经济学人180:芭比50年 风韵犹存

 　　Finance and econimics

　　商业报道

　　Barbie at 50

　　芭比50年

　　In the pink

　　风韵犹存

　　The versatile¹ pink princess has moved with the times

　　千面女郎 与时共进

　　Mulling another career change

　　考虑职业生涯的另一次改变

　　FROWNED upon by feminists² but fought over by five-year-olds, Barbie has been a victim of controversy³ as much as fashion ever since her birth, 50 years ago this month.

　　1959年3月9日，从诞生之日起就一边作为时尚宠儿被5岁儿童争夺而饱受争议，一边受到女权主义者的不满。

　　The charge-sheet against the pint-sized piece of plastic is long.

　　这个塑料小人的罪行真是罄竹难书。

　　She teaches the supremacy⁴ of looks over substance;

　　她过分推崇外貌重于内涵；

　　she stereotypes⁵ outdated⁶ gender⁷ roles;

　　她刻意强调过时的性别差异；

　　she celebrates an impossible body ideal;

　　她以超完美身材为荣，

　　and she spreads platinum⁸ hair, plastic limbs and a nauseating⁹ shade of pink into households from Honolulu to Hamburg.

　　她把天生的金发，塑料四肢，令人厌恶的粉红色调从檀香山传到汉堡的千万户家庭里。

　　Yet could it be that Barbie,

　　然而，这就是芭比娃娃，

　　far from being a relic¹⁰ from another era, is in fact a woman for our troubled economic times?

　　她并非是旧时的遗留，事实上，她也许是我们在举步维艰的经济时代里一名女性的形象？

　　For a start, she may benefit from having a strong, reassuring¹¹ brand in a downturn.

　　首先，在经济低迷期，她受益于拥有一个强劲的，令人放心的品牌。

　　Although global Barbie sales fell by 9% in 2008, battering¹² profits at Mattel, her maker¹³, Barbie topped the 2008 survey by America's National Retail¹⁴ Federation¹⁵ of the most popular girls' toys, relegating¹⁶ even the Nintendo Wii to fifth place.

　　2008年，虽然全球的芭比娃娃销量下降了9 ％ ，消弱了她的生产商美泰公司的利润，但在美国全国零售商联合会评选的最受欢迎的女孩玩具中名列榜首，而任天堂Wii降级至第五位。

　　And she has just seen off her hipper¹⁷ rivals, the Bratz.

　　她送别了她竞争对手， 布拉兹娃娃。

　　After a long legal battle, a federal judge recently ordered their maker, MGA, to transfer the trademark¹⁸ rights to Mattel.

　　经过了漫长的官司，一位联邦法官最近下令其制造商，垂询MGA ，转让商标权给美泰。

　　Barbie is once again the queen of the toyshop.

　　芭比娃娃再次问鼎玩具商店。

　　In previous recessions toy sales held up reasonably well, as parents cut back elsewhere.

　　在以往经济衰退岁月里，当父母削减其他地方的开支时，玩具销售都相当不错。

　　As the recession deepens, Barbie's conservative values are also back in vogue¹⁹.

　　随着经济衰退的加深，芭比娃娃保守价值观又重新流行。

　　Amid concern about rampant²⁰ individualism and excess, she evokes²¹ a simpler, gentler era.

　　由于担心个人主义猖獗泛滥，芭比开创了一个较简单，温和的时代。

　　And since staying in is the new going out, little girls will have more time for old-fashioned play.

　　暂时的停下来是为了迎接一个新的开始，小女孩们将有更多的时间与芭比娃娃玩耍。

　　Barbie also embodies²² career flexibility²³, a valuable attribute in difficult times.

　　其次，芭比娃娃也体现了职业生涯的灵活性，这在困难时期非常珍贵。

　　Having starting out as a fashion model in a black-and-white striped bathing suit, she tiptoed into other professions as fast as they were invented.

　　从一开始身穿黑白条纹游泳衣的时装模特，她永远踮着脚尖准备穿上高跟鞋到任何新的职业领域。

　　She was an air hostess in the 1960s as mass aviation took off, an aerobics²⁴ instructor²⁵ with leg-warmers in the 1980s, and even a black presidential candidate four years before Barack Obama.

