと思います。（ちなみにI’m telling you が「絶対に」という意味）

ロンの口の悪さが垣間見られるシーン😂ですが、初めてこのシーンを観た時に、急にmental と言い出したので、どういう意味か気になって調べたことがあったので、意味を知っていました。