Hot alcoholic drinks are popular in the UK. A Scottish hot toddy is made with honey， lemon and whisky and keeps the highlanders warm. The English like to sip mulled wine as they sit round an open log fire in a traditional pub.
Russians are renowned for enjoying vodka to stave off the winter chill， but it’s a mistake to think alcohol helps when it’s cold.
A non-alcoholic alternative is Sbiten， or hot mead： a drink made with honey， spices， jam and water， though the water can be replaced by wine.
Hot chocolate is a popular daytime warmer. Hot chocolate is also a winter drink of choice in the States， and New York is brimming with great spots for the molten brew.
Food
A good meal helps get anyone through a cold snap. Slow cooked meat and vegetable dishes are popular， taking the form of casserole or stew in the US， a ragout in France， or a goulash， the traditional stew of Hungary， in Eastern Europe. In the UK， nothing goes down quite as well as a bag of takeaway fish and chips on a frozen night.
Meat is a key ingredient and in the coldest climes， like Siberia， where temperatures reach-30℃ or below， people live on reindeer and horsemeat. Siberian mothers rub a cream made from badger fat on their children’s faces to keep their skin from getting chapped.
Clothing
In Siberia， animals are also used for clothing. Ushanka hats， made from fur， with earflaps， are worn throughout Russia. The name derives from the Russian word for “ears”. Valenki boots， made of wool， have kept Russians’ feet warm since medieval times.
Staying fashionable means ignoring the frost， for some youngsters. In Northern England， girls wear miniskirts when they go out to bars in the biting cold and drink strong alcohol so they don’t feel the chill. However， when it gets too cold， most ditch fashion for warmth.
Outdoor activities
For many， winter is not about combating the cold， but embracing it. Winter sports abound in Canada， ice hockey is a national pastime and skiing， snowboarding， dog sledding， and ice skating are common.
In Alaska and the great lakes region of north America winter activities include ice fishing， hunting， cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
The chill also offers challenges. Ice swimming， for example， seems to be one with global appeal. A hole is cut in the ice to expose enough water for adrenaline junkies to dive into.
In Russia， “walrus” clubs perform this function. In North America， the participants are called “polar bears”. On New Year’s day， New Yorker’s join the Coney Island polar plunge and， in Germany， the Berlin “seals” brave their own icy pool. Bulgarians dance in icy water on Epiphany （a Christian festival on January 6）. In London， swimmers take the plunge in the Serpentine lake， on Christmas day.
It’s true that severe cold can throw plans and schedules into disarray， but around the world we’ve figured out various winter delights that make a deep freeze seem–well， almost welcome.
Vocabulary 词汇
mercury["m？：kjuri] n. 水银，水银柱，精神
alcohol ["？lk？h？l] n. 酒精，乙醇
alternative [？：l"t？：n？tiv] adj. 供选择的，交替的；
n. 二中择一，供替代的选择
molten["m？ult？n] adj. 熔化的，炽热的，铸造的；
