【Geek Time】-“极客”时间，和“科技宅”Brad一起聊神秘有趣的“黑科技”“高科技”“硬科技”。欢迎关注公号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】，可以查看更多精彩内容，查看英语全文稿哦~ Hi, everyone. And welcome back to Geek Time, 欢迎回来【Geek时间】. Hi, Brad. Hey, Lulu. Quick question: Star Trek or Star Wars? I'm kind of in the middle. I love both. I know a lot of people when they think of Star Trek and Star Wars, there is always this divide where you're either a Trekkie or you're a Star Wars fan. But for me, I really, I love both. Now to our listeners for 70-75% women, I know this is probably a very geeky topic. Now, I know many of you watched things like Big Bang Theory or some other comedy where you constantly hear the reference to Star Wars and Star Trek. Star Wars星球大战和Star Trek 星际迷航, 这两个都成了一个梗了, 经常能在很多喜剧里面看到. Whenever they appear in comedy, it's always people who are into them, they're really, really into them. And people who are not into them, just don't get it; and they are like the “geek tag” right? That’s the geek badge of honor, almost. They are the kings of geekdom. Yeah. In these 2 episodes, we're gonna talk to Brad, a seasoned geek, 资深geek. What is the big deal about Star Wars and Star Trek? I think with Star Trek that came first. Well actually when you look at sci-fi, Doctor Who 《神秘博士》of course came before that, but Star Trek in the U.S. at least started in the 60s in a kind of in the late 60s. But it's been on TV for the majority of the time since then or in a movie format one way or the other. Star Trek was originally kind of like this show was a one-off adventure every time they were going to a new world. Like a self-contained, right? Right. A new civilization, like the whole tagline was “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” right? They have this whole idea where you could watch any episode and you wouldn't really be lost. You'd be able to understand what was going on. Nowadays, it's kind of moved into this more serial nature where you have to watch from the beginning to the end. And that's one of those things that has kind of...it’s a developing plot. Right. That's kept people more focused on the show rather than just being casual watchers. It gets people to watch it from week to week. Okay. But it's Star Trek, this whole idea is that it's about the scientific journey. There might be some things that seem really fantastical and you're like this must be magic. But the end of every episode they show you how it somehow has to do with scientific and there's a scientific reasoning behind it. That's kind of like the magic of Star Trek. This is why it's sci-fi. It’s not a fantasy, because everything is somewhat based on scientific reasoning, right? Yeah. Now, I just make you watch it sometime.

不论是海外求学，国际旅行，接待外宾还是跨境业务洽谈中，你是否满腹干货，想做中华文化使者，但又苦于无法用英文表达？语言，不仅能让你看到更广阔的世界也能让你在更大的舞台发出自己的声音。酒馆特别板块： China Story【用英语，说中国】，双语播出，适合不同段位的你。让我们一起，讲述有趣有料的中国故事。 岁寒三友 The Three Friends of Winter 时至岁末，万物冬藏。风雪之中，有几种植物挺霜而立、凌寒飘香，给寒冬增添别样的美丽，给人们带来绿色的希望。 The Three Friends of Winter is an art motif that comprises the pine, bamboo, and plum. The Chinese celebrated the pine, bamboo and plum together, as they observed that these plants do not wither as the cold days deepen into the winter season unlike many other plants. Known by the Chinese as the Three Friends of Winter, they later entered the conventions of East Asian culture and Vietnamese culture. Together they symbolize steadfastness, perseverance, and resilience. They are highly regarded in Confucianism and as such represent the scholar-gentleman's ideal. 