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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Sam.
大家好。这里是 BBC 学习英语栏目的六分钟英语。我是萨姆。
And I’m Neil.
我是尼尔。
Whoo-oo-oo! Trick or treat!
喔吼吼！不给糖就捣蛋！
For listeners at home, Neil is dressed up as a ghost.
收音机前的听众们，尼尔打扮得像个幽灵。
He’s wearing a white bedsheet over his head with two holes cut out for his eyes, which must mean… It’s Halloween!
他头上盖着一个白色床单，剪了两个洞露出眼睛，一定是万圣节到啦！
The start of autumn, when the days get shorter and leaves fall from the trees, marks Halloween, a festival which is celebrated all over the world at this time of year.
秋天伊始，白昼缩短，树叶飘落。这一天正是万圣节，全世界人们一起欢庆的日子。
In Britain, people carve scary faces into pumpkins and children go trick-or-treating, dressing up in fancy dress costumes and visiting people’s homes shouting, "trick or treat!" for sweets and candy.
在英国，人们会把吓人的脸刻在南瓜上，孩子们会串门索要糖果。他们穿着奇装异服，在别人家门口大喊：不给糖就捣蛋！
Halloween comes from an ancient festival called Samhain which celebrated the changing of the seasons, a time when it was believed the dead could make contact with the living, which is why children dress up as ghosts, witches and other scary monsters.
万圣节源于古老的萨温节，它庆祝季节的更替。人们认为在这个节日里，死者可以与生者联系，这就是为什么孩子们会打扮成鬼魂、巫师和其他可怕的怪物。
But recently, online shops have removed several Halloween costumes including creepy clown masks and real-life serial killer costumes after parents complained they were too frightening.
但最近，网上商店已经下架了几套万圣节服装，包括令人毛骨悚然的小丑面具和仿真的连环杀人犯服装。因为此前父母们抱怨这些衣服太吓人了。
In this programme, we’ll be discussing whether Halloween is no longer harmless fun, and as usual, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary as well.
在本期节目中，我们将讨论万圣节是否有害，并且像往常一样，我们也将学习一些新的词汇。
But before that, and since you’re all dressed up as a ghost, Neil, my question is this – why did people traditionally dress up in costumes on Halloween?
但在那之前，既然你都打扮成了鬼魂，尼尔，我要问你一个问题：为什么很久以前人们在万圣节就穿着奇装异服？
Was it a) to scare their neighbours as a joke b) to use up their old clothes c) to hide from ghosts.
是为了 a) 跟邻居开玩笑、吓唬他们 b) 使旧衣服物尽其用，还是 c) 躲避鬼魂。
I think it was to hide from ghosts.
我觉得是为了躲避鬼魂。
OK, Neil. We’ll find out the answer later in the programme.
好的，尼尔。我们稍后将在节目中揭晓答案。
In recent years, Halloween has become more influenced by American horror movies like ‘Friday the Thirteenth’ or ‘Scream’.
近年来，万圣节越来越多地受到美国恐怖片的影响，比如《13号星期五》、《惊声尖叫》。
Some parents now think Halloween costumes are too scary and over the top – a phrase meaning too extreme and unsuitable.
现在一些家长认为万圣节的服装太吓人了。“over the top”的意思是太极端、不合适。
Mother of two, Joanne O’Connell, was shocked when she took her 10-year-old daughters shopping for Halloween costumes.
乔安妮·奥康奈尔是两个孩子的母亲。当她带着10岁的女儿去买万圣节服装时，她被吓到了。
Here she explains what she saw to BBC Radio 4 programme, You and Yours.
在BBC4频道的《You and Yours》节目中，她描述了当时的景象。
They've seen decorations of small children holding a teddy bear covered in blood.
孩子们看到了抱着沾满鲜血的泰迪熊的小孩玩偶。
They've seen what's described as a standing animated decoration which looks like a dead girl carrying a knife and various Grim Reapers, creepy clowns, and stuff that kids are now finding frightening, and even to an adult, they look pretty vile, actually.
孩子们还看到很多能动的立式装饰品。比如死去的女孩拿着刀、各种各样的死神、令人毛骨悚然的小丑等等孩子们觉得可怕的东西。其实，即使在成年人看来，这些装饰品也很吓人。
And I think it feels like retailers are in some kind of race to the bottom for the grimmest, most vile, sickening outfit so that they can just make money out of.
我觉得，零售商似乎在竞相制造最吓人的服装，这样他们就可以从中赚钱。
Joanne was horrified by Halloween costumes of the Grim Reaper – an imaginary skeleton who wears a long black cloak, carries a sharp cutting tool and represents Death.
乔安妮被死神样式的万圣节服装吓坏了。“the Grim Reaper”是人们想象出来的一个骷髅，穿着黑色的长斗篷，拿着锋利的刀，它象征着死亡。
She’s worried that costumes like this are too frightening for little children.