v. 换毛，脱毛（molt的过去分词）
casserole ["k？s？r？ul] n. 勺皿，砂锅菜，餐桌上用有盖的焙盘；
vi. 用焙盘焙
ingredient [in"ɡri：di？nt] n. 要素，组成部分；
adj. 构成组成部分的
participants[pɑ："tisip？nt] adj. 参与的，有份的；
n. 参加者，参与者
Practice
How did you spend the winter？ Do you have a plan for next winter？
译文
由于不同的地理位置渗透出各异的流行文化，所以当严寒到来时，世界各地的人们在吃喝穿玩方面的习惯也是五花八门。
喝
在英国，热酒精饮料很受欢迎。一杯苏格兰热棕榈酒由蜂蜜、柠檬以及威士忌调制而成，它可以使苏格兰高地的人们保持体温。英国人则喜爱置身于传统英式酒吧中，围坐在敞开式的壁炉旁，时不时地喝上一小口加香料的热葡萄酒。
俄罗斯人以喜爱伏特加而闻名于世，他们通过饮用伏特加来驱散严寒，但认为酒精有助于抵挡严寒，这种观点是错误的。
你还可以选择不含酒精的Sbiten，或者是热蜂蜜酒：一种由蜂蜜、香料、果酱以及饮用水调制而成的饮品，不过你也可以用葡萄酒来代替饮用水。
在白天，热巧克力是很受欢迎的驱寒饮品。在美国，热巧克力也是深受人们喜爱的冬季饮品之一，纽约市处处都可以买到这种可以驱散严寒的饮品。
吃
一顿美食有助于人体抵抗寒流。精心烹制的肉食以及蔬菜很受人们欢迎。在东欧，人们喜欢的菜式有：美国的蒸锅菜或炖菜，法国的法式杂烩，匈牙利的传统炖菜——菜炖牛肉。在英国，当寒冷的夜晚来临时，没有什么比一份鱼和薯条的外卖更受欢迎了。
在最最寒冷的地区，肉食是一个关键要素。在西伯利亚，那里的温度达到零下30℃，甚至更低，人们依靠驯鹿以及马肉生存。西伯利亚的母亲们将一种提炼自獾类脂肪的乳霜涂在孩子们的脸上，以防他们的皮肤产生皲裂。
穿
在西伯利亚，动物还被用来制作衣物。整个俄罗斯的人们都带着一种名为“Ushanka”的帽子，它是由动物皮毛加工而成，此外还带有耳罩。一种名为“Valenki”的靴子，由羊毛制成，自中世纪时代起俄罗斯人们就穿着它来保持脚部温度。
对于一些年轻人来讲，保持时尚就意味着不顾严寒。在英国北部，女孩们外出去酒吧时，常常冒着彻骨的严寒，身穿迷你短裙。然后喝一些烈酒，这样她们就不会感到寒冷了。但是，当严寒难耐的时候，大多数人会放弃时尚选择保暖。
玩
对很多人来说，冬季要做的事并不是和寒冷作战，而是去拥抱它。加拿大有着诸多的冬季运动，冰上曲棍球是一项全国性的娱乐活动。滑雪、滑板滑雪、狗拉雪橇以及滑冰都是常见的娱乐项目。
在阿拉斯加以及北美的五大湖地区，冬天的室外活动包括冰上钓鱼，打猎，越野滑雪以及雪地摩托。
严寒也给予人们一些挑战。比如冬泳，这似乎是一项在全球范围内都极具魅力的运动。在冰面上凿开一个洞，为那些“冬泳迷”们开拓出足够的水域来畅游一番。
在俄罗斯，“海象”俱乐部就是由冬泳爱好者组成的。在北美洲，冬泳爱好者被称作“北极熊”。在元旦这天，由纽约市民同康尼岛极地俱乐部的冬泳爱好者共同一展身手；在德国，柏林“海豹俱乐部”的冬泳爱好者们也在结冰湖水中畅游一番。保加利亚人在1月6日主显节（基督教的节日）这一天，在冰水中翩翩起舞。在伦敦，圣诞期间，游泳爱好者们无畏严寒，在九曲湖中畅游。
尽管严寒可能打乱了许多计划以及日程安排，但在世界范围内，我们已经看到各式各样冬季带来的欢乐，这也使得人们似乎不再那么抗拒严寒。
练习
你是如何度过冬季的，来年冬季有什么打算吗？
13 When a Person Is Grown Up 何时才算长大
Most Americans believe someone isn’t grown up until age 26， probably with a completed education， a full-time job， a family to support and financial independence， a survey said.
But they also believe that becoming an official grown-up is a process that takes five years from about the age of 20， concluded the report from the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center. The findings were based on a representative sample of 1，398 people over age 18.
The poll found the following ages at which people expect the transitions to grown-up status to be completed： Age 20.9 self-supporting； 21.1 no longer living with parents； 21.2 full-time job； 22.3 education complete； 24.5 being able to support a family financially； 25.7 married； and 26.2 having a child.
“There is a large degree of consensus across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions，” said Tom Smith， director of the survey. The only notable pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family， having a child and getting married. “Older adults and the widowed and married rate these as more important than younger adults and the never-married do，” he added. “This probably reflects in large part a shift in values across generations away from traditional family values.”
The most valued step toward reaching adulthood， the survey found， was completing an education， followed by full-time employment， supporting a family， financial independence， living independently of parents， marriage and parenthood.
Vocabulary 词汇
conclude [k？n"klu：d] vt. 结束，推断，决定；