　　在上世纪60年代，民用航空起飞时，她是一名空中小姐。80年代，她是一个穿着暖腿袜的健美操指导员。甚至四年前在奥巴马当选前，她就是一名黑人总统候选人了。

　　Time for a new Barbie, dressed as a distressed-debt investor²⁶?

　　时间赋予了全新的芭比，下次她也许打扮成一名受债务困扰的投资者？

　　1.versatile a.多才多艺的；通用的

　　Versatile actors can play all kinds of roles.

　　多才多艺的演员能演各种类型的角色。

　　2.controversy n.争议;争论

　　The mayor will try to accord the controversy over the housing scheme.

　　市长试图调解住房规划方面的争议。

　　3.supremacy n.至高；主权；最高权力或地位

　　The indirect democracy, the representative government, is based on the principle of popular supremacy.

　　人民主权原则作为代议制民主建立的主要理论根据，成为现代国家政治统治合法性的前提和基础。

　　4.platinum n.白金；铂

　　Platinum is used to make jewelry²⁷.

　　白金常常用来做珠宝饰物。

　　5.limb n.肢体；枝干；树枝

　　Men and women have four limbs; two arms and two legs.

　　人都有四肢，两只胳膊两条腿。

1 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

2 feminists   

n.男女平等主义者，女权扩张论者( feminist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Only 16 percent of young women in a 1990 survey considered themselves feminists. 在1990年的一项调查中，只有16%的年轻女性认为自己是女权主义者。 来自辞典例句
• The organization had many enemies, most notably among feminists. 这个组织有许多敌人，特别是在男女平等主义者中。 来自辞典例句

3 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

4 supremacy   

n.至上；至高权力

参考例句：

• No one could challenge her supremacy in gymnastics.她是最优秀的体操运动员，无人能胜过她。
• Theoretically,she holds supremacy as the head of the state.从理论上说，她作为国家的最高元首拥有至高无上的权力。

5 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 outdated   

adj.旧式的，落伍的，过时的；v.使过时

参考例句：

• That list of addresses is outdated,many have changed.那个通讯录已经没用了，许多地址已经改了。
• Many of us conform to the outdated customs laid down by our forebears.我们许多人都遵循祖先立下的过时习俗。

7 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

8 platinum   

n.白金

参考例句：

• I'll give her a platinum ring.我打算送给她一枚白金戒指。
• Platinum exceeds gold in value.白金的价值高于黄金。

9 nauseating   

adj.令人恶心的，使人厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I had to listen to the whole nauseating story. 我不得不从头到尾听那令人作呕的故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• There is a nauseating smell of rotten food. 有一股令人恶心的腐烂食物的气味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 relic   

n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物

参考例句：

• This stone axe is a relic of ancient times.这石斧是古代的遗物。
• He found himself thinking of the man as a relic from the past.他把这个男人看成是过去时代的人物。

11 reassuring   

a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的

参考例句：

• He gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 他轻拍了一下她的肩膀让她放心。
• With a reassuring pat on her arm, he left. 他鼓励地拍了拍她的手臂就离开了。

12 battering   

n.用坏，损坏v.连续猛击( batter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The film took a battering from critics in the US. 该影片在美国遭遇到批评家的猛烈抨击。
• He kept battering away at the door. 他接连不断地砸门。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

14 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

15 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

16 relegating   

v.使降级( relegate的现在分词 )；使降职；转移；把…归类

参考例句：

17 hipper   

hip（（衣服、音乐等方面）时髦的，赶时髦的）的比较级形式

参考例句：

• So were the two pocket battleships and the big cruisers Admiral Hipper, Seydlitz and Derfflinger. 和这两艘袖珍战列舰一样的还有重巡洋舰希佩海军上将号，赛德利兹号以及德尔福林格号。 来自互联网

18 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。

19 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。

20 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

21 evokes   

产生，引起，唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• Each type evokes antibodies which protect against the homologous. 每一种类型都能产生抗同种病毒的抗体。

22 embodies   

v.表现( embody的第三人称单数 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This document embodies the concern of the government for the deformity. 这个文件体现了政府对残疾人的关怀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

24 aerobics   

n.健身操，健美操，韵律操

参考例句：

• Doing aerobics is a good way to improve one's health.做有氧健身操是改善健康状况的一个好方法。
• Aren't you going to the aerobics class this morning?今天上午你不是去上有氧运动课吗？

25 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

26 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

27 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。