2020年经济学人 列克星顿专栏--美国回溯20世纪50年代(2)

The fact that theme parks and bowling¹ alleys² have been conspicuous³ victims of the economic shutdown has underscored how popular they remain. Disney World’s winning struggle to reopen in plague-ridden Florida this month was a major economic event. Fast food, another 1950s signature, is similarly pre-eminent, and the coronavirus has re-emphasised its most iconic form, the hamburger served to the car-window. McDonald’s, America’s favourite restaurant now as then, collected 70% of its revenues from drive-thrus even before the pandemic made them more popular.

主题公园和保龄球馆一直是经济衰退的明显受害者，这一事实凸显了它们仍然很受欢迎。本月，迪士尼世界在疫情肆虐的佛罗里达州重新开放，这是一个重大的经济事件。快餐是另一个20世纪50年代的标志，而冠状病毒再次强调了快餐具有标志性的形式，即车窗上的汉堡。麦当劳是美国最受欢迎的餐厅，疫情使它更受欢迎，而在这之前，其70%的收入都来自于外卖车道。

Pent up in suburbia, where a third of Americans lived in 1960 and over half live today, families have been rediscovering the 1950s combination of board games before the kids go to bed and cocktails⁴ afterwards (and sometimes before; unless that is a British version). Sales of Scrabble—patented in 1948—and liquor are through the roof. With flying not advised, many are also taking vintage holidays. Lexington is currently on a family road-trip in New England, an undertaking⁵ synonymous with the 1950s, which also helps explain why the decade’s culture is so enduring.

在1960年，有三分之一的美国人生活在郊区，而现在有超过一半的人生活在郊区，这些家庭重新找到了20世纪50年代的生活方式，在孩子们睡觉前玩棋盘游戏，然后喝鸡尾酒（有时也在孩子睡觉前；除非是英国版本）。拼字游戏（1948年获得专利）以及烈性酒的销量暴涨。尽管不建议乘坐飞机，许多人也在度假。列克星顿的专栏作家目前正在新英格兰进行家庭自驾游，这也是20世纪50年代人们经常做的事，这也有助于解释这十年期的文化为何经久不衰。

Millions made for America’s beaches and parks back then, because they suddenly had the means to do so: 1950 was the first year the average household owned a car. The country’s two most famous bears, Smokey, a wildfire-orphaned cub⁶ who became a sensation in 1950, and Yogi, who hit televisions in 1958, were also alluring⁷. And whereas citizens of drearier⁸ rich countries have been liberated⁹ by foreign holidays, Americans’ vast backyard remains¹⁰ too wonderful to be supplanted¹¹. Americans are much less likely to travel abroad than rich Asians or Europeans—not only, or mostly, because they are afraid to, but because they don’t need to.

当时，数百万人前往美国的海滩和公园，这是因为他们突然有了做这件事情的途径：1950年，普通家庭第一年拥有汽车。1950年轰动一时的防火护林熊Smokey和1958年上电视的Yogi，这两只美国最著名的熊也同样魅力四射。尽管这些富裕但无聊的国家的民众们通过出国度假获得了解放，但是美国国内也十分美妙，无可取代。相较于富裕的亚洲人或者欧洲人，美国人很少出国旅游，不仅因为他们害怕，而且他们也不需要。

This rationale has helped preserve the recreational culture of the 1950s. It is especially evident in the state parks that have provided an alternative to shuttered pools this summer.Generally smaller, more accessible and more crowded than national parks, many were converted from forestry¹² land around the 1950s. And they retain, with their roped-off swimming lakes and pedalos, a distinctive¹³ mid-century feel. After a summer of surveying America from such vintage vantages, your columnist¹⁴ has these reflections.

这一理论有助于保护20世纪50年代的休闲文化。尤其是今年夏天，去州立公园替代了关闭的游泳池，成了人们更好的选择。一般来说，州立公园比国家公园更小，更容易进入，也更拥挤，许多公园是在20世纪50年代从林地改建而来的。在这些公园中有被围起来的游湖和脚踏船，保留了一种独特的中世纪的感觉。在这个夏天，列克星顿的专栏作家从这样一个古老的视角审视美国之后，有了这些思考。

1 bowling   

n.保龄球运动

参考例句：

• Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
• Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？

2 alleys   

胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径

参考例句：

• I followed him through a maze of narrow alleys. 我紧随他穿过一条条迂迴曲折的窄巷。
• The children lead me through the maze of alleys to the edge of the city. 孩子们领我穿过迷宫一般的街巷，来到城边。

3 conspicuous   

adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的

参考例句：

• It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显，抽烟对健康有害。
• Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。

4 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

5 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

6 cub   

n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人

参考例句：

• The lion cub's mother was hunting for what she needs. 这只幼师的母亲正在捕猎。
• The cub licked the milk from its mother's breast. 这头幼兽吸吮着它妈妈的奶水。

7 alluring   

adj.吸引人的，迷人的

参考例句：

• The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
• Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。

8 drearier   

使人闷闷不乐或沮丧的( dreary的比较级 )； 阴沉的； 令人厌烦的； 单调的

参考例句：

9 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 supplanted   

把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In most offices, the typewriter has now been supplanted by the computer. 当今许多办公室里，打字机已被电脑取代。
• The prime minister was supplanted by his rival. 首相被他的政敌赶下台了。

12 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

13 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

14 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。