英语口语-下午茶的来历

英语口语-下午茶的来历 悠然闲适尽在下午茶:下午茶的来历 下午茶的来历: In 1662, King Charles II of England married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza who brought with her, as part of her dowry, a small chest of tea. As the new queen, Catherine began the serving of tea to her friends at court. 1662年，英格兰国王查理二世迎娶了葡萄牙布拉干萨王朝的凯瑟琳公主。公主随嫁妆带来了一 小箱茶叶。当上了皇后的凯瑟琳开始在宫廷中以茶待客。 Although there is mention of "five o'clock tea" in France in the 17th century, the credit for the invention of "Afternoon Tea" is given to Anna Russell, duchess of Bedford who, during the long gap between an early breakfast and very late dinner, experienced what she called "a sinking feeling" at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. She asked her maid to bring her a pot of tea, a little bread and butter and cake in her room. She found this arrangement so agreeeable that she began asking her friends to join her. 尽管在17世纪的法国就有“五时茶”的说法，但“下午茶”的发明还是要归功于贝德福德公爵夫人 安娜•拉塞尔。从一大早的早餐到很晚才进的晚餐之间有很长一段时间，而公爵夫人常常在下午四五 点钟左右会有“一种虚脱感”。她命女仆送一壶茶、一点儿黄油面包和蛋糕到她房间里去。她发现这一 餐吃得很惬意，于是开始邀请她的朋友们一起来享用。 什么是下午茶, High tea, a term often confused with afternoon tea, usually takes the place of supper. During the Industrial Revolution, working class families would return home tired and exhausted. The table would be set with dinner foods like meat, bread, butter, potatoes, cheese and of course tea. It was termed "high tea" because it was eaten at a high dining table rather than a low tea table. 人们常常会把“茶点”和“下午茶”搞混，其实茶点通常相当于晚餐。在工业革命时期， 工人阶级的家庭成员回到家时都筋疲力尽。晚餐桌上的食物通常是肉、面包、黄油、土豆、 奶酪，当然也少不了茶。它之所以被称为"high tea"，是因为这顿饭是在一张高餐桌而不是矮 茶桌上吃的。 Afternoon tea (because it was usually taken in the late afternoon) is also called "low tea" as it is served at a low table. Since this wasn't a meal, but rather like a late afternoon snack meant to stave off hunger, finger foods were the common fare. Tiny, dainty sandwiches, scones and pastries were served with afternoon tea. Finger foods afforded one the opportunity to take a petite bite and easily maintain a conversation. This is most important, as one is not merely taking tea to gain nourishment or satisfy hunger, but to take time to relax, converse and enjoy the company of dear friends. In England, the traditional time for tea was four o'clock or five o'clock in the afternoon and no one stayed after seven o'clock. 下午茶(因为它通常是在傍晚时享用)，又称"low tea"，这样叫是因为它是放在一张矮桌 上享用的。由于这不是一顿饭，而更像是一顿傍晚时分为避免饥饿而食用的小吃，因此摆放 的食物通常都是可以用手拿着吃的。美味的小块三明治、烤饼和酥皮糕点通常都是享用下午 茶时的小吃。这些便于手拿的食物可以让人们一边小口品尝一边还能轻松地进行交谈——这 是最为重要的一点——因为人们不只是为了补充营养或充饥而喝茶，而是要借此机会放松自 己，聊聊天和享受好友陪伴的乐趣。在英国，传统的喝茶时间是在下午四五点钟，而且下午 茶都会在七点以前结束。 双语文化:10条知识为你扫盲万圣节 1. The Halloween celebration comes from All Hallows Day or All Saints Day, the 1st of November. This was originally a pagan festival of the dead, but later became a holiday to honor Christian saints. 万圣节的庆祝活动来源于每年11月1日的All Hallows Day 或All Saints Day。 它原先是异教徒们纪念死者的节日，但是逐渐演变成一个纪念基督圣者的节日。 2. The name Halloween comes from a contraction of All Hallows Eve (Evening), the day before All Hallows Day. On this night it was believed that the spirits of the dead would try to come back to life! Halloween就是All Hallows Eve的缩写。而All Hallows Eve(夜晚)是All Hallows Day 的前一天。人们认为在当天晚上，亡者的灵魂会重新复活～ 3. Dressing up in costumes is one of the most popular Halloween customs, especially among children. According to tradition, people would dress up in costumes (wear special clothing, masks or disguises) to frighten the spirits away. Dressing up in costumes是最受欢迎的万圣节风俗之一，尤其是受孩子们的欢迎。 