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Food for Thought! 食物品牌受到保护Is Scotch your favourite tipple?For many people around the world a glass of Scotch is their favourite tipple.Scotch whisky can come in blended or single malt varieties. Connoisseurs of the drink debate its tone, taste and its ageing process.Distilleries around the world produce the drink but whisky-makers in Scotland have been trying to protect its name, saying that only when its made there can it really be Scotch.They say its their distilling process involving barley and water that makes their product unique. Whisky is big business with almost 1.5 billion (15 billion yuan) worth of it exported in the first half of this year.Now, a new agreement by the Chinese government is expected to mean that Scotch sold in China will have been produced in Scotland. The UK Agriculture Minister, Jim Paice, says If it says Scotch whisky on the bottle it will be Scotch whisky in the bottle in Chinas bars, restaurants, hotels and homes.This is not the first time a food has been protected. In Europe many types of food have been given special protection. For example, the Champagne region of France is home to the drink of the same name.Local producers have fought hard to make sure only sparkling wine made there can carry the name champagne. The European Union has legally protected its name with the Treaty of Madrid and its protection has been accepted by many other countries worldwide.Numerous other edible products have their regional names protected but why is it so important? Well, giving a product its name of origin does add value by giving it a USP its unique selling point.Consumers know where it has been made and that its been manufactured to an exclusive recipe and ultimately that it tastes fantastic. At least from now on, everyone in China who enjoys a wee dram knows they are drinking a genuine Scottish product.Glossary tipple酒 whisky 威士忌 blended 调和的 single malt单一麦芽的(威士忌) connoisseurs 鉴定家,行家 tone 颜色 ageing 使陈化 distillery酿酒厂 barley大麦 to export 出口 agreement 协议 to protect保护 treaty 条约 edible可食用的 regional 地方的 origin 来源 to manufacture制造 ultimately最终,最后 wee dram一小杯威士忌酒 genuine真的Britains Nickname Survey 英国地名绰号调查Charity Catalogues British Place Nicknames 英慈善机构着手编纂地名绰号Does your local town have a nickname? If so, what does it say about the area and the people who live there?Many cities are recognised across the world by their unofficial titles. New York is the Big Apple, London is the Big Smoke, and Los Angeles is famously called La La Land.Now Britains national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey, and the British linguistics charity, the English Project, are launching an interactive project to uncover the pet names people use for local places.The initiative, which launched last week to coincide with English Language Day, is called Location Lingo. It aims to identify the names people use every day, whether its a term of endearment or a hate name.The University of Winchesters Professor Bill Lucas is a patron of the English Project. He explains that unofficial place names often show what people think about a place.The name that people conjure up or create for a place forms an emotional connection, he says.So Basingstoke becomes Amazingstoke, Swindon is known as Swindump and Padstow, hometown of chef Rick Stein, is nicknamed Padstein.Basingstoke is a town in central England. The local nickname, Amazingstoke, shows the affection that locals seem to have for the area.Swindon, on the other hand, is sometimes called Swindump, showing that some people think its a dump. Stanford Le Hope in Essex is called Stanford No Hope by locals. And Padstow in Cornwall is so closely associated with the local celebrity Rick Stein that its become known as Padstein.Since launching the online database last week, the creators have already received 3,000 alternative titles for places and landmarks.Some also claim that the project could even have a practical use. Glen Hart, Ordnance Surveys head of research, says the information could be very helpful to the emergency services, for example. By having the most complete set of nicknames we could help the emergency services quickly locate the right place, and maybe even save lives, he saysGlossary nickname绰号/诨名 mapping agency规划局 linguistics语言学 an interactive project互动项目 pet name宠爱的(地)名 initiative倡议/计划 to coincide巧合 lingo隐语 a term of endearment溺称 a hate name有恨意的名字 a patron赞助人/支持者 unofficial非官方的 to conjure up想象出 an emotional connection情感上的联系 on the other hand而/反之/从另一个角度说 a dump垃圾堆 online网上 database数据库 landmark地标 the emergency Unplugging Your Life 你的生活不插电Living without the Media 在没有网络媒体的世界中生活Are you a media addict who would go mad after two hours without TV, friend requests, exciting online games and your mobile or would you easily survive? Recently, university students around the world were asked to volunteer in a global experiment called Unplugged. It was designed to see how young people would react if they were asked to observe a total media ban by unplugging all forms of media devices for 24 hours.Unplugged is being run by Dr Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in Communication and Journalism at Bournemouth University. The experiment is now over but he doesnt yet know the full findings.However, during the experiment, Dr Gerodimos said there were already signs of how much the exercise affected volunteers. He said: Theyre reporting withdrawal symptoms, overeating, feeling nervous, isolated and disconnected.During their 24-hour ordeal, three of the experiments guinea pigs had to endure one intrusion from the media: a BBC reporter plus cameraman who followed them around for the day. They were asked to write down 100 lines about their day offline, but of course, they all waited until the next