严寒时节的三位友人，具体指松、竹、梅三种植物。在中国传统文化中，有些植物因其自然属性而被赋予某种人文蕴涵。松、竹四季常青，历冬不凋；梅花凌霜傲雪，美丽绽放。三者都不怕严寒，在严寒中展现自身的生命力和自然美，宛如在严寒中相伴生长的好友，故被世人合称为“岁寒三友”。在历代文人骚客的不尽吟咏之中，被赋予顽强刚毅、坚韧不拔、高洁坚贞等精神品格，点亮了中国人的精神世界。 When the famous intellectual Su Shi' was exile to Hubei. With help from a friend, he built a small residence on a parcel of land. Not only did he grow crops on the land, he also planted pine trees, bamboos and plum trees. 北宋大文豪苏东坡遭到权臣排挤，被贬至黄州(今湖北省黄冈县)。为了解决经济困难，苏东坡自己开垦了一片荒地，种植稻、麦、桑、枣等农作物。不久，他又在院子里种上松、柏、梅、竹等花木。 When his friend visited him and asked Su whether he felt too lonely and isolated in the winter with no one around. 一次，朋友来看望他，见他的居所冷清萧瑟，便打趣地问他坐卧起居，满眼看见的都是雪，是不是太寂寞，太冷清？ Su laughed that said:“风泉两部乐，松竹三益友。” how can I be lonely when everyday I enjoy the symphony of the breeze and babbling spring and the companionship of my three friends of winter; 清风吹拂和泉水淙淙的声音就是两曲优美的音乐，枝叶常青的松柏、经历寒冬而不雕谢的竹子和傲雪绽放的梅花，便是相伴严冬最好的朋友。

不论是海外求学，国际旅行，接待外宾还是跨境业务洽谈中，你是否满腹干货，想做中华文化使者，但又苦于无法用英文表达？语言，不仅能让你看到更广阔的世界也能让你在更大的舞台发出自己的声音。酒馆特别板块： China Story【用英语，说中国】，双语播出，适合不同段位的你。让我们一起，讲述有趣有料的中国故事。 中国古人如何保暖的？ Temperature adjustable room daubed with pepper mash During the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-220) dynasties, temperature adjustable rooms emerged in royal families. Royal court had larger and well-equipped rooms, with fireplaces and "Fire walls" that were attached to the stove. They were basically the rudimentary forms of radiator and kang bed-stove. 秦朝时，在贵族以及皇宫内又出现了“壁炉”和“火墙”等用以取暖。壁炉里主要是用烧炭来御寒，并且将出烟孔放在室外，避免炭烟中毒。另外在秦兴乐宫遗址中还发现了火墙的做法，即用两块筒瓦相扣，做成管道包在墙的内侧，与灶相连通，已经具备了火炕、暖气的雏形。 Imperial palaces such as Changle Palace and Weiyang Palace in Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) had temperature adjustable halls. It is said that the "temperature adjustable hall" was built with pepper mash daubed on the wall, embroidery tapestries hung on the wall and a thick carpet paved on the ground. Windshield screens and wild goose feather-made curtains were also used to keep cool air outside. 汉武帝时建立了一座温室殿，位于前殿之北，冬天时供皇帝居住，在殿内设有各种防寒保暖的特殊设备，《西京杂记》记载：“温室殿以花椒和泥涂壁， 壁面披挂锦绣，以香桂为主， 设火齐云母屏风，有鸿羽帐，地上铺着西域毛毯。”未央宫温室殿是公卿朝臣议政的重要殿所。 Back in the days, only the empress’s palace was built with pepper mash on the wall, hence the name “椒房殿”(The palace of pepper houses) . For a long time, only the empress or the most favored concubines could enjoy this special privilege, making 椒房 the symbol of power in the inner palace. 而皇后的宫殿则主要通过花椒和泥涂抹来取暖，被称为“椒房殿”。当然，到后来，“椒房”几乎成了皇后的代称，成为后宫女权的象征。 Ground heating system During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912）dynasties, a ground heating system was used indoors, which was built by concreting circular flue underground. The charcoal fire smoke would flow through channels to the whole room and raise the temperature indoors. The ground heating system enabled the room heat up evenly and mildly. As the fiery pit and smoke jack was set outdoors, the heating method was safe, clean and practical. The ground heating system wasn't invented by Ming and Qing dynasty people. It emerged as early as Wei and Jin dynasties (AD 220-420). The historical record shows that the northeast part of China had used fire pits to keep warm during that time, which functioned similarly as a ground heating system.

