2018考研复习进行时，考研英语阅读真题中的文章，多摘自英美主流外刊，有时候你认识所有单词、搞清全部语法还不够，还需要了解英美文化，掌握他们的表达方式，这就是阅读的潜台词。下面新东方在线考研整理《2018考研英语双语阅读精选》，速来学习吧！

　　Culture Insider: How ancient Chinese people warmed their hands in winter

　　古人如何暖手——昔日暖手神器：手炉

　　导读:手炉，是冬天暖手用的小炉，多为铜制。它是旧时中国宫廷和民间普遍使用的一种取暖工具，与脚炉相对而言。因可以捧在手上，笼进袖内，所以又名"手"、"捧炉"、"袖炉";炉内装有炭火，故也称"火笼"。

　　As winter comes, hands and feet can easily get cold, especially among women. Thick gloves might be a good choice, yet sometimes wearing them is not convenient, especially when people want to do something with their hands.

　　随着冬季临近，人们的手脚很容易被冻伤，特别是女性。厚厚的手套可能是一个很好的选择，但有时戴手套又不太方便，尤其是人们需要用手工作时。

　　However, this was not a problem for ancient Chinese people, who had a more exquisite tool to keep their hands warm: hand warmers.

　　不过，对于中国古代的人来说，这可不算什么难题。他们有一个更精致的工具来给手保暖：手炉。

　　There is no accurate written record regarding the origin of this tool, but there are some tales about its invention.

　　关于手炉的起源，没有准确的书面记录，但关于其发明却有一些传说。

　　One folk story concerns Emperor Yangdi from the Sui Dynasty (581-618) who visited Jiangsu in the winter. Due to the bitter cold, the local official asked manufacturers to make a small warmer for the emperor that could be held in one’s hands. Thus the hand warmer was created.

　　其中一个民间故事是隋朝(581 – 618年)的隋炀帝在冬天出访江苏。由于天气严寒，当地官员要求民间匠人为皇帝准备一个小暖炉，可以放在手中，于是手炉就诞生了。

　　By the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the tool was in widespread use. Techniques for producing the tool were extensively employed in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).

　　宋朝时期(960-1279年)，手炉广泛应用。明清年间(1368-1911年)，手炉的制作技术得到了极大的发展。

　　Many poems and books from this period recorded people using hand warmers.

　　这段时期的许多诗歌和书籍中都记录了人们使用手炉的现象。

　　The Dream of the Red Chamber, the classic novel by Cao Xueqin from the Qing Dynasty, also featured a maid sending a hand warmer to the protagonist Lin Daiyu in one chapter.

　　清代曹雪芹的经典小说《红楼梦》中，有一章节就有丫环给女主人公林黛玉送手炉的情景。

　　Zhang Mingqi, a veteran manufacturer of hand warmers, was considered a first-class craftsman in the Qing Dynasty. The tools he produced bore his surname, called Zhang-style hand warmers.

　　清代名匠张鸣岐是一代制炉名家，他制作出的手炉，人称“张炉”。

　　Made of bronze or ceramics, ancient hand warmers had a variety of designs. Round, square and octagonal shapes are typical, with some fashioned to look like pumpkins, flowers and turtle shells.

　　古代手炉多用青铜或陶瓷制成，设计多样。多为圆形、方形和八角形等，有些造型看起来像南瓜、花朵和龟壳。

　　Inside a hand warmer, there were burning charcoal or simple coals. Some coals were blended with fragments and pressed into flower shapes, emitting a pleasant scent when burned.

　　手炉里燃烧着木炭或者简单的煤炭。一些煤炭混合着碎片，被压成花朵形状，燃烧时散发出令人愉悦的香味。

　　来源:China Daily