穿上比基尼，

　　让你展现自信的魅力，

　　燃情比基尼，

　　让你的心也跟随身体一起沸腾，

　　在这个夏天，

　　尽情挥洒自己的性感魅力！

　　Part I Short History of Bikinis

　　比基尼简史

　　Of course bikinis are just a development of the swimsuit. The difference essentially being that the bikini is a two-piece item with the stomach exposed while the swimsuit has a stretch of material joining the top and bottom. However, describing the difference thus does not really ① do justice to the difference at all. Fundamentally, the bikini is a very sexy item of clothing while the swimsuit can look very dull and modest. It was around 1855 that the first swimsuits appeared consisting of bloomers and black stockings while drawers were added to prevent the problem of exposer.

　　The bikini was invented in 1946 and named after the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, the site of atomic bomb testing. The inventors were two Frenchmen, Jacques Heim and Louis Reard. Of course, Heim and Reard didn't create the idea of the bikini; drawings of bikini-like suits have been found on wall paintings ② dating back to 1600 B.C. The modern term “bikini” for a particular bathing suit design was first used by Heim and Reard (who were, in reality, the re-inventors of the bikini). Heim was a couturier designer from Cannes, France, who had designed a very small bathing suit called the “Atome” (french for atom). He hired a skywriting plane to advertise his design by skywriting “Atome - the world's smallest bathing suit”. Three weeks later, Reard, a mechanical engineer, had another skywriting plane write “Bikini - smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world.”

　　The thong, which is a further development along the trend of reducing the amount of material a woman wears on the beach, is traced by fashion historians to its first public U.S. appearance at the 1939 World's Fair when New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia mandated that the city's nude dancers cover themselves. Fashion designer, Rudi Gernreich has been credited with introducing the first thong bikini in 1974. Another reference states that thongs, originally called tangas, hit the beaches of Brazil in 1977.

　　Bikinis are now key summer fashion items. Whether you are on the beach in California or the South of France, girls will be wearing a great variety of colourful numbers. You might think that with so little material to play with that the different styles available are limited, but you would be mistaken. The following is a rough guide to the major styles.

　　Bear in mind that there is a bikini for any shaped woman. That immediately increases the range of bikini styles enormously. However, these are the basics.

　　当然，比基尼仅仅是泳装的一种发展方向。最重要的区别在于比基尼是两件套，腹部露在外面，而一般的泳装有一块材料将上半身和下半身连在一起。然而，仅仅是描述不同并不能完全揭示它们的本质的不同。从根本上讲，比基尼是一种非常性感的穿着，而一般的泳装则有可能看上去十分无趣和端庄。大约在1885年，第一件泳衣诞生了，它由灯笼裤和黑色长统袜组成，并且为了防止暴露狂问题的出现，这种泳衣还得配衬裤穿。

　　比基尼于1946年诞生，以原子弹实验地马绍尔群岛的比基尼岛命名。它的发明者是两位法国人——雅克·海姆和路易斯·里尔德。当然，海姆和里尔德并不是最先想到比基尼这个点子的人。早在公元前1600年，就有比基尼式样的泳衣的壁画。海姆和里尔德（实际上的比基尼二度发明人）是用现代词汇“比基尼”来称呼这种特定的泳装的第一人。海姆是一位来自法国戛纳的女服装设计师，她设计了一种很小的泳衣并为它起名作“Atome”（在法语中是“原子弹”的意思）。他雇了一架在空中放烟写字的飞机为他的设计打广告，飞机在空中写到“Atome——世界上最小的泳装”。3周后，机械工程师里尔德也用飞机在空中写道，“比基尼——比世界上最小的泳衣还要小”。

　　热辣式比基尼是比基尼的进一步发展，它紧跟让女性在海滩上穿得更少的流行趋势。时尚史学家认为热辣式比基尼是在1939年的世界展览会上首次登场的，时值纽约市市长Fiorello LaGuardia下令全城的裸体舞者都得穿上衣服。服装设计师，鲁迪于1974年首创热辣式比基尼。也有的参考书说，热辣式比基尼原来被称做坦加(巴西两截式女游泳衣)，于1977年风靡巴西海滩。

　　比基尼是当下重要的夏日流行时尚。无论你是在加洲或是法国南部的海滩，女孩们都会穿着五颜六色各式各样的比基尼。你或许会认为就只需要那么一点材料，比基尼的款式变化应是很有限的，那么你就错了。以下就是对主要比基尼款式的粗略介绍。

　　请记住了，对任何体型的女性而言，总有一款比基尼是适合她的。这也使比基尼的款式大幅度增加。以下介绍的都是基本款式。

　　Traditional

　　Wide cut bottom. Back in those more prudish times when girls wanted to keep their bottoms ③covered up then they would wear this style in which there was a wide cover across the bottom. Of course nowadays many bikinis in this style are simply see through!