关注【璐璐的英文小酒馆】+小助手【luluxjg2】获取全文稿 不论是海外求学，国际旅行，接待外宾还是跨境业务洽谈中，你是否满腹干货，想做中华文化使者，但又苦于无法用英文表达？语言，不仅能让你看到更广阔的世界也能让你在更大的舞台发出自己的声音。酒馆特别板块： China Story【用英语，说中国】，双语播出，适合不同段位的你。让我们一起，讲述有趣有料的中国故事。 The four cuisines we talked about in the previous episode were the four major cuisines of China before the Qing Dynasty, which is why they are collectively known as the Four Great Traditions of Chinese Cuisine (Lu, Chuan, Yue, and Su). Think of the next four cuisines as the newcomers, established around the end of Qing Dynasty to form the major eight. 5. MIN (FUJIAN) CUISINE (闽菜): Min Cuisine is from the southeastern coastal province of Fujian. It features the best that both land and sea have to offer. Like most of the cuisines on this list, there are several sub-styles. In the capital city of Fuzhou, the food is light and fresh. Farther from the coast, in western Fujian, there are more meat than seafood dishes. In southern Fujian, you’ll find Hokkien cuisine, which has influenced (through migration) the cuisines of Southeast Asia and Taiwan. There is also Putian cuisine, which has a focus on seafood. 由于福建人民经常往来于海上，于是饮食习俗也逐渐形成带有开放特色的一种独特的菜系。闽菜以烹制山珍海味而著称，在色香味形俱佳的基础上，尤以“香”、“味”见长，其清鲜、和醇、荤香、不腻的风格特色，以及汤路广泛的特点，在烹坛园地中独具一席。 福州菜淡爽清鲜，讲究汤提鲜，擅长各类山珍海味；闽南菜（厦门、漳州、泉州一带）讲究佐料调味，重鲜香。故此闽菜形成三大特色，一长于红糟调味，二长于制汤，三长于使用糖醋。 In many parts of Fujian, a meal is not a meal without a soup. Their most esteemed soup—also perhaps the most famous soup in China—has a very unusual name. “Buddha/Monk Jumps Over the Wall” (佛跳墙). The name suggests that it’s so tantalizing that a monk would break all restraint and jump over the monastery wall to have a taste! It takes a few days to make this soup, with several very expensive ingredients from both land and sea. Some include jinhua ham, chicken, pork, mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, abalone, sea cucumber, dried scallops, and dried fish maw. With all these extravagant ingredients, you can expect to pay an arm and a leg for a bowl. The broth is clear, but the flavor is equally delicate, rich, and powerful. 佛跳墙通常选用***、海参、鱼唇、牦牛皮胶、杏鲍菇、蹄筋、花菇、墨鱼、瑶柱、鹌鹑蛋等汇聚到一起，加入高汤和福建老酒，文火煨制而成。成菜后，软嫩柔润，浓郁荤香，又荤而不腻，味中有味。 Fujian cuisine also uses rice wine to make “drunken” dishes, fermented rice wine to make brines, and fermented red yeast rice sauce to braise.

关注【璐璐的英文小酒馆】+小助手【luluxjg2】获取全文稿 Year of the Bunny 癸卯兔年-水兔-黑兔 Year of the Water Rabbit 根据天干地支推算出，2023年属于癸卯年，癸属水，卯为兔，故有了“水兔年”的说法。同时，在五行当中，白色-金、青色-木、黑色-水、红色-火、黄色-土，因此，“水兔年”也被唤作“黑兔年”。 Rabbit, Hare Rabbit and Hare are two species in the same family. Get to know Rabbit: • The large = Flemish Giant （up to 13kg） • The small = Netherland dwarf rabbit (between 0.5 – 1.13kg) • A baby rabbit is called a kit/kittens, a female is called a doe and a male is called a buck. • Rabbits are very social creatures that live in groups. They live in warrens – a series of tunnels and rooms that they dig underground. • Their teeth NEVER stop growing! Instead they’re gradually worn down as the rabbit chews on grasses, wildflowers and vegetables – meaning they never get too long Rabbit symbolism Rabbits almost always symbolize prosperity, abundance, good luck, and fertility. 1. In most European cultures, rabbits are springtime animals, symbolic of fruitfulness and renewal. 2. The connection between rabbits and spring is also found in Japanese culture. 3. Rabbits are the luckiest of the Zodiac animals in China, according to Chinese astrology, rabbits are predicted to be gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert as well as quick, skillful, kind, patient, and very responsible, faithful . 4. In the U.S., rabbits are symbolic of cleverness, devotion to self-improvement, and good luck. But they are primarily seen as trickster animals by Native American cultures. 5. Many Central American peoples see rabbits as symbols of fertility, Aztec mythology associates rabbits with drunkenness and promiscuity. Terms of endearment Honey bunny Snuggle bunny Dust bunny Gym bunny Snow bunny Beach bunny Idioms related to bunny Rabbit food Breed like rabbits Pull a rabbit out of the hat pull a rabbit out of (one's)/the hat Down the rabbit hole As mad as a March hare Famous rabbits in arts Alice in Wonderland（The White Rabbit） 【爱丽丝梦游仙境】里的白兔先生 Peter Rabbit 【彼得兔】 Bambi (Thumper) 【小鹿斑比】里头的Thumper Bugs Bunny 【兔八哥】 Zootopia （Judy Hopps）【疯狂动物城】里头的兔子朱迪 和兔兔有关的成语 发奋强，扬眉气，飞猛进，前似锦 辞旧岁，跃新程

