奇葩职业知多少

最近，有一条微博消息特别吸引人眼球：90后“品虾师”年薪30万。其实，有趣的职业不仅仅有“品虾师”，双语君和大家分享几个有趣的非主流职业。

A knocker-upper, was a profession in Britain and Ireland that started during the Industrial Revolution, when alarm clocks were neither cheap nor reliable, and lasted to the beginning of the 1950s.

负责叫人起床是个古老的职业，在英国工业革命期间兴起并繁荣起来。由于在工业革命时期，闹钟又贵又不可靠，于是叫人起床这一职业就开始在英国和爱尔兰兴起，并且延续到20世纪50年代初。

A knocker-upper's job was to rouse sleeping people so they would get to work on time.

这一工作的主要任务就是要把睡着的人们叫醒，保证他们可以按时工作。

Mary Anne Smith became a beloved presence - along with her trusty peashooter - around London's East End in the 1930s. People remember that on every morning except Sunday she would rise at 3 am to knock up local workers - using a pea shooter. She charged six pence a week.

Mary Anne Smith 扮演了一个讨人喜欢的角色，她经常在20世纪30年代带着她标志性的射豆枪出现在伦敦东部。人们记得除了星期日的每天早上，她都三点早早起来用射豆枪叫醒当地工人。她每周收取6便士。

The practice waned as alarm clocks and electricity became more widespread and affordable. Sure, beeping alarm clocks and smartphones that play morning music are simpler and more convenient. But they can't match being awakened by the soft, distinctive tap of Mary Smith's pea shooter.

随着闹钟和电变得越来越普及、廉价，这种工作逐渐退出了巿场。诚然，嘟嘟响着的闹钟和在早上播放着音乐的智能电话更加简单、方便，但是永远都不能与 Mary Smith 的射豆枪相比较，被这种轻柔、独特的声音唤醒完全是另一种体验。

People walker

Chuck McCarthy from San Francisco has created the job of people walking.

“遛人”的职业的创始人 Chuck McCarthy 来自洛杉矶，靠“遛人”为生。

McCarthy walks humans for $7 a mile around the park and streets near his home, an alternative to walking dogs. It requires no leash, just an ability to walk, talk and, above all, listen.

McCarthy经常带人们在他家附近葯街道以及公园散步，每英里收费7美元，与遛狗不同，他开创的这种遛人方式并不需要绳子，只需要走路、说话还有最重要的一点能力倾听。 

McCarthy provides companionship and motivation to people who want to get out of the house, explore their city and get some exercise.

McCarthy陪伴并鼓励那些想要走出家门、来到户外的人，和他们一起探索城巿、锻炼身体。

In a decade or so, paying for connections may seem as ordinary as paying for therapy. The companionship market will make us uncomfortable, but it will persist. The need for social connection is too primal: If it's the market that's offering us the chance to walk and talk with someone who seems like a friend, we' 'll be heading toward it, not turning away.

在未来的十年左右。为人与人之间的交往付钱会和为了治病而付钱一样司空见惯。虽然陪伴这一市场会让我们觉得不舒服，但是它仍然会继续发展。人类对于社会交往的需求是很原始的：如果在市场中我们可以找到一个像朋友一样的人，与他散步聊天，我们会果断地迎上去，而不是扭头走开。

The Japanese railway network is known throughout the world for its superiority and punctuality. In Tokyo, the capital, nearly 40 million passengers ride the rails every day, heavily outweighing other modes of transport such as buses and private cars. Of these, 8.7 million take the subway.

日本的轨道交通以卓越和准时闻名世界。在首都东京，基本每天有4000万乘客坐轨道交通出行，远远超过了其它的交方式譬如公交和私家车等。在这4000万乘客中，870万人次乘坐地铁出行。

To make sure that all its people reach work on time, Japan employs people to push others onto trains.

为了保证所有的人们都能按时上班，日本雇佣了人员来把人们推上地铁。

(China Daily 07/02/2018 page22)