英闻天下——253 Snake-related Products Popular in China

 　　A gold cobra, shinning shimmering¹, splendid sits in a locked, glass display case in a Hong Kong jewelry² shop! It will take a chunk³ out of your wallet, setting you back some $25,600 U.S. dollars. It took artisans about a month to make the snake, which weighs about 380 grams.

 

　　Retailers⁴ in Hong Kong are stocking up on snake-related products to meet the growing demand ahead of the start of the Lunar New Year.

 

　　The Chinese New Year, which falls on Sunday, February 10th, heralds⁵ the beginning of the Year of the Snake.

 

　　In the West, snakes are regarded as evil. But many Chinese believe they are clever and agile⁶. Some even say the "little dragon" is auspicious⁷.

 

　　Kent Wong, Managing Director of Chow Tai Fook Jewelry, says traditionally, demand for gold Chinese zodiac products has always been particularly great.

 

　　"For thousands of years, especially during the Chinese New Year, Chinese people have??liked to buy Chinese zodiac animal products because they believe this kind of product can bring them good luck and fortune. Usually, they like to buy some gold jewelry with a snake design."

 

　　In recent years, the price of gold has risen considerably⁸, as investors⁹ have sought more stable investment options rather than sink money in troubled markets or global stock exchanges.

 

　　Despite the price increases, Wong says shoppers still want to invest in gold.

 

　　"People like to buy gold for investment purposes, and it's a kind of wealth accumulation. These kinds of purchases are less affected¹⁰ by rising prices."

 

　　The Year of a Snake has been slithering its way into marketing¹¹ and branding across Hong Kong.

 

　　One Hong Kong footwear designer has created a pair of heels inspired by the coming Year of the Snake.

 

　　Gold-colored with two sparkling snake heads on each heel, the shoes are the latest design by Ameersing Luximon, an assistant professor at the Institute of Textile and Clothing at Hong Kong Polytechnic¹² University.

 

　　He has combined different elements in the shoes to reflect the joyful¹³ atmosphere of the coming year. Luximon says:

 

　　"So, the shoes, first they are gold in color, which means prosperity. I think everyone knows the color gold is related to kings, which means rich. Another thing is they have two heads, on which one pair of shoes there are two heads. So, actually, there are four heads, which means one pair is not alone, so it's like a friendship, like a family; and four means like a whole family together. On the back of the shoes, you have two wings. Each shoe has two wings. You don't need one wing to fly. You have two wings, so they can help you fly higher in the scene and achieve success in whatever you want to do."

 

　　From the feng shui perspective, 2013 is the Year of Fire, which represents happiness and prosperity.

 

　　Feng shui is a traditional Chinese belief system that combines analysis of the lunar calendar with a series of key elements??wood, fire, earth, metal, and water??as well as geographical¹⁴ features and meteorology.

 

　　Raymond Lo, a feng shui master in Hong Kong, says as 2013 is the start of the fire cycle, we can expect to see a boost in the global economy, and the snake will charm the stock markets.

 

　　"Since 2008 this is the first time we have had a snake year, which is also the fire year. So, that's why, definitely people's mood will change. Actually, the stock market (is) very much affected by the collective mood of the people. And if everybody feels positive, definitely the economic atmosphere will be much more active, more people will invest money, and the stock market will go up. So, that's why we already smell the power of the snake."

 

　　The Year of the Snake is coming on Sunday, Feb.10th.

 

　　For CRI, I am Li Dong.

1 shimmering   

v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The sea was shimmering in the sunlight. 阳光下海水波光闪烁。
• The colours are delicate and shimmering. 这些颜色柔和且闪烁微光。 来自辞典例句

2 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

3 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

4 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

5 heralds   

n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The song of birds heralds the approach of spring. 百鸟齐鸣报春到。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The wind sweeping through the tower heralds a rising storm in the mountain. 山雨欲来风满楼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

7 auspicious   

adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的

参考例句：

• The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
• With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。

8 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

9 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

10 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

11 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

12 polytechnic   

adj.各种工艺的，综合技术的；n.工艺(专科)学校；理工(专科)学校

参考例句：

• She was trained as a teacher at Manchester Polytechnic.她在曼彻斯特工艺专科学校就读，准备毕业后做老师。
• When he was 17,Einstein entered the Polytechnic Zurich,Switzerland,where he studied mathematics and physics.17岁时，爱因斯坦进入了瑞士苏黎士的专科学院，学习数学和物理学。

13 joyful   

adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的

参考例句：

• She was joyful of her good result of the scientific experiments.她为自己的科学实验取得好成果而高兴。
• They were singing and dancing to celebrate this joyful occasion.他们唱着、跳着庆祝这令人欢乐的时刻。

14 geographical   

adj.地理的；地区(性)的

参考例句：

• The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
• These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。