The right way to eat an ice-cream-cone¹

Grasp the cone with the right hand firmly but gently between thumb and at least one but not more than three fingers, two-thirds of the way upon the cone. Then dart² swiftly away to an open area, away from the jostling crowd at the stand. Now take up the classic ice-cream-cone-eating stance: feet from one to one feet apart, body bent³ forward from the waist at a twenty-five-degree angle, right elbow well up, right forearm horizontal, at a level with your collarbone and about twelve inches from it.

右手牢牢地抓住蛋筒,但要以大拇指和至少一个、不能超过三个的其他手指夹住蛋筒自下而上三分之二的地方。然后飞奔至宽敞处,离开冷饮亭的拥挤人群。现在摆出吃冰漠淋的古典姿势两足相距一两英尺,上半身前倾25度,右肘抬起,右前臂水平提至与颈骨同高处,距离12英寸。

But don't start eating yet! Check first to see what emergency repairs may be necessary. Sometimes a sugar cone will be so crushed or broken or cracked that all one cm do is gulp⁴ at the thing like a savage⁵, getting what he can of it and letting the rest drop to the ground, and then evacuating⁶ the area of catastrophe⁷ as quickly as possible.

但还别开始吃!先查看一下是否需要进行必要的紧急修补。有时候甜筒给压扁、断裂、破碎了,你只好犹如野人一般狼吞虎咽,能吃.多少算多少,其余的只能任由滴到地上,接着还得要迅速撤离灾难现场。

Checking the cone for possible trouble can be done in a second or two, if one knows where to look and does it systematically⁸. A trouble spot some people overlook is the bottom tip of the cone. This may have been broken off. Or the flap of the cone material at the bottom, usually wrapped over itself in that funny spiral construction, may be folded in a way that is imperfect and leaves an opening. No need to say that through this opening-in a matter of perhaps thirty or, at most, ninety seconds-will begin to pour hundreds of thousands of sticky molecules⁹ of melted ice cream.

如果一个人知道该注意什么地方并有系统地去做,检查蛋筒以防隐患只消一两秒钟便可完成。蛋筒的尖底往往是为人们所忽视的地方――这儿或有可能已经破损。再或者蛋筒底部常给弄成可笑的螺旋状,由于扭拧技术欠佳而留下缺口。不用说,过了30秒或至多90秒钟,成百上千融化了的冰激凌粘乎乎的微粒便会从这缺口倾涌而出。

You know in this case then you must instantly get the paper napkin in your left hand under and around the bottom of the cone to stem the forthcoming flow, or else be doomed¹⁰ to eat the cone far too rapidly. It is a grim moment. No one wants to eat a cone under that kind of pressure, but neither does anyone want to end up with the bottom of the cone stuck to a messy napkin.

在此情况下,你要立即用左手拿纸中包在蛋筒底部及四周堵住涌出的冰漠淋,否则的话,你只能匆匆忙忙地吃下蛋筒。这可真令人着恼。没人希望在那样的压力下吃冰激凌,也不会有人希望吃剩个脏兮兮的纸中裹着的蛋筒底。