倫敦是一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)保守與時(shí)尚前衛(wèi)并存的多元化城市，而生活于其中的倫敦人自然也兼具多重性格：他們既彬彬有禮，也趾高氣揚(yáng)；他們既含蓄保守，也熱愛八卦；他們既小心謹(jǐn)慎，也自負(fù)瀟灑??他們似乎是一群看不透的矛盾體，需要我們細(xì)細(xì)地琢磨，慢慢地領(lǐng)悟。

Does everyone drink like Winston Churchill1)?

Thanks largely to a film and television conspiracy， many people view London as a place where everyone drinks， all the time. And it’s sort of true. According to Britain’s National Health Service， 12 percent of Londoners (about 900，000 people) drink more than five days a week. And， according to a 2009 report， as many as 17 million working days are lost to booze2) each year in the United Kingdom.

每個(gè)人都像溫斯頓·丘吉爾那么能喝嗎？

許多人覺得倫敦是個(gè)人人酒不離口、時(shí)時(shí)杯不離手的地方，這主要?dú)w功于電影與電視的共同影響。這一看法在一定程度上是真實(shí)的。英國(guó)國(guó)家健康中心的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，12%的倫敦人(約九十萬(wàn)人)每周飲酒的天數(shù)超過五天。2009年的一份報(bào)告顯示，在英國(guó)，每年因飲酒過度而造成的誤工時(shí)間長(zhǎng)達(dá)1700萬(wàn)個(gè)工作日。

That said， what’s the best off-the-beaten-path3) pub?

London excels in luxurious hotel bars and gastropubs4)， but more than once upon entering a local pub on my own， I’ve felt a bit like that unfortunate stranger blowing into the saloon in a western5). Not long ago， though， I fell for an unassuming6) pub in Peckham called the Gowlett Arms. It had good， real English ale—they have Fuller’s London Pride7) on tap8)—in addition to a lavishly tattooed bartender， Betty， and regulars who were more than happy to talk to a stranger. After a few pints， I recalled that I was just steps away from Peckham Rye， where William Blake9) claimed to have had his first vision of angels. If I lived nearby， I’d be there every other night.

既然這么說，那么倫敦最好的特色酒吧是哪家？

倫敦不乏奢華的酒店吧臺(tái)和高檔的美食酒吧，可是每當(dāng)我獨(dú)自一人走進(jìn)當(dāng)?shù)氐木瓢蓵r(shí)，都覺得自己像是西部片里突然闖入酒館的凄慘外來(lái)客。不過，不久前，我愛上了一家不起眼的酒吧，它位于派克姆區(qū)，名叫格萊特·阿姆斯。這里有上好的正宗英國(guó)啤酒(他們供應(yīng)富樂酒廠出產(chǎn)的散裝“倫敦驕傲”啤酒)，還有身上刺有很多文身的酒保貝蒂，以及十分樂于與陌生人交談的老顧客們。幾品脫啤酒下肚，我想起派克姆麥就在附近，當(dāng)年威廉·布萊克曾聲稱自己第一次看到天使的地方就是那里。如果我住在這家酒吧附近，一定會(huì)隔三差五地前來(lái)光顧。

Are Londoners psyched for the Olympics?

Absolutely not. In the annual tourist rush of July and August， London is like a cranky10) father compelled to host a party for his teenage daughter—awkward， uncomfortable and simmering with barely concealed fury at the ghastly11)， noisy interlopers12) who insist on having a good time.

Also: Londoners are not impressed by anything， at all， ever. Everything has already happened here—including the Olympics， twice， in 1908 and 1948. Sometimes， the weary stoicism13) of Londoners is a boon. But it is an outlook instantly affronted14) by any suggestion that any future happening is going to be profitable， transformative or， worst of all， pleasant.

倫敦人對(duì)即將開幕的奧運(yùn)會(huì)感到激動(dòng)嗎？

完全不。在每年7月與8月的旅游旺季，倫敦就像是迫不得已要為自己十幾歲的女兒辦聚會(huì)的父親一樣慍怒不已。面對(duì)吵吵嚷嚷、令人反感、執(zhí)意要玩得盡興的外來(lái)客們，倫敦人感到尷尬與不適，心中充滿著勉強(qiáng)掩飾的怒火。

此外，也沒有什么事能讓倫敦人覺得大驚小怪的，壓根沒有，從來(lái)沒有。這里什么都發(fā)生過了，包括奧運(yùn)會(huì)，而且舉辦過兩次，分別在1908年和1948年。有些時(shí)候，倫敦人這種懶洋洋的淡定態(tài)度是件好事。但是，一旦有人建議說未來(lái)發(fā)生的某件事會(huì)給倫敦帶來(lái)裨益、變革或者——最糟糕的——愉悅時(shí)，懷有這種淡定態(tài)度的倫敦人會(huì)立馬覺得自己受到了侮辱。

But there is one exception . . .

