2015年经济学人 村饲蜜 城市居民培养出乡村嗜好

Urban beekeeping

Honey monsters

City dwellers¹ cultivate a taste of the country

WHEN Camilla Goddard first started to keep bees in London, it was difficult to find places away from anxious neighbours or teenage vandals.

Nine years later she has hives all over the city: in parks, churchyards, primary schools and on the roofs of hotels.

She collects swarms² from people's attics³ and sells honey at her local shop. A hobby has become a thriving business.

Apiculture is fashionable. Since 2008 membership of the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA) has almost doubled, to 24,000 people.

Around 1,500 are in London. Courses in the capital are always buzzing, says Angela Woods, an enthusiast⁴.

Despite the stereotype⁵ of beekeepers as luxuriantly bearded eccentrics, many newbies are young—women are particularly keen.

The boom was partly a by-product⁶ of worries about bees and awareness⁷ of the huge benefits they bring.

Colonies in many countries have been suffering mysterious sudden collapses⁸ since 2006.

Urban eco-warriors found beekeeping an appealing practical outlet⁹ for their angst.

Businesses, keen for green plaudits, also leapt on the trend.

Fortnum & Mason, London's poshest department store, has hives on its roof (this newspaper, a neighbour, does not—yet).

Hives fit snugly¹⁰ in London gardens and bees seem to like city life. In the concrete jungle pesticides¹¹ are rare.

Nectar surprisingly abounds¹², and not just in gardens: parks have waterlilies and other exotic plants.

Brambles and wild flowers line railway tracks. Chestnut¹³ trees give honey from Greenwich a heavy, nutty taste;

bees that feed on rose bushes in Regent's Park produce an almost inedibly aromatic¹⁴ gloop.

London is not yet flowing with honey. Membership growth has slowed at the BBKA.

The cost of hives has risen. Green types are planting bee-friendly gardens instead of hosting apiaries¹⁵ of their own.

And the harsh winter of 2012, which killed around a third of all the colonies in Britain, has put some beginners off.

Busy Londoners want to connect with nature, says Ms Woods. But without the sting of disappointment.

1 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

3 attics   

n. 阁楼

参考例句：

• They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics. 他们把暂时不需要的东西放在抽屉里、壁橱中和搁楼上。
• He rummaged busily in the attics of European literature, bringing to light much of interest. 他在欧洲文学的阁楼里忙着翻箱倒笼，找到了不少有趣的东西。

4 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

5 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

6 by-product   

n.副产品，附带产生的结果

参考例句：

• Freedom is the by-product of economic surplus.自由是经济盈余的副产品。
• The raw material for the tyre is a by-product of petrol refining.制造轮胎的原材料是提炼汽油时产生的一种副产品。

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

8 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

9 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

10 snugly   

adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地

参考例句：

• Jamie was snugly wrapped in a white woolen scarf. 杰米围着一条白色羊毛围巾舒适而暖和。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmyard was snugly sheltered with buildings on three sides. 这个农家院三面都有楼房，遮得很严实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 abounds   

v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The place abounds with fruit, especially pears and peaches. 此地盛产水果，尤以梨桃著称。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• This country abounds with fruit. 这个国家盛产水果。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 chestnut   

n.栗树，栗子

参考例句：

• We have a chestnut tree in the bottom of our garden.我们的花园尽头有一棵栗树。
• In summer we had tea outdoors,under the chestnut tree.夏天我们在室外栗树下喝茶。

14 aromatic   

adj.芳香的，有香味的

参考例句：

• It has an agreeable aromatic smell.它有一种好闻的香味。
• It is light,fruity aromatic and a perfect choice for ending a meal.它是口感轻淡，圆润，芳香的，用于结束一顿饭完美的选择。

15 apiaries   

n.养蜂场，蜂房( apiary的名词复数 )

参考例句：