原文標(biāo)題：
Fun of the fair
Gaining moomentum
Britons’ growing love for agricultural shows
展會(huì)的樂趣
勢(shì)頭強(qiáng)勁
英國(guó)人對(duì)農(nóng)業(yè)展會(huì)的熱愛與日俱增

Rural shows in Britain
Britons love country fairs. Why?
英國(guó)鄉(xiāng)村展會(huì)
英國(guó)人為什么喜歡農(nóng)業(yè)展會(huì)？

[Paragraph 1]
ANGUS NEISH dared to hope that his fine-looking cattle, bred at Rodmead Farm in Wiltshire, would nab a prize at the Royal Bath and West Show last month.
安格斯·尼什在威爾特郡的羅德米德農(nóng)場(chǎng)養(yǎng)了一群牛，他希望這些牛群能夠在上個(gè)月的皇家巴斯和西部農(nóng)博會(huì)上獲獎(jiǎng)。

The annual fair, held near Shepton Mallet, in Somerset, is England’s oldest—and grandest.
這個(gè)每年一度的農(nóng)博會(huì)在薩默塞特郡謝普頓馬利特附近舉行，是英格蘭最古老、最盛大的展覽會(huì)之一。

As well as a fiercely competitive livestock parade, it features Morris dancing, sheep-shearing and a vintage fairground. Its pony-chariot races are second to none.
除了競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的牲畜列隊(duì)表演外，還有莫里斯舞蹈、剪羊毛和復(fù)古游樂場(chǎng)等活動(dòng)。其中小馬車比賽堪稱一流。

Many contestants on a recent afternoon had first given generous custom at the nearby cider tent.
最近的一個(gè)下午，許多參賽選手的首要事情就是在附近的蘋果酒帳篷大方消費(fèi)。

They performed vigorously before a large crowd. Thanks in part to sunny weather, 100,000 turned out for some of the three-day show.
他們?cè)诒姸嘤^眾面前賣力地表演。由于天氣晴朗的緣故，有10萬人參加了為期三天的展覽會(huì)。

[Paragraph 2]
Britons love a fair. No one is sure exactly how many shows there are across the country, but at least 400 days of such rural events happen annually.
英國(guó)人喜歡展覽會(huì)。盡管沒有確切的數(shù)據(jù)顯示全國(guó)有多少場(chǎng)這樣的鄉(xiāng)村活動(dòng)，但每年至少有400場(chǎng)這樣的展覽會(huì)。

A parliamentary briefing in 2022 suggested roughly one in ten Britons attend them each year. It appears their popularity is rising.
2022 年的一次議會(huì)簡(jiǎn)報(bào)顯示，每年大約有1/10的英國(guó)人參加這些活動(dòng)。農(nóng)博會(huì)的受歡迎程度似乎還在上升。

[Paragraph 3]
In late June it was the turn of the Royal Highland Show, near Edinburgh, where 217,000 people—surpassing a record set in 2019—rolled up.
6月底，愛丁堡市郊舉行了皇家高地展覽會(huì)，有21.7萬人參加，超過了2019年創(chuàng)下的紀(jì)錄。

Such visitors have a noticeable impact on the local economy. By one estimate the event last year boosted nearby businesses by almost ￡40m ($51m).
參加活動(dòng)的游客對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)亟?jīng)濟(jì)產(chǎn)生了顯著影響。據(jù)估計(jì)，去年這場(chǎng)展覽會(huì)為附近的企業(yè)帶來了近 4000 萬英鎊（5100 萬美元）的增長(zhǎng)。

[Paragraph 4]
Why do people go? Nostalgia is evidently a draw.
人們?yōu)槭裁匆⒓幽?？懷舊顯然是一個(gè)重要的原因。

At Bath and West, as bunting flapped, visitors formed queues, bought cream teas and listened as a military band played wartime hits.
在巴斯和西部展覽會(huì)上，彩旗飄揚(yáng)，游客們排起長(zhǎng)隊(duì)購(gòu)買奶油茶點(diǎn)，聆聽軍樂隊(duì)演奏戰(zhàn)時(shí)熱門歌曲。

Rural shows also have a purpose, even beyond sending visitors into cider or whisky tents.
農(nóng)博會(huì)也有目標(biāo)，不僅僅是為了吸引游客到蘋果酒或威士忌帳篷消費(fèi)。

Many fairs were founded in the 18th or 19th century to spread knowledge of new farming technology among rural populations. Some of that mission lives on.
許多農(nóng)博始于18或19世紀(jì)，目的是向村民傳播新的農(nóng)業(yè)技術(shù)知識(shí)。其中部分使命仍然存在。

For the likes of Mr Neish, the 600 trade stalls offered at least as much interest as any Morris dancing.
對(duì)于尼什等農(nóng)場(chǎng)主來說，600 個(gè)貿(mào)易攤位與莫里斯舞蹈一樣有趣。

[Paragraph 5]
A secondary goal is to better educate those who venture in from towns and cities—urban folk make up a decent share of those who pack the grounds.
第二個(gè)目的是更好地教育城市居民——他們?cè)谡箷?huì)中占據(jù)了相當(dāng)大的比例。

Some consumers also come armed with formidable knowledge of food supply chains—as well as sometimes fussy personal preferences for organic, local, animal-friendly, vegan, fair-trade and environmentally sound products.
一些消費(fèi)者還擁有豐富的食品供應(yīng)鏈知識(shí)--有時(shí)他們對(duì)有機(jī)、本地、動(dòng)物友好型、純素食、公平貿(mào)易和環(huán)保產(chǎn)品的眼光很挑剔。

