第二步：精读重点段落

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

第1段
I made my way down Varanasi’s winding, narrow alleyways, bound by walls stained with the distinctive red marks of paan (a leaf often used to flavor chewing tobacco) spat out by hundreds of passers-by. I was headed to one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, known as Godowlia Chowk, in search of a tiny street stall which is famous for thandai.

• Make my way down 沿着路走下去
• Head to 径直去某处
• In search of 寻找

第3段
Bhang has long been of cultural significance in India. In Hinduism, bhang takes on special meaning as the plant preferred by Shiva, the god of destruction, who was believed to have used bhang to focus inward and to harness his divine powers for the good of the world.

• Of cultural significance 在文化上有重要地位
• Take on 承担／呈现／具有

第9段
The first – and only – time I tried a special thandai had been during the Holi festival several years earlier. My experience started with an initial happy haze, followed by a paranoid funk that lasted for hours. As I observed a few of Pathak’s regulars queue up for the intoxicating beverage, I marveled at their ability to consume it regularly.

• Followed by 紧接着
• Last for hours 持续数小时
• Queue up 排队等候
• Marvel at 惊讶于

第14段
To forbid or even seriously restrict the use of so holy and gracious an herb as the hemp would cause widespread suffering and annoyance,” the report said. “It would rob people of solace in discomfort, of a cure in sickness, of a guardian whose gracious protection saves them from attacks of evil influences.”

• Rob sb. of sth. 从某人处剥夺某物
• Save sb. from sth. 拯救某人使免于某种危害

（Tips: 双击文中单词可以查释义并加入你的生词本哦）

The Intoxicating Drug of an Indian God

[1] I made my way down Varanasi’s winding, narrow alleyways, bound by walls stained with the distinctive red marks of paan (a leaf often used to flavor chewing tobacco) spat out by hundreds of passers-by. I was headed to one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, known as Godowlia Chowk, in search of a tiny street stall which is famous for thandai.

• alleyway n. 胡同／窄巷
• stain vt. vi. 沾污
• spat vi. 吐口水
• stall n. 货摊

[2] The milk-based, mildly spiced Indian beverage comes in flavors like apple, mango and papaya. However, the most popular order at Pathak’s stall, known as ‘special thandai’, is made with a dash of freshly ground bhang, an intoxicant made from the leaves of the female cannabis plant.

• papaya n. 木瓜
• thandai 桑代／由大麻、杏仁、牛奶制成的饮料
• bhang 印度大麻
• intoxicant adj. n. 醉人的
• cannabis n. 印度大麻(hemp)

[3] Bhang has long been of cultural significance in India. In Hinduism, bhang takes on special meaning as the plant preferred by Shiva, the god of destruction, who was believed to have used bhang to focus inward and to harness his divine powers for the good of the world.

• Hinduism n. 印度教
• Shiva 湿婆
• harness vt. 治理／驾驭／利用

[4] In the Atharva Veda, one of the four sacred texts of Hinduism, cannabis is named one of the five most sacred plants on Earth. The text also refers to it as a ‘source of happiness’ and a ‘liberator’.

• Atharva Veda 吠陀经典
• sacred adj. 神圣的／宗教的
• liberator n. 解放者

[5] Although the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act of 1985 prohibits the production, sale and consumption of certain parts of the cannabis plant, the leaves are an exception. There are even government-approved bhang shops in towns like Jaisalmer and Pushkar, and more than 200 such shops – including Pathak’s – exist year-round in Varanasi. The intoxicating ingredient has always been popular with India’s Brahmin community, who were traditionally forbidden from imbibing inebriants like alcohol. In some especially religious parts of the country, including Varanasi, it is common to see babas and sadhus (holy men) consuming bhang directly or smoking it from a clay pipe known as a chillum.

• Narcotic adj. 麻醉的／催眠的
• Psychotropic adj. 治疗精神病的
• ingredient n. 原料／要素
• Brahmin 婆罗门
• imbibe v. 吸入
• inebriant n. 酒类／致醉剂
• sadhus 苦行僧
• chillum 吸大麻的烟斗

[6] Pathak’s family has been serving bhang at the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, dedicated to Shiva, for more than 150 years. Pathak sources the raw material each day from his local government-sanctioned shop. He soaks it in warm water, and then grinds it into a coarse paste with a flat mortar and pestle to get it ready for consumption.

