英语词汇：引领潮流的“果冻鞋”

 　　Jelly shoes or jellies are shoes made of PVC plastic. Jelly shoes come in a large variety of brands and colors and the material is frequently infused with glitter. Its name refers to the semi-transparent materials with a jelly-like sheen. The shoes became a fad¹ in the mid² 1980s, when a pair could frequently be purchased for less than one US dollar. Like many other fashion trends from the 1980s, jellies have been revived a number of times since the late 1990s.

　　果冻鞋（jelly shoes或jellies）是由聚氯乙烯塑料制成的鞋。很多品牌都生产这种果冻鞋，颜色多样，而且生产时会在材料中添加闪闪的亮片。之所以叫jelly shoes，就是因为制造这种鞋的半透明材料会表现出类似果冻那样的色泽。果冻鞋在二十世纪八十年代中期曾经很流行，一双鞋售价不到一美元。像其他上世纪八十年代的时尚潮流一样，果冻鞋自上世纪九十年代以来曾经数次回归时尚前端。

　　The exact origins of the jelly shoes are unclear. A frequently offered explanation is that they were designed by a shoe maker³ in France after World War II, when there was a leather shortage in Europe. Another possibility is that the shoes were created somewhere in the late 1950s or early 1960s, when plastic became a commonplace material, and fashion designers began to experiment with it.

　　关于果冻鞋的起源，没有一个明确的说法。经常提到的一种说法是，果冻鞋是在二战后由一位法国的鞋匠设计的，当时欧洲正经历皮革短缺。另一种说法是，这种鞋大约是在上世纪五十年代后期或者六十年代早期出现的，当时塑料已是常规材质，时尚设计师就开始试着用塑料做鞋。

 

1 fad   

n.时尚；一时流行的狂热；一时的爱好

参考例句：

• His interest in photography is only a passing fad.他对摄影的兴趣只是一时的爱好罢了。
• A hot business opportunity is based on a long-term trend not a short-lived fad.一个热门的商机指的是长期的趋势而非一时的流行。

2 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

3 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。