下載pdf資料： GitHub - zhbink/LiuLiYueDu: 流利閱讀pdf彙總
流利閱讀對每期內容均有很好的文章講解，向您推薦。
您可以關注微信公眾號：流利閱讀 瞭解詳情。

The rise and fall of Christmas music
聖誕音樂的興衰史

Christmas music as we know it was born in 1963, when Phil Spector corralled his stable of singers into the studio to record “A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector”. Until then, there had only been schmaltzy carols and easy listening staples, with occasional hints of a party tune.
眾所周知，聖誕音樂誕生於 1963 年，當時菲爾·斯佩克特把一群歌手聚集到錄音室，錄製了《菲爾·斯佩克特送給你的聖誕禮物》。在那之前，聖誕音樂只有一些傷感煽情的頌歌和輕鬆舒緩的主打歌，偶爾也會有一些歡樂的旋律。

Mr Spector made the first Christmas album that managed to be both thrilling and seasonal. It sounded like the Christmas party, not the snooze after Christmas dinner. So these days you can find heavy metal Christmas albums, funk Christmas albums and punk Christmas albums.
斯佩克特先生製作了第一張既扣人心絃又具有季節氣息的聖誕專輯。它聽起來像是聖誕派對，而不是聖誕晚餐後的昏昏欲睡。於是，現在你可以找到各種重金屬風、鄉村爵士風、朋克搖滾風的聖誕專輯。

Britain has embraced the Christmas single: between 1974 and 1990, nine of the number ones on Christmas Day were explicitly festive records. In America, meanwhile, there has never been a seasonal song at number one at Christmas in the Billboard Hot 100. Perhaps the Christmas single has lost some of its lustre.
聖誕單曲在英國廣受歡迎：從 1974 年至 1990 年，在聖誕節當天排名第一的單曲中，有九首具有明顯節日氣氛的單曲。然而，在美國的聖誕節，從來沒有一首應季歌曲登上《公告牌》百強單曲榜的榜首。也許聖誕單曲已經失去了它昔日的光彩。

Yet the Christmas album remains a regular feature on the release schedule of major artists. This year, for example, there is one album called “Christmas Party” from the Monkees. The people they aim at are middle-aged, trying to recreate their old Christmases of Slade or the Pogues.
然而，聖誕專輯的發行仍然是主流藝人日程安排表上的常規計劃。例如，今年有一張來自門基樂隊、名為《聖誕派對》的專輯。他們的目標人群是那些中年人們，而這些人試圖重現播放著斯萊德樂隊或者潑格斯樂隊音樂的老式聖誕節。

In a sense, then, Christmas records have returned to their pre-Spector purpose. Forget the teenagers: they’re in their bedrooms on Spotify, YouTube or Netflix. But in the living room, the adults have pulled on the Christmas sweaters and poured the egg nog. Now, what will it be, Bing Crosby or Eric Clapton?
從某種意義上說，聖誕節唱片又有了在斯佩克特出現之前的意圖。別去管那些青少年：他們都在自己的臥室裡瀏覽 Spotify、YouTube 或 Netflix。但在客廳裡，大人們已經穿上了聖誕毛衣，倒上了蛋奶酒。那麼，接下來該播放點什麼呢，是平·克勞斯貝還是埃裡克·克萊普頓？

—————文章來源 / 經濟學人

重點詞彙
corral/kəˈræl/
v. 把（一群人）集中起來

• to corral sb. into some place
• Police corralled most of the demonstrators into a small area near the station.

stable/ˈsteɪbl/
n. （同一家公司工作的）一批人

• actors from the same Hollywood stable

schmaltzy/ˈʃmɔːltsi/

• adj. （音樂、電影、書籍等）過度感傷或煽情的

carol/ˈkærəl/
n. （尤指聖誕節、復活節等宗教節日的）頌歌

• a Christmas carol

easy listening
n. 輕鬆、舒緩的音樂

staple/ˈsteɪpl/
n. 主要產品，主要部分；主打歌

hint/hɪnt/
n. 少量

• a hint of smile
• The walls were painted white with a hint of blue.

snooze/snuːz/
n. 打盹，小睡

heavy metal
n. 重金屬

funk/fʌŋk/
n. 鄉土爵士樂，放克

punk/pʌŋk/
n. 朋克

explicitly/ɪkˈsplɪsɪtli/
adv. 明確地，清晰地

festive/ˈfestɪv/
adj. 節日的（尤指聖誕節）

lustre/ˈlʌstər/
n. 光澤；光彩，榮耀

• Gold retains its lustre for far longer than other metals.
• to add lustre to sth.
• Using appropriate quotations from classics will add lustre to your essay.

feature/ˈfiːtʃər/
n. 特色，特徵

pull on

• 穿上（毛衣、襪子等），戴上（手套等）

pour/pɔːr/
v. 使（液體）等連續流出，傾倒

• to pour a cup of tea for sb.

egg nog
n. 蛋奶酒