上海万圣节成“万梗节”

近日，“上海万圣节”火了。

🤔️小作业：

1. The article indicates that the Halloween celebration in Shanghai was notable for its:

a) representation of Western pop culture exclusively.

b) strictly traditional Chinese elements.

c) blend of various cultural influences.

d) focus on historical Chinese figures.

a) It is experiencing a stable and unchanging employment rate.

b) It is considered the most lucrative sector in China.

c) It is not as promising as it used to be for job seekers.

d) It has become more appealing to liberal arts majors.

无注释原文：

Shanghai’s Halloween Party, a Chance for Chinese to Vent in Style

From: The New York Times

There were evil wizards, TV celebrities and undead beings, yes.

But there were also walking memes, rare public expressions of queer life, and at least one bipedal cucumber — a colorful burst of pent-up energy and emotion in Shanghai’s first big Halloween celebration in years.

In Shanghai, revelers have embraced Halloween, turning what started as a Western tradition into something distinctly Chinese.

This year’s celebration was also the first since the pandemic, adding to the exuberant tone of the thousands present, who laughed, mingled and delighted in each others’ costumes. Attendees said it was the largest gathering they had seen in years.

“It was a sea of joy from Huaihai Road all the way to Nanjing Road,” said Eric Ding, a 23-year-old tech worker. “Voices from all corners of the world came together here.”

‘Dance like crazy for one fleeting moment’

Wakkii Zheng, who came to Shanghai just for the party, dressed up as a royal concubine from a popular TV show, “Empress in the Palace.” Calling Halloween his own “Met Gala,” he said he started planning his outfit in early October and decided, last-minute, against wearing a version of Mariah Carey’s iconic Christmas outfit.

“As a part of the L.B.G.T.Q. community, I have wondered whether I can wear a dress to a party,” he said. “But except for Halloween, it’s hard to find another occasion where I can feel so relaxed about it.”

Poking fun at the problems of work

Revelers turned the difficulty of finding jobs or making money into costumes.

One woman wore a sign that said “liberal arts majors graduate,” and carried a metal bowl and a QR code for donations. Another woman dressed up as a starving medical school student, also with a bowl for begging.

Two men in e-commerce uniforms held up signs that advise others not to get into the industry, which was once one of China’s fastest growing sectors.

TV, ChatGPT memes

Like anywhere else with TV and an internet connection, Halloween inspired many costumes from pop culture. Max Ma, a 26-year-old software engineer, wore a hazmat suit intended to replicate the meth-making criminals of her favorite show, “Breaking Bad.”

“Eight out of ten people had costumes,” said Ms. Ma. “It felt like a true carnival for everyone.”

Other costumes were inspired by Chinese internet memes, like members of a fake McDonald’s religion. Even ChatGPT made an appearance.

“It was especially joyous, especially tolerant,” she said. “Everyone had a happy attitude.”

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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：

Shanghai’s Halloween Party, a Chance for Chinese to Vent in Style

From: The New York Times

There were evil wizards, TV celebrities and undead beings, yes.

是的，有邪恶的巫师、电视名人和不死生物。

wizard /ˈwɪzəd/ 1）表示“男巫，术士”，英文解释为“a man who is believed to have magical powers and who uses them to harm or help other people”；

2）表示“（某方面的）行家，奇才，高手”，英文解释为“someone who is an expert at something or who has great ability in a particular subject”如：a computer wizard 计算机高手。

But there were also walking memes, public expressions of queer life, and at least one bipedal cucumber — a colorful burst of pent-up energy and emotion in Shanghai’s first big Halloween celebration in years.

但也有行走的网络热梗、酷儿生活的公开表达，以及至少一个双足黄瓜——在上海近年来的首个大型万圣节庆祝活动中，压抑的能量和情感迸发出多彩的火花。

meme (/ˈmiːm/ )是指在同一个文化氛围中，人与人之间传播的思想、行为或者风格，音译为媒母、米姆、谜米、弥母，又名模因、拟子等。

其实「meme」指的就是在网上迅速传播，流行起来的一些概念（或图像、视频等）等东西，可以直接解释成我们常说「梗」、「段子」、「表情包」，词典中定义为：a type of behaviour that is passed from one member of a group to another, not in the genesbut by another means such as people copying it；举个🌰：Take a look at the top ten internet memes for this past year. 看一下去年互联网上的十大梗。

bipedal /baɪˈpiː.dəl/ 表示“两足的”，英文解释为“walking on two legs, or relating to this movement”举个🌰：He was fascinated by the giant, bipedal ape. 他对巨型的两足猿感到着迷。

🥒怎么说？cucumber /ˈkjuːˌkʌmbə/ 表示“黄瓜”，英文解释为“A cucumber is a long thin vegetable with a hard green skin and wet transparent flesh. It is eaten raw in salads.”

