One of the most common sights in southern English villages， thatched roofs arent just for decoration. Theyre highly practical， too.

茅草屋頂在英國南部的村莊中很常見。它們不僅漂亮，還非常實用。

Every traditional southern English village has at least some houses with thatched roofs， and they really add to its beauty.

在英國南部的傳統(tǒng)村莊中，總有那么幾棟茅草屋頂?shù)姆孔?，它們?yōu)榇迩f增添了幾分美。

Imaging images of soft， green countryside， flowers swaying in a gentle breeze， and ducks quacking by the village green， thatching goes right to the heart of this “picture postcard” world.

想象在綠草如茵的鄉(xiāng)村環(huán)境中，花兒在微風中搖曳，村莊綠地邊的鴨子在嘎嘎地叫，這明信片般的景色中心便是這些茅草房了。

These days， its very desirable to own a thatched cottage and is a sign of wealth. British love tradition， and houses with thatched roofs are regarded as a pure connection you can get with the past.

現(xiàn)在，茅草屋頂?shù)姆孔釉谑袌錾虾軗屖郑驗樗笳髦敻?。英國人熱愛傳統(tǒng)，而茅草屋頂?shù)姆孔颖徽J為是傳統(tǒng)與現(xiàn)實間最純粹的紐帶。

This wasnt always the case， though. Until around 150 years ago， having a thatched roof on the house was completely normal， because it was the only roofing material available.

不過，茅草屋頂以前并不是富貴的象征。直到大約150年前，茅草屋頂?shù)姆孔佣己芷毡?，因為茅草是當時唯一能用來鋪房頂?shù)牟牧稀?/p>

Then the development of canals meant that slate could be moved around the country far more easily， and many houses began to be built with Welsh slate roofs. By the early 20th century， living in a cottage with a thatched roof had become a sign of poverty！

之后，隨著運河的發(fā)展，石板可以在全國范圍內(nèi)較容易地運輸，許多房子的屋頂便開始使用威爾士石板。到了20世紀早期，住茅草屋成了貧窮的標志！

Thatching has historically been very popular in Europe， but because Britain has preserved so much of its heritage， thatched roofs are a more common sight here than in many other countries.

歷史上，茅草屋頂在整個歐洲都很受歡迎，但由于英國人酷愛保留傳統(tǒng)，所以相比其他國家，茅草屋頂?shù)姆孔尤缃裨谟映Ｒ姟?/p>

Even today， though， it remains surprisingly practical and there are over 1，000 thatchers who practise this ancient art.

令人驚訝的是，即使在今天，鋪茅草屋頂還是一門實用技能，仍有1000多名葺匠實踐著這項古老的手藝。

Thatch is made from natural reed and other plants which， when cut and dried， make a waterproof roofing material. When bundled together tightly using special techniques， it creates a roof thickness of around 30cm that keeps out the weather， while still looking good.

茅草屋頂是由蘆葦?shù)忍烊恢参锴卸?、曬干形成的防水材料制成。當使用特殊的技術(shù)把它們緊緊地捆綁在一起后，30厘米左右厚的屋頂不僅可以抵御風雨，而且還十分美觀。

It is strong too， as the thatch material is held in place with wooden pegs fixed to the existing old thatch or directly to the roof timbers by means of steel spikes and cross rods.

這種茅草屋頂還特別結(jié)實，因為屋頂上的茅草不是被木釘固定到已有的舊屋頂上，就是用鋼釘和木榫直接固定到房頂?shù)哪竟羌苌稀?/p>

Thatching expert Keith Quantrill says this type of roof helps houses to stay cool in summer and warm in winter， and also acts as highly effective sound insulation material. In Britain， most thatch material comes from wheat straw， ideally from older wheat varieties because their tall stems are strong and robust.

據(jù)資深葺匠基思·匡特里爾介紹，有茅草屋頂?shù)姆孔佣臎?，隔音效果還特別好。在英國，大多數(shù)的茅草材料使用小麥秸稈，而且最好用老的小麥品種，原因是老品種長得高，且麥稈強韌耐用。

This can be grown locally， and doesnt need to be transported from one end of the country to another， so it is good for the environment too. The downside is that every 30 or so years， you need to replace it—and it isnt cheap at up to ?30，000.

這些植物在當?shù)鼐湍芊N植，省去了國內(nèi)的長途運輸，對環(huán)境還有益。茅草屋頂?shù)牟蛔阒幨撬扛?0年左右就需要更換，而且價格不菲——高達3萬英鎊。

Youll find thatched cottages are almost in every village in southern England； there are some further north but the colder and wetter weather means that many house owners have moved to stone roofs which withstand the rain better.

在英格蘭南部的每個村莊幾乎都會有茅草屋。往北走也會有一些，但北部寒冷潮濕的天氣使很多茅草屋的主人搬到了防雨性能更好的石屋頂房子中。

If you want to enjoy that “picture postcard” look， then the Cotswolds—just an hour and a half from London—is a great area to visit. Just dont forget your camera.

如果你想領(lǐng)略明信片般的茅草屋美景，離倫敦一個半小時路程的科茨沃爾德是絕佳的選擇。只是千萬不要忘記帶相機。

Word Study

available /?'ve?l?bl/ adj. 可獲得的；可購得的；可找到的

This was the only room available.

preserve /pr?'z??v/ v. 保護；維護；保留

insulation /?nsju'le??n/ n. 隔熱；隔音；絕緣

withstand /w??'st?nd/ v. 承受；抵??；經(jīng)受住