不论是海外求学，国际旅行，接待外宾还是跨境业务洽谈中，你是否满腹干货，想做中华文化使者，但又苦于无法用英文表达？语言，不仅能让你看到更广阔的世界也能让你在更大的舞台发出自己的声音。酒馆特别板块： China Story【用英语，说中国】，双语播出，适合不同段位的你。让我们一起，讲述有趣有料的中国故事。+luluxjg 或者关注工号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】领取精美文稿。 Chinese regional cuisines are amongst the many different cuisines found in different provinces of China as well as from larger overseas Chinese communities. These styles are distinctive from one another due to the factors such as availability of resources, climate, geography, history, cooking techniques and lifestyle. One style may favor the generous use of garlic and spring onions over chilli and spices, while another may favour preparing seafood over other meats. 一个菜系的形成和它的悠久历史与独到的烹饪特色分不开的。同时也受到这个地区的自然地理、气候条件、资源特产、饮食习惯等影响。 History As early as the Shang Dynasty (17th century BC - 1046 BC) and Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BC), China’s dietary culture has taken shape. 商周时期，中国的饮食文化开始初具雏形。 In the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD) , the northern and southern food already had their own characteristics. The interesting fact is, back then, it was the North that favored sweet flavors while the South went for more savory options. 早在宋代的时候，中国各地的饮食已经有了区别。《梦溪笔谈》（The Dream Pool Essays）卷二四中记录到：“大底南人嗜咸，北人嗜甘。鱼蟹加糖蜜，盖便于北俗也。”在当时，中国的口味主要有两种，北方人喜欢吃甜的，南方人喜欢吃咸的。 By the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), Chinese cuisine started to divide into three distinctive styles based on cuisines of Beijing, Suzhou and Guangdong. 南宋时候，北方人大量南迁。逐渐地，北方的饮食文化影响了南方。在南方地区形成了自己的派系。到了明代末期，中国饮食分为京式、苏式和广式。京式偏咸，苏式、广式偏甜。 Historically, the Four Great Traditions(四大菜系) of Chinese cuisine are Chuan, Lu, Yue and Su, representing West, North, South and East China cuisine correspondingly. However, in modern times the list is often expanded to the Eight Great Traditions (Chinese: 八大菜系) By the early Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911 AD), four most influential cuisines prevailed. What are the four main styles of Chinese cuisine at that time? They are cuisines of Shandong, Sichuan, Guangdong and Jiangsu respectively. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the four new cuisines - Zhejiang cuisine, Fujian cuisine, Hunan cuisine, and Anhui cuisine appeared; together with former four cuisines, they were listed as “8 Chinese Cuisines”. 到了清代的时候，徐珂所辑的《清稗类钞》中记载：“肴馔之各有特色者，如京师、山东、四川、广东、福建、江宁、苏州、扬州、镇江、淮安。”后来概括为鲁、川、粤、苏四大菜系。 清末民初开始，闽、浙、湘、徽等地方菜也逐渐出名，就形成了中国的“八大菜系”。后来形成最有影响和代表性的也为社***公认的有：鲁、川、粤、苏、闽、浙、湘、徽等菜系，即被人们常说的中国“八大菜系”。

"欢迎来到英文小酒馆的迷你双语板块【Buzzword Mix】-新词特饮，短短几分钟，让不同段位的你掌握最新最地道的英文谈资！ 关注公号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】，获取更多有趣节目内容和文稿哦~" In today's Buzzword Mix, our buzzword is F.I.R.E. 不是 “火” 这个词, 而是F.I.R.E, abbreviation, it refers to financial independence, retire early, 财富自由, 早早退休. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it？Who wouldn't want financial independence at an early age so that we can just retire. 这几年大家的日子都过得挺紧巴, 但你再往前倒几年, 经济形势比较好的时候, 其实身边还是有很多人在讨论财务自由的, 比如说知乎上就有很多帖子问, 在什么北上广深要实现财务自由需要多少钱？ And usually people would give an astronomical number, but actually this F.I.R.E in English might be slightly different from your understanding of财富自由. So let's dive right into it. The F.I.R.E movement is a lifestyle movement with the goal of gaining financial independence and retiring early. 它其实是有关于生活方式的一种风潮或者运动. The model became particularly popular among millennials. In the 2010s, gaining traction through online communities, via Information shared in blogs, podcast, and online discussion forums. 在10年左右是最火的时候, 差不多也是那个时候国内有很多关于财富自由的讨论, 而最热衷于讨论他们的就是millennials千禧一代, 我原来说过, 基本相当于咱们的80 90后。 The main ideas behind the F.I.R.E movement originate from the 1992 bestselling book, Your Money or Your Life, as well as the 2010 book Early Retirement Extreme. These works provide the basic template of combining a lifestyle of simple living with income from investments to achieve financial independence. 财富自由运动, 它倡导的就是通过相对简单的生活方式以及各种投资性的收入, 也就是非工作的收入来实现财富自由。 In particular, the book Early Retirement Extreme describes the relationship between savings rate and time to retirement, which allows individuals to quickly project their retirement date, given an assumed level of income and expenses. 2010年这本书里还详细的帮你计算了你的收入、开支以及你退休时点之间的关系. 也就是说只要你用它的公式, 就可以通过现在的收入和开支算出你几岁能退休。 And this movement kind of also led to the increasing popularity of side hustling. Because this is also seen as a path to accelerate financial independence. 这个财富自由的运动也带火了, 我们之前提到过的比如说side hustling副业这样的风潮. 因为大家会觉得如果有side hustle就能更快更早地实现financial independence. In essence, the F.I.R.E movement is about deciding when you want to stop working, often earlier than traditional retirement ages, then saving up to live your ideal lifestyle when you get there. In China, when we think about financial independence, we think it's a life of luxury. 在国内一般人提到财富自由, 很多人都会觉得说你一定要特别有钱, 要资产过亿. But actually the original F.I.R.E movement in English speaking world, it recommends three main lifestyles you can aim for.

