No matter where we might come from, chances are that our childhoods had one thing in common. That thing is we all had our favorite stuffed animals. Have you ever wondered why so many children have a beloved1 stuffed bear, though?
Stuffed bears as children's toys go back to the early 20th century when the teddy bear was invented. These bears are named after American President Theodore Roosevelt. The story goes that he was out on a hunting trip and showed a black bear some kindness. This gave toy maker Morris Michtom an idea, and the teddy bear was born.
Since then, many iconic2 bears have stolen our hearts. Winnie the Pooh, the honey-loving stuffed bear of cartoon legend, was the creation of writer AA Milne. His son, Christopher Robin, had a teddy bear he named after a real Canadian black bear named Winnie he often saw at the London Zoo.
Then there is Paddington Bear. Writer Michael Bond came up with this character when he saw a lone teddy bear on a toy store shelf near London Paddington Station. He bought the bear for his wife, proving you are never too old to cuddle up with a teddy bear.
不論我們來自何方，很有可能我們的童年都有一個共通點。那就是我們都曾擁有自己最喜愛的填充玩具動物。然而，你是否曾納悶過為何那麼多小朋友都有心愛的填充玩具熊嗎？
填充玩具熊成為小朋友的玩具，這要追溯到泰迪熊被創造出來的二十世紀初。這些玩具熊是以美國總統迪奧多•羅斯福的名字來命名的。故事是關於他有一次到戶外進行狩獵之旅時仁慈對待一隻黑熊的事情。這件事情給了玩具製造商莫里斯•米奇湯姆靈感，然後泰迪熊便誕生了。
從此以後，許多具有代表意義的熊熊就擄獲了我們的心。小熊維尼這隻喜愛蜂蜜的卡通傳奇填充玩具熊是作家 AA 米爾恩的創作。他的兒子克里斯多福•羅賓曾有一隻泰迪熊，牠是以一隻他常在倫敦動物園看到，名為維尼的真實加拿大黑熊的名字來命名的。
接著還有帕丁頓熊。作家麥可•邦德在倫敦帕丁頓車站附近一間玩具店架子上看到孤零零的一隻泰迪熊時，便構思出了這個角色。他買下這隻熊送給他太太，這證明了人們絕對不會因為年紀太大而無法跟泰迪熊依偎在一起。
have...in common 有……的共通點
Although Taylor and Kevin don't have much in common, they are still good friends.
雖然泰勒和凱文沒什麼共通點，但是他們依然是好朋友。
stuffed a. 填充（鬆軟材料）的
Sandy's room is full of stuffed animals and other toys.
珊蒂的房間裡滿是填充玩具動物和其他玩具。
wonder vt. & vi. 納悶；想知道
I wonder why Amanda skipped so many classes this semester.
我很納悶為何阿曼達這學期蹺了那麼多堂課。
be named after... 以……的名字命名
Phil's son Jackson was named after his favorite singer.
菲爾的兒子傑克森是以他最愛的歌手來取名字的。
kindness n. 仁慈；好意
Stacy is known for her kindness because she always adopts stray animals.
史黛西以她的慈愛聞名，因為她總是會收養流浪動物。
legend n. 傳奇（人物）；傳說
Elvis Presley is considered to be one of the great rock-and-roll legends.
貓王被認為是偉大的搖滾樂傳奇人物之一。
come up with... 想出／提出……
Robert came up with a brilliant idea to successfully solve the client's problem.
羅伯特想出了一個能夠成功地解決該客戶問題的絕佳點子。
cuddle vi. & vt. 熱情地摟住
cuddle up 依偎，緊貼著身子躺／坐
The kids cuddled up together and tried to get warm.
孩子們相互依偎在一起試圖取暖。
