英国人不苟言笑的形象成为过去

 　　The famous British "stiff¹ upper lip" has become a thing of the past, according to a survey on Thursday which found Britons are no longer embarrassed to shed a tear or be affectionate in public。

　　Nearly three-quarters of Brits now greet others with an air kiss or hug, an increase of a third over the last 15 years, while 63 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed said they had cried in public。

　　"The British stiff upper lip is finally wobbling as more and more Brits wear their hearts on their sleeves," said Richard Hayes of Warburtons bakers², who carried out the research in connection with an upcoming advertising³ campaign。

　　Brits are also prone⁴ to getting carried away when they are excited, the research showed, with 47 percent waving their arms in the air, a third jumping up and down and three in 10 throwing their arm around someone nearby。

　　Plotted on the "passion index," which measures how often people display emotion, Britain averaged 69 out of 100, with people in the south most likely to show how they feel while the Welsh were the least emotional。

　　上周四公布的一项调查称，英国人不苟言笑的著名形象如今已成为过去。调查发现，英国人已不再羞于当众落泪或流露感情。

　　近四分之三的英国人用空吻或拥抱的方式来问候他人，采用这种问候方式的人的数量在过去15年中增加了三分之一。另外，在1000名受访者中，有 63%的人说他们曾当众哭过。

　　开展该调查的沃伯顿面点公司的理查德?海耶斯说：“如今越来越多的英国人开始大胆表露自己的感情，英国人不苟言笑的传统形象终于开始改变。”该调查为配合一个即将举行的广告宣传活动而开展。

　　调查显示，如今英国人在激动时也会“忘乎所以”，47%的人会手舞足蹈，三分之一的人会高兴地跳上跳下，十分之三的人会拥抱旁边的人。

　　根据用来衡量人们流露情感频率的 “热情指数”，英国人的平均“热情指数”为69(总分100)。英国南部地区的人最容易流露感情，威尔士人最不善于表达情感。

1 stiff   

adj.严厉的，激烈的，硬的，僵直的，不灵活的

参考例句：

• There is a sheet of stiff cardboard in the drawer.在那个抽屉里有块硬纸板。
• You have to push on the handle to turn it,becanse it's very stiff.手柄很不灵活，你必须用力推才能转动它。

2 bakers   

n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三

参考例句：

• The Bakers have invited us out for a meal tonight. 贝克一家今晚请我们到外面去吃饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bakers specialize in catering for large parties. 那些面包师专门负责为大型宴会提供食品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

4 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。