VOA慢速英语--时尚如何面对新冠状病毒

How the Fashionable Face the New Coronavirus

Many people around the world now wear masks, covers for their nose and mouth, when they go out in public. You see masks on people walking their dogs, buying food, riding bicycles and working at their jobs.

In many places the masks are required by law as a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But commercial masks are in short supply. Most people agree that those rare objects should go to health care professionals and others on the so-called front lines of the fight against coronavirus.

So, mask-making has gotten more personal for the rest of us and more creative in design, as a result. It seems masks are becoming the fashion statement of 2020.

The online news media site Insider recently published photos of 17 of the most creative masks it found around the world. Many of the mask makers¹ are artists, but not all. The photos include a knitted³ piece of pink and red from Icelandic-based cloth artist, Yrúrarí. It is a large mask made to look like a big mouth with a long pink tongue hanging out.

The report also shows a smart design from leather worker Anissa Mekrabech of France. She created a mask with see-through material over the mouth. It permits people who read lips, because they can not hear, to continue to communicate during the pandemic

Some of the masks among the photos are beautiful. Some artists made masks covered in shiny, colorful jewels or mirror-like material. Another uses paint to create bright pictures on paper masks. A few of the masks are made of plastic and other waste material found on the street. One clothing designer even made a special mask to go with wedding clothes.

Masks could be new little black dress

We might be covering our faces and mouths for quite a while. And not just for COVID-19. There are lots of possible viruses ahead. And there is air pollution and toxic⁴ dust, allergies⁵ and bad smells. So, are masks our fashion forward look?

Fashion bible Vogue⁶ seems to think it might. On May 5, it published 92 Cloth Masks To Shop Now. Writer Sarah Spelling notes that that mask cover a large part of the face. So, she writes, it is not surprising people are looking for masks that look good. And the story directs readers how and where to buy them.

And, in Lithuania this week, Reuters reported on a special fashion show held in the capital, Vilnius. There were no live models or crowds around a runway. Instead, the city celebrated⁷ creative face covers in photographs on 21 huge signs around town. The billboards⁸ show men, women and children wearing masks as part of a so-called "Mask Fashion Week."

Those shown in the photos include local artists, musicians, and other townspeople chosen at random⁹. Even the mayor of the city is captured on a Mask Fashion Week sign.

Members of a local Facebook group called Mask Your Fashion chose the masks for the signs. Designer Julija Janus established the group to share new designs for masks and advice on how to make them at home.

"A mask is a good way to display your creativity, to express yourself. And it's a good activity to do when you're sitting at home with the kids", said Janus.

Mask or no mask

Masks can also be used, or not used, to make political or cultural statements. President Trump¹⁰ does not wear one, so far. He has said he does not think a mask would send the right message when he meets with world leaders. He also suggested his wearing one might cause unease among the American public.

But some people have criticized his lack of mask use in public. They argue the decision belittles¹¹ the seriousness of the pandemic. And last month, Trump's vice-president Mike Pence was denounced¹² by many for not wearing a mask when he visited with a COVID-19 patient at the Mayo Clinic, a famous medical center in the American state of Minnesota.

Pence later said he should have worn a mask at Mayo. And he put on a mask two days after for a visit to an American automobile¹³ factory.

I'm Caty Weaver¹⁴.

Words in This Story

fashion -n. a popular way of dressing¹⁵ during a particular time or among a particular group of people

photo -n. a picture made by a camera

knit² -v. to make (a piece of clothing) from yarn¹⁶ or thread by using long needles or a special machine

leather -n. animal skin that is chemically treated to preserve it and that is used in making clothes, shoes, furniture, etc.

wedding -n. a ceremony held to marry people

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 knit   

vt.编织，密接，结合，皱眉；vi.编织，变得紧凑，愈合；n.编织

参考例句：

• She could knit up a baby's coat in an afternoon.她能在一个下午织好一件婴儿的衣服。
• Our letters enabled us to knit up our old friendship.通信使我们恢复了旧日的友谊。

3 knitted   

v.（使）愈合( knit的过去式和过去分词 )；编结；（使）紧密地结合；织平针

参考例句：

• I knitted this cardigan myself. 我自己织的这件开襟毛衣。
• Our two nations are knitted together by common concerns. 共同关心的问题使我们两国团结一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

5 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

8 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

9 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

10 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

11 belittles   

使显得微小，轻视，贬低( belittle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The size of the office tower belittles the surrounding buildings. 这座办公楼的规模使周围的建筑物相形见小。
• The bulk of the warehouse belittles the houses around it. 货栈的庞大使周围的房屋显得矮小了。

12 denounced   

公开指责( denounce的过去式和过去分词 )； 揭发； 告发； 通知废止

参考例句：

• She publicly denounced the government's handling of the crisis. 她公开谴责政府处理这场危机的方式。
• He was denounced as a foreign spy. 有人告发他是外国间谍。

13 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

14 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

15 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

16 yarn   

n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事

参考例句：

• I stopped to have a yarn with him.我停下来跟他聊天。
• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。