经济学人:长寿的秘诀 日本健康零食

 　　Healthy snacks in Japan

　　日本健康零食

　　The joy of soy

　　黄豆欢歌

　　Defying Western food imperialism¹

　　小黄豆不畏西餐帝国主义

　　If you want to learn how to live longer, look at the people of Okinawa, a string of islands in south-western Japan. Raised on a diet of fish and soyabeans, their life expectancy² is among the highest on Earth. There is a natural control group; many Okinawans fled to Brazil and Hawaii after the second world war, where they switched to a meatier diet of steaks and burgers. All have been studied regularly by Japanese researchers over the past three decades to prove that a soya-rich diet can prolong life. Now it is time for the taste test: can a healthy bag of soya nibbles³ sweep the fatty potato snack off the table?

　　想知道延缓衰老的秘籍，不妨学学冲绳岛的原住民。冲绳岛群岛位于日本西南部，岛上居民自古以鱼和大豆为食，平均期望寿命居全球之首。二战结束后，许多冲绳人逃亡至巴西和夏威夷，饮食习惯也入乡随俗，改为以牛排和汉堡为主的肉食；这些冲绳人便成了天然的对照组。日本研究学家为证明富含黄豆的饮食能延缓衰老，在过去的30年里一直对两组人群做定期研究。如今到了测试口味的时候：健康小黄豆是否能取代高脂土豆零食，成为桌上新宠？

　　Kaoru Yamada, a young food specialist at Otsuka Pharmaecutical, a Japanese drug company, has risen to the challenge. She dislikes the taste of soya, so she invented a lightly baked soya pastry⁴ that tastes of cheese, is crispy, has soyabeans rattling⁵ inside it and can sit on a desk—or even on a bar—for months without going soggy. Called SoyCarat, her creation went on sale in Japan this month. Otsuka, which also produces a big-selling health drink called Pocari Sweat, sees it as part of a counter-offensive against Western snacks that are making Asians fatter.

　　日本大塚制药株式会社的青年食物专家山田薰已着手应战。山田小姐因为不喜欢黄豆的味道，故特意研发出了一款奶酪味黄豆酥。这款名为SoyCarat的黄豆酥经低温烘焙而成，内含嘎吱黄豆，口感松脆。在台面或柜台上存放数月也不会受潮变软。山田小姐的新发明将于本月在日本上市。亚洲人在西式零食的影响下日趋肥胖，生产热销运动饮料宝矿力的大塚制药则将SoyCarat视作西式零食大反攻行动的一部分。

　　The science is compelling: research, albeit⁶ part-sponsored by Otsuka, suggests that eating soya protein quickly lowers blood pressure, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. The company notes that the average American eats less soya in a year than the average Japanese eats in a day. Otsuka is not alone in Japan in trying to use science to sell consumer products: for instance, Uniqlo, a clothes retailer⁷, sells hi-tech underwear that it says makes sweat dry quicker.

　　科学研究显示，摄入大豆蛋白能迅速降低血压、减少心血管疾病发病率。虽然大塚制药是该研究发起人之一，但科学研究总能令人信服。公司指出，日本人日均大豆食用量高于美国人年均摄入量。在日本，利用科学研究推销产品的公司大有人在，大塚制药绝非独家——服装零售商优衣库就在推销一款号称能超速吸汗的高科技内衣。

　　But the marketing⁸ may be a problem. Sophisticated diners insist that soya is scrumptious, but others vehemently⁹ disagree. Gary Larson, a cartoonist, once drew three disgusted lionesses spitting out the wobbly flesh of “a tofudebeest—one of the Serengeti’s obnoxious¹⁰ health antelopes”. It struck a chord.

　　然而，将新产品推向市场或将不会一帆风顺。精明的食客们坚称豆制品美味至极，但其他人却强烈反对。漫画家加里.拉尔森（Gary Larson）画过这样一幅漫画：三头母狮们厌恶的相继吐出口中摇晃着的块块鲜肉，因为它们捕到的是“塞伦盖蒂最令人作呕的健康羚羊——豆腐羚”。该漫画引发了公众的强烈共鸣。

　　SoyCarat’s brand name is tricky¹¹: whatever the spelling, it evokes¹² the idea of two things children shun¹³ and adults munch¹⁴ only reluctantly. Perhaps it should be portrayed¹⁵ as something laid back and Okinawan instead, like a bar snack. After all, what could be better than a life-enhancing glass of Orion beer in one hand, and a life-extending bag of soya snacks in the other?

　　SoyCarat这个品牌名本身就很复杂——无论soy和carat怎样组合，总会让人想起“黄豆”和“克拉”这两种小孩避而远之，大人勉强食之的东西。或许应该将它描述成具有冲绳风情，在酒吧吃的那种休闲小零食。毕竟，还有什么能比一杯增加生命宽度的Orion啤酒，一袋增加生命长度的黄豆小食更惬意的呢？

1 imperialism   

n.帝国主义，帝国主义政策

参考例句：

• They held the imperialism in contempt.他们鄙视帝国主义。
• Imperialism has not been able to subjugate China.帝国主义不能征服中国。

2 expectancy   

n.期望，预期，（根据概率统计求得）预期数额

参考例句：

• Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
• The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。

3 nibbles   

vt.& vi.啃，一点一点地咬（nibble的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• A fish nibbles at the bait. 一条鱼在轻轻地啃鱼饵。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Units of four bits are sometimes referred to as nibbles. 有时将四位数字组成的单元叫做半字节。 来自辞典例句

4 pastry   

n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry.厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• The pastry crust was always underdone.馅饼的壳皮常常烤得不透。

5 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

6 albeit   

conj.即使；纵使；虽然

参考例句：

• Albeit fictional,she seemed to have resolved the problem.虽然是虚构的，但是在她看来好象是解决了问题。
• Albeit he has failed twice,he is not discouraged.虽然失败了两次，但他并没有气馁。

7 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

9 vehemently   

adv. 热烈地

参考例句：

• He argued with his wife so vehemently that he talked himself hoarse. 他和妻子争论得很激烈，以致讲话的声音都嘶哑了。
• Both women vehemently deny the charges against them. 两名妇女都激烈地否认了对她们的指控。

10 obnoxious   

adj.极恼人的，讨人厌的，可憎的

参考例句：

• These fires produce really obnoxious fumes and smoke.这些火炉冒出来的烟气确实很难闻。
• He is the most obnoxious man I know.他是我认识的最可憎的人。

11 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

12 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。

13 shun   

vt.避开，回避，避免

参考例句：

• Materialists face truth,whereas idealists shun it.唯物主义者面向真理，唯心主义者则逃避真理。
• This extremist organization has shunned conventional politics.这个极端主义组织有意避开了传统政治。

14 munch   

v.用力嚼，大声咀嚼

参考例句：

• We watched her munch through two packets of peanuts.我们看她津津有味地嚼了两包花生米。
• Getting them to munch on vegetable dishes was more difficult.使他们吃素菜就比较困难了。

15 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》