按照传统习俗，人们会dress up in costumes(穿戴一些特別的服裝，面具或者装饰)来吓跑鬼 魂。 4. Popular Halloween costumes include vampires (creatures that drink blood), ghosts (spirits of the dead) and werewolves (people that turn into wolves when the moon is full). 流行的万圣节服装包括vampires(吸血鬼)，ghosts(死者的灵魂)和werewolves(每当 月圆时就变成狼形的人)。 5. Trick or Treat is a modern Halloween custom where children go from house to house dressed in costume, asking for treats like candy or toys. If they don't get any treats, they might play a trick (mischief or prank) on the owners of the house. Trick or Treat 是现代万圣节的风俗。孩子们穿着特殊的衣服走街串巷，讨取糖果 和玩具之类的赏赐。如果他们得不到任何的赏赐，就可能会对屋主大搞恶作剧或者胡闹了。 6. The tradition of the Jack o' Lantern comes from a folktale about a man named Jack who tricked the devil and had to wander the Earth with a lantern. The Jack o' Lantern is made by placing a candle inside a hollowed-out pumpkin, which is carved to look like a face. Jack o' Lantern 的传统来自于一个民间传说。一个名叫Jack的人戏弄了恶魔，之 后就不得不提着一盏灯在地球上流浪。Jack o' Lantern是用雕刻成脸型，中间挖空，再插上 蜡烛的南瓜做成的。 7. There are many other superstitions associated with Halloween. A superstition is an irrational idea, like believing that the number 13 is unlucky! 和万圣节有关的迷信还有很多。迷信是一种不合常理的想法，比如认为13是不 吉利的数字～ 8. Halloween is also associated with supernatural creatures like ghosts and vampires. These creatures are not part of the natural world. They don't really exist... or do they? 万圣节还和一些诸如鬼魂和吸血鬼之类的超自然的生物有关。这些生物不是自然 界的一部分。他们实际上是不存在的„„或许他们其实真的存在, 9. Witches are popular Halloween characters that are thought to have magical powers. They usually wear pointed hats and fly around on broomsticks. 女巫是万圣节很受欢迎的人物，人们认为她们具有强大的魔力。他们通常戴着尖 顶的帽子，骑在扫把上飞来飞去。 10. Bad omens are also part of Halloween celebrations. A bad omen is something that is believed to bring bad luck, like black cats, spiders or bats. 恶兆也是万圣节庆祝活动的一部分。人们相信恶兆会带给坏运气，黑猫、蜘蛛或 者蝙蝠都算是恶兆。 海外文化:美国的选举 Surprises often come in boxes. Birthday presents wrapped in colorful paper, brown paper packages mailed from a friend. No matter what kind of box it is, people like to open it up and see what's inside. In America, and in many other countries, one special kind of box contains the future. It's called a ballot box. What people put into the box on election day can change the course of history. 惊奇常常是在箱子里出现:包在彩色包装纸里面的生日礼物„朋友寄来牛皮纸包的包 裹„不论是怎样的箱子，人们喜欢打开来看看里面是什么。在美国以及其它许多国家，有一 个特殊的箱子关系着未来，称为投票箱。人们在选举日投在箱子里的东西可以改变历史的走 向。 Elections are the lifeblood of a democracy. The word democracy literally means "the people rule," an important concept in America's history. In the mid-1700s, England began passing laws that made the American colonies angry. The colonists had to pay more and more taxes and enjoyed less and less freedom. They felt the government of England didn't represent their interests. On July 4, 1776, the colonies declared their independence from England. They wanted to establish a democracy where people could have a voice in government. 选举是民主的原动力。民主这个字照字面的意思是“人民自主”，是美国历史中一个重 要的观念。十八世纪中期，英国开始通过一些使美国殖民地愤怒的法律。殖民地人民必须付 愈来愈多的税，享有愈来愈少的自由。他们感到英国政府没有代他们的权益。一七七六年 七月四日，殖民地宣布脱离英国独立。他们想要建立民主制度，使人们在政府中有发言权。 An effective democracy holds regular elections. In America, elections are held every two years for members of Congress. In these elections, all seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate seats are up for grabs. In addition, every four years, voters go to the polls to elect the nation's president and vice-president. Voters also regularly cast their ballots for state and city government leaders and local school board members. Sometimes they also have to vote on a proposed law. 