A mussel is a small sea animal with a soft body you can eat, living inside a dark shell that opens in two halves. The shell is long and oval, not round like a clam's, and mussels often sit stuck to rocks in groups.

A mussel is a small sea animal with a soft body you can eatmussel是一種可以吃、身體軟軟的小型海洋動物 living inside a dark shell that opens in two halves住在一個會分成兩半打開的深色殼裡 The shell is long and oval, not round like a clam's殼是長橢圓形的，不像蛤蜊那樣圓 and mussels often sit stuck to rocks in groups而且mussel常常一群群黏在石頭上

People steam them in a pot; in Taiwan they are also dried for soup and oil rice. In a shop the shells should still be shut; they open when they cook.

People steam them in a pot大家會用鍋子把牠們蒸熟 in Taiwan they are also dried for soup and oil rice在台灣也會曬乾用來煮湯或做油飯 In a shop the shells should still be shut在店裡買的時候殼應該還是closed they open when they cook煮的時候才會打開

Though actually, the word that trips students is not the cooking: mussel the shellfish and muscle in your arm come from the same old Latin word for a little mouse — the Romans thought the shape looked like one — but they are different English words now, with different spellings and meanings.

Though actually, the word that trips students is not the cooking不過實際上，讓學生搞混的不是煮法 mussel the shellfish and muscle in your arm come from the same old Latin word for a little mousemussel（淡菜）跟muscle（肌肉）其實來自同一個古拉丁字，意思是『小老鼠』 — the Romans thought the shape looked like one ———羅馬人覺得形狀看起來像一隻老鼠—— but they are different English words now, with different spellings and meanings但現在是兩個不同的英文字，拼法和意思都不一樣