12月27日午间英语新闻：古代“暖手神器"是如何御寒的？

>How ancient Chinese people warmed their hands in winter

古代“暖手神器"是如何御寒的？

Made of bronze or ceramics, ancient hand warmers came in a variety of designs. Round, square and octagonal shapes are typical, with some fashioned to look like pumpkins, flowers or turtle shells.

古代的手炉多由青铜或陶瓷制成，设计多样，主要样式有方、圆和八角形，还有一些手炉形似南瓜、花朵和龟壳。

Inside the hand warmer, there were burning charcoal or simple coal. Some coal were blended with fragments and pressed into flower shapes, emitting a pleasant scent when burned.

手炉内放置着燃烧着的木炭或煤块。有些煤饼中混合了香料，压制成花朵形状，燃烧时散发出宜人的香气。

There is no accurate written record regarding the origin of this tool, but there are some tales about its invention. One folk story concerns Emperor Yangdi from the Sui Dynasty, who visited Jiangsu in the winter. Due to the bitter cold, the local official asked manufacturers to make a small warmer for the emperor that could be held in his hands. Thus the hand warmer was created.

关于手炉的起源没有明确的书面记载，但民间流传着一些故事。传闻隋炀帝下江南时，由于冬季天气严寒，当地官员要求店家为隋炀帝制作一个可以拿在手里的小暖炉。于是手炉就此诞生。

By the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the tool was in widespread use. Techniques for producing the tool were extensively employed in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).

到了宋代（960年-1279年），手炉取暖已经流行开来。明清时期（1368-1911）手炉的制作技艺得到广泛普及。

Many poems and books from this period recorded people using hand warmers. 

这一时期的许多诗歌书籍都记载了人们使用手炉的场景。

>Why do we love rounding up our year in music so much?

年度听歌报告来袭 为何我们对此着迷？

It was hard to avoid the outpouring of graphics and memes that came from Spotify Wrapped – where the app's users see a compilation of the music they played the most in 2023.

随着音乐平台Spotify上线年度听歌报告“Spotify Wrapped”，用户纷纷分享2023年最常听的歌曲合集，相关画面和梗图大量涌现。

Every social media platform was bombarded with minutes listened to, top tracks and an awful lot of Taylor Swift. But, you may be wondering, why are we so hung up on this yearly round-up? We were there, after all, weren't we?

每个社交媒体平台都充斥着播放分钟数、热门歌曲和大量泰勒·斯威夫特的内容。但你可能会好奇，为什么我们对这一年度报告如此着迷？毕竟，我们也亲身经历了这一年，不是吗？

In short, we love to look back and reflect. “If it was a good year, it gives us a sense of positivity and warmth, and we savor that reminder of what has gone,” says Dr Audrey Tang, chartered psychologist and author of The Leader's Guide to Mindfulness. “It is good as adults to stop rushing and to stop and savor this feeling. If that round-up of the year gives us that opportunity, it is a great thing.”

简而言之，我们喜欢回顾和反思。“如果这一年过得不错，它会给我们一种积极和温暖的感觉，我们会珍惜那些提醒我们过去时光的事物。”特许心理学家、《领袖者正念指南》一书作者奥黛丽·唐博士说，“作为成年人，停止匆忙的脚步，停下来细细品味这种感觉是件好事。如果年终总结能给我们这样的机会，那就太棒了。”

“Music is something we have preferences with, and music is often a significant thing to attach to events and moments, like your first dance, a break-up, or a big win – and those memories can come back when we hear them,” Tang says. We may see other people's Spotify Wrapped and be surprised; maybe you didn't think your pal was an Iron Maiden fan, or would relate to BTS?

唐博士解释道：“音乐是我们的喜好，音乐通常与事件和时刻紧密相连，比如你的第一支舞、一次失恋或重大胜利——当我们听到这些音乐时，这些回忆可能就会涌现。”我们可能会看到别人的年度听歌报告并感到惊讶；也许你没想到你的朋友会是铁娘子乐队的粉丝，或者喜欢防弹少年团？

But, Tang says: “The other thing about music, is it lets us express ourselves through someone else's expression, and that connection is really important.” We may find something in music we don't find within ourselves, and by sharing what we enjoy, we share a little snippet of ourselves with our friends – letting them in on a different side of you.

但是，唐博士说：“音乐的另一点是，它让我们通过别人的表达来表达自己，这种联系非常重要。”我们可能在音乐中找到自己内心所缺失的东西，通过分享我们喜欢的东西，我们就与朋友分享了自己的一小段经历——让他们看到了你不同的一面。

Wrapped also enables a lot of us to share what we have had on repeat. “When it comes to binge listening,” says Tang, “it is very likely that song gives us a certain feeling that we just need to feel, as long as it isn't interfering with our day-to-day life, if that repetition is what you need, it is good to allow those emotions to flow and hear it. Be it motivational, sad or angry music.”

年度听歌报告也能让我们中的许多人分享自己重复听过的音乐。“说到狂听一首歌，”唐博士说，“很可能那首歌给了我们某种感觉，我们只需要去感受，只要它不干扰我们的日常生活，如果重复听这首歌是你所需要的，那么就应该让这些情感自由流动并倾听它。无论是励志的、悲伤的还是愤怒的音乐。”

“The key thing about music is that it is an informal way of starting a conversation,” she says. “It can feel so alien to reach out to someone about how we feel or what we listen to, so if music means we have that buffer between what we want to say and feel able to, we can bridge that gap and express ourselves in a healthy way.”

“音乐的关键在于，它是开启对话的非正式方式，”她说。“主动向他人表达感受或分享听的音乐可能很不自然，所以如果音乐可以成为我们想说的和能够说的之间的桥梁，我们就能够跨越这个鸿沟，以健康的方式表达自己。”

重点词汇：

savor

英/ ˈseɪvə(r) / 美/ ˈseɪvər /

vt.尽情享受；使有风味；加调味品于；品尝，欣赏

vi.有…的滋味；带有…的性质

n.滋味；气味；食欲