有效的民主制度定期举行选举。在美国，每两年选一次国会议员。在这些选举中，人们 可以争取所有众议院的席位和三分之一的参议院席位。除此以外，选民每四年去投票所选出 国家的总统和副总统。选民也定期投票选出州长、市长及当地学校的董事会成员。有时他们 也必须投票决定提议的法律。 In the American electoral system, people don't really vote for presidential candidates. Instead, voters cast their ballots for "electors" who support each candidate. Each state has as many electors as the total number of its representatives in Congress. This equals two senators per state plus the number of its representatives in the House (which is based on the state's population). The candidate who has the most votes in a state wins all of the state's electors. To win the presidential election, a candidate must gain at least 270 of the 538 total electoral votes. 在美国的选举制度中，人们并不直接投票给总统候选人，而是由选民投票给支持各个候选人 的“选举人”。每一州的选举人人数和代表此州的国会议员人数相同，等于每一州有两位参 议员，加上众议院的众议员人数(以各州的人口为基准)。在一个州里拥有最多票数的候选 人就赢得了那一州所有选举人的票数。要赢得总统大选，候选人必须至少获得总共538个选 举人中的270张票。 Over the years, the U.S. has made a number of election reforms. Some early reforms outlawed cheating, giving bribes and threatening voters. They also limited the amount of money candidates could receive from donors and spend on their campaigns. In 1870, black people gained the right to vote, and in 1920, that right was extended to women. In recent decades, laws against unfair rules for voting have been passed. No longer do people have to pay a special tax or pass a test in order to vote. In 1971, the voting age was lowered to 18. Other reforms made voting easier for the blind, the disabled and people who couldn't read. In some areas, ballots had to be printed in languages besides English. 多年来，美国在选举方面做了一些改革。早期有些改革禁止作弊、收受贿赂或威胁选民。他 们也限制候选人从捐赠者那儿获得的金额数目及花在竞选宣传上的费用。一八七?年，黑人 获得选举权。一九二?年，权利延伸至妇女。近几十年来，通过了反对不公平选举规则的法 律。人们不再需要付特殊的税或通过测验才能选举。一九七一年，投票的年龄降至十八岁。 其它的改革减轻了盲人、残障者及文盲投票的困难。在某些地区，选票上面除了英文以外， 还必须印上别的文字。 海外文化:你知道拍卖的四种形式吗? There are several variations on the basic auction form, including time limits, minimum or maximum limits on bid prices, and special rules for determining the winning bidder(s) and sale price(s). Participants in an auction may or may not know the identities or actions of other participants. Depending on the auction, bidders may participate in person or remotely through a variety of means, including telephone and the internet. The seller usually pays a commission to the auctioneer or auction company based on a percentage of the final sale price. 拍卖在基本形式之上存在着某些不同，包括限时、最低或最高竞投价格、以及用于决定竞价胜 出者和成交价格的特别规则。参与拍卖的人不一定知道其他参与者的身份或者行为。根据拍卖形式的 不同，竞投者可能会亲自出席，或者运用各种远程手段——例如电话和因特网——参与拍卖会。卖家 一般会根据最终成交价格的一定比例付给拍卖商或拍卖公司佣金。 Primary types of auction 拍卖的主要种类 English auction 英式拍卖 English auction, also known as an open ascending price auction. This type of auction is arguably the most common form of auction in use today. Participants bid openly against one another, with each subsequent bid higher than the previous bid. An auctioneer may announce prices, bidders may call out their bids themselves (or have a proxy call out a bid on their behalf), or bids may be submitted electronically with the highest current bid publicly displayed. In some cases a maximum bid might be left with the auctioneer, who may bid on behalf of the bidder according to the bidder’s instructions. The auction ends when no participant is willing to bid further, at which point the highest bidder pays their bid. Alternatively, if the seller has set a minimum sale price in advance (the ’reserve’ price) and the final bid does not reach that price the item remains unsold. Sometimes the auctioneer sets a minimum amount by which the next bid must exceed the current highest bid. 