Then there is the hugely profitable cheese export, which may be the reason for all the ‘cheese-head’ mutterings11) abroad. The Netherlands produces over 630,000 tons of cheese, and almost 500,000 tons of it are shipped out to the United States and the rest of the world, to earn the title of World’s Biggest Cheese Exporter.
荷兰人素以喜爱奶酪而著称。这么说吧,来自荷兰的明信片上如果没有郁金香,就很可能会有奶酪。事实上,荷兰人喜爱吃奶酪几乎世人皆知,以至于在国外人们都称荷兰人为“奶酪脑袋”。
不难看出,奶酪对于荷兰人的生活方式是多么重要。只要看一看荷兰人对奶酪不同寻常的巨大消费就可知晓他们对奶酪的喜爱程度:平均来说,每人每年大约要吃掉十五公斤奶酪。有些科学家认为,荷兰人奶酪吃得多,所以有高于常人的平均身高;而几乎所有人都认为,荷兰人奶酪吃得多,所以有大于常人的平均腰围。
于是荷兰人就有了利润极高的奶酪出口贸易,这也许就是为什么其他国家的人们都不满地称他们为“奶酪脑袋”。荷兰每年的奶酪产量高达六十三万多吨,其中有近五十万吨出口到美国和世界其他国家,因此被称作“世界上最大的奶酪出口国”。
National Anthem国歌——威廉王子的“迷你”自传
The Dutch national anthem is supposedly the world’s oldest, but it’s also one of the strangest. It’s basically just a short autobiographical summary of Prince William12) of Orange, as sung by himself. So when you sing the Dutch anthem you are essentially speaking as the prince, which sounds a bit odd. Here are the lyrics: William of Nassau13) A Prince of Orange
Am I, of German descent Am I, free and fearless
Loyal to the fatherland The king of Spain
I will remain until I die I have always honored
荷兰的国歌据说是世界上最古老的国歌,但同时也是最古怪的国歌之一。它基本上就是奥兰治王朝(编者注:也译作“橙色王朝”)中威廉王子的一个简短自传,由王子本人演唱。因此,当你在唱荷兰国歌时,也就相当于在以王子的口吻讲话,听起来实在有点古怪。下面就是这首国歌的歌词:
拿骚的威廉 奥兰治王朝的王子
就是我,日耳曼的后裔 就是我,自由、无畏
忠于祖国 西班牙王
至死不渝 是我永远的荣耀
Bicycle自行车——单车上的逍遥生活
In the everyday life of Holland the bike is a familiar sight. Sixteen million people own approximately thirteen million bicycles! Nearly everyone has one, and some people even have two: a Dutchman without a bike is like a fish without water! Holland is the ultimate cycling country. The Dutch use the bicycle as a means of transportation rather than just a recreational sport: using their bike for daily shopping and to commute to work.