| Natural bodily functions are a popular theme in lowbrow humor the world over, especially among adolescent boys, and none more so than farting. 世界各地，尤其在青春期男孩之间，人体功能的自然生理现象一直是低级幽默中的一个热门话题，这其中尤以放屁为最。 A fart, which is the expulsion of gas from the anus, is often accompanied by a loud noise, a vibrating sensation, and an unpleasant odor. 屁，是从肛门排出的气体，通常伴随一声巨响、一阵振动感，以及一股难闻的臭味。 It is also one of the most common side effects of the chemical processes of the digestive system. 它也是消化系统进行化学作用的过程中最常见的副作用之一。 Its scientific name is flatus or flatulence, but the English language has an impressive range of colorful terms to describe the explosive emission of digestive gas. 屁的学名是“肠胃胀气”或是“肠胃气胀”，不过英语里有一套令人印象深刻的生动说法来形容这种消化气体的爆发。 We can, for instance, break wind, drop one, pass gas, let one fly, step on a duck, or cut the cheese. 譬如我们可以说“起风”，“平地一声雷”，“瓦斯漏气”，“臭气飞弹”，“踩到噗噗鸭”，或“切奶酪”。 Whatever he or she chooses to call it, a healthy person breaks wind an average of sixteen times a day, and most often when asleep. 不管人们决定怎样称呼它，健康的人一天平均会放16次屁，大多是在睡觉时放的。 Females fart just as much as males, though on the whole less extravagantly. 尽管从整体而言女性放屁较少，但实际上女性放的屁其实跟男性一样多。 Most other mammals fart too, and—a worrying thought perhaps—elephants do it the most. 大部分其它的哺乳类动物也放屁──让人担心的是大象可能是最常放屁的。 Whether or not a person's fart smells depends on what he or she has been eating recently. 一个人的屁臭不臭，取决于他或她最近吃了什么。 If the combination of gases that make up a fart includes a significant amount of hydrogen sulfide, then it will stink. 如屁的组成气体中包含大量的硫化氢，就会发臭。 |