With an estimated 450，000 tourists needing beds for the 2012 Olympics， Londoners of all income levels are excited to lease out their apartments for big sums. “The price point seems to be around four times the regular rental price，” says Jemma Scott， head of residential corporate services for Knight Frank， the venerable real estate outfit15). On OneFineStay.com， a Craigslist for short-term rentals， a six-bedroom， three-bath home in Notting Hill is going for almost $3，200 a night.

但有一種情況例外……

2012年奧運(yùn)會(huì)期間，需要住宿的游客預(yù)計(jì)達(dá)到45萬(wàn)人。各收入階層的倫敦人都興奮不已，準(zhǔn)備將自己的住房租出去，趁機(jī)撈上一筆?！胺孔鈨r(jià)格可能會(huì)達(dá)到平時(shí)租金的四倍左右?！比R坊公司商務(wù)住宅服務(wù)部主管吉瑪·斯科特如是說，萊坊公司是業(yè)界資深的房產(chǎn)代理機(jī)構(gòu)。根據(jù)舒住網(wǎng)(OneFineStay.com)——一家提供短租信息的分類廣告網(wǎng)站——統(tǒng)計(jì)，諾丁山地區(qū)一個(gè)六臥三衛(wèi)的房子一個(gè)晚上的租金將達(dá)到近3200美元。

How smart are London cabdrivers?

Steve McNamara， the general secretary of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association， who has driven cabs for more than 30 years， thinks they’re very， very smart.

What， exactly， is the Knowledge?

Every London cab driver has to know， by heart， every street and driving route within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross Station16). There are 26，000 streets in London and approximately 148，000 places of interest. It can take more than three years just to prepare for the test， and it can take years to complete.

There was a study done a decade ago at University College London， in which researchers discovered that—

—cabdrivers have bigger brains? Yes， I’m aware of that study. I’ve always felt smarter than most people anyway. There are cabdrivers who saw this recession coming long before the financiers.

Do you make snap17) decisions about passengers based on the way they’re dressed or their body language?

Never. That’s the first thing you learn when you’re driving a cab. You can never judge a book by its cover. Ever.

倫敦的出租車司機(jī)有多聰明？

史蒂夫·麥克納馬拉是英國(guó)注冊(cè)出租車司機(jī)聯(lián)合會(huì)秘書長(zhǎng)，他駕駛出租車的時(shí)間長(zhǎng)達(dá)三十多年。在他看來(lái)，倫敦的出租車司機(jī)真的非常聰明。

具體來(lái)講，出租車司機(jī)要具備哪些知識(shí)？

每一位倫敦出租車司機(jī)都需要將查令十字車站周圍六英里范圍內(nèi)的每條街道和行駛路線熟記于心。倫敦共有2.6萬(wàn)條街道，約有14.8萬(wàn)處名勝古跡。司機(jī)僅僅準(zhǔn)備資格考試就要花費(fèi)三年以上的時(shí)間，而通過考試可能還需要好幾年。

十年前，倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院完成了一項(xiàng)研究，研究者發(fā)現(xiàn)——

——出租車司機(jī)比一般人聰明？沒錯(cuò)，我知道那項(xiàng)研究。反正我一直都覺得自己比大多數(shù)人聰明。其實(shí)早在金融家之前就有出租車司機(jī)預(yù)料到這次經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退來(lái)襲了。

你會(huì)根據(jù)乘客的衣著或肢體語(yǔ)言而對(duì)他們快速作出評(píng)價(jià)嗎？

絕對(duì)不會(huì)。這是身為出租車司機(jī)需要學(xué)習(xí)的第一課。絕對(duì)不要以貌取人，任何時(shí)候都不要這么做。

But if you had to make a snap judgment about a Londoner， how would you do it?

Start with the newspaper he or she is reading.

The Daily Telegraph

Older conservatives who mourn the loss of the empire by placing cricket18) before family. Last truly happy on D-Day19).

