周末，常爸帶小小常和Mike一起喝咖啡。Mike說起自己剛看的一部紀錄片：
Mike:
Wow! That documentary is so interesting! I never knew there are so many different ways to recycle our trash.（哇哦！那部紀錄片實在太有趣了！我從來不知道回收垃圾有這麼多方法。）
常爸：
Yes, it really is! And it certainly gave me somefood for thoughtabout recycling in our own workplace. （沒錯，真的太有趣了！而且這部紀錄片真的給了我關於辦公場所垃圾回收的food for thought。）
小小常：
Food? What food? We didn't order food at all!（吃的？什麼吃的？我們根本沒點吃的啊！）
Mike：
It's not real food, Victor!Food for thoughtmeans something that makes you think seriously. （這裡說的並不是真正的食物，小小常！Food for thought是指讓你認真思考的東西。）
Indeed. Now I believe we could recycle more in the office. （沒錯。現在我相信在辦公室我們可以做更多循環利用。）
I can help, too! I will teach my friends at school what we learned.（我也能幫忙！我會把學到的方法教給學校的同學。）
Excellent!（ 非常棒！）
food就是「食物」；thought表示「思考」。「food for thought」字面意思是：給思想（吃）的食物，需要思想消化的食物，實際意思和吃的東西是沒有關係的，也不是精神食糧。
food for thought表示值得人深思的事情或問題，引發人思考的觀點。give somebody food for thought就是「引起（某人）深思」。
那麼，有哪些場景能讓人深思呢？
看書時：
Even though the book was bad, the story gave Marlenafood for thought.
即便這本書很糟，但書中的故事還是很值得瑪琳娜深思。
上課時：
The lecture was really interesting! It gave me a lot offood for thought.
這堂課真的很有趣！給我留下了很多值得思考的問題。
擇業時：
Now that I have finished university, I need to choose a career path! There are so many options that I have a lot of food for thought.
我大學畢業了，現在面臨擇業！選擇太多了，所以我需要好好思考思考。
受挫時：
Our team lost the rugby game last weekend, but it is not just the scoreline that caused usmost food for thought.
我們隊上周末輸了橄欖球比賽，但最讓我們深思的不只是比分。
「food for thought」一詞可以追溯到19世紀後期。不過，把消化「從胃轉移到頭腦」的概念則起源於18世紀的法國大革命和啟蒙運動時期，那時的人們開始解放思想，積極地批判專制主義、宗教愚昧和特權主義，宣傳自由、平等和民主。
除了food for thought這個說法，thought還有其他的固定搭配：
● give something some thought 仔細想想
I've been giving it some thought.（我一直在考慮這件事。）
● It's the thought that counts. 重在情義
Although you don't like this present, it's the thought that counts.（雖然你不喜歡這個禮物，但是它卻重在情義。）
● as quick as thought 極快，一閃而過地
I run out as quick as thought.（我飛快地跑了出去。）
沒想到吧，這樣一個簡簡單單的詞，還有不少有趣的用法呢。各位爸媽們，遇到這些場合時就可以用起來了！最後再強調一遍，「food for thought」可不是「精神食糧」哦！
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