经济学人30:王室大婚,威廉和凯特悬挂彩旗

 　　Street parties街道聚会 Party like it's 1981聚会就像回到了1981年

　　Hanging out the bunting for William and Kate 为威廉和凯特悬挂彩旗

　　That was then 那是当时的情形

　　“PRINCELY marriage is a brilliant edition of a universal fact” that “rivets mankind”, observed Walter Bagehot, a Victorian editor of The Economist¹. It is also a good excuse for a knees-up; specifically, according to a national tradition dating to the “peace teas” held to celebrate the Versailles treaty in 1919, for decking residential² streets with Union flags and setting up makeshift tables in the road. Despite some naysaying predictions to the contrary, the tradition will be honoured on April 29th, when Prince William marries Kate Middleton: the Local Government Association says party organisers have submitted over 2,000 requests for road closures.

　　经济学人维多利亚版主编Walter Bagehot 说，王子的婚礼是“吸引人类”的普遍事实中的一个辉煌版。这也是举办一场活跃聚会的好理由，尤其是按照国家传统，可追溯至为庆祝1919年凡尔赛条约签订的“和平茶”，人们用欧盟旗装饰住宅街道并临时在道路上放置桌子。尽管有相反的否认预测，该传统都会在每年4月29日举行，当威廉王子娶了凯特米德尔顿：地方政府协会表示，聚会组织者已经提交超过2,000封要求封锁道路的要求。

　　Communal³ street parties reflect the fuzzy political fad⁴ of the “Big Society”, David Cameron’s term for the local civic⁵ activity that he desperately⁶ wants to cultivate. To help jolly people along, the day has been designated a one-off bank holiday; local councils have simplified the licensing⁷ process for celebratory events; some government departments have used Twitter to encourage participation⁸. Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha are hosting an exemplary party in Downing Street, having applied⁹ to close their already inaccessible¹⁰ road.

　　社区街道聚会反映了“大社会”（大卫卡梅隆用于极度要求培养地方公民活动的说法）的模糊的政治风潮。为了帮助人们快乐起来，该日被指定为一次性的长假，地方议会简化了庆祝活动的许可程序，有些政府部门使用Twitter来鼓励参与。 卡梅伦和他的妻子萨曼莎是在唐宁街举办了盛大的聚会，申请封锁已经无法通行的街道。

　　Yet since William’s parents, Charles and Diana, married in 1981, the country’s streets have become markedly more fragmented. A report last year by Co-operatives UK, a trade body for co-operative businesses, compared polling data from 2010 with a survey conducted in 1982 and concluded that, judging by how well people know others in their street and how often they interact, Britons are “less than half’ as neighbourly as they were 30 years ago. Many of next month’s revellers will be introducing themselves as they put up the bunting.

　　然而，自从威廉的父母——查尔斯和黛安娜在1981年结婚之时，该国的街道已明显变得更加分散。 英国合作社(一合作企业贸易机构)将2010年的投票数据与1982年的一项调查进行了对比，结果得出的结论是，根据人们在街道上与他人认识程度与互动的频繁度，英国人与邻里的关系还不如30年前的“一半”。下个月许多狂欢中在举起彩旗之时将会自我介绍。

　　Then there are the evolving attitudes to monarchy¹². The proportion of Britons who want to abolish the monarch¹¹ has hovered¹³ around 30% for decades, but indifference¹⁴ and ridicule¹⁵ have risen. Chris Gittins of Streets Alive, which provides advice on parties, recommends that, given the mix of attitudes likely to be found on most streets, organisers should consider branding their shindigs as ecumenically as possible.

　　那时对于君主制会有变化的态度。想要废除君主制的人群比例近几十年来一直徘徊在30%左右，但漠视和嘲笑的人数却增加了。Alive街道的Chris Gittins提供了聚会意见，他建议大部分街道可能会有不同的态度，组织者应当考虑尽可能普遍的将狂欢搞的刻骨铭心。

　　The self-explanatory lobby group Republic is offering to console some of the most monarchy-allergic. Membership has risen sharply, to around 14,000, since William’s engagement was announced, says Graham Smith, its campaign manager, echoing the surge in interest in its Swedish equivalent in the run-up to the marriage of Crown Princess Victoria in 2010. Republic has been granted permission to close Earlham Street, a cobbled road in Covent Garden, to host a “Not the Royal Wedding” party, “celebrating democracy and people-power rather than inherited privilege”.

　　明显的游说团体为一些最讨厌君主制的人提供了一些安慰，自从威廉订婚的消息被宣布以后，格雷厄姆史密斯说，会员人数急剧上升，达到约14,000人。相当于2010年瑞士维多利亚公主的婚礼一样，人们洋溢着兴趣。这个共和国认为封锁阿勒姆街（考文特花园的一条鹅卵石路）来举办“非皇家婚礼”聚会——庆祝民主和人们权利而不是继承的特权，是理所应当被批准。

1 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

2 residential   

adj.提供住宿的；居住的；住宅的

参考例句：

• The mayor inspected the residential section of the city.市长视察了该市的住宅区。
• The residential blocks were integrated with the rest of the college.住宿区与学院其他部分结合在了一起。

3 communal   

adj.公有的，公共的，公社的，公社制的

参考例句：

• There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
• The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。

4 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

5 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

6 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

7 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

8 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

9 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

10 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

11 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

12 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

13 hovered   

鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• A hawk hovered over the hill. 一只鹰在小山的上空翱翔。
• A hawk hovered in the blue sky. 一只老鹰在蓝色的天空中翱翔。

14 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

15 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。