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27000美元买俩哈密瓜
添加时间:2017-03-29 19:36:32 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • It looks like a jewelry1 shop with its high-end exterior2. But a peek3 inside the sparkling glass display cases at any of Sembikiya's Tokyo outlets4 reveals expensive treasures of a surprising kind.

    东京千疋屋水果行店面高档,看起来像是珠宝行。但是透过任意一家千疋屋闪闪发亮的玻璃橱窗,你看到的都是意料之外的珍品。

    From heart-shaped watermelons to "Ruby5 Roman" grapes, which are the size of a ping pong ball, this retailer6 specializes in selling mouth-watering produce at eye-watering prices.

    从心形西瓜到乒乓球大小的“罗马红宝石”葡萄,这家零售店专门销售口感美味但贵到离谱的农产品。

    Expensive, carefully-cultivated fruit, however, is not unique to Sembikiya's stores.

    不过,这样价格昂贵、精心培育的水果并非是千疋屋水果行独有的。

    Across Japan, such products regularly sell for tens of thousands of dollars at auction7. In 2016, a pair of premium8 Hokkaido cantaloupe sold for a record $27,240 (3 million yen9).

    在日本各地,此类农产品经常在拍卖会上以数万美元的价格卖出。2016年,一对优质的北海道哈密瓜售价创下了27240美元(约合人民币18.7万元)的纪录。

    这些水果不仅在日本本土受到追捧,近年来已经远销世界各地。比如,香港连锁超市超生活在今年情人节就推出了单价约150元人民币一颗的“天价草莓”。再比如,在莫斯科一家连锁商店内,由日本培育的方形西瓜的价格高达860美元(约合人民币5300元),是普通西瓜价格的300倍。

    "Fruits are treated differently in Asian culture and in Japanese society especially," Soyeon Shim, dean of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells cnn. "Fruit purchase and consumption are tied to social and cultural practices.

    威斯康辛麦迪逊大学人类生态学院院长沈素妍告诉cnn,“在亚洲文化中,特别是日本社会,水果是受到特殊对待的。购买和消费水果与社会文化风俗相关。”

    "It is not only an important part of their diet, but, perhaps more importantly, fruit is considered a luxury item and plays an important and elaborate ritual part in Japan's extensive gift-giving practices."

    “这不仅仅是日本人饮食的重要组成部分,或许更重要的是,水果被视为奢侈品,在日本普遍存在的送礼习俗中是一种重要且考究的礼节。”

    Cultivating high-end produce usually involves meticulous10, labor-intensive practices developed by Japanese farmers.

    日本果农通常要花费大量时间、精心照料才能培育出这些高端农产品。

    "It's hard getting the shape of these strawberries right - they can sometimes turn out like globes," says Okuda Nichio, of his highly-prized Bijin-hime (beautiful princess) strawberries, which he tries to grow "scoop-shaped".

    Okuda Nichio种植的美姬草莓备受赞誉,他试图把这种草莓培育成“勺形”。他说:“要想获得这种形状的草莓非常难——有时候它们会变成球形。”

    "It's taken me 15 years to reach this level of perfection."

    “我花了15年才做到这种完美的水平。”

    His largest tennis-ball sized strawberries, of which he only produces around 500 a year, usually sell for more than 500,000 yen($4,395) each.

    他培育的美姬草莓最大有网球大小,每年只产500颗左右,单价超过4395美元(约合人民币3万元)。

    Rarity is a tactic11 also employed by the producers of Japan's "Ruby Roman" grapes, who offer just 2,400 bunches of the large red fruit each year.

    物以稀为贵也是日本“罗马红宝石”葡萄的种植者采取的策略,这种葡萄每年只产出2400串。

    "These grapes look big and red - like a ruby. It's been a painstaking12 process to achieve that red color," Ruby Roman spokesman Hirano Keisuke says.

    “罗马红宝石”发言人平野奎介说:“这种葡萄看起来又大又红——像红宝石一样。实现这种红色的过程很难。”

    In southwest Japan last year, a supermarket paid 1.1 million yen ($9,700) for a first-harvest bunch of "Ruby Roman" at auction.

    去年,日本西南部的一家超市以9700美元(约合人民币6.7万元)在拍卖会上购买了首串成熟的“罗马红宝石”。

    Holding just 30 grapes in total, that record-breaking bunch essentially13 sold for $320 per grape.

    这串售价创纪录的葡萄总共只有30粒,每粒约为320美元(约合人民币2200元)。

    So why are Japanese consumers willing to pay so much for their fruit?

    那么,为什么日本消费者愿意花这么多钱买水果呢?

    Whereas in many Western cultures apples and oranges are prized for their nutritional14 value, the Japanese see fruit in almost spiritual terms, regularly offering it to the gods on their butsudan - or home altars - and Buddhist15 steps.

    在西方文化中,人们认为苹果桔子非常有营养价值,而日本人几乎是从精神层面来看待水果的,他们定期在家里的供桌和佛坛上为神仙上供水果。

    For this reason, high-end fruit has come to be viewed as an important symbol of respect.

    因此,高端水果已被视为表示尊重的重要象征。

    "People purchase these expensive fruits to demonstrate how special their gifts are to the recipients16, for special occasions or for someone socially important, like your boss," says Shim, who has conducted extensive researched into Japan's luxury fruit market.