The Guardian (or The Observer on Sundays)

Bikram20)-practicing middle-class liberals preoccupied with ending all wars and rolling their own cigarettes.

The Times of London

Definitely a member of the political and corporate elite; fancies him-or herself as tolerant; has zero middle-class friends.

The Independent

Slightly depressed and overeducated underachievers who are really worried about the environment.

The Daily Mail

Middle-class housewives who live in fear of rising house prices， Elton John21) and Gypsies. Loves: Lady Thatcher， talented-pet stories and George Clooney22).

The Daily Express

Intolerant， easily outraged and yet to recover from Lady Diana’s death. Constant fear of terrorist attack is blunted by gin and reality TV.

The Daily Mirror

A really great night out starts with binge drinking at the greyhound track.

The Sun

Beloved by working-class conservatives eager to read a tabloid that goes for the jugular23) whether the topic is politics， soccer or topless women.

但是如果你要快速評(píng)判一個(gè)倫敦人，你會(huì)怎么做呢？

從他或她正在看的報(bào)紙入手。

《每日電訊報(bào)》

老一輩的保守主義者，他們把板球看得比家庭還重，以此悼念大英帝國(guó)的隕落。他們上一次真正開心的時(shí)刻是在諾曼底登陸的那天。

《衛(wèi)報(bào)》(或周日版《觀察家報(bào)》)

練習(xí)高溫瑜伽的中產(chǎn)階級(jí)自由主義者，一心想著要結(jié)束所有戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)，喜歡自己卷煙抽。

《泰晤士報(bào)》

絕對(duì)是政治或企業(yè)精英；自以為寬容和藹；沒有中產(chǎn)階級(jí)朋友。

《獨(dú)立報(bào)》

接受過多教育又輕度抑郁的失意者，他們真的對(duì)環(huán)境問題非常擔(dān)憂。

《每日郵報(bào)》

中產(chǎn)階級(jí)家庭主婦，她們生平怕的是房?jī)r(jià)上漲、埃爾頓·約翰和吉普賽人，鐘愛的是撒切爾夫人、天才寵物的故事和喬治·克魯尼。

《每日快報(bào)》

一群不寬容、易發(fā)怒、尚未從戴安娜王妃之死的陰影中走出來(lái)的人。由于總是擔(dān)心遭受恐怖襲擊，他們只好靠杜松子酒和真人秀電視節(jié)目麻醉度日。

《每日鏡報(bào)》

對(duì)于讀這份報(bào)紙的人來(lái)說，美好的夜間戶外活動(dòng)從在賽狗場(chǎng)上痛飲開始。

《太陽(yáng)報(bào)》

深受勞動(dòng)階層中的保守分子喜愛，他們熱衷于閱讀包含各種勁爆八卦的小報(bào)，此類小報(bào)無(wú)論抓住什么話題都直擊痛處、毫不手軟，無(wú)論話題涉及的是政治、足球還是袒胸露背的女人。

Is London really as expensive as everyone says?

The true barometer24) of economic behavior is nestled between the chocolate-chip cookies and marshmallow goo in a corner shop of the celebrity heartland that is Primrose Hill25). On the shelves of this northwest London grocer， a very in-demand box of Lucky Charms costs about $14. While the neighborhood’s pop stars and celebrity chefs wouldn’t be caught dead26) with such an item， the cereal does have one very demanding constituency27): expat Americans. “They go crazy when a new cereal comes in，” says one baffled cashier. “They say it tastes better， but I don’t know—I can’t afford them.”

倫敦真的像人們說的那樣物價(jià)昂貴嗎？

在名人云集的中心區(qū)域櫻草花山有一家街角小店，而經(jīng)濟(jì)活動(dòng)真正的晴雨表就體現(xiàn)在店里的巧克力碎屑曲奇和棉花糖上。在這個(gè)位于倫敦西北部的食品店的貨架上，一款熱銷的幸運(yùn)符餅干的售價(jià)為每盒14美元。雖然該地區(qū)的明星和名廚們決不會(huì)買這樣的東西，但它卻受到一些人的熱烈追捧，他們就是移居到此的美國(guó)人?！懊看斡行驴谖兜柠溒截?，他們都為之瘋狂，”一個(gè)百思不得其解的收銀員說道，“他們說它比其他的麥片味道好，但我不知道是不是這樣——我壓根就買不起?！?/p>

Why are Londoners always apologizing?

