Leisure inactivities – or how to relax and do nothing 闲暇无为——或如何歇着无所事事 1 Centuries ago people didn't have much free time, because everyone was working too hard. In Britain in the 19th century, people had more time off, but the Victorians thought relaxing and doing nothing was a sin. So to avoid temptation, they invented football, rugby and cricket. People took up more gentle leisure activities like bird-watching, gardening and trainspotting, and it was even possible simply to watch a sport and give the impression that you were actually doing something useful. 数百年前，人们没有多少空闲时间，因为人人都在辛苦劳作。在19世纪的英国，人们有了较多闲暇，可是维多利亚时代的人认为歇着无所事事是一种罪过。于是为了避免诱惑，他们发明了足球、橄榄球和板球。人们开始从事更温和的休闲活动，如观鸟、园艺、收集火车头号码。他们甚至可能只是观看一项运动，给人一种有事可做的印象。 2 One instance of this is cricket, which is a peculiar game with weird rules, where nothing happens for five days, at the end of which the players often decide to call it a draw. And everyone, players and spectators, feel perfectly fulfilled by this non-event. It's a good example of what we can now call a leisure inactivity. 其中一个例子是板球。这是一种规则怪异的奇特游戏，如果五天之内毫无进展，玩家往往就会决定双方战平。而无论是玩家还是观众，人人都对这毫无结果的比赛感到心满意足。这是个我们现在可以称之为闲暇无为的好例子。 3 Gradually over the years, leisure inactivities have involved even less interaction. In the 1990s a new leisure creature evolved, one who thinks that lying on the sofa watching sport or DVDs on the television is the most exciting inactivity they can manage. This is the couch potato. 近年来，闲暇无为中的互动逐渐变得更少了。在20世纪90年代，一个新的休闲物种进化成功，它认为躺在沙发上看电视体育节目或数码影碟是它们能做到的最令人兴奋的无为了。这就是沙发土豆。 4 So who wants to be a couch potato? Well, as a matter of fact, many people do, and for understandable reasons. Maybe it's your one day off in the week. Maybe you just got back from work or school. Maybe you're tired and just want to chill. For the couch potato, every activity is too much trouble, and laziness is an art form. 那么，谁想当沙发土豆呢？好吧，事实上，许多人都想，理由也是可以理解的。也许今天你休息，也许你刚下班或放学。也许你累了，只想放松。对沙发土豆来说，任何活动都太麻烦，懒散是一门艺术。 5 How do you become a couch potato? It's easy. Sit down in a comfortable place, such as a reclining chair, a beanbag or ... you knew it was coming ... a couch. Don't sit on a potato. Make sure you have everything you need, snacks (especially potato chips – no serious couch potato would eat anything else), drinks, magazines and a telly. 怎样才能变成沙发土豆呢？那很容易。在一个舒适的地方坐下，例如一张躺椅、一个豆袋或……你知道接下来就是……一张沙发。可别坐在土豆上。确保你拥有所需的一切：零食（尤其是土豆片——严肃的沙发土豆不会吃别的）、饮料、杂志和电视。 6 The most important piece of equipment is of course, the remote control. Without the freedom to change channel without moving from the couch, no couch potato would be worthy of the name. In fact, watching TV without a remote control becomes dangerously like physical exercise, and probably should be avoided. 最重要的装备当然是遥控器了。没有无需离开沙发就能换频道的自由，沙发土豆就配不上这个称号。事实上，没有遥控器看电视有变成近似体育锻炼的危险，或许是应当避免的。 7 Now just start watching the telly. Change channels every ten seconds, and then move on. Don't be too keen, try not to get too interested in anything, because that risks your status as a couch potato. (Remember that you have the attention span of a Maris Piper.) Finally, ask other people to do things for you, like get more food, or rent a movie. But be nice to them! If you aren't nice, you'll probably have to do it yourself. 现在，就开始看电视吧。每隔十秒钟换一次频道，然后继续换。别太用心，尽量不要对任何节目太感兴趣，因为这会威胁到你的沙发土豆身份。（记住，你的注意力持续时间只有玛丽斯·派铂马铃薯的那么长。）最后，要让别人帮你做事，如拿更多食物，或租影碟。但是对他们态度要好！如果你态度不好，你就很可能得亲自动手了。 8 But with every new fashion, there's a reaction. British farmers were recently reported by the BBC to be angry at the use of the expression couch potato, because it was damaging the vegetable's image. Potatoes are inherently healthy, says the British Potato Council, and is organizing protests to demand the removal of couch potato from the Oxford English Dictionary. 但是，对于每种新时尚，都会有反对者。英国广播公司最近报道，英国农民对“沙发土豆”这一叫法感到愤怒，因为它败坏了土豆的形象。英国土豆协会称，土豆是天然有益于健康的，他们将要组织抗议活动，要求把“沙发土豆”一词从《牛津英语词典》中删除。 9 So there you are! Couch potatoes are healthy. 你瞧我没说错吧！沙发土豆是健康的。 10 Of course, for the true couch potato, there are inherent risks. Perhaps the greatest of these results from the lack of exercise, and is referred to by professional couch potatoes as telly belly. Some, however, see their telly belly as a mark of their dedication to their leisure inactivity, and wear it proudly over the top of their trousers. (Interestingly, this is a highly fashionable style known as a muffin top. Find out why next time you're in Starbucks.) 当然，对于真正的沙发土豆来说，固有的危险还是有的。也许最大的危险来自缺乏锻炼，其后果便是被专业沙发土豆称为电视肚。然而，有些人则视自己的电视肚为专注闲暇无为的标志，骄傲地把它系在裤腰之上。（有趣的是，这是一种极为时尚的穿法，叫做松糕顶。下次泡星巴克的时候去弄明白为什么吧。） 11 But times move on, and in the 21st century we now have a version of the couch potato specially for the online activities on the computer. This is called the mouse potato. A mouse potato spends excessive amounts of time in front of a computer monitor, with the same lack of interest in the outside world as their older cousin, the couch potato. Mouse potatoes are 本文来源：https://www.wddqw.com/doc/2e880ef7930ef12d2af90242a8956bec0975a545.html