    沈素妍对日本奢侈水果市场进行了广泛的研究,她说:“人们为特殊的场合或社交上重要的人物,比如你的老板,购买这些昂贵的水果,以证明他们送人的礼物有多么特别。”

    For some consumers, a high price tag adds prestige and signifies quality.

    对于一些消费者来说,昂贵的价格代表声誉和品质。

    Although not all Japanese consumers buy expensive fruit to gift -- many appreciate its rarefied taste.

    虽然,不是所有日本消费者都会购买昂贵的水果作为礼物,但是很多人喜欢它们罕见的口感。

    But while many Japanese extol17 the exceptional flavors of these fruit, Cecilia Smith Fujishima, a lecturer in comparative culture at Shirayuri University in Tokyo, says it's often too sweet for her Australian-raised taste buds.

    不过,尽管许多日本人对奢侈水果的独特风味赞不绝口,但东京白百合女子大学比较文化专业的讲师Cecilia Smith Fujishima表示,这种水果对她的澳大利亚味蕾来说通常都太甜了。

     11级    英文科普 


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    1 jewelry ['dʒu:əlrɪ] 0auz1   第8级
    n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
    参考例句:
    • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry. 夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
    • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings. 珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
    2 exterior [ɪkˈstɪəriə(r)] LlYyr   第7级
    adj.外部的,外在的;表面的
    参考例句:
    • The seed has a hard exterior covering. 这种子外壳很硬。
    • We are painting the exterior wall of the house. 我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。
    3 peek [pi:k] ULZxW   第9级
    vi.偷看,窥视;n.偷偷的一看,一瞥
    参考例句:
    • Larry takes a peek out of the window. 赖瑞往窗外偷看了一下。
    • Cover your eyes and don't peek. 捂上眼睛,别偷看。
    4 outlets [ˈautlets] a899f2669c499f26df428cf3d18a06c3   第7级
    n.出口( outlet的名词复数 );经销店;插座;廉价经销店
    参考例句:
    • The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
    5 ruby [ˈru:bi] iXixS   第7级
    n.红宝石,红宝石色
    参考例句:
    • She is wearing a small ruby earring. 她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
    • On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world. 他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。
    6 retailer [ˈri:teɪlə(r)] QjjzzO   第7级
    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。
    7 auction [ˈɔ:kʃn] 3uVzy   第7级
    n.拍卖;拍卖会;vt.拍卖
    参考例句:
    • They've put the contents of their house up for auction. 他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
    • They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction. 他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。
    8 premium [ˈpri:miəm] EPSxX   第7级
    n.加付款;赠品;adj.高级的;售价高的
    参考例句:
    • You have to pay a premium for express delivery. 寄快递你得付额外费用。
    • Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated. 在水库被污染之后,清水便因稀而贵了。
    9 yen [jen] JfSwN   第11级
    n. 日元;热望
    参考例句:
    • He wanted to convert his dollars into Japanese yen. 他想将美元换成日币。
    • He has a yen to be alone in a boat. 他渴望独自呆在一条船上。
    10 meticulous [məˈtɪkjələs] A7TzJ   第9级
    adj.极其仔细的,一丝不苟的
    参考例句:
    • We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care. 这事一点不能含糊。
    • She is meticulous in her presentation of facts. 她介绍事实十分详细。
    11 tactic [ˈtæktɪk] Yqowc   第8级
    n.战略,策略;adj.战术的,有策略的
    参考例句:
    • Reducing prices is a common sales tactic. 降价是常用的销售策略。
    • She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign. 她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。
    12 painstaking [ˈpeɪnzteɪkɪŋ] 6A6yz   第9级
    adj.苦干的;艰苦的,费力的,刻苦的
    参考例句:
    • She is not very clever but she is painstaking. 她并不很聪明,但肯下苦功夫。
    • Through years of our painstaking efforts, we have at last achieved what we have today. 大家经过多少年的努力,才取得今天的成绩。
    13 essentially [ɪˈsenʃəli] nntxw   第8级
    adv.本质上,实质上,基本上
    参考例句:
    • Really great men are essentially modest. 真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
    • She is an essentially selfish person. 她本质上是个自私自利的人。
    14 nutritional [njʊ'trɪʃənl] 4HRxN   第8级
    adj.营养的,滋养的
    参考例句:
    • A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy. 缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
    • The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content. 食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。
    15 Buddhist ['bʊdɪst] USLy6   第8级
    adj./n.佛教的,佛教徒
    参考例句:
    • The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images. 那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
    • In the eye of the Buddhist, every worldly affair is vain. 在佛教徒的眼里,人世上一切事情都是空的。
    16 recipients [riˈsipiənt] 972af69bf73f8ad23a446a346a6f0fff   第7级
    adj.接受的;受领的;容纳的;愿意接受的n.收件人;接受者;受领者;接受器
    参考例句:
    • The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
    17 extol [ɪkˈstəʊl] ImzxY   第9级
    vt.赞美,颂扬
    参考例句:
    • We of the younger generation extol the wisdom of the great leader and educator. 我们年轻一代崇拜那位伟大的引路人和教育家的智慧。
    • Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. 我要天天称颂你,也要永永远远赞美你的名。

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