国际拥抱日，给爱的人一个拥抱

今天是国际拥抱日（National Hugging Day）。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the primary purpose of the article?

A. To analyze the historical origins of Chinese physical reserve.

B. To explore the growing popularity of hugging in Chinese culture.

C. To describe emotional intelligence programs in Chinese schools.

D. To examine the influence of Japanese culture on Chinese social norms.

无注释原文：

More Hugs Please

From: The New York Times

Chinese were physically reserved. That's changing now.

Recently, it seems like everyone is hugging. Friends are hugging. Family members are hugging. In hugging between Chinese and non-Chinese, it was non-Chinese who once foisted physical affection on the Chinese. Today it may be a Chinese initiating contact. The tables are turning.

My children's Chinese piano teacher hugged my Irish mother-in-law the first time she met her, last year. My mother-in-law was moved, but the Irish, like the English, aren't really known for overt displays of physical affection, and the surprise was written on her face.

Teachers are joining in. In Nanjing, the Liuhe District Experimental Elementary School began a class in emotional intelligence last fall, concerned that children lacked it and would thus be held back in the world, the newspaper Modern Express reported.

The third graders' homework: Hug your parents tonight. Sixty schools in the district now have emotional intelligence classes, the newspaper said.

Most friends I've asked say the change is due to exposure to the West, especially huggy North America. But other Asian nations — even formal Japan — may also be involved, according to a recent article in China Daily headlined ''Students Use Hugs to Ease Tensions.” It described ''hugging activities'' between a group of Japanese studying in Beijing and Chinese passers-by.

The initiator, Watanabe Kohei, said, ''The Chinese were a bit shy in giving hugs,'' but friendly.

Not everyone is joining in. Hugging is still not appropriate in a professional context — unless everyone is drunk. The website eDiplomat is probably right to advise foreign diplomats not to hug their Chinese counterparts. ''The Chinese dislike being touched by strangers,'' it warns. ''Do not touch, hug, lock arms, back slap or make any body contact.''

In 2003, Lu Ming, a Chinese author based in the United States, wrote a book titled ''Chinese Lack Hugs.''

''Back then people really hugged very little, even in families,'' he wrote in an email. ''I cannot remember being hugged by my father and mother.''

''That's changed now, and I think it's good,'' he said. ''We can use body culture to overcome Chinese people's tradition of reserve. Limbs are also a language and a form of contact. A sincere hug makes people feel warm and comforts them.''

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

More Hugs Please

From: The New York Times

Chinese were physically reserved. That's changing now.

中国人在身体接触上很保守。这一点如今也在发生改变。

reserved /rɪˈzɜːvd/ 表示“拘谨；矜持；内向”，英文解释为“Reserved people do not often talk about or show their feelings or thoughts.”如：a quiet, reserved woman 一位安静、矜持的女子。

Recently, it seems like everyone is hugging. Friends are hugging. Family members are hugging. In hugging between Chinese and non-Chinese, it was non-Chinese who once foisted physical affection on the Chinese. Today it may be a Chinese initiating contact. The tables are turning.

最近，似乎所有人都开始拥抱彼此了。朋友间相互拥抱，家人间也相互拥抱。以往中国人和外国人之间的拥抱都是外国人强加给中国人的。现在，这种拥抱也可能是中国人发起的。真是时过境迁。

foist /fɔɪst/ sth on sb 表示“把…强加于（某人）”，英文解释为“to force someone to have or experience something they do not want”举个🌰：I try not to foist my values on the children but it's hard. 我尽量不把我的价值观强加到孩子们头上，但是这并不容易。

My children's Chinese piano teacher hugged my Irish mother-in-law the first time she met her, last year. My mother-in-law was moved, but the Irish, like the English, aren't really known for overt displays of physical affection, and the surprise was written on her face.

去年，我家孩子的中国钢琴老师首次见到我婆婆，并拥抱了她。婆婆是爱尔兰人，就像英国人一样，并不爱用身体动作表达感情。因此，虽然她很感动，但脸上还是写着惊讶。

mother-in-law /ˈmʌð.ə.rɪn.lɔː/ 表示“岳母；婆母”，英文解释为“the mother of your husband or wife”

overt /əʊˈvɜːt/ 表示“公开的，明显的，毫不隐瞒的”，英文解释为“done or shown publicly or in an obvious way and not secret”如：overt criticism 公开的批评。

反义词：

📍covert /ˈkʌvət/：secret or hidden 秘密的；隐藏的；暗中的

Teachers are joining in. In Nanjing, the Liuhe District Experimental Elementary School began a class in emotional intelligence last fall, concerned that children lacked it and would thus be held back in the world, the newspaper Modern Express reported.

