周末，常爸带小小常和Mike一起喝咖啡。Mike说起自己刚看的一部纪录片：
Mike：
Wow! That documentary is so interesting! I never knew there are so many different ways to recycle our trash.（哇哦！那部纪录片实在太有趣了！我从来不知道回收垃圾有这么多方法。）
常爸：
Yes, it really is! And it certainly gave me some Food for thought about recycling in our own workplace. （没错，真的太有趣了！而且这部纪录片真的给了我关于办公场所垃圾回收的food for thought。）
小小常：
Food? What food? We didn't order food at all!（吃的？什么吃的？我们根本没点吃的啊！）
Mike：
It's not real food, Victor! Food for thought means something that makes you think seriously. （这里说的并不是真正的食物，小小常！Food for thought是指让你认真思考的东西。）
常爸：
Indeed. Now I believe we could recycle more in the office. （没错。现在我相信在办公室我们可以做更多循环利用。）
小小常：
I can help, too! I will teach my friends at school what we learned.（我也能帮忙！我会把学到的方法教给学校的同学。）
Mike：
Excellent!（ 非常棒！）
food就是“食物”；thought表示“思考”。“food for thought”字面意思是：给思想（吃）的食物，需要思想消化的食物，实际意思和吃的东西是没有关系的，也不是精神食粮。
food for thought表示值得人深思的事情或问题，引发人思考的观点。give somebody food for thought就是“引起（某人）深思”。
那么，有哪些场景能让人深思呢？
✍看书时：
Even though the book was bad, the story gave Marlena food for thought.即便这本书很糟，但书中的故事还是很值得玛琳娜深思。
✍上课时：
The lecture was really interesting! It gave me a lot of food for thought.这堂课真的很有趣！给我留下了很多值得思考的问题。
✍择业时：
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.我大学毕业了，现在面临择业！选择太多了，所以我需要好好思考思考。
✍受挫时：
Our team lost the rugby game last weekend, but it is not just the scoreline that caused us most food for thought.我们队上周末输了橄榄球比赛，但最让我们深思的不只是比分。
“food for thought”一词可以追溯到19世纪后期。不过，把消化“从胃转移到头脑”的概念则起源于18世纪的法国大革命和启蒙运动时期，那时的人们开始解放思想，积极地批判专制主义、宗教愚昧和特权主义，宣传自由、平等和民主。
除了food for thought这个说法，thought还有其他的固定搭配：
● give something some thought 仔细想想I've been giving it some thought.（我一直在考虑这件事。）● It's the thought that counts. 重在情义Although you don't like this present, it's the thought that counts.（虽然你不喜欢这个礼物，但是它却重在情义。）● as quick as thought 极快，一闪而过地I run out as quick as thought.（我飞快地跑了出去。）
没想到吧，这样一个简简单单的词，还有不少有趣的用法呢。各位爸妈们，遇到这些场合时就可以用起来了！最后再强调一遍，“food for thought”可不是“精神食粮”哦！
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