彭蒙惠英语：Ice Cream Slims Down（在线收听）

Ice Cream Slims Down

By Bruce Horovitz,

USA TODAY International.

Distributed by Tribune Media Services.

Ice cream is no longer off-limits with the new better-for-you options

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Lick. Lick. Lick. Ick! The ice cream industry has an unnerving message for ice cream purists this summer: less. Not less ice cream. But less so-called bad stuff swirled into it. Less sugar. Less fat. And, of course, fewer carbs. In other words, less yummy stuff.

No one’s calling it an industry meltdown—yet. But ice cream retail sales dropped 3.7% last year, reports marketing research firm ACNielsen. Overall sales are lower now than four years ago. That is not good news for the summer months ahead. Summer is to ice cream sales what winter is to hot chocolate. Perhaps that’s why many of the biggest names in the $21 billion American ice cream arena, from Dreyer’s to Ben & Jerry’s, are falling all over themselves to give calorie-counting and Atkins-obsessed consumers some serious, better-for-you options this summer.

Suddenly, a product built on fat, calories and carbs is trying to appear svelte. “People all want a magic answer for losing weight but are couching it in an exploration of healthier ice cream options,” says Carol Moog, a consumer psychologist.

Through the first five months of 2004, 62 “low-carb” ice creams were introduced, reports Productscan Online, which monitors new products. They predict the number of low-carb ice creams will soon top 100. In 2003, there were only 19. In 2000, there were none.

Almost 30% of all products sold by ice cream giant Good Humor-Breyers now are in its better-for-you line, says Joe Colligan, vice president of sales. Sales of this line doubled during the first five months of 2004. At most ice cream companies, sales of the better-for-you lines are eating away at conventional ice cream sales. But experts say there’s a limited market for the healthier stuff and that a shakeout is surely coming.

Vocabulary Focus

unnerving (adj) [Qn5nE:viN] causing one to feel nervous or frightened

fall all over oneself (idiom) to try very hard or eagerly to do something, especially to please someone

svelte (adj) [svelt] attractively thin, graceful and stylish

couch (v) [kautF] to express something in a particular way, especially to make it sound better

Specialized Terms

carb (n) 碳水化合物的简写；糖类 short for carbohydrate, a substance in food, such as sugar and potatoes, that gives the body energy

meltdown (n) 瓦解，崩溃，彻底失败 a complete failure, especially in financial matters

Atkins (n) 阿金（或译阿特金斯）饮食法 a popular but controversial high-protein, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet popularized by Dr. Robert Atkins (1930-2003)

shakeout (n) 轻度经济衰退 a situation where some competing businesses or products are eliminated

“减肥”冰淇淋

有了“优适你”的新选择，吃冰淇淋不再是禁忌

陈小欣 译

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舔、舔、舔。唉唷，好难吃！对那些喜欢浓纯冰淇淋口味的人来说，今年夏天，冰品业界有个令人泄气的消息：变少了。不是冰淇淋变少了。而是那些被认为不好的添加物变少了。低糖、低脂。当然，还有碳水化合物也较少。换句话说，就是少了那些好吃的部分。

没有人说它是个衰退的产业——还没有。但 AC 尼尔森市场调查公司的报告显示，冰淇淋的零售量去年下滑了3.7%。现在总销售量也比4年前低。这对即将到来的夏季可不是什么好消息。夏天对于冰淇淋种售，就如同冬天的热巧克力。可能正因为这样，产值210亿美元的美国冰品业界，从醉尔思到班杰瑞的各大厂牌纷纷倾全力，要在今年夏天为计较卡路里和迷信“阿金饮食减肥法”的消费者推出考虑周到的“优适你”选择。

忽然间，这种由脂肪、卡路里和碳水化合物制成的产品竟想要给人轻盈苗条的感觉。“人们都想要减肥的妙方，却在探索新的较健康的冰淇淋种类时美化了这种渴望，”消费心理学家卡洛·莫格如此说。

在2004年的前5个月内，根据专门监督新产品的“线上产品扫描公司”的报告，有62种“低碳水化合物”冰淇淋推向市场。他们预估低碳水化合物冰淇淋的种类很快就会高达100种。2003年时，只有19种。2000年时则根本没有。

冰淇淋大厂 Good Humor-Breyers 的销售副总裁乔·柯立肯说，目前所有销售产品的几乎30%都是“优适你”系列，这一系列产品的销售量在2004年的前5个月增长2倍。大多数冰品公司“优适你”系列的产品正逐渐超过传统冰淇淋的销售额。不过专家说健康食品的市场有限，景气迟早会消退。