day when they had access to their laptops.Elliot Day wrote: Today, my whole morning routine was thrown up into the air. Despite being aware of the social importance of the media, I was surprised by how empty my life felt without the radio or newspapers.From Caroline Scott, we read: I didnt expect it, but being deprived of the media for 24 hours resulted in my day-to-day activities becoming so much harder to carry out than usual I didnt break out in a cold sweat like our lecturer expected us all to, but its not something I would like to do again!And Charlotte Gay wrote: I have to say the most difficult item for me to be without has been my mobile; not only is it a social gadget, its my main access point of communication.Earlier in the year, a UK government study found that in the UK we spend about half our waking hours using the media, often plugged into several things at once. And a recent study by Nielson found that on average, US teenagers send and receive over 3,000 texts per month thats about six texts per waking hour.So, with technology continuing to develop at an alarming rate, how much time will you set aside for sleep in the future?Glossary 词汇表 addict 有瘾的人 friend request 好友请求 to observe尝试去做某事 unplugging停止(原意指拔掉插头) the full findings 完整的调查结果 withdrawal symptom 脱瘾症状(戒除某习惯时所引起的痛苦和不适) overeating过度饱食 isolated 与世隔绝的 to be disconnected (与现实)分离的 ordeal煎熬 guinea pig 参加试验的人 to endure 忍受 intrusion入侵 offline 脱机的 to be thrown up into the air 被打乱 to be deprived of 不能使用 to break out into a cold sweat 吓得浑身冒冷汗 gadget 小工具 waking hours 醒着的时间 to set aside 留出来The Frugal Alliance 英法成为节俭同盟Economic Crisis Fosters New Defence Deal for France and Britain 经济危机促成英法防御合作 A statue of Admiral Nelson can be seen in Trafalgar SquareFrance and Britain are standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a new defence alliance. The British Prime Minister David Cameron and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed two new defence treaties this week that include joint training exercises for a new Anglo-French rapid reaction force and the shared use of an aircraft carrier.The two countries havent always seen eye-to-eye. Their common history has been peppered with conflict that goes back as far as the Battle of Hastings in 1066, when the Duke of Normandy invaded England and became king of the country.The English, on the other hand, like to remember the Battle of Trafalgar, won at sea in 1805 against an alliance of the French and Spanish navies. It curtailed Napoleons ambitions to control Europe.Napoleon and his enemy, Admiral Nelson, have captured their peoples imaginations. Nelson now sits on top of his column in Trafalgar Square keeping watch over the sea.The 1904 Entente Cordiale (or cordial agreement) brought an end to centuries of regular wars, and the two countries have been allies ever since, most notably in the two world wars. But there have been rocky patches that include different views on localised conflicts like the Iraq war.Now both are back together in what has humorously been dubbed the Entente Frugale (or frugal agreement). The British and French governments are short of money and have been forced to implement austerity measures in their defence plans. Mutual suspicion that is ingrained in the British and French has given way to a pragmatic alliance.The people of the two countries have a love-hate relationship and joke about their rivalry. The French like to say that their neighbours across the Channel are bad cooks. The British think that the French look down their noses at them.But the Brits also appreciate the je ne sais quoi that only French culture provides.Many British holiday-makers love nothing better than to have a glass of champagne in a Parisian cafe by the river Seine.The French like British music and some of their rock bands are now recording songs in English.Maybe this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Long live the Frugal Agreement! Vive lEntente Frugale!Glossary 词汇表to stand shoulder-to-shoulder肩并肩 joint training exercises联合演习 eye-to-eye看法一致 peppered布满了 on the other hand然而 to curtail something削减 to keep watch over something放哨 entente协定 cordial友好的 to bring an end to结束,停止 rocky patch不顺的阶段 to be dubbed被称为 frugal节俭的 austerity measure节俭手段 mutual彼此的 ingrained根深蒂固的 has given way to让步 pragmatic实用的 look down ones nose at something嗤之以鼻,瞧不起 je ne sais quoi难以描Chilean Miners Rescued 智利矿工获救MThe eyes of the world are glued to the Atacama Desert in Chile as 33 trapped miners are finally being brought to the surface one by one.Florencio Avalos was the first to be freed, at 0010 local time (0310 GMT). Chiles president, Sebastian Pinera, was on hand to hug Mr Avalos after he came to the surface.This country shows its true soul, shows what it is capable of, when we face adversity the President said in an address. But he added: This wont be over until all 33 are out.There were further scenes of jubilation when Mario Sepulveda, the second miner to be rescued, reached the surface.Mr Sepulveda emerged from the Phoenix rescue capsule smiling and seeming as fit as a fiddle. He had brought with him a bag of rocks from the bottom of the mine, which he started to hand out as mementoes. He then led a group of rescue workers in joyful chanting.The engineers overseeing the rescue are planning to winch up the miners at a rate of roughly one an hour.Much thought has gone into the order in which they are saved. The first men were amongst those in the best condition, physically and mentally.Next, the rescuers started to retrieve those who were weaker or ill.Inside the capsule, the miners heart rate, temperature and oxygen consumption is monitored and they can speak to controllers on the surface.At the top, they emerge into the glare of the worlds cameras wearing state-of-the-art sunglasses