　　传统式比基尼

　　臀部遮得比较严实。追溯到那些比较守旧的年代，当时的女孩想完全遮住她们的臀部，所以她们会选择这种将臀部遮得比较严实的比基尼。当然，在今天，许多这种样式的比基尼可是会走光的！

　　眼泪型比基尼

　　与上一款相反的是这一款比基尼。穿上这种样式的比基尼你基本上就是全裸了，你的臀部只有一根细绳穿过，前面只有很小一块形状像眼泪的布料遮挡。自然，上半身只穿布料同样少的一块，只能遮住乳头。

　　The tear-drop

　　④ At the opposite end of the scale is this style. You are basically going nude in this one with nothing but a string running down your butt and a small patch of material at the front shaped like a tear drop. Naturally the top is equally small with a patch of material barely covering the nipples.

　　针织比基尼

　　这一款的区别在于所用材料的不同。看上去像是编织在一起的针织材料，听上去似乎做不出好看的比基尼，但事实上这是一个非常流行的款式。

　　Crochet

　　This style is all about the material used. A crocheted material that looks like it was knitted does not sound like a great bikini look but this is in fact a very popular style.

　　Mini Brazilian

　　This very sexy bikini bottom has very low cut front and with a larger triangle of material at the back. It can ⑤be matched with any style of bikini top.

　　The Thong

　　Similar to what many women wear as underwear to attain a smooth, panty-line free skirt look, the Thong has a minimum of material at the back so that the bottom is almost fully revealed. There are two main types, a full thong with a wider strip of material at the back and a string bikini with a tiny v-shape at the top of the bottom. The most extreme has simply a string of cloth running between the buttocks. This is usually combined with a tiny bikini bra.迷你巴西比基尼

　　这是一款非常性感的比基尼下身穿着，低腰，略大些的三角形材料遮住臀部。这一款能配任何款式的比基尼上衣穿着。

　　热辣式比基尼

　　热辣式比基尼将臀部后面的布料最小化，这样一来，臀部几乎是完全暴露在外面了，这与女士们在穿短裙的时候为了不显现内裤的线条而穿的特殊内裤相似。这一款比基尼有两种主要样式:一种是臀部后面有较宽的一块布料遮住，另一种是臀部上面是很小的一块V型的布料。最极端的一种竟是两臀间仅有一根用布做的细绳。这一款通常是与非常小的比基尼胸罩搭配的。

　　swimsuit /`swimsj6t/ n.(女)游泳衣

　　modest /`m4dist/ adj.适度的

　　bloomers /`bl6m9z/ n.灯笼裤

　　stocking /`st4kiM/ n.长袜

　　drawers /dr59z/ n.(用复数)衬裤、内裤

　　atomic /9`t4mik/ adj.原子的; 原子能的

　　skywriting /`skai,raitiM/ n.空中文字(指飞机放烟在空中写出成的文字或图案)

　　mechanical /mi`k2nik9l/ adj.机械的

　　mandate /`m2ndeit/ v.(书面)命令, 训令

　　nude /nj6d/ adj.裸体的; 裸的

　　prudish /`pr6diH/ adj.装正经的, 过分规矩的

　　string /striM/ n.线, 细绳

　　nipple /`nipl/ n.乳头

　　crochet /kr9u`Hei/ v.用钩针编织

　　panty /`p2nti/ n. 女裤

　　buttocks /`b7t9ks/ n.臀部

　　① do justice to公平地对待; 充分地评判

　　A: The subject is so complex that I cannot do justice to it in a brief survey.

　　 这个主题太复杂，我无法只通过简略的研究就对它做出公正的评价。

　　B: Nor can I.

　　 我也做不到。

　　② date back回溯至

　　A: This church dates back to 1173.

　　 这座教堂的历史可追溯到1173年。

　　B: No wonder it's so run down.

　　 难怪它看上去这么旧了。

　　③cover up 遮住，包裹住

　　A: It is very cold out. You must cover up well.

　　 外面挺冷的。你要穿多点。

　　B: OK. I will.

　　 好，我会的。

　　④ at the opposite end of sth.在……的对立面

　　A: At the opposite end of love is hatred.

　　 爱的对立面是恨。

　　B: I don't think so. I think it is indifference.

　　 我不这么认为，我认为是漠然。

　　⑤ be matched with 搭配

　　A: This hat can be matched with any scarf.

　　 这顶帽子能和任何围巾搭配。

　　B: Yes, indeed.

　　 是的，确实如此。