从租赁朋友到上门超人：万象快递服务

爱思英语编者按：如今，随着生活愈加快捷方便，商品的快递服务(home deliveries)已经不是什么新鲜事了。但你听说过“朋友租赁”、“超人宅急送”这些千奇百怪的上门服务吗？还等什么，让我们一起来见识一下吧！
 
 

As the cold winds of winter creep in, people look to their homes for the comfort of warmth.
冬季寒潮来临，人们都指望宅在温暖舒适的家中度过寒冬。

While everyone knows that food, drink or shopping can be swiftly delivered to your home, the capital is witnessing a growth in special services available direct to your door.
如今，食品、饮料、物品快递上门已经不是什么新鲜事了。但京城如今却涌现出各式各样、千奇百怪的快递服务。

Here's a look at some of the most delightful and despairing things available for those who don't want to venture outdoors.
下面让我们来看看这些针对“宅人一族”的，让人欢喜让人忧的上门服务。

Rent-A-Friend
朋友租赁

Everyone gets a little lonely. Fortunately, in this modern age, the cure for loneliness can be delivered right to your door.
每个人都有寂寞的时候。不过幸好在当今社会，治愈寂寞的良方是可以快递上门的。

Claiming 283,000 friends worldwide, Rent-A-Friend is a relatively new service that allows users to search by area and, for 175 yuan a month, can contact "friends" to watch movies, go to the park, or just hang out with.
相对而言，“朋友租赁”是一项新兴服务，据称在世界上已有283000名会员。会员们每月只需支付175元，就能按照地域搜索、联络“朋友”们一起看电影、逛公园，或者只是出去随便逛逛。

Bear in mind though that when you do find a friend, you will need to pay to keep them - company comes at a cost, roughly 70 yuan an hour. Who says you can't put a price on a friendship?
不过要记得，当你真的找到朋友时，就需要付钱了—获得“朋友”的陪伴是要付出代价的—大约1小时70元。谁说友谊不能用钱来衡量？

Bagpiper
苏格兰风笛手

There something undeniably soulful about the eerie whine of the highland bagpipes.
高原风笛神秘的哀鸣有着让人无法抗拒的深情。

Beijingers now have the opportunity to enjoy the moving melodies of the highland instrument in their own living room thanks to award-winning bagpiper Duncan McKay.
如今，风笛手邓肯的到来，让住在北京的人们能够足不出户，便有机会聆听这来自苏格兰高地的乐器演奏出的动人旋律。

For 1,050 yuan an hour, the Australian bagpiper will fill your home with the serene scream of one of Scotland's most treasured instruments.
只需支付1050元/小时的酬劳，这位来自澳大利亚的风笛手就能为您演奏苏格兰国粹之一——风笛，让这清澈悠扬的笛音响彻您的房间。

Ice Bar
冰吧

Impress party guests with cocktail-making skills as you blend behind a bar carved from huge blocks of ice.
派对上，你可以在巨型冰雕酒吧中，一展调酒技术来惊艳全场嘉宾。

Nothing says cool more than a white Russian served from a frosted counter top in your home.
身在家中，便可在冰霜覆盖的吧台上为宾客们调制一杯“白俄罗斯”，没有什么能比这更酷的了。

Crafted by experts, the bar comes custom-made costing 2,000 yuan for each one-meter-long block. That said, a 3-m-long, 2.5-m-wide bar will cost around 10,000 yuan before it melts away.
这种为个人量身定制的酒吧经专家雕琢而成，每米售价2000元。也就是说，一个3米长2.5米宽的冰吧在融化前的身价为1万左右。

Superman
超人宅急送

It's a bird, it's a plane - no it's Mr Magic.
他是一只鸟，他是一架飞机，不！他是魔术先生

For just 1,000 yuan an hour, one of Beijing's most enthusiastic entertainers will show up to your door dressed up as Superman.
只需要1000元/小时，便可欣赏到京城最富激情的表演者之一装扮成超人上门表演。

It's a childhood dream come true. While he may not have the ability to take to the air, Mr Magic is about as fly as they come.
这使得许多人的儿时梦想成真！魔术先生虽然没有腾云驾雾的本领，但却呼之即来。

And if superheroes are not your thing, he also claims to do a stellar Elvis.
如果你不喜欢超人，那也没关系，魔术先生还可变身成为巨星猫王。

相关词汇  更多信息请访问：http://www.engbus.cn/

bizarre 千奇百怪的
 
creep in 悄悄混进，悄然而至
 
soulful 深情的
 
eerie 怪异的，神秘的
 
award-winning 一流的
 
serene 宁静的，清澈的
 
blend 混合，调酒
 
custom-made 量身定制的
 
take to the air 腾云驾雾
 
stellar 巨星