有声双语 | 想要时尚时尚最时尚，四大热带元素穿身上

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The past few years saw the rise of clothing, phone cases and even furniture featuring flamingos, cactuses, pineapples, and watermelons – and the popularity of these tropical elements still shows no sign of fading.

过去的几年里，火烈鸟、仙人掌、菠萝、西瓜等图案的服饰、手机壳、甚至家具都火了 —— 而这些热带元素的热度仍然没有丝毫减退。

These elements feature the colors pink, green and yellow. And “the shapes are as sunnily evocative and as easy to draw as a smiley face”, the Guardian noted.

这些元素大多是粉色、绿色以及黄色。“其形状能唤起人们阳光快乐的共鸣，和笑脸一样易于勾画，”《卫报》指出。

The appeal of flamingos, known for their bright pink feathers and S-shaped necks, is obvious. “Flamingos aren’t something you see in everyday life,” British stylist Emily Blunden told the Guardian. “By having one [graphic on your clothes], you bring a little bit of fantasy.”

火烈鸟亮粉色的羽毛和S型的脖子是出了名的，它们的魅力显而易见。“火烈鸟在人们的日常生活中并不是随处可见，”英国造型师艾米莉·布伦登在接受《卫报》采访时表示。“穿上印有火烈鸟的服饰会给人带来一种梦幻感。”

Flamingos used to have nothing to do with fashion. In the 1950s and 60s, flamingo figures were often seen on the lawns of US suburban homes, and were usually associated with poor taste. But when a social media photo posted by US singer Taylor Swift in 2015 showed her at a party with her fellow guests riding inflatable flamingos in a pool, the pink birds instantly went from kitsch to cool.

在过去，火烈鸟和时尚八竿子打不着边。上世纪五六十年代，火烈鸟的形象经常出现在美国郊区住宅的草坪上，通常都和品味低下联系在一起。但在2015年，当美国歌手泰勒·斯威夫特在社交媒体上发布了一张她和派对来宾们在泳池里骑着充气火烈鸟浮排的照片后，粉色的大鸟很快就从俗物变成了流行潮品。

米兰达•可儿和火烈鸟浮排

Cactuses are also something striking to look at. “A cactus is the juxtaposition of something that is spiky and tough, yet produces flowers that are delicate and pretty,” British designer Digby Jackson told Paper magazine.

仙人掌也是引人注目的元素。“仙人掌虽然尖锐又坚硬，但却能开出娇嫩美丽的花朵，”英国设计师迪格比·杰克逊在接受《纸》杂志采访时表示。

Surviving in extreme environments, cactuses protect themselves by reacting to changes slowly. This somehow gives this sustainable plant a symbolic meaning. “You have this plant that will not change from the moment you get it till the moment you die,” US cactus expert Carlos Morera told the Guardian. “They are a rebellion against modern times, efficiency, production, and results.”

仙人掌能在极端环境中存活，通过对变化做出缓慢的反应来保护自己。这从某种程度上赋予了这一耐受型植物一种象征意义。“从你拿到这株仙人掌到你去世时的那一刻，它都不会有任何变化，”美国仙人掌专家卡洛斯·莫雷拉在接受《卫报》采访时表示。“它们是对现今的时代、效率、产物以及结果的叛逆。”

Like cactuses, pineapples carry symbolism too. In some parts of the US, if there’s a pineapple-shaped knocker on a front door, it means the home’s owner is likely to be welcoming and hospitable.

正如仙人掌一样，菠萝也有其象征意义。在美国的某些地区，如果房屋前门上挂着菠萝形状的门环，意味着主人可能十分热情好客。

These positive meanings have drawn the attention of the fashion world. Fruit is no longer just food – we can wear it now. Last year, watermelons also became fashion statements when a social media trend introduced a trick of perspective that makes slices of watermelon look like clothes in photos.

这些积极的意义引起了时尚界的关注。水果不仅仅只是食物 —— 我们现在也可以把它穿在身上。去年西瓜就在社交媒体上掀起了一股热潮，人们借助视角位置让一块块西瓜在照片里看似就像穿在身上的衣服，令其成为了一大时尚热点。

And the trend didn’t stop online – it moved off people’s smartphone screens and into clothes stores. “The ability of social networks to launch, broadcast and instantly reinforce the credibility of a trend has accelerated the old process of style development by an almost incalculable factor,” US futurist Ryan Mathews told Bloomberg.

而这一热潮在网上尚未结束 —— 西瓜从人们的智能手机屏幕上来到了服装店。“社交媒体能够发起、传播并迅速增强趋势的可信度，这样的能力以一种几乎不可估量的速度推动了潮流发展的原有过程，”美国未来派艺术家瑞恩·马修斯在接受彭博社采访时表示。

以上内容英文部分来自《21世纪学生英文报高中版》高三648期

本文音频由我报外籍编辑Dale Fox朗读

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