调查：英国人不苟言笑的形象成为过去

The famous British "stiff upper lip" has become a thing of the past, according to a survey on Thursday which found Britons are no longer embarrassed to shed a tear or be affectionate in public.

Nearly three-quarters of Brits now greet others with an air kiss or hug, an increase of a third over the last 15 years, while 63 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed said they had cried in public.

"The British stiff upper lip is finally wobbling as more and more Brits wear their hearts on their sleeves," said Richard Hayes of Warburtons bakers, who carried out the research in connection with an upcoming advertising campaign.

Brits are also prone to getting carried away when they are excited, the research showed, with 47 percent waving their arms in the air, a third jumping up and down and three in 10 throwing their arm around someone nearby.

Plotted on the "passion index," which measures how often people display emotion, Britain averaged 69 out of 100, with people in the south most likely to show how they feel while the Welsh were the least emotional.

上周四公布的一项调查称，英国人不苟言笑的著名形象如今已成为过去。调查发现，英国人已不再羞于当众落泪或流露感情。

近四分之三的英国人用空吻或拥抱的方式来问候他人，采用这种问候方式的人的数量在过去15年中增加了三分之一。另外，在1000名受访者中，有63%的人说他们曾当众哭过。

开展该调查的沃伯顿面点公司的理查德．海耶斯说：“如今越来越多的英国人开始大胆表露自己的感情，英国人不苟言笑的传统形象终于开始改变。”该调查为配合一个即将举行的广告宣传活动而开展。

调查显示，如今英国人在激动时也会“忘乎所以”，47%的人会手舞足蹈，三分之一的人会高兴地跳上跳下，十分之三的人会拥抱旁边的人。

根据用来衡量人们流露情感频率的 “热情指数”，英国人的平均“热情指数”为69（总分100）。英国南部地区的人最容易流露感情，威尔士人最不善于表达情感。

Vocabulary:

(keep) a stiff upper lip: 不动声色，沉着而不外露

air kiss: way of saying hello or goodbye to somebody by kissing near the side of their face but not actually touching them （见面或道别时的）嘬唇示吻

wobble: to move from side to side in an unsteady way 摇摆，摇晃

wear one's heart on one's sleeves: 感情外露

carry away: 使激动得失去控制（The match was so wonderful that he was totally carried away. 比赛十分精彩，令他兴奋不已。）