＋ luluxjg2 或者工号 璐璐的英文小酒馆索取【闲话英伦】系列精美文稿啦 Hi everyone, and welcome back to Britain Under the Microscope. 欢迎回来【闲话英伦】. Hi, 安澜. Hi, Lulu, hi everyone. So what are we going to talk about today? As many of you know, I've recently gone back to London. And I was walking around London and I just suddenly thought it might be interesting to talk a little bit about how London developed, and in particular, how it used to smell. How it used to smell? Yes. Okay. So I was walking along the Thames and it got me thinking about medieval London and Victorian London and what it was like back then. In London today is pretty clean I would say, especially considering it's a bustling metropolis. Yes, I wouldn't say it's like the cleanest city in the world, but actually there's so many trees in London that technically according to the United Nations’ own standards, London is technically a forest. All right. One thing that did get me is that the Thames, everyone knows the Thames泰晤士河, Thames is… I don't know if it's dirty or… the color is just it's very brown. It is very brown. But actually it's a very clean river. The reason why it's so brown is because it's a tidal river. It's close to the sea, it’s an estuary. So lots of the mud and the soil is being washed down the Thames; and also you have the tides coming in from the sea. So basically, it's more muddy than anything else. So it's not contaminated or polluted, it’s just the mud. No, no, there's lots of fish that actually are able to live in the Thames. But you mentioned that London used to smell, when was that? It got really, really bad in the Victorian age. And if you go back, imagine that you're walking down the street in London in the mid-19th century, the first thing you would have noticed was the mud. So there were no like pavements? There were pavements, but the actual main road was covered in mud. Now, most of that mud though, was not actually mud. It was dung. From the horses? From the horses. In the 1890s, the city's horses were producing 1,000 tons of dung a day. Wow, they sure crap a lot. Yes, the horses. You can imagine back then there were young children who were paid to try and scoop up as much of the dung as possible to free up the traffic, and they'll sell that dung to farmers. Yet the other thing about the Victorian times, Victorian London, was that there were a lot of child laborers. Yeah, and there's also a lot of poor people. In some areas, particularly more affluent areas, wealthier areas of London, there used to be men that would stand by the roadside and you would pay them. So what they would do is when you wanted across the road, they will shovel the dung out of your pathway. And they were essentially like human traffic crossings. They had to shuffle the dung away, the manure away, so that you can walk. Otherwise you just walking on horse shit. Pretty much, and also back then as well the reason why I said it was really, really bad was because London grew incredibly quickly. Sewage was rudimentary, and there weren't many sewers instead cesspits were used. 所以那个时候下水管道是没有的, 或者说基本上非常basic. Yeah. And they just have cesspit for all the sewage. And it used to get really, really bad because you had to pay people to climb in and dig out the cesspit, they were called night soil men. Isn't it quite dangerous? I mean, it happens, especially in the rural areas, I think not that long ago. If you had this cesspit and then if people fall into it, they could really die. A lot of them did. It was a profitable work because they would sell the waste to farmers. And there was also a rule that you could find… wherever you found you kept. So if there's any loose change or coins or jewelry that dropped in and it was yours, but it was very, very dangerous work. And also you have to pay them. So you can imagine if you didn't have that much money or you were a bit cheap, what would happen?

