文字难度：★★★
Consider the classic 1)hypothetical 2)scenario: Your house is on fire and you can take only three things with you before the entire structure becomes 3)engulfed in flames. What would you take? Laptops and external hard drives aside, people's responses to this question differ wildly. This diversity results from people's flexibility in ascribing unique value to objects ranging from a hand-scrawled note from a loved one to a 4)threadbare t-shirt that others might consider worthless.
这是一个经典的情景假设：你的房子失火了，在整个房子被大火吞噬之前，你只能带上三样东西逃走，你会带走什么？除了手提电脑和移动硬盘之外，人们的回答可谓五花八门。人们的回答之所以各不相同，是因为物品被附加的特殊价值因人而异，从一张至亲挚爱手写的纸条到一件别人可能认为一文不值的破T恤，都可以是某人心中的无价宝。
The critical quality that leads people to treat 5)rookie cards like 6)rosaries is that of the sacred, whereby an object becomes worthy of boundless7)reverence, commitment, and protection. Actually, it explains one side of the word “taboo” which few people realize. Taboo, the prohibition of an action based on the belief that such behavior is either too sacred and 8)consecrated or too dangerous and accursed for ordinary individuals to undertake.
人们之所以会视新秀球星卡若念珠圣物般神圣，关键是这物件被赋予了无法衡量的意义，所以变得备受尊崇、珍爱和呵护——实际上，这种情况解释了“taboo（禁忌）”这个词鲜为人知的一面。“Taboo”，意为对某种行为的禁止——因为坚信这种行为要么太神圣要么太危险，做出该行为的普通人会受到诅咒，所以禁止该行为。
Generally, the prohibition that is inherent in a taboo includes the idea that its 9)breach or 10)defiance will be followed by some kind of trouble to the offender, such as lack of success in hunting or fishing, sickness, 11)miscarriage, or death. In some cases 12)proscription is the only way to avoid this danger; examples include rules against fishing or picking fruit at certain seasons and against walking or traveling in certain areas. Dietary restrictions are common, as are rules for the behavior of people facing important life events such as 13)parturition, marriage, death, and rites of passage.
禁忌所蕴含的禁律通常包括这么一个观念：违反或者藐视禁忌会令违反者祸患临身，如打猎或捕鱼无甚收获，生病，流产，或者死亡。在某些情况下，限制行为是避免这些危险的唯一方法，例如制定一些禁止在某些季节捕鱼或采摘果实，以及禁止在某些区域行走或通过的规定。最常见的是各种饮食上的禁忌，对人们生命中重要事件的行为规范也不少，如对分娩、结婚、死亡和各种个人典礼中的规矩。