• sanction n. vt. 制裁／处罚／批准／认可
• soak vt. vi. n. 浸泡／沉浸
• grind vt. vi. n. 磨碎
• coarse adj. 粗糙的／下等的
• mortar n. 研钵／vt. 用灰泥涂抹
• pestle vt. vi. n. 用杵捣碎

[7] “This is the traditional baba ka prasad presented at 3 am every day, during the Mangal Aarti,” he said, referring to the pious offering of a special thandai made to Shiva by devotees during the early-morning prayer ceremony.

• pious adj. 虔诚的

[8] Bhang also plays an important role in Hindu celebrations like Shivrati (known as the 'night of Shiva') and Holi (the festival of colors). During these times, the addition of bhang to a traditional thandai heightens the general sense of merriment on the streets. Pathak says he serves more customers than usual on festival days.

• merriment n. 欢喜／嬉戏

[9] The first – and only – time I tried a special thandai had been during the Holi festival several years earlier. My experience started with an initial happy haze, followed by a paranoid funk that lasted for hours. As I observed a few of Pathak’s regulars queue up for the intoxicating beverage, I marveled at their ability to consume it regularly.

• haze n. 阴霾／薄雾／疑惑／vt. vi.变朦胧／变糊涂
• paranoid adj. n. 妄想狂／偏执狂
• funk n. vt. vi. 恐惧／畏缩／臭味
• marvel n. 奇迹／vt. vi. 感到惊讶

[10] Although thandai is the most common base, bhang is also blended into lassi, a popular churned and sweetened yoghurt drink. Close to the Vishwanath temple is another local institution, the Blue Lassi Shop, featuring more than 80 variants of the beverage on its menu – and one unadvertised ‘special’ available only to those who specifically ask for it.

• lassi 印度奶昔
• churn vi. vt. n. 搅拌
• variant adj. n. 不同／多样

[11] Bhang is also mixed into savory snacks like pakora (fried balls of chickpea flour) or into the chutneys and pickles that accompany other popular fried snacks like samosa and kachori. Many of the government-authorized shops also sell sweetened bhang in the form of laddoos, a traditional Indian dessert.

• savory adj. 可口的／n. 开胃菜
• chutney n. 酸辣酱
• pickle n. 泡菜／腌制食品
• kachori 咖喱角
• laddoo 甜味面球

[12] Additionally, bhang is believed to have medicinal properties when administered in moderate doses. One of Hinduism’s best-known legends describes a plot by several gods and demons to churn the ocean to release a nectar of immortality. When Shiva intervened to drink up the halahala poison that also emerged during the churning, it turned his throat blue (earning him the name Neelkanth, or Blue-throated) and caused him great agony. Parvati offered him ground bhang to soothe the pain.

• plot n. 阴谋／vt. vi. 密谋
• demon n. 恶魔／精力充沛的人
• nectar n. 神酒／美味饮料
• immortality n. 不朽
• intervene vi. 干涉／调停／插入
• agony n. 苦恼／临死挣扎
• soothe vt. vi. 安慰／缓和

[13] When the British established rule over India in the mid-1800s, they were initially astounded at such widespread use of bhang in the country; in the late 19th Century, they commissioned a study of the drug’s effects and cultural significance. 

• astound vt. 使惊骇／使震惊

[14] “To forbid or even seriously restrict the use of so holy and gracious an herb as the hemp would cause widespread suffering and annoyance,” the report said. “It would rob people of solace in discomfort, of a cure in sickness, of a guardian whose gracious protection saves them from attacks of evil influences.”

• gracious adj. 亲切的／高尚的
• hemp n. 大麻
• annoyance n. 烦恼／打扰
• solace n. vt. 安慰

[15] To this day, bhang plays a significant role in Indian spirituality and culture. However, I have steered clear of it since that memorable morning during the Holi festival.

• steer vt. vi. 控制／引导／驾驶