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全国英语等级考试三级备考资料阅读赏析四

Our Changing Lifestyles:Trends and Fads
These days urban lifestyles seem to change very fast.It is more than just clothing and hairstyles that are in style one year and out of date the next;it’s a whole way of living.One year people wear sunglasses on top of their heads and wear jeans and boots;they drink white wine and eat sushi at Japanese restaurants;for exercise they jog several miles a day.However,the next year everything has changed.Women wear long skirts;people drink expensive water from France and eat pasta at ltalian restaurants;everyone seems to be exercising at health clubs.Then,suddenly,it has changed again.People wear only natural fabric(safe for the environment);they drink gourmet coffee and eat Thai food;for both leisure and exercise,they go rollerblading.
Almost nothing in modern life escapes the influence of fashion;food,music,exercise,book,slang words,movies,furniture,places to visit,even names go in and out of fashion.For a while,it seems that all mew parents are naming their babies Heather,Dawn,Eric,or Adam.These names are“in.”then,suddenly,these names are“out,”and Tiffany and Jason are“in.”It’s almost impossible to write about specific fads because these interests that people enthusiastically follow can change very quickly.
In the United States,even people can be“in”or“out.”Like people in any country,Americans enjoy following the lives of celebrities:movie stars,sports heroes,famous artists,politicians,and the like.But Americans also pay a lot of attention to people who have no special ability and have done nothing very special.In 1981,for example,an unknown elderly woman appeared in a TV commercial in which she looked at a vary small hamburger and complained loudly,“Where’s the beef?”These three words made her famous.Suddenly she appeared in magazines and newspapers and on TV shows.She was immediately popular.She was“in.”In 1987,an exterminator in Dallas,Texas,decided that he would be very happy if he could find more customers for his small business;he needed more people to pay him to kill the insects and rats in their houses.He put an unusual advertisement in a Dallas newspaper.He offered to pay$1,000 to the person who could find the biggest cockroach.This strange offer made him suddenly famous.There were stories about him nationwide-from New York to California.He was“in.”However,this kind of fame does not last long.Such people are famous for a very short time.
This is the essence,the central,quality,of a fad.It doesn’t last long.Some fads disappear before we have all even heard of them.How many people remember Green peace swimsuits?They changed color to indicate polluted water.And then there was“Beethoven Bread.”Popular in Japan in 1994,it was expensive-$20 for one loaf.It was made while classical music played in the kitchen.The woman who created this bread emphasized that“bread doesn’t like rock music.”
A person who participates in fads should remember that they come and go very fast,and they often come back in style after 10 to 15 years of being“out.”It might be a good idea never to throw anything away.Mickey Mouse watches and Nehru Jackets may soon be“in”again!
参考译文:
我们改变的生活方式:趋势与时尚
如今,城市生活方式似乎变化得非常快。这不仅仅是服装和发型在一年中流行,在下一年过时,它是一种生活方式。有一年,人们头戴太阳镜,穿牛仔裤和靴子;他们在日本餐馆喝白葡萄酒,吃寿司;为了锻炼,他们每天慢跑几英里。然而,明年一切都变了。女人穿长裙;人们喝法国昂贵的水,在意大利餐馆吃意大利面;每个人似乎都在健身俱乐部锻炼。然后,突然,它又变了。人们只穿天然面料(对环境安全);他们喝美味的咖啡,吃泰国食物;为了休闲和锻炼,他们去滑旱冰。
现代生活中几乎没有东西能逃脱时尚的影响,食物、音乐、运动、书籍、俚语、电影、家具、旅游景点,甚至名字都时髦时髦。有一段时间,似乎所有的父母都在给他们的孩子命名Heather,黎明,埃里克,或者亚当。这些名字是“in”。然后,突然,这些名字是“out”,Tiffany和Jason是“in”。几乎不可能写出特定的时尚,因为人们热衷于追随的这些兴趣可以很快改变。
在美国,甚至人们也可以“进”或“出”。像任何国家的人一样,美国人喜欢跟随名人的生活:电影明星、体育英雄、著名艺术家、政治家等等。但是美国人也非常关注那些没有特殊能力,没有做过特别事情的人。例如,1981年,一位不知名的老妇人出现在一则电视广告中,她在广告中看到一个各式各样的小汉堡,大声抱怨:“牛肉在哪里?”这三个字使她出名了。突然,她出现在杂志、报纸和电视节目中。她很快就受欢迎了。1987年,德克萨斯州达拉斯的一位灭虫者决定如果他能为他的小生意找到更多的顾客,他会非常高兴;他需要更多的人付钱给他,以便杀死他们家里的昆虫和老鼠。他在达拉斯的报纸上登了一个不寻常的广告。他提议给能找到最大蟑螂的人支付1000美元。这个奇怪的出价使他突然出名了。有关于他从纽约到加利福尼亚的故事。然而,这种名声并没有持续多久。这样的人在很短的时间内就出名了。
这就是时尚的本质、中心、品质。它不会持续太久。有些时尚在我们还没听说之前就消失了。有多少人记得绿色和平泳衣?他们改变颜色来指示污染的水。还有“贝多芬面包”,1994年在日本很流行,一个面包要20美元。它是在古典音乐在厨房里演奏的时候制作的。制作面包的女人强调:“面包不喜欢摇滚乐。”
参加时尚活动的人应该记住他们来来去匆匆,而且他们经常在被“淘汰”了10到15年之后以时尚的方式回来。永远不要扔掉任何东西可能是个好主意。Mickey Mouse手表和尼赫鲁夹克可能很快将“在”再次!

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