英式拍卖，也称为公开增价拍卖。据称这种拍卖形式是当今最常见的拍卖方式。买家公开相互 竞价，每次竞价都要比前一次的竞价更高。可以由拍卖师宣报价格，也可以由买家自己报价(或者请 一位代理人代表买家报价)。当没有人愿意继续竞价时拍卖结束，出价最高者需支付所报出的价格。 或者，如果卖家已经提前设定了最低售价(“保留价”)，而最终的竞价没有达到这个价格，拍卖品则 不出售。有时候拍卖师会限定最低报价增幅，从而使下一次竞价必须高于当前的最高价格。 The most significant distinguishing factor of this auction type is that the current highest bid is always available to potential bidders. The English auction is commonly used for selling goods, most prominently antiques and artwork, but also secondhand goods and real estate. At least two bidders are required. 这种拍卖方式最显著的特点在于，当前最高竞价始终对潜在的买家公开。英式拍卖目前广泛用 于商品出售，主要是古董和艺术品拍卖，也用于二手商品和房地产拍卖。这种拍卖需要至少两个买家 的参与。 Dutch auction 荷兰式拍卖 Dutch auction also known as an open descending price auction. In the traditional Dutch auction the auctioneer begins with a high asking price which is lowered until some participant is willing to accept the auctioneer's price. The winning participant pays the last announced price. 荷兰式拍卖，也称为公开降价拍卖。在传统的荷兰式拍卖中，拍卖师以相对较高的价格起拍， 然后逐步降低，直至有人愿意接受拍卖师开出的价格。胜出者需要支付最后一次宣布的价格。 The Dutch auction is named for its best known example, the Dutch tulip auctions. ("Dutch auction" is also sometimes used to describe online auctions where several identical goods are sold simultaneously to an equal number of high bidders.) In addition to cut flower sales in the Netherlands, Dutch auctions have also been used for perishable commodities such as fish and tobacco. In practice, however, the Dutch auction is not widely used. 荷兰式拍卖是因其最出名的一个——荷兰郁金香拍卖——而得名。(“荷兰式拍卖”有时也指 网上拍卖，这种网拍形式同时为数量相等的高竞价买家提供数件相同的物品。)荷兰式拍卖不仅被用 于荷兰的鲜切花交易，还被用于出售某些易腐烂的商品，例如鱼和烟草。然而在实际中，荷兰式拍卖 并未被广泛应用。 Sealed first-price auction 首价密封拍卖 Sealed first-price auction, also known as a first-price sealed-bid auction (FPSB). In this type of auction all bidders simultaneously submit sealed bids so that no bidder knows the bid of any other participant. The highest bidder pays the price they submitted. 首价密封拍卖也叫首价密封投标拍卖。根据这种拍卖方式的要求，所有买家须同时提交密封好 的报价，因而没有人知道其他竞买者的报价。出价最高者支付其报出的价格。 This type of auction is distinct from the English auction, in that bidders can only submit one bid each. Furthermore, as bidders cannot see the bids of other participants they cannot adjust their own bids accordingly. Sealed first-price auctions are commonly used in tendering, particularly for government contracts and auctions for mining leases. 这种拍卖方式与英式拍卖的不同在于，每个买家只能出一次价。不仅如此，由于买家无法得知 其他竞买人的报价，他们也无法相应地调整自己的报价。首价密封方式常用于投标，尤其是在政府项 目和矿产租赁权拍卖中。 Vickrey auction 维克瑞拍卖 Vickrey auction, also known as a sealed-bid second-price auction. This is identical to the sealed first-price auction except that the winning bidder pays the second highest bid rather than their own. This is very similar to the proxy bidding system used by eBay, where the winner pays the second highest bid plus a bidding increment (e.g., 10%). 维克瑞拍卖，也称为第二价格密封拍卖。这种拍卖方式与首价密封拍卖基本相同，区别仅在于 胜出者需要支付的价格是第二高的报价，而不是他自己的报价。这与易趣网所使用的代理人竞价系统 相似，在这个系统中，胜出者需要支付第二高的报价，再加上一个报价的增额(如10%)。 Although extremely important in auction theory, in practice Vickrey auctions are rarely used. 