双语美文之似水流年 （83）茶和交友(16)
Third, half of the art of making tea lies in getting good water with a keen edge; mountain spring water comes first, river water second, and well water third; water from the tap, if coming from dams, being essentially mountain water and satisfactory.
第三，烹茶的艺术一半在于择水，山泉为上，河水次之，井水更次，水槽之水如来自堤堰， 因为本属山泉，所以很可用得；
Fourth, for the appreciation of rare cups, one must have quiet friends and not too many of them at one time.
第四，客不可多，且须文雅之人，方能鉴赏杯壶之美；
Fifth, the proper color of tea in general is a pale golden yellow, and all dark red tea must be taken with milk or lemon or peppermint, or anything to cover up its awful sharp taste.
第五，茶的正色清中带微黄，过浓的红茶即不能不另加牛奶、拧橡、薄荷或他物以调和其苦味；
Sixth, the best tea has a “return flavor” (hueiwei), which is felt about half a minute after drinking and after its chemical elements have had time to act on the salivary glands.
第六，好茶必有回味，大概在饮茶半分钟后，当其化学成分和津液发生作用时，即能觉出；
Seven, tea must be freshly made and drunk immediately, and if good tea is expected, it should not be allowed to stand in the pot for too long, when the infusion has gone too far.
第七，茶须现泡现饮，泡在壶中稍稍过候，即会失味；
Eight, it must be made with water just brought up to a boil.
第八，泡茶必须用刚沸之水；
Nine, all adulterants are taboo, although individual differences may be allowed for people who prefer a slight mixture of some foreign flavor (e.g., jasmine, or cassia).
第九，一切可以混杂真味的香料，须一概摒除，至多只可略加些桂皮或玳玳花，以合有些爱好者的口味而已；
林语堂
中国现代著名作家、学者、翻译家、语言学家。1895年生于福建漳州平和县坂仔镇一个基督教牧师家庭。原名和乐，后改玉堂，又改语堂。早年留学美国、德国，获哈佛大学文学硕士，莱比锡大学语言学博士。回国后在清华大学、北京大学、厦门大学任教。曾任联合国教科文组织美术与文学主任、国际笔会副会长等职。林语堂于1940年和1950年先后两度获得诺贝尔文学奖提名。曾创办《论语》《人世间》《宇宙风》等刊物，作品包括小说《京华烟云》《啼笑皆非》。散文和杂文文集《人生的盛宴》《生活的艺术》以及译著《东坡诗文选》《浮生六记》等。1966年定居台湾。1976年在香港逝世，享年80岁。
1.secure a.安全的；牢固的
Theon grabs headlines but can’t secure market share.
席恩虽然吸引了媒体的关注，但却无法获得市场份额。
Lark’s position is even more secure.
Lark的地位比其它开发商更加稳固。
2.stretch v.伸展；张开
Seek out tough “stretch” assignments.
尝试有难度的“延伸性”任务。
Would stretch deep into the future.
将会深远地延伸到将来。
3.routine n.常规；例行程序
For certain routine exchanges, the answer is a resounding yes.
对于某些日常的信息交换来说，答案绝对是肯定的。
Currently, the u.s. and other well-heeled military powers use their high-end fighter jets to fly these routine missions.
目前，美国及其他家底殷实的军事大国都是用自己的高端战机来完成这些日常任务。
4.quantity n.数量；定量
But old habits emphasising quantity over quality die hard.
但重视数量甚于质量的旧习惯并不容易改变。
But as the quantity increased, the benefit decreased.
但是随着喝咖啡量的增加，益处反而会减少。