supplied by an American optics company.The intense media attention, and the free sunglasses, are an introduction to what will doubtless be very changed circumstances in the mens lives.Its not only bright lights, its millions of jabbering people. Millions of people, prodding and poking them, said Dr James Thompson, a senior psychology lecturer at University College London.The miners have already received offers of book deals and new jobs.We dont know if they will cope well with their fame. However, one thing is for sure: if the miners continue to show the sort of collective resolve that has come to define their amazing story then they have a good chance.Glossary 词汇表 glued紧紧盯着 to be on hand在现场 to hug拥抱 adversity极度艰苦 jubilation欢庆 phoenix凤凰(号) capsule救生舱 as fit as a fiddle健康无恙 memento纪念品 chanting诵唱 to winch up用绞车吊上来 to retrieve解救 consumption氧气消耗 glare刺眼的光 / 众目睽睽之下 state-of-the-art最新式的 / 最先进的 optics镜片 jabbering喋喋不休地说 prodding(用手)戳 poking(用手指)捅一捅 collective resolve集体信念 / 决心The Rise and Rise of Camping 野营度假势头见涨In what activity is a torch essential, a roll-matt optional and some wellington boots advisable? The answer is of course camping.Camping has long been popular with holiday-makers looking for a low-cost break in the UK, but the activity is currently experiencing a boom. The Office of National Statistics reports that last year camping trips increased by 29% on the year before, overtaking the number of stays at traditional bed and breakfasts.The numbers this year are likely to be even higher, as disruptions to UK airspace and concerns over money force many Brits to opt for vacations at home what have been dubbed staycations.Tipis are becoming more popular in the UK.Thats not the only example of inventive language related to this topic. The interest in camping has been partly buoyed by the emergence of glamping glamorous camping.Glamping combines the allure of a night under the stars with creature comforts like proper beds, heating, even electric sockets for hair straighteners. More and more UK campsites are offering exclusive comfortable camping holidays in Mongolian yurts or Native American tipis.Jonathan Knight, founder of the Cool Camping series of guidebooks, described glamping as a warmer, drier camping experience.But of course, everything comes at a price. Whereas it might only cost you 10 (106 yuan) to pitch a tent for the night, a fully-equipped yurt could be ten times that price.The posh camping experience is leading middle-class people to swap Tuscany for a tipi. Fran Wintle, who owns Larkhill Tipis in Wales with her husband, said they had been astonished at how popular their tipis and yurts had become. I would say the majority of people who come here are professionals - a lot of doctors, she said.Kevin Bird, who with his wife runs Trellyn Woodland Campsite, also in Wales, identified another common feature of glamping sites.I think campfires are one of the biggest growth areas where people want to go back to camping as it was when they were kids, he said.But of course a campfire isnt complete without a song. So perhaps we can expect sales of acoustic guitars and earplugs to go up alongside those of sleeping bags and stovesGlossary 词汇表 (roll-matt 卷毯 wellington boots(惠灵顿)高筒雨靴 break休假 boom 兴盛/热潮 bed and breakfast 包早餐的家庭旅馆 disruption 干扰 to opt for 选择 to dub something 把称为 to buoy 浮现 allure诱惑 creature comforts 令人感到舒适的东西 hair straighteners 头发夹直器 yurt蒙古包,圆顶帐篷 tipi 尖顶帐篷 to pitch a tent 搭个帐篷 Tuscany(意大利中西部地名) 塔斯卡纳 campfire篝火 earplugs耳塞 sleeping bag 睡袋 stove 火炉/电炉Inventions 发明A British Library Exhibition Celebrates Innovation 大英图书馆庆祝发明Have you ever thought of inventing something that could make everyday chores easier? Sam Houghton did and he created a double-headed broom.Sam was just three years old when he came up with his idea. He was watching his father sweep up garden leaves and alternate between two brushes while trying to gather large leaves and fine debris.Now he is the poster boy for a new exhibition at the British Library in London called Inventing the 21st Century.To celebrate innovation and inspire budding entrepreneurs, the famous library is telling the story behind 15 of what it considers the most ingenious inventions to come out of Britain in the past 10 years. Sams broom is surrounded by products developed by big companies, like a high-tech swimsuit by Speedo that became popular at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a bladeless fan by Britains Dyson.Every year the UK generates over 25,000 patents, trademarks and design rights for new products and services. Many of the inventors have to jump through a lot of hoops before they can see their product on the market.Richard Thorpe, creator of an innovative folding electric bike, says that it took him seven years to go from concept to sales. He explains he had to keep quiet about his idea until it was patented.When it comes to innovation and selling an idea confidentiality is key, he warns. Whenever you are having a meeting with anyone, always have it in a context that this is confidential information and anything said is not in the public domain.Britain is known for nurturing its entrepreneurial spirit ever since the days of the Industrial Revolution with James Watt, Thomas Savery and Thomas Newcomen and their work on the steam engine.And young Sam Houghton is true to this tradition. He is now eight years old and has more inventions in the pipeline.Ive made a balloon popping machine for play centres, he explains. After little childrens parties we dont want them to cry because of big bangs of balloons.He said that he took away the bangs by creating a box where the balloons can burst without frightening children.Glossary 词汇表double-headed broom 双头扫帚 came up with 提出 sweep

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