4月18日午间英语新闻：“懒人经济”市场火爆 95后小伙周末兼职上门做饭

> Post-95 boy cooks door-to-door as part-time job 
“懒人经济”市场火爆 95后小伙周末兼职上门做饭 

A 2022 consumption survey by domestic consulting firm Zhimeng showed that nearly 80 percent of an undisclosed number of respondents born after 1995 said that they used smart appliances for household tasks, while 75 percent of them relied on services to save time on cooking and cleaning. Such a demand has created a niche market dubbed the "lazy economy" that includes anything from smart home appliances to precooked meal delivery services. 
2022年知萌咨询发布的《2022中国消费趋势报告》显示，近80%的95后受访对象表示他们曾用过智能家居产品，节省做饭或打扫卫生时间的服务成为75%受访对象的“心头爱”。这样的需求使得“懒人经济”一词开始走入大众视野，包括智能家电和预煮外卖服务。

Recently, a video of a post-95 designer in Shanghai door-to-door cooking part-time on weekends has sparked concern among netizens. Data by Meituan showed that searches for "door-to-door cooking" rose by 533 percent over Oct to Dec in 2022. Door-to-door cooking is akin to hiring a chef at home who offers clients anything from festive dishes to daily meals, with users claiming that it costs between 66 yuan and 88 yuan for up to four dishes. Most part-time chefs are young or middle-aged.
近日，上海一名95后设计师周末兼职上门做饭的视频引发网友关注。美团数据显示，2022年10月至12月，关键词“上门代厨”的搜索量环比上涨533%。上门做饭类似于在家里雇一个厨师，为客户提供从节日菜肴到日常膳食的任何服务，市场价在4道菜66—88元。据了解，这些上门的私厨多为兼职，以中青年为主。

Many young people are outsourcing the decluttering of their homes to professionals. Compared with traditional housekeeping and cleaning services, organizing services bring a customized solution, albeit at a higher price. 
越来越多的年轻人把整理房间的活外包给专业人士。与传统的家政和清洁服务相比，整理服务带来了一个定制的解决方案，尽管价格较高。

Cleaning robots have emerged as one of the most popular forms of this type of technology, with sales reaching 11 billion yuan in 2021, up by 17 percent from the previous year, according to market consultancy AskCI. Such robots have a higher level of autonomy and come with features that automatically fill themselves up with water and also wash and dry the mop. The product is a true liberation for our hands and body.
市场咨询公司AskCI数据显示，2021年扫地机器人的销量高达110亿元，同比增长17%。集自动加水、清洗、烘干一体化，扫地机器人可以解放双手。

The robust demand has lured a large number of enterprises to enter the sector in recent years, with sales for precooked meals during last year's "Double Eleven" shopping bonanza doubling from the previous year. China currently has an estimated 64,000 precooked food related enterprises, and the market is expected to reach more than 1 trillion yuan in 2026, according to market consultancy firm iiMedia.
在这样的巨大商机面前，许多公司纷纷在这个领域发力，去年双十一期间速食食品的销量同比番了一番。根据艾媒咨询集团的数据，目前中国市场已有约64000家公司生产速食食品，整个市场的估值预计将在2026年超过1万亿元。

重点词汇：
declutter
v.清除，清理

> What's “Double Spring and Leap Month”?
今年有两个二月份？原来“闰月”是这么来的……

Most people have heard of the term "double spring and leap month" and know that it's a sign of good fortune and a great month for loved ones to get married. But what exactly is this month?
大多数人应该听说过“双春闰月”这个词，并表示这是好运的象征，是相爱之人结婚的好兆头。究竟是什么？

The moon takes about 29.5 days to revolve around the Earth, so the lunar month is sometimes 29 days, sometimes 30 days. From that, a year is about 354 days. But we all know a year is about 365 days as the Earth returns to its original position in that period of time. There is a difference of 11 days between the lunar and solar year, which adds up to about a month over 3 years.
月球绕地球公转一周大约需要29.5天，所以农历月有时是29天，有时是30天。这样算下来，全年大约是354天。但我们都知道，一年大约是365天，地球会回到它原来的位置。阴历年和阳历年相差11天，3年就会相差一个月左右。

Many people think that the Chinese calendar is one based on the movement of the moon, but this is only half correct. The Chinese calendar uses the movement of the moon around the Earth to determine the length of a month, but it also makes reference to the position of the Earth relative to the Sun to mark the year.
许多人认为中国的历法是是基于月亮的运行，但这只说对了一半。中国的历法利用月球围绕地球的运动来确定一个月的长度，但它也参照了地球相对于太阳的位置来标记一年。

The setting of the leap month is a way to fill the gap of days between the solar calendar and lunar calendar in one year, which is usually 11 or 12 days, so as to make sure the four seasons fit within the months.
闰月的设置是为了填补一年中阳历和阴历之间的天数差异，即11天或12天，从而使四季基本吻合月份。