I was recentlyin London sharing a coffee with my uncle, who's in his 50s. When wewent to leave a teenage couple was wildly embracing and kissing inthe doorway in front of us. "If they really loved each other theywouldn't feel the need to do that," he muttereddisapprovingly。

　　不久前，我和50多岁的叔叔在伦敦喝咖啡。临走时，一对十多岁的情侣在我们前面的门口处疯狂地拥吻。“如果真爱对方，他们完全没有必要这样做，”叔叔不以为然地低声说。

　　SarahMaddock, a 26-year-old Londoner, explains that a lot of youngpeople aren't thinking about the long term when they date someone:"Kissing and touching are fueled by passion and don't necessarilymean people plan to be together forever. But a couple quietlyholding hands shows something deeper."

　　对此，26岁的伦敦市民SarahMaddock解释说，很多年轻人约会时没有考虑得很长远。“激情促使他们亲吻、爱抚彼此，但这并不一定意味着两人打算厮守终身。而静静牵手的情侣们则宣告着更为深入的关系。”

　　In the fastpaced, constantly changing world of youth where everything ispermitted, but nothing is certain, people have time for passion butare scared of the commitment of love。

　　在如今这个快节奏、不断变化的年轻人的世界，人们可以做任何事，但没有什么是必然的。人们有时间享受激情，却往往害怕爱情的承诺。

　　Behavior changesas people age but still many older couples don't share physicalcontact in public。

　　虽然人们的行为会随着年龄的增长而变化，但仍有很多大龄情侣不在公共场合进行肢体接触。

　　Sometimes,this is due to time. People are too busy with work or kids to sharesmall intimacies. And there may simply not be enough space in ourcrowded cities。

　　有时，时间是导致这一现象的罪魁祸首。人们忙着工作或孩子而忽略了这些微小的亲密行为。又或许这只是因为我们拥挤的城市没有足够的空间。

　　Whatever thereason, Denise Mah, a writer on love relationships, thinks it's abad sign "when your love partner stops holding your hand for noobvious reason...or stops putting an arm over your shoulder inpublic when he or she always did before. It is a sign that a breakup is imminent."

　　无论出于何种原因，研究恋爱关系的作家DeniseMah认为，如果你的另一半毫无缘由地不像以前那样在公共场合和你牵手，或将手放在你的肩膀，这都不是一个好现象。这是分手的前兆。

　　Going hand-in-hand may not only be asign of a sturdy relationship but may also have healthbenefits。

　　除了作为稳定关系的标志，牵手走还有益健康。

　　Holdingthe hand of a loved one reduces pain during times of distress,according to a recent study by psychologists at the University ofCalifornia。

　　不久前，加利福尼亚大学心理学家研究发现，牵着恋人的手有助于减轻人们悲痛时的疼痛感。

　　Another studyby an American psychology professor, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, showedthat support between couples reduces stress. One important way thatpeople express this support, researchers say, is through"non-sexual, caring physical touch, such ashand-holding"。

　　美国心理学教授JulianneHolt-Lunstad的另一项调查发现，恋人间的支持能够减轻压力。研究人员称，人们表达支持的一个重要方式是“非性的饱含关怀的肢体接触，例如牵手”。

　　Subtle shows of affection maybe increasingly rare in our frenzied world. However, if thestatesmen can teach us anything perhaps it's that a little handholding wouldn't go amiss。

　　在如今这个狂乱的世界，细微的表达爱意的举动或许会越发罕见。但是，如果政治家们可以教会我们一些事情的话，那或许就是偶尔牵牵手还是不错的。