Londoners’ air of permanent regret can seem bewildering and perverse. They apologize when they bump into you， when you bump into them， when they walk into doors， when they drop things， when they want to speak， when they are flustered， when they disagree， when they are brushing past you， when they cannot hear， when they can hear all too well and as a reflex when they cannot think of what else to say. But by no means does saying “sorry” mean the speaker is in fact sorry. Frequent apology is one of an arsenal28) of clever tricks Londoners employ to obscure their true feelings and remain opaque29) to outsiders and possibly even to themselves.

為什么倫敦人總是在道歉？

倫敦人永遠(yuǎn)都帶有抱歉的神態(tài)，這看上去既令人困惑，又不合常理。他們無(wú)時(shí)無(wú)刻不在道歉：撞到你時(shí)、被你撞到時(shí)、走進(jìn)門時(shí)、掉了東西時(shí)、想要說話時(shí)、慌慌張張時(shí)、表示不同意時(shí)、與你擦肩而過時(shí)、聽不清你說話時(shí)、聽得十分明白卻沒想到合適的內(nèi)容回應(yīng)時(shí)，他們都在道歉。但是，嘴上說“不好意思”絕不表示這個(gè)人真的覺得過意不去。時(shí)常把道歉掛在嘴邊是倫敦人眾多鬼把戲中的一種，用于掩蓋他們的真實(shí)感受，讓外人——甚至他們自己——都看不透自己。

A quick guide to what Londoners say and what they really think.

“Don’t mention it …”

“Please continue to thank me …”

“I’m not being funny， but …”

Prelude to a socially unacceptable remark

“I’m running 10 minutes late …”

“I will be there anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour after we agreed to meet.”

“I have half a mind to say something …”

“I am adding to years’ worth of unspoken resentment that I will silence with claret or a very dry white wine30).”

“Mustn’t complain …”

“I have just complained.”

“Probably my fault …”

“This is your fault.”

快速指南：倫敦人嘴上說的和他們心里真實(shí)想的。

“那事兒不值一提……”

“請(qǐng)繼續(xù)感謝我……”

“我不是要故意搞笑，但是……”

社交場(chǎng)合中不宜話題即將登場(chǎng)的前奏

“我可能要遲到10分鐘……”

“我會(huì)在約定時(shí)間之后的30分鐘到一個(gè)小時(shí)之間的某個(gè)時(shí)刻到達(dá)?！?/p>

“我有點(diǎn)兒想聊聊這件事……”

“我已經(jīng)攢了幾年的牢騷要發(fā)了，想讓我閉嘴除非有上好的紅酒或者正宗的干白葡萄酒?！?/p>

“沒什么好抱怨的……”

“我剛抱怨過?！?/p>

“這可能是我的錯(cuò)……”

“這肯定是你的錯(cuò)?！?/p>

Does anyone know why Londoners kiss one another on both cheeks?

According to Richard Price， the Kent-born chairman of the history department at the University of Maryland， the double kiss began migrating from France in the 1970s. It took hold31) a few decades later. “Once the Chunnel came into service in 1994，” he says， “you would get French people coming into London to shop at Marks Spencer32)， especially when the pound was weak.” And their affectionate greeting， he suggests， slowly permeated the more cosmopolitan realms of London society. “It’s a reflection of [London’s] Europeanization，” he says. Oh， how times have changed! “In my parents’ generation，” he notes， “kissing on the cheek was considered an intrusion of personal space.”

有誰(shuí)知道倫敦人為什么要吻別人的兩個(gè)臉頰嗎？

據(jù)出生于肯特郡、現(xiàn)任馬里蘭大學(xué)歷史系主任的理查德·普萊斯說，倫敦人親吻兩頰的習(xí)俗是20世紀(jì)70年代開始從法國(guó)傳過來(lái)的，經(jīng)過幾十年后在倫敦扎了根。他說：“1994年英吉利海峽隧道開通后，法國(guó)人就會(huì)來(lái)倫敦逛瑪莎百貨，尤其是英鎊不堅(jiān)挺的時(shí)候?！彼囊馑际牵且?yàn)檫@樣，法國(guó)人這種親熱的打招呼方式才漸漸滲透到了倫敦這一國(guó)際大都會(huì)的文化中?！斑@是(倫敦走向)歐洲化的一種反映?！彼f。唉，真是時(shí)代不同了！“在我父母的年代，”他說，“人們還覺得吻臉頰侵犯了私人空間呢?！?/p>