尽管这种方式在拍卖理论中占据重要地位，但在实际中，维克瑞拍卖方式却很少被使用。 欧美文化:美国国旗的意义 One of our great symbols is the American flag,13 red and white stripes corresponding to the number of original stats on a rectangular piece of color, one corner blue with 50 white stars for 50 states. 美国的象征之一是国旗,长方形布上13道红白相间的条纹表示美国原来的州数,蓝色一角上印着 的50颗白星代表50个州。 You see the flag everywhere now, "what so proudly we hail.” It means the World Trade Center happened to all of us. "We're proud to be Americans, "say flags on front porches in small towns across the country. Some homes seem to have been built to fly the flag. This wouldn't be complete without it; just perfect. "We're American too" say the flags inelegant glued to the city apartment windows. The declaration of patriotic intent is everywhere, the simplest as persuasive as the displays where one was considered not enough. Rockefeller Center with 150 beauties is in show business, a stirring sight although it's unlikely that management there loves our country more than the owner of the smallest small business, displaying just one. 现在是四处都能看到国旗,"是什么让我们感到骄傲。"那表示世贸中心事件与每个美国人息息相 联。美国各小城镇的前廊悬挂着的国旗体现出"身为美国人的自豪"。有些房子仿佛就是为了挂国旗而 建的。没有国旗便不完整;挂上后便完美了。"我们也是美国人"--这是斜贴在这所市内公寓窗外的国 旗传达出的信息。处处洋溢着爱国宣言,从小处看最能让人信服这一点,比如,有些人认为挂一面国旗还 不足够。洛克菲勒中心高高飘起150面美丽的美国国旗,景象令人叹为观止,但这并不说明此处的管理 者就比只挂出一面国旗的小商店店主更爱国。 The Annin flag company makes most American flags. They have more business than they can do now. You don't have to go to Annin to buy a flag though. Flag sales are a street corner cottage industry. Furtive operatives set up shops, to them the buck means more than the banner. 安宁国旗公司出产全美大部分的国旗。现在他们的生意是应接不暇。但要买国旗并不非得到安宁 公司。街角也有出售国旗的摊子。对于那些偷偷售卖国旗的街贩,钱比国旗更重要。 The color of our flag and the numbers of stars and stripes are ordained, but there is no rule regarding dimension. There are tiny flags on sticks made in China. This grand flag is so big on a building in New York that it had to be continued around the corner. This beauty hangs from the side wall of a fire house. And you wouldn't want a dirty flag so they wash them. 美国国旗的颜色、星星的数目、横条都是规定好了的,但尺寸大小就没有限制。也有中国制造的 小签国旗。纽约一栋大楼外的国旗巨大得要转弯接着挂起。消防局的墙上挂着一面国旗。如果不想挂 脏国旗就像他们一样拿去清洗吧。 Everyone wants to be associated with the flag. America and Yale, America and Episcopalians, America and J.P.Morgan, America and Maxell, America and the Ritz Tower. 人人都想跟国旗扯上关系:美国和耶鲁、美国和圣公会教徒、美国和摩根、美国和万胜、美国和 丽晶大厦。 There are inevitably people who are more anxious to appear patriotic than to be patriotic. They treat a fine line between patriotism and commerce. The flag is everywhere in close proximity to a business interest. It sells shoes and shoe repair, women's dresses. The American flag invites diners to foreign restaurants, Japanese, Italian, even Afghan. 难免也有人摆出爱国姿态而非真正爱国。他们在爱国主义和商业间徘徊。随处可见对国旗感兴趣 的商家:卖鞋和修鞋的,女士的裙子。美国国旗吸引顾客到外国餐馆用餐??日本餐馆、意大利餐馆、甚 至阿富汗餐馆。 There is an official flag code but it is routinely ignored. It is not to be used as a awning or a canopy or plastered to the hood of a car. The code says the American flag is not to be used as decorative clothing. Some find it irresistibly fashionable though and we are more amused than they. 政府有国旗用法的规定,但常给人们忽视了:国旗不能拿来当餐布,不能做遮篷、檐篷或汽车贴条。 美国国旗按规定是不能用来设计服装的??有些人却觉得难以抵制此诱惑,我们比他们还更乐在其中。 This is how the star spangled banner was meant to be flown on the end of a pole of its own, free to wave majestically in our own free air. 美国国旗应当挂在旗杆上,自由自在地在美国领土的上空美丽庄严地飘扬。