补充：

📍海参 sea cucumber：an invertebrate animal that lives in the sea, with a thick body that is covered with lumps.

📍(as) cool as a cucumber表示“（尤指出奇地）镇静，冷静，泰然自若”，英文解释为“very calm or very calmly, especially when this is surprising”举个🌰：She walked in as cool as a cucumber, as if nothing had happened. 她泰然自若地走进来，好像什么事也没发生过。

🎬根据石黑一雄小说改编的电影《告别有情天》（Remains Of The Day）中回来：When the butler is back to refresh the teapots, he says, cool as a cucumber, 当管家帮他们的茶续杯时，他十分镇定地说道，

表示“（感情）被压抑的，被抑制的”，英文解释为“Pent-up feelings are not allowed to be expressed or released.”举个🌰：Screaming at the top of your voice is a good way of venting pent-up frustration. 放开嗓子尖叫是发泄内心压抑的挫败感的一种好方法。

In Shanghai, revelers have embraced Halloween, turning what started as a Western tradition into something distinctly Chinese.

在上海，狂欢者热情拥抱万圣节，把这个最初的西方传统变成了独具中国特色的东西。

reveler /'revələ/ 表示“欢宴者，狂欢者；饮酒狂欢者；摆设酒宴者”，英文解释为“someone who dances, drinks, sings, etc. at a party or in public, especially in a noisy way”。

1）表示“欣然接受；乐意采纳”，英文解释为“to accept something enthusiastically”举个🌰：This was an opportunity that he would embrace. 这样的机会他是求之不得的。

2）表示“抱，拥抱”，英文解释为“to hold someone tightly with both arms to express love, liking, or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone”举个🌰：She saw them embrace on the station platform. 她看到他们在站台上拥抱。

This year’s celebration was also the first since the pandemic, adding to the exuberant tone of the thousands present, who laughed, mingled and delighted in each others’ costumes. Attendees said it was the largest gathering they had seen in years.

今年的庆祝活动也是自疫情以来的首次，为成千上万的参与者增添了欢快的气氛，他们欢笑、互动、赞美彼此的装扮。参与者说，这是他们多年来看到的规模最大的一次聚会。

exuberant /ɪɡˈzjuːbərənt/ 表示“（尤指人或其行为）精力充沛的，热情洋溢的，兴高采烈的”，英文解释为“(especially of people and their behaviour) very energetic”举个🌰：Young and exuberant, he symbolizes Italy's new vitality. 青春年少、意气风发，他代表了意大利朝气蓬勃的新生力量。

1）表示“风格；基调，格调；气氛”，英文解释为“the general mood or main qualities of something”举个🌰：I didn't like the jokey tone of the article - I thought it was inappropriate. 我不喜欢这篇文章的搞笑风格——我觉得这不恰当。

2）表示“色调；明暗；影调”，英文解释为“a form or degree of a colour”，如：warm tones of brown and yellow 棕色和黄色这种暖色调。

mingle /ˈmɪŋ.ɡəl/ 1）表示“（使）混合;（使）相混”，英文解释为“to mix or combine, or be mixed or combined”举个🌰：The excitement of starting a new job is always mingled with a certain apprehension. 刚开始一份新工作时兴奋中总是掺杂着些许担忧。

2）表示“（在社交场合）相交往，相往来”，英文解释为“to move around and talk to other people at a social event”举个🌰：You've been talking to her all evening - you really ought to be mingling with the other guests. 你整晚都在和她说话——你真的该和其他客人聊聊。

“It was a sea of joy from Huaihai Road all the way to Nanjing Road,” said Eric Ding, a 23-year-old tech worker. “Voices from all corners of the world came together here.”

“从淮海路到南京路都是一片欢乐的海洋，来自天南海北的声音汇集在这里，”23岁的科技工作者埃里克·丁（音）说。

‘Dance like crazy for one fleeting moment’ “群魔乱舞一瞬间”

Wakkii Zheng, who came to Shanghai just for the party, dressed up as a royal concubine from a popular TV show, “Empress in the Palace.” Calling Halloween his own “Met Gala,” he said he started planning his outfit in early October and decided, last-minute, against wearing a version of Mariah Carey’s iconic Christmas outfit.