1.Winston Churchill：溫斯頓·丘吉爾(1874~1965)，政治家、畫家、演說家、作家以及記者，1953年諾貝爾文學(xué)獎(jiǎng)得主，曾于1940~1945年及1951~1955年期間兩度任英國(guó)首相，被認(rèn)為是20世紀(jì)最重要的政治領(lǐng)袖之一。他一生嗜酒如命。

2.booze [bu?z] n. 豪飲

3.off-the-beaten-path：不同尋常的，不廣為人知的

4.gastropub [?ɡ?str??p?b] n. 〈英〉(提供高檔食品的)美食酒吧

5.western [?west?n] n. 西部電影(小說、電視劇或廣播)

6.unassuming [??n??sju?m??] adj. 謙遜的，不裝腔作勢(shì)的

7.Fuller’s London Pride：富樂啤酒公司生產(chǎn)的“倫敦驕傲”啤酒，是倫敦最為知名的啤酒之一，屬于淡色啤酒。

8.on tap：(指啤酒等)裝在有龍頭的桶里的，散裝的

9.William Blake：威廉·布萊克(1757~1827)，18世紀(jì)詩(shī)人，英國(guó)第一位重要的浪漫主義詩(shī)人、版畫家。主要詩(shī)作有詩(shī)集《天真之歌》(Songs of Innocence)、《經(jīng)驗(yàn)之歌》(Songs of Experience)等。早期作品簡(jiǎn)潔明快，中后期作品趨向玄妙晦澀，充滿神秘色彩。

10.cranky [?kr??ki] adj. 任性的，暴躁的

11.ghastly [?ɡɑ?stli] adj. 令人極不舒服的；可怕的

12.interloper [??nt?l??p?(r)] n. 闖入者

13.stoicism [?st???s?z?m] n. 淡泊主義

14.affront [??fr?nt] vt. 公開侮辱，有意冒犯

15.outfit [?a?tf?t] n.〈口〉(工商業(yè))公司，機(jī)構(gòu)

16.Charing Cross Station：查令十字車站，位于倫敦西敏市，是倫敦地鐵的首要交通樞紐。

17.snap [sn?p] adj. 匆忙的，倉(cāng)促的

18.cricket [?kr?k?t] n. 板球

19.D-Day：指1944年6月6日第二次世界大戰(zhàn)期間盟軍在法國(guó)諾曼底登陸的那一天。

20.Bikram：高溫瑜伽，又稱比克拉姆瑜伽，由美國(guó)印度瑜伽學(xué)院的比克拉姆·喬杜里(Bikram Choudhury)及其妻子共同創(chuàng)立。

21.Elton John：艾爾頓·約翰(1947~)，20世紀(jì)70年代最偉大的搖滾歌手，也是不可多得的作曲家，被譽(yù)為“英國(guó)樂壇常青樹”。

22.George Clooney：?jiǎn)讨巍た唆斈?1961~)，美國(guó)演員、導(dǎo)演及編劇，2006年憑借在電影《辛瑞那》(Syriana)中的精湛演技奪得第78屆奧斯卡金像獎(jiǎng)最佳男配角獎(jiǎng)。1997年和2006年，他被美國(guó)《人物》雜志評(píng)為“最性感男人”。

23.go for the jugular：抓住對(duì)方的致命弱點(diǎn)不放；攻擊對(duì)方的要害

24.barometer [b??r?m?t?(r)] n. 晴雨表

25.Primrose Hill：櫻草花山，位于倫敦?cái)z政公園北面的小山，匯聚了很多高檔社區(qū)，很多明星居住于此。

26.wouldn’t be caught dead：不會(huì)去做某事(以免露怯或?qū)擂?

27.constituency [k?n?st?tju?nsi] n. 支持者，贊助者

28.arsenal [?ɑ?s?nl] n. 〈喻〉武庫(kù)，寶庫(kù)

29.opaque [???pe?k] adj. 含糊的，難理解的

30.dry white wine：干白葡萄酒

31.take hold：扎根，固定下來(lái)

32.Marks Spencer：瑪莎百貨，英國(guó)最大的跨國(guó)商業(yè)零售集團(tuán)，創(chuàng)立至今已有120多年的歷史。