＋ luluxjg2 或者工号 璐璐的英文小酒馆索取【用英语说中国】系列精美文稿啦 Hi everyone, and welcome back China Story, 欢迎回来【用英语说中国】, it has been a while. Today is the Little New Year in Chinese culture. 今天是小年了, 确切说是北方的小年, 南方应该会晚一天. The major celebration of the Chinese New Year is just around the corner and I bet many of you are taking stock of the year we just had and getting ready to ring in the new one. And may I just say: What a year! 相信经历了诸多起伏诸事不顺的2022年，大家都迫不及待想要翻篇儿了吧。过去的三年可以说关键词就只有一个: The COVID-19 pandemic，新冠疫情。 那么今天，趁着小年，咱们就来聊聊中国文化里的：瘟神。 瘟神usually translated into God of Plague or God of Pestilence, is a god or group of gods responsible for illness, plague, and disease in Chinese folk religion. 瘟神或者叫疫病神, 是中国乃至东亚民间信仰中的瘟疫之神。 In some belief systems, 瘟神(Wen Shen) is identified as a single entity who commands wen spirits; in others, the term is used for a grouping of several distinct gods. 各地信仰的瘟神其实并不一致, 可以是一位也可以是几位神的组合. In the olden times, when medical knowledge was not yet as advanced as today, people believed that plagues were caused by evil spirits. In order to ward off these epidemic spirits, protection gods were worshipped that were thought to dispel the plague. 瘟疫其实就是急***病, 在古代民智未开医, 疗条件比较低劣的情况下, 大家对于这种可怕的疾病恐惧至极, 甚至很多的时候认为是鬼神作祟, 因此也会祈求神灵保护. And this could be found in many different cultures. Now we call them God or Gods of Plague or Pestilence, but initially, there weren’t gods at all. In fact, there were more considered evil spirits. Three to be more precise.

"欢迎来到英文小酒馆的迷你双语板块【Buzzword Mix】-新词特饮，短短几分钟，让不同段位的你掌握最新最地道的英文谈资！ 关注公号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】，获取更多有趣节目内容和文稿哦~" In today's Buzzword Mix, our buzzword is Brain Fog. I think by now, most of you have already recovered from Covid, while most of your symptoms might have disappeared already, some of you might still be experiencing some lasting after effects. 相信听我们节目的大部分小伙伴和我一样都已经 “阳康”了, 虽然可能大部分的症状都已经没有了, 但阳过之后可能会有一些持续时间更长的后遗症。 For example, you might still be coughing a little bit. For me, personally, I feel like my sense of smell is not as sharp as before. In addition to this, some people have been complaining that their brains seem to have slowed down a bit. So I thought it would be a good idea to talk about this buzzword relating to covid, Brain Fog. 中文直接翻译成 “脑雾”。 I'm pretty sure many of you have heard of this expression both in Chinese and in English, but actually brain fog isn't a medical term. It's a term used for certain symptoms that can affect your ability to think, you may feel confused or disorganized or find it hard to focus or put your thoughts into words. 所谓的 “脑雾” 其实并不是一个医学术语, 只是大家对于认知能力受到一定影响, 喜欢用的这么一个口头表达。 To be more specific, this might include a range of symptoms. 它的具体症状包括,仔细听听看, 看你有没有躺枪: Poor concentration, especially difficulty in multitasking and following conversations. 比较难集中注意力, 特别是multitasking几件事情同时进行的时候尤其明显, 而且有时候跟人说话感觉跟不上节奏; feeling confused, 喜欢犯迷糊; thinking more slowly than usual; forgetfulness, 健忘; mental fatigue, 精神疲累; fuzzy thoughts, 脑子里面就好像一团雾,感觉什么东西都模模糊糊的。 Brain fog can feel similar to the effects of sleep deprivation or stress. 即使身体完全健康的人, 也可能因为睡眠不足或者压力过大出现brain fog. It's not the same as dementia and does not mean structural damage to the brain. 不用太担心的就是, 这种脑雾和真正的失智或者痴呆症是完全不同的, 这并不意味着你的脑子受到了结构性的损伤。 Now there are a number of factors and health conditions that can cause brain fog, including lack of sleep, increased stress levels. 会造成脑雾的原因, 除了我们刚才说到的睡眠不足或者说压力过大, 还可能包括depression抑郁, dementia痴呆症或者失智, perimenopause女性的围绝经期也就是绝经前的时期, medication服用的某种药物, hormonal conditions 激素水平的变化。 For example, some women might complain about brain fog during or right after the pregnancy. 俗话里说的什么 “一孕傻三年” 其实也跟 brain fog有点关系. And of course, one other factor that can cause brain fog is a viral infection such as COVID-19. 当然还有一个很重要的原因就是病毒性感染, 比如新冠。 While recovering from COVID-19, some people experience brain fog, symptoms may vary and change over time. It's not just people who were hospitalized with coronavirus who can develop brain fog. It's a common part of long COVID. 新冠所引起的脑雾, 不光是那些危重症在医院里的人才会出现, 很多得过新冠的人也会出现这种long COVID, 所谓的长新冠, 也就是新冠的一些后续问题后遗症, 脑雾就是其中之一。 Many people who have recovered from the acute life-threatening effects of COVID-19, but still report that they don't feel that they're thinking and memory back to normal. 