60秒科学:快餐效应导致大众的不耐烦情绪

国内西式快餐的价格一直受大众瞩目。在我国，西式快餐巨头们以强大广告效应以及庞大连锁经营维持着连外国人都惊讶的价格体系。最近，不少以低价作为核心竞争力的西式快餐连锁店纷纷抢滩深圳，它们通过口碑作为传播手段，已经初步建立起忠实客户群。有资深人士预测，未来三年将有更多的国际餐饮集团将进入内地，它们已经瞄准国内中低端消费人群，国内西式快餐格局将面临调整的压力，最后可能会形成“诸侯割据”局面。

I used to scoff¹ at the idea of Minute Rice. I mean, are we really in such a rush that we can’t wait, like, 10 minutes for a regular old bowl of rice? Well, yes, yes we are. And fast food may be making matters worse. Because a study in the journal Psychological Science shows that even a glimpse of those golden arches makes us act impatiently.

Fast food is a multibillion-dollar industry, and for some of us, drive-through dinner has become a way of life. Granted, sometimes we grab something quick because we really don’t have time. But psychologists got to wondering whether all this speed eating might actually make us less patient.

In a series of experiments, the scientists howed volunteers logos from several fast-food chains or asked them to recall the last time they’d visited. And they found that folks who had thought about fast food would then read faster, even though no one told them to hurry. And they also expressed a preference for time-saving products, like shampoo plus conditioner. And they tended to opt² for immediate³ rewards, like getting a small cash payment right away rather than waiting a week for a larger sum. So if you want to ease the pace, forget meditation⁴. Try a slow cooker
 

1 scoff   

n.嘲笑，笑柄，愚弄；v.嘲笑，嘲弄，愚弄，狼吞虎咽

参考例句：

• You are not supposed to scoff at religion.你不该嘲弄宗教。
• He was the scoff of the town.他成为全城的笑柄。

2 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。