教师们也加入拥抱的行列。据《现代快报》报道，由于担心孩子们情商不足，在全球竞争中落后，南京的六合区实验小学去年秋天开设了情商课程。

emotional intelligence /ɪˌməʊ.ʃən.əl ɪnˈtel.ɪ.dʒəns/ 表示“情商”，英文解释为“the ability to understand the way people feel and react and to use this skill to make good judgments and to avoid or solve problems”举个🌰：Individuals with even a small degree of emotional intelligence are a dream to work for. 想在一个哪怕稍有一点点情商的人手下工作也成了奢望。

hold back  1）表示“（常指因恐惧或不愿让事情变得更糟而）退缩，不做”，英文解释为“to not do something, often because of fear or because you do not want to make a bad situation worse”举个🌰：He held back, terrified of going into the dark room. 他退缩了，不敢进入黑暗的房间。

hold sb/sth back  2）表示“阻碍…的发展”，英文解释为“to stop someone or something developing or doing as well as they should”举个🌰：She felt that having children would hold her back. 她觉得生孩子会阻碍她事业的发展。

3）表示“阻挡，阻止”，英文解释为“If you hold someone or something back, you stop him, her, or it from coming or moving forward.”举个🌰：Sandbags will hold the flood waters back for a while. 沙袋能够将洪水挡住一段时间。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述拉美电商平台美卡多的文章中提到：Fear of credit-card fraud has held back e-commerce, as have logistical nightmares in Brazil, where MercadoLibre generates more than half its revenues. 对信用卡诈骗的担忧阻碍了电子商务的发展，巴西的物流恶梦也是个因素，而美卡多在巴西的收入超过公司总收入的一半。

The third graders' homework: Hug your parents tonight. Sixty schools in the district now have emotional intelligence classes, the newspaper said.

三年级的作业：今晚拥抱你的父母。《现代快报》称，如今该区已有60所学校开设了情商课。

Most friends I've asked say the change is due to exposure to the West, especially huggy North America. But other Asian nations — even formal Japan — may also be involved, according to a recent article in China Daily headlined ''Students Use Hugs to Ease Tensions.” It described ''hugging activities'' between a group of Japanese studying in Beijing and Chinese passers-by.

我请教的朋友中，大多数认为这个变化是因为受了西方人的影响，尤其是喜欢拥抱的北美人。根据《中国日报》最近刊登的一篇名为《学生利用拥抱缓解对立》(Students Use Hugs to Ease Tensions)的英文报道，其他亚洲国家——就连一本正经的日本——可能也受到了影响。文章记录了一群在北京学习的日本人和中国路人的“拥抱活动”。

passer-by /ˌpɑː.səˈbaɪ/ 表示“（尤指在不寻常之事发生时经过某处的）过路人，行人”，英文解释为“someone who is going past a particular place, especially when something unusual happens”举个🌰：The gunmen opened fire, killing a policeman and a passer-by. 持枪者开枪打死了一名警察和一位路人。

The initiator, Watanabe Kohei, said, ''The Chinese were a bit shy in giving hugs,'' but friendly.

活动的发起者渡边浩平(Watanabe Kohei)说，“中国人拥抱的时候有点害羞”，但是很友好。

initiator /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪ.tər/ 表示“发起人；创始人”，英文解释为“a person who causes something to begin”举个🌰：She was one of the project's initiators. 她是这个项目的发起人之一。

Not everyone is joining in. Hugging is still not appropriate in a professional context — unless everyone is drunk. The website eDiplomat is probably right to advise foreign diplomats not to hug their Chinese counterparts. ''The Chinese dislike being touched by strangers,'' it warns. ''Do not touch, hug, lock arms, back slap or make any body contact.''

并不是所有人都在拥抱。在职业场合拥抱仍然不恰当——除非人人都喝大了。eDiplomat网站建议外国外交官不要拥抱中国同行，这个建议很可能说对了。网站警告，“中国人不喜欢陌生人碰他们。不要和他们触碰、拥抱、跨胳膊、拍他们后背或进行任何身体接触。”

diplomat /ˈdɪp.lə.mæt/ 表示“外交官，外交家”，英文解释为“A diplomat is a senior official who discusses affairs with another country on behalf of his or her own country, usually working as a member of an embassy.”

counterpart一词经常出现，counter-表示“相反的；对立的；相应的”（opposite; against; in return; corresponding），和part一起就是“对立的，相应的事物”，从而表示“职位相当的人；作用相当的事物”，英文解释为“Somene's or something's counterpart is another person or thing that has a similar function or position in a different place.”

可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“拍，打；掌掴”，英文解释为“to hit someone or something with the flat part of the hand or other flat object”举个🌰：She slapped his face. 她给了他一记耳光。

slap sth on sb/sth 表示“（无理地或者盲目地）强加；强制实行”，英文解释为“If journalists say that the authorities slap something such as a tax or a ban onsomething, they think it is unreasonable or put on without careful thought.”

In 2003, Lu Ming, a Chinese author based in the United States, wrote a book titled ''Chinese Lack Hugs.''

2003年，旅美华人作家鲁鸣写了一本题为《缺少拥抱的中国人》的书。

''Back then people really hugged very little, even in families,'' he wrote in an email. ''I cannot remember being hugged by my father and mother.''

他在一封邮件中写道，“那时候人们真的几乎不拥抱，即便是在家里。我不记得父亲和母亲拥抱过我。”

''That's changed now, and I think it's good,'' he said. ''We can use body culture to overcome Chinese people's tradition of reserve. Limbs are also a language and a form of contact. A sincere hug makes people feel warm and comforts them.''

他说，“现在已经改变了，我认为这很好。我们可以使用肢体语言文化克服中国人传统上的保守。肢体语言也是一种语言，一种接触。一个真诚的拥抱让人感到温暖和安慰。”

limb /lɪm/ 表示“肢体；树枝，树杈”，英文解释为“an arm or leg of a person or animal”举个🌰：The accident victims mostly had injuries to their lower limbs (= legs). 事故受害者大多腿上都有伤。

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