VOA慢速英语2019 为什么美国人劳工节后不穿白色衣服

Why Americans Don’t Wear White after Labor¹ Day

This Monday is Labor Day in the United States – a holiday linked to workers’ rights and wearing white.

这个周一是美国的劳工节，一个与工人权利和穿着白色衣服有关的节日。 

That may sound strange, but it is true.

这听起来可能很奇怪，但却是事实。 

Many Americans put away their white clothes on Labor Day and do not wear them again until the following May, after Memorial Day.

许多美国人在劳工节那天把他们的白色衣服收起来，直到明年5月阵亡将士纪念日之后才再穿。 

One reason for the clothing custom relates to the season.

这种服装习俗的其中一个原因是与季节有关。 

In the United States, the months between June and September are summer.

在美国，六月到九月是夏天。 

The weather is usually hot, including in Northeast cities like Boston, Massachusetts and New York, New York.

天气通常很热，在一些东北部城市如波士顿、马萨诸塞州和纽约。 

Many people there historically wore light-colored clothing in the summertime to keep cool.

历史上，那里的许多人在夏天换上浅色的衣服以保持凉爽。 

Judith Martin is an expert on manners – in other words, on how to behave politely.

朱迪斯·马丁是礼仪专家——换句话说，就是研究如何表现得有礼貌方面的专家。 

She spoke² to Time Magazine about the history of wearing white in the summer.

她在接受《时代》杂志采访时谈到了夏天穿白色衣服的历史。 

She said Americans in the 1800s and early 1900s wore formal clothes all year long.

她说，19世纪和20世纪初的美国人一年到头都穿着正式服装。 

Wearing white clothes in the summertime may have felt more comfortable because “white is of a lighter³ weight,” Martin said.

马丁说，在夏天穿白色衣服可能会感觉更舒服，因为“白色的重量更轻”（感觉轻松）。 

Then, in about the 1930s, wearing white clothes in the summertime became fashionable, too.

然后，大约在20世纪30年代，夏天穿白色衣服也开始流行起来。 

That is because some wealthy Americans in Northeast cities went on vacation for weeks or months in the summer.

这是因为美国东北部城市的一些富人在夏天会去度假几周或几个月。 

They stayed in costly⁴ hotels or summerhouses.

他们住在昂贵的旅馆或避暑别墅里。 

The white clothes they wore there became linked to ease⁵, beauty and money.

在那里穿着白色衣服，这一切好像显得与轻松、美丽和财富有关。 

But at the end of summer, around Labor Day, they put those white clothes away and returned to their lives in the city – as well as to their darker, heavier clothes.

但到了夏末，劳工节将至，他们把那些白色的衣服收起来，返回到城市生活中——以及穿回他们深色、较重（感觉厚重）的衣服。

In time, not wearing white after Labor Day became a bit of a fashion rule.

随着时间的推移，劳工节之后不穿白色衣服成了一种时尚规则。 

Following it showed that you were wealthy – or at least that you knew how to act like you were.

这表明你很富有——或者至少你知道如何表现得像个有钱人。 

Today’s fashion magazines, however, advise readers to ignore the rule.

然而，如今的时尚杂志建议读者忽略这一规则。 

They point to Coco Chanel, Kim Kardashian and Michelle Obama, who have appeared in white in all seasons.

他们提到可可·香奈儿、金·卡戴珊和米歇尔·奥巴马，在任何季节都穿白色。 

But you may want to be careful about wearing white to an American-style Labor Day barbecue.

但是你可能要小心不要穿白色衣服去参加美国式的劳工节烧烤。 

The trouble is not fashion – it is ketchup⁶.

问题不在于时尚，而在于番茄酱。 

If it spills, the popular red tomato sauce can ruin a nice set of clothes.

如果它洒出来，受欢迎的红色番茄酱会毁了一套漂亮的衣服。 

Words in This Story

comfortable - adj. not having any physically⁷ unpleasant feelings : experiencing physical comfort

fashion - n. a popular way of dressing during a particular time or among a particular group of people

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

4 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

5 ease   

n. 安乐,安逸,悠闲; v. 使...安乐,使...安心,减轻,放松

参考例句：

• His mind was at ease and he felt confident in the future. 他心情舒畅,对前途很有信心。
• You should ease up on the child and stop scolding her. 你应该对那个孩子宽松些,不要再骂她了。

6 ketchup   

n.蕃茄酱，蕃茄沙司

参考例句：

• There's a spot of ketchup on the tablecloth.桌布上有一点番茄酱的渍斑。
• Could I have some ketchup and napkins,please?请给我一些番茄酱和纸手巾？

7 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。