談論天氣

英國人一生有六個月談論天氣
2010年05月18日 09:37:16 　來源： 中國日報網站
調查：英國人一生有六個月談論天氣

　　上周五公布的一項調查顯示，以關心天氣而著稱的英國人一生中平均有六個月的時間在談論將要下雨還是出太陽。

　　調查稱，58%的英國人在與陌生人或生意夥伴交談時首先會討論一番是否會下雨或抱怨感嘆一通天氣的冷熱。

　　這項由ICM民意調查機構開展的調查共有2018名成年人參加。調查發現，英國人每年談論天氣的時間約為49個小時，而且這一話題比工作、電視、運動或八卦更常出現。

　　在65歲以上的受訪者中，有19%的人還認為自己能像專業天氣預報員一樣預測天氣。

　　英國人之所以如此關注天氣，最通常的解釋是英國天氣的多變，但這無法解釋為什麼其他天氣多變的國家的民眾沒有同樣的興趣。

　　委托開展該調查的英國勞埃德保險集團的保羅 盧埃林說，不管是什麼原因，“這些發現證明英國人的確很關注天氣變化”。

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A man walks along the Albert Embankment in the rain in central London, 2009. According to a survey famously weather-obsessed British people spend on average six months of their lives talking about whether it's going to rain or shine. (Agencies)

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　　Famously weather-obsessed British people spend on average six months of their lives talking about whether it's going to rain or shine, according to a survey published Friday.

　　Speculation about whether it's going to be wet, complaints about the cold and exclamations about the heat are also the first points of conversation with strangers or business acquaintances for 58 percent of Britons, it said.

　　The study of 2,018 adults by pollsters ICM found Britons talk about the weather for about 49 hours every year and the subject comes up more often than work, TV, sport or gossip.

　　Nineteen percent of over 65s questioned also believe they can predict the weather as well as a professional weatherman.

　　The most usual explanation for the fascination with weather is that it is so changeable here -- although this doe not explain why other meteorologically-challenged countries are not similarly interested.

　　Whatever the reason, "these findings prove that we really are a nation obsessed by our climate," said Paul Llewellyn of Lloyds TSB Insurance, which commissioned the poll.

　　(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Web site.)

　　Vocabulary:

　　meteorologically:with respect to the weather 天氣、氣象方面的


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《中英對照讀新聞》Britons spend six months of their lives discussing weather 英國人花費6個月的生命討論天氣

◎ 張沛元

Famously weather-obsessed British people spend on average six months of their lives talking about whether it’s going to rain or shine, according to a survey published Friday.

根據週五公佈的一項調查，沉迷於天氣出了名的英國人，平均花費6個月的生命討論老天爺究竟是要下雨還是放晴。

Speculation about whether it’s going to be wet, complaints about the cold and exclamations about the heat are also the first points of conversation with strangers or business acquaintances for 58 percent of Britons, it said.

該調查說，推測天氣是不是會變濕，抱怨天冷，以及驚嘆天熱，也是58%的英國人跟陌生人或工作上的點頭之交交談時的頭號話題。

Nineteen percent of over 65s questioned also believe they can predict the weather as well as a professional weatherman.

19%的65歲以上的受訪者還相信，他們預測天氣的能力，不亞於專業氣象人員。

The most usual explanation for the fascination with weather is that it is so changeable here -- although this does not explain why other meteorologically-challenged countries are not similarly interested.

（英國人）沉迷於天氣的最常見解釋，就是英國的天氣變化多端──儘管此說無法解釋為何其他天氣多變的國家（的民眾）不像英國人對天氣感興趣。

Whatever the reason, "these findings prove that we really are a nation obsessed by our climate," said Paul Llewellyn of Lloyds TSB Insurance, which commissioned the poll.

無論是什麼理由，委託進行這項調查的駿懋保險公司的保羅．呂艾林說，「這些發現證明我們（英國人）真的是一個很沉迷於氣候的國家。」