这也就是很多人可能已经没有了其他那些更严重的, 甚至危及生命的新冠症状, 但是仍然觉得他们的思维和记忆力都没有恢复到之前的正常水平。 You can think of the brain fog as a networking problem with communication between the various parts of the brain becoming compromised by either direct injury from the virus itself or from immune system over activation that leaves us simmering, but gradually fading inflammation behind in the brain. 更具体的来讲会出现这种脑雾, 其实是因为你的脑部的各个部分, 由于受到了病毒的攻击, 仍然在恢复的过程中, 也可能是在病毒攻击下, 你整体的免疫系统被过度激活, 所以在脑部仍然留有一些炎症反应的后遗症。 A COVID-19 infection and its inflammatory aftermath jolt the intricately coordinated neural networks in the brain and disrupt the flow of Information. 新冠感染的本身以及它后续的一些炎症的反应, 都可能一定程度地影响我们的脑部, 也就让我们传递信息的这些通路出现了一些不顺畅。 The good news is that the vast majority of patients with the post COVID-19 brain fog recover completely over the course of 6 to 9 months.

关注工号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】，获取全文逐字稿和更多好文哦 Hi everyone, and welcome back to Britain Under the Microscope. 欢迎回来【闲话英伦】Hi, 安澜. Hi Lulu. hi everyone. Last time we were talking about Oxford from the Oxbridge combo. So today let's talk about Cambridge, 牛建里的剑桥. Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of people in China, their first association with Cambridge is 徐志摩，is再别康桥. I've actually been to the memorial in Cambridge. So 康桥就是Cambridge, but it's just like a different translation. Now Oxford and Cambridge, Cambridge is later, right? It was founded later. Yeah, Cambridge is relatively new, because it was founded in 1209. Relatively new. Well, relatively. So Cambridge is quite similar to Oxford. There is no campus and the colleges are spread throughout the city, so it's made up of about 31 colleges with over 150 different institutions all within the university. So like Oxford which is located in Oxford city, Cambridge, it's also its own city. Cambridge is a city, and just like Oxford, it's got lots of people who live there. There's lots of it's actually quite a lot of service industries in Cambridge. So lovely city as well. It's a beautiful city. I would say Cambridge is slightly quieter than Oxford. Oxford is still quite close to central London. Cambridge is a little bit further out and there's a lot more countryside around Cambridge. And how far is it from London? There's about 2.5 hours. So it's a bit more out there. It is a little bit more out there, yeah. And I remember we were talking about most of your Prime Ministers graduated from Oxford. So, I remember you mentioning that Oxford is more humanities and Cambridge focuses a little bit more on science. Yeah, it's not as clear cut as that, but Cambridge does have a really strong scientific background. So for example, the Cavendish laboratory is one of the most famous in the world, in particular, for physics and biology, so it's really famous, even though it's quite new, it's 19th century, but this is where the electron, the neutron and DNA were discovered. Impressive. But having said that, it's not all science because I know that there is something theatrical going on in Cambridge. Yes, you have the really famous amateur theatrical club, footlights. I don't know. Hugh Laurie? Yes, Hugh Laurie, John Oliver, Douglas Adams. So for those of you who have listened to our literature album, we've talked about Douglas Adams and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this is where they all started. 对, 我们的名著专辑专门才讲过他的一本书。 Yeah, talking about books though, Cambridge has some amazing libraries. There are over 100 libraries in Cambridge and the main one is actually what we call a legal deposit library. What is a legal deposit library? So under British law, every book that is published in the UK and Ireland, Cambridge University library can request a copy of it for free. Oh, so it's more like almost like an archive for record keeping. Yeah, Oxford has the same thing as well. But every book that is published in the UK generally goes to Cambridge University library. So that's about 100,000 books every single year. So that's like heaven for bookworms. I love the bookshops in Cambridge. Imagine being a student going to Cambridge... Oh, God, amazing.