瓦基·郑是专门来上海参加这次盛会的，他打扮成热门电视剧《甄嬛传》里的贵妃。他把万圣节称为自己的“Met Gala”，说自己从10月初就开始策划这次的装扮，并在最后一刻才决定放弃玛丽亚·凯莉标志性的圣诞服装。

fleeting /ˈfliː.tɪŋ/ 表示“短暂的;迅速的”，英文解释为“short or quick”如：a fleeting glimpse 迅速的一瞥，举个🌰：This is just a fleeting visit. 这只是一次短暂的访问。

concubine /ˈkɒŋ.kjə.baɪn/ 表示“妾，姨太太，小老婆”，英文解释为“a woman who, in some societies, lives and has sex with a man she is not married to, and has a lower social rank than his wife or wives”

1）表示“全套服装，装束（尤指为某场合或目的）”（a set of clothes that you wear together, especially for a particular occasion or purpose）如：a wedding outfit 一套结婚礼服。

2）表示“组织；公司；团队；军事单位”，英文解释为“an organization, company, team, military unit, etc.”举个🌰：He has recently set up his own research outfit. 他最近建立了自己的研究队伍。

对比：

📍costume /ˈkɒs.tʃuːm/ 表示“（某国或某一历史时期或适合某种活动的）服装”，英文解释为“the set of clothes typical of a particular country or period of history, or suitable for a particular activity”

iconic /aɪˈkɒn.ɪk/ 表示“偶像的；图符的；象征性的；非常出名的，受欢迎的”，英文解释为“An iconic image or thing is important or impressive because it seems to be a symbol of something.”举个🌰：He gained iconic status following his death. 他死后成了偶像级人物。

“As a part of the L.B.G.T.Q. community, I have wondered whether I can wear a dress to a party,” he said. “But except for Halloween, it’s hard to find another occasion where I can feel so relaxed about it.”

“我作为LGBT群体，我会想我能不能穿裙子去参加派对，但实际上除了万圣节我很难在其他派对上这么放松地做这件事情，”他说。

Poking fun at the problems of work 拿工作问题开玩笑

Revelers turned the difficulty of finding jobs or making money into costumes.

狂欢者把找工作或赚钱的困难体现在了服装上。

表示“取笑，奚落；打趣”，英文解释为“to make someone/something seem stupid by making jokes about them or laughing unkindly”。替

One woman wore a sign that said “liberal arts majors graduate,” and carried a metal bowl and a QR code for donations. Another woman dressed up as a starving medical school student, also with a bowl for begging.

一名女子戴着写有“文科生”的牌子，手拿金属碗和用来讨饭的二维码。另一个女子打扮成一个忍饥挨饿的医学院学生，也拿着一个碗乞讨。

liberal arts /ˌlɪb.ər.əl ˈɑːts/ 表示“（大学的）文科”，英文解释为“college or university subjects, such as history, languages, and literature, that develop students' general education rather than preparing them for a particular job”

QR code 二维码，全称Quick Response Code. 条形码/条码呢？Barcode.

Two men in e-commerce uniforms held up signs that advise others not to get into the industry, which was once one of China’s fastest growing sectors.

两名身穿电商从业者制服的男子举着标语，建议其他人不要进入该行业。它曾是中国增长最快的行业之一。

TV, ChatGPT memes 电视和ChatGPT热梗

Like anywhere else with TV and an internet connection, Halloween inspired many costumes from pop culture. Max Ma, a 26-year-old software engineer, wore a hazmat suit intended to replicate the meth-making criminals of her favorite show, “Breaking Bad.”

就像其他有电视和互联网的地方一样，这里的万圣节也从流行文化中得到了许多服装的灵感。26岁的软件工程师马克斯·马（音）穿了一套防化服，意在模仿她最喜欢的电视剧《绝命毒师》（Breaking Bad）中制造冰毒的罪犯。

hazardous material的缩写，表示“危险物品，危险物料”，举个🌰：Each volunteer was given a disposable white hazmat suit (= a suit that protects against dangerous substances). 给每个志愿者都发了一件危险物品防护服。

📍 hazmat suits 指的就是（危险物品）防护服。

表示“使复现；重复；复制”，英文解释为“to make or do something again in exactly the same way”举个🌰：Researchers tried many times to replicate the original experiment. 研究者们作了很多次努力，试图重复这一实验。

“Eight out of ten people had costumes,” said Ms. Ma. “It felt like a true carnival for everyone.”

“十个人里面八个有打扮。这一次算是大家的一场大狂欢，”她说。

carnival /ˈkɑː.nɪ.vəl/ 1）表示“狂欢节；嘉年华会”，英文解释为“(a special occasion or period of) public enjoyment and entertainment involving wearing unusual clothes, dancing, and eating and drinking, usually held in the streets of a city”如：a Caribbean carnival 加勒比海狂欢节。

2）表示“露天游乐场，露天游乐会”，英文解释为“a place of outside entertainment where there are machines for riding on and games that can be played for prizes”

Other costumes were inspired by Chinese internet memes, like members of a fake McDonald’s religion. Even ChatGPT made an appearance.

还有一些服装灵感来自中国的网络热梗，比如假的“麦门信徒”。甚至连ChatGPT也出现了。

“It was especially joyous, especially tolerant,” she said. “Everyone had a happy attitude.”

“特别开心，特别包容，大家都非常积极，态度都是很快乐的，”她说。

- 词汇盘点 -

- 词汇助记 By ChatGPT -