日常英語(yǔ) 古代人夏日納涼的4個(gè)妙招

1. FAN CHAIRS 風(fēng)扇椅

Philadelphia-based musical instrument maker John Cram invented a clever cooling device in the 1780s. People used their feet to operate the fan that moved above their head, much like someone would power an old sewing machine. Benjamin Franklin reportedly owned one as well, but the device seems to have had limited mass-market appeal.

18世紀(jì)80年代，美國(guó)費(fèi)城的樂(lè)器匠人約翰·克萊姆發(fā)明了一種巧妙的納涼裝置。人們用腳讓?xiě)以陬^頂?shù)娘L(fēng)扇轉(zhuǎn)起來(lái)，就像運(yùn)作老式縫紉機(jī)一樣。據(jù)稱(chēng)，本杰明·富蘭克林也有一臺(tái)風(fēng)扇椅，但是這種設(shè)備似乎在大眾市場(chǎng)上不太吃香。

2. CANVAS AWNINGS 遮陽(yáng)篷

One thing you immediately notice when looking at photographs of famous buildings before the invention of A/C is that they frequently sported awnings over nearly every window. Going back to antiquity, awnings provided the shade vital for keeping the sun's heat at bay. In the latter half of the 19th century, new colors and patterns helped make canvas awnings more than a necessary utility: They became a key decorative feature of a home.

如果你去看空調(diào)尚未被發(fā)明時(shí)的著名建筑照片，你馬上就會(huì)注意到幾乎每個(gè)窗戶(hù)都帶有遮陽(yáng)蓬。在古代，遮陽(yáng)蓬對(duì)于阻隔日曬十分重要。到了19世紀(jì)下半葉，新花色的出現(xiàn)讓遮陽(yáng)蓬不再僅僅是一個(gè)實(shí)用裝置，而是成了房子的重要裝飾品。

3. PUNKAHS 布屏風(fēng)扇

These hand-operated ceiling fans have their origins in colonial India. Each year thousands of poor seasonal workers were contracted, or otherwise compelled, to spend monotonous days pulling a cord that swept a piece of fabric back and forth across a room for the country's elite.

這種手動(dòng)操作的吊扇源自殖民時(shí)期的印度。那時(shí)候印度的權(quán)貴每年都會(huì)雇傭或強(qiáng)迫數(shù)千名窮苦的季節(jié)性工人從早到晚機(jī)械地重復(fù)拉繩子的動(dòng)作，從而讓布屏來(lái)回?cái)[動(dòng)，給屋內(nèi)帶來(lái)涼風(fēng)。

4. DRINKING BUTTERMILK 飲用酪乳

The Indian subcontinent gave the world another refreshing idea for keeping cool in the searing heat: drinking buttermilk. Even today, many varieties of a spiced buttermilk are consumed in Southeast Asia and many diasporic communities around the world. It was also a common refreshment in late-19th and early 20th-century North America—the beverage was even recommended by physicians.

飲用酪乳這一清涼解暑的創(chuàng)意也來(lái)自印度次大陸。直到今天，東南亞和世界各地許多僑區(qū)的人都還在飲用各種加了香料的酪乳。酪乳也是19世紀(jì)晚期和20世紀(jì)早期北美常見(jiàn)的一種提神飲料，甚至連醫(yī)生也建議人們喝酪乳。