她担心这样的服装对小孩子来说太可怕了。
Nowadays, Halloween is big business and Joanne thinks that the focus on money encourages shops in a race to the bottom,
如今，万圣节是赚钱的好机会。乔安妮认为，为了赚钱，商户们展开逐底竞争。
a phrase which describes a situation where companies compete with each other to sell as many products as cheaply as possible.
“a race to the bottom”描述了这样一种情况，即公司之间相互竞争，以尽可能低的价格销售更多产品。
The phrase is connected to the idea of standards getting worse and worse.
这个短语暗含标准越来越低的意思。
But come on, Sam! Isn’t this going too far? I mean, Halloween is supposed to be scary!
但别这样说吧，萨姆！你言重了吧。我是说，万圣节应该是很恐怖的！
Parents don’t want to stop people having fun, but over the top costumes are too scary for younger children,
家长们不是不让你们玩，但对于年幼的孩子来说，有些服装太过吓人了。
and some mums say they will no longer open the door to trick-or-treaters because the costumes are giving children nightmares.
有些妈妈表示，她们不会再给讨要糖果的人开门了，因为他们的装扮让孩子做噩梦。
Siobhan Freegard, founder of the parenting website, Channel Mum, thinks a compromise is needed.
育儿网站“Channel Mum”的创始人西沃恩·弗里加德认为需要一个折中方案。
Here she is talking to BBC Radio 4’s, You and Yours.
在接受BBC4频道的《你和你的家人》节目采访时，她谈到了这一点。
There's a sort of a halfway house, isn't there?
是有折中方案的，不是吗？
I mean, I know everyone refers to the new generation as the snowflake generation, and we shouldn't be so worried about our little darlings, but there’s a point beyond which it becomes tasteful or appropriate.
我知道新一代人被称为雪花一代，而且我们不应该过度担心自己的孩子。但情况超过了某个限度时，我们就应该插手了。
Siobhan thinks that scary costumes are okay for teenagers but she also wants to protect younger children.
西沃恩认为，恐怖服装对青少年来说无可厚非，但对年幼一些的孩子来说不合适。
She thinks we need to find a halfway house - a compromise, or arrangement which includes features of two opposing ideas.
她认为我们需要找到一种折中方案，综合考虑两种相反的观点。
She also uses the expression the snowflake generation, a phrase which is sometimes used to describe the generation of young people who became adults in or after the 2010s, and who are considered by some to be easily upset and offended.
她还使用了“the snowflake generation”一词。有时它被用来描述在2010年代或这之后成年的一代年轻人。有人认为这代人更易怒、更加敏感。
Now I can see how some costumes are over the top and I don’t want to spoil Halloween for anyone, so I’ll stick with my bedsheet ghost.
现在我也觉得，有些服装是过分了。我不想破坏任何人的万圣节，所以我还是扮成幽灵好了。
Anyway, isn’t it time for you to reveal the answer to your question, Sam?
对了，是不是到时候揭晓你问题的答案啦，萨姆？
Yes, I asked why people started dressing up at Halloween in the first place, and you said it was to hide from ghosts, which was… the correct answer!
是的，我问你为什么人们过去在万圣节要盛装打扮，而你说是为了躲避鬼魂，回答正确！
Hundreds of years ago, people thought that ghosts would try to return to their old homes at Halloween.
数百年前，人们认为鬼魂会在万圣节回到故居。
People wore masks so that the ghosts would mistake them for other spirits!
人们戴着面具，这样鬼魂就会把他们误认为其他鬼魂！
OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learned starting with trick-or-treating, the Halloween tradition of dressing up in creepy costumes and knocking on neighbours’ doors shouting ‘trick or treat’ for sweets and candy.
好了，让我们回顾一下本期词汇。第一个是“trick-or-treat”，这是万圣节的传统，人们穿着吓人的服装去讨要糖果，挨家挨户地喊“不给糖就捣蛋”。
Over the top describes something which is too extreme, unsuitable or unacceptable.
“over the top”形容某事过于极端、不合适或不可接受。
The Grim Reaper is an imagined representation of Death and looks like a skeleton in a long, black cloak.
“the Grim Reaper”是人们想象中的死神，是一具披着黑色长袍的骷髅。
A race to the bottom happens when companies compete with each other in order to sell as many products as cheaply as possible.
公司为了尽可能廉价地销售更多的产品而相互竞争的情况，就叫作“a race to the bottom”。
A halfway house is a compromise which includes features of two contrasting ideas.
“a halfway house”是一种折中方案，综合考虑了两种不同的观点。
And finally, the snowflake generation is used by some people to refer to the present generation of young people who they think lack resilience and are easily upset.
最后，有些人用“the snowflake generation”来指代他们眼中缺乏韧性、易怒的这一代年轻人。
Enjoy Halloween and don’t get too scared!
万圣节快乐，不要太害怕哦！
Bye for now! Bye!
下期再见！再见!
