听美文故事记6级单词06-10

10. Japan's Yong Bring the Kimono Back into Style

There was a time when no self-respecting twentysomething Japanese woman with a modicum¹ of style would have been seen out and about in a kimono.

The garment was seen as over-priced and uncomfortable, and brought to mind an outdated² image of Japanese femininity, of demure³ women struggling to retain composure as they shuffle⁴ along in a garment that must have taken an age to put on.

But kimonos are making a comeback in trendy parts of Tokyo, and the women wearing them are young, fashion-conscious and as comfortable in their traditional wear as they are in their jeans.

"They no longer think that kimonos are the preserve of older women with money to spend," said an assistant at a second-hand⁵ kimono shop in Tokyo's chic⁶ Omotesando district. "They wear them when they go out on a date or want something a bit different for a formal occasion."

A brand-new kimono, and the long list of accessories that goes with it, is still prohibitively expensive, costing thousands, even tens of thousands, of pounds. But a thriving market in antique cast-offs, available for as little as a few pounds, is now serving students and younger working women. Buyers mix and match their kimonos with obi belts, shoes and split-toe socks.

Emiko Miura, a pharmacist who owns about 40 kimonos, is a longtime convert but still in her 30s. "I don't think twice about getting dressed up to go shopping or to go out for dinner with friends."

With Tokyo's energy-sapping humidity already in the air, it will soon be time to don yukata, lighter⁷, cooler, and much cheaper summer kimonos. Magazine shelves are heaving with advice for yukata wearers on the right mix of handbag, jewellery, boots and sunglasses.

"I think some women are getting tired of following western culture, and want to get back to something that's not only Japanese, but wearable," said Leeyong Soo, international fashion coordinator⁸ for the Japanese edition of Vogue⁹. "They're also rediscovering how nice old things can be, which is encouraging as Japan is normally such a throwaway culture."

1 modicum   

n.少量，一小份

参考例句：

• If he had a modicum of sense,he wouldn't do such a foolish thing.要是他稍有一点理智，他决不会做出如此愚蠢的事来。
• There's not even a modicum of truth in her statement.她说的话没有一点是真的。

2 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

3 demure   

adj.严肃的；端庄的

参考例句：

• She's very demure and sweet.她非常娴静可爱。
• The luscious Miss Wharton gave me a demure but knowing smile.性感迷人的沃顿小姐对我羞涩地会心一笑。

4 shuffle   

n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走

参考例句：

• I wish you'd remember to shuffle before you deal.我希望在你发牌前记得洗牌。
• Don't shuffle your feet along.别拖着脚步走。

5 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

6 chic   

n./adj.别致(的)，时髦(的)，讲究的

参考例句：

• She bought a chic little hat.她买了一顶别致的小帽子。
• The chic restaurant is patronized by many celebrities.这家时髦的饭店常有名人光顾。

7 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

8 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

9 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。