可以搜索公号【璐璐的英文小酒馆】加入社群，查看文稿和其他精彩内容哦~ Hi, everyone. And welcome back to Britain Under the Microscope. 欢迎回来【闲话英伦】. Hello, 安澜. Hi, Lulu. Hi, everyone. 安澜 you grew up as a top student, right？Overachiever. I was certainly kind of… a bit of a nerd. Don't be modest. 安澜绝对是从小是学霸那种. You know that many top students in China, they have... and I believe everywhere in the world, have this certain obsession with top universities. 学霸都有那种顶尖名校情结。 I think pretty much every student they think about the top university, they want to try to aim for that. Especially the top students. So I thought we can talk about some top universities in the UK. Now when I think about, and I think I speak for a lot of people, when we think about famous universities, in the UK, we think Oxbridge. 中文也叫牛剑, 英文也叫Oxbridge, 把这两个学校拼在一起, 对吧? We do think about Oxbridge, and I guess if we have to speak about them... Yes, because 安澜 did not go to Oxbridge. No, but my university was okay, was good. But I wasn't smart enough for Oxford, but my university is also still ranking in the top three or top five. 对安澜去的UCL (University College London) 也一般都是排名top three的, 有几年还超过了 我记得是超过了Cambridge, there were a couple of years. I can't quite remember exactly when. But nonetheless, let's talk about Oxbridge. Okay. Let's start with oxford. It's good that we start with Oxford, because that was the first university in the UK. It's actually the second oldest university in the world. The first being in, I don't know, Germany? Italy. So the first university was in Italy, and then the second oldest is Oxford. And pretty much it's so old that they're not quite sure when teaching began there. Some people say it's around 1096 or so, but people don't really know. 1096, almost a thousand years. Pretty much. It is close to 1000 years old. And you think about all of these students that kept going to Oxford, and you think about all the students from other countries that want to go to Oxford. Actually the first international student arrived in 1190. That's very liberal minded at that time. So you're talking about international students being admitted into oxford so early. What about women? Women had to wait a little bit longer, until 1920 actually. It figures, 1920s. And that's to all the colleges. No, actually all colleges started to admit both men and women from 2008. 2008? Calm down, calm down. It's not banning women from attending these colleges, it's actually banning men. So the last female-only college actually only started admitting male students in 2008. I see. 所以Oxford里面有一个是只收女生的学院. I see. And in 2008, onwards both men and women. That's right. You mentioned colleges. Now is it a case that Oxford is like this big umbrella, basically understanding of university, and then you have different colleges that belong to the university? Oxford University or the University of Oxford has about 39 colleges, which are self-governing. They all have their own traditions in history. But when you think about Oxford as a city, don't think of it as like one big university, it's actually lots of colleges all spread out across the city. So they don't really have the idea of a main campus with a gate. No. It's all part of the main city. And that's pretty much the same for many universities in the UK. You don't actually have a main gate and fences around the campus. It's actually just part of the city. Yeah, even some London based universities, they don't have campus, their buildings are just scattered around London. That's right. Same with Oxford. Actually you mentioned Oxford city. So Oxford is actually a city, a town that many people don't know that, it's not just a university. It is a city. It's a very popular city. It's not very big though. Well, it's still a city.