Laura Williams, of the Royal Welsh Show, notes that visitors are “much more invested in farming and interested in where their food comes from” than in years past.
威爾士皇家展覽會(huì)的勞拉·威廉姆斯指出，與過去幾年相比，訪客們“對(duì)農(nóng)業(yè)投入更多，對(duì)食物的來源更感興趣”。

[Paragraph 6]
A last purpose, naturally, is for farmers to excel against their rivals in friendly competition.
最后一個(gè)目的自然是讓農(nóng)場(chǎng)主在友好競(jìng)爭(zhēng)中獲勝。

In this respect Mr Neish enjoyed an udderly successful day. In a first for Bath and West, his cattle scooped all four of the top prizes on offer in their categories.
從這方面來說，尼什在展覽會(huì)上取得了極大的成功。在巴斯和西部展覽會(huì)上，他的牛群在所有比賽項(xiàng)目中贏得4個(gè)特等獎(jiǎng)，這種情況在展會(huì)歷史上是首次。

Such victories do not bring immediate, large financial rewards, but should boost the reputation of his breeding programme.
這次勝利不一定會(huì)帶來立竿見影的巨額經(jīng)濟(jì)回報(bào)，但一定會(huì)提高他養(yǎng)殖計(jì)劃的聲譽(yù)。

“It’s a great way for me to advertise,” he says, grinning.
他笑著說：“這是我宣傳推廣的好機(jī)會(huì)?！?

（恭喜讀完，本篇英語詞匯量470左右）
原文出自：2023年7月8日《The Economist》Britain版塊

精讀筆記來源于：自由英語之路

本文翻譯整理: Irene本文編輯校對(duì): Irene
僅供個(gè)人英語學(xué)習(xí)交流使用。

【補(bǔ)充資料】（來自于網(wǎng)絡(luò)）
皇家巴斯和西部農(nóng)業(yè)展覽會(huì)（Royal Bath and West Show）是英國(guó)最大的鄉(xiāng)村展覽會(huì)之一，每年在英國(guó)英格蘭的索默塞特郡舉辦。這個(gè)展覽會(huì)成立于1852年，至今已有160多年的歷史。旨在展示和慶祝英國(guó)鄉(xiāng)村生活、農(nóng)業(yè)和食品產(chǎn)業(yè)。它吸引了來自全國(guó)各地的參展商和觀眾，包括農(nóng)民、農(nóng)業(yè)企業(yè)、家庭和更廣泛的社區(qū)。展覽會(huì)通常持續(xù)三天，在這期間，參觀者可以參觀各種展覽，包括農(nóng)業(yè)機(jī)械、農(nóng)產(chǎn)品、畜牧展示、花卉和園藝展示，以及手工藝品和食品展示。此外，還會(huì)有各種體育比賽、游樂設(shè)施和娛樂活動(dòng)，如音樂會(huì)、馬術(shù)表演等，為參觀者提供了豐富多樣的娛樂和娛樂活動(dòng)。

皇家高地展覽會(huì)（Royal Highland Show）是英國(guó)最大的農(nóng)業(yè)展覽會(huì)，也是蘇格蘭最重要的農(nóng)業(yè)盛事之一。每年在蘇格蘭首府愛丁堡市郊舉辦，展覽會(huì)的歷史可以追溯到1822年。展覽會(huì)是一個(gè)為期四天的盛會(huì)，吸引了來自全國(guó)各地的參展商和觀眾。

莫里斯舞蹈（Morris dancing）是英國(guó)的一種傳統(tǒng)舞蹈形式，起源可以追溯到15世紀(jì)。這種舞蹈通常在慶祝活動(dòng)、節(jié)日和婚禮等特殊場(chǎng)合中表演，具有濃厚的鄉(xiāng)村特色。通常由一群男子或女子組成，他們穿著華麗的裝飾、鮮艷的服裝和特色的帽子。舞者們手持鈴鐺、長(zhǎng)棍或手帕，在音樂的伴奏下跳躍、旋轉(zhuǎn)和擊打地面，展示出獨(dú)特的節(jié)奏和動(dòng)作。有些舞蹈呈現(xiàn)出戰(zhàn)斗和追逐的場(chǎng)景，有些則展示了農(nóng)業(yè)勞動(dòng)和慶祝豐收的情景。舞者們通常會(huì)演奏傳統(tǒng)的英國(guó)民間音樂，如小提琴、手風(fēng)琴和鋼琴等。每年夏季，許多莫里斯舞團(tuán)會(huì)舉行巡回表演，參加各種節(jié)日和活動(dòng)，給人們帶來歡樂和娛樂。莫里斯舞蹈不僅是一種傳統(tǒng)文化的體現(xiàn)，也是英國(guó)鄉(xiāng)村社區(qū)的重要組成部分。

【重點(diǎn)句子】（3個(gè)）
As well as a fiercely competitive livestock parade, it features Morris dancing, sheep-shearing and a vintage fairground. Its pony-chariot races are second to none.
除了競(jìng)爭(zhēng)激烈的牲畜列隊(duì)表演外，還有莫里斯舞蹈、剪羊毛和復(fù)古游樂場(chǎng)等活動(dòng)。其中小馬車比賽堪稱一流。

Such visitors have a noticeable impact on the local economy. By one estimate the event last year boosted nearby businesses by almost ￡40m ($51m).
參加活動(dòng)的游客對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)亟?jīng)濟(jì)產(chǎn)生了顯著影響。據(jù)估計(jì)，去年這場(chǎng)展覽會(huì)為附近的企業(yè)帶來了近 4000 萬英鎊（5100 萬美元）的增長(zhǎng)。

Many fairs were founded in the 18th or 19th century to spread knowledge of new farming technology among rural populations. Some of that mission lives on.
許多農(nóng)博會(huì)始于18或19世紀(jì)，目的是向村民傳播新的農(nóng)業(yè)技術(shù)知識(shí)。其中部分使命仍然存在。