同学们好,我是朱伟。又到了一年一度电商平台”神仙打架“的时候,但今年的双十一好像不如往年那样热闹,我们会发现自己和身边很多人的消费观念都在发生改变,越来越多人开始“勒紧裤腰带”过日子,消费降级的现象变得愈发明显。

今天要精读的这篇文章选自The New York Times,标题为The Chinese Site That Rewired Online Shopping(重塑在线购物的中国网站)。接下来,我会截取部分内容进行精读分析。



When Pinduoduo, the Chinese discount shopping app, debuted nearly a decade ago, the tech giants Alibaba and JD.com dominated China’s e-commerce business.

    Pinduoduo felt more like a gimmick than a future rival. It was a combination of a game arcade, a shopping mall and a social network. Its main selling point was lower prices for shoppers who recruited other buyers to make group purchases. Customers could pass the time by playing video games or earn money by logging in daily to browse the app.
 
    Inside China, Pinduoduo has also been gaining more attention. As a popular destination for inexpensive groceries and household items, it is now closing in on JD, China’s second-biggest online retailer, in terms of market share. And when it briefly overtook Alibaba as the country’s most valuable e-commerce firm last year, Alibaba’s founder, Jack Ma, sent an internal memo imploring his company to “change and adapt” to keep up.



外刊精读

When Pinduoduo, the Chinese discount shopping app, debuted nearly a decade ago, the tech giants Alibaba and JD.com dominated China’s e-commerce business.

近十年前,当中国打折购物应用拼多多首次亮相时,科技巨头阿里巴巴和京东主导了中国的电子商务。


  • debut:初次登台,首次亮相


debut是一个六级/考研词汇,此处为动词用法,英文释义为perform in public for the first time,指某人或某事物首次在公众场合出现或表演。拓展一个例句,The fashion designer debuted her latest collection at a high-profile fashion show.(这位时装设计师在一场备受瞩目的时装秀上首次展示了她的最新系列。)

这个词在0829期的推送中,有详细讲解过名词用法,错过的同学可以点击图片阅读:


  • dominate:统治;在……中占首要地位


dominate是一个考研/四六级词汇,英文释义为to be the most powerful or important person or thing in it,在文中指阿里巴巴和京东在中国电商的主导地位。

词根domin【控制,统治;主导】和动词后缀-ate组成了这个单词,dominate通常用来描述一个实体或个体在某种领域或情境中占据主导地位,具有控制或影响其他事物的能力。

一个公司在市场上dominate,意味着它在该市场中占据主导地位,对其他竞争对手产生显著影响;一个领导者在团队中dominate讨论,意味着他或她在讨论中占据主导地位,对其他成员的观点和想法产生重要影响。

来看一个电影Dune: Part Two《沙丘2》中的例子:


- This prophecy is how they enslave us. How they dominate.
- You'll get yourself in trouble.
- This is none of your business.

在这个例句中,还有几个值得关注的语言点:

get oneself in trouble:使自己陷入麻烦,自找麻烦;通常用于描述某人因为自己的行为或决策而遇到不利的情况或困境。She always gets herself in trouble by making impulsive decisions.(她总是因冲动决策而使自己陷入麻烦。)

none of one's business:与某人无关,不是某人该管的事;通常用于表达某人没有权力或义务去干涉、过问或关注某件事情,因为这件事情与ta没有直接关系,有时也可以用于幽默或调侃的语境中。


  • e-commerce:电子商务


这里的e代表electronic(电子的),不仅仅指电子化的交易手段或工具,更强调的是通过网络进行的商业活动。

刚好最近双十一,为了让大家剁手的同时别忘了学英语,伟哥来拓展一组与电商相关的英文表达。
预售 pre-sale
包邮 free shipping
快递 express delivery
物流 logistics
退货退款 return & refund
差评 negative comment
网购 online shopping
售后服务 after-sales service


Pinduoduo felt more like a gimmick than a future rival. It was a combination of a game arcade, a shopping mall and a social network. Its main selling point was lower prices for shoppers who recruited other buyers to make group purchases.

那时拼多多感觉更像是一个噱头,而不是未来的竞争对手。它是游戏厅、购物平台和社交网络的结合体。其主要卖点是,对于招募其他买家进行团购的购物者来说,价格更低。


  • gimmick:花招,把戏,噱头


gimmick是一个雅思词汇,此处为名词用法,英文释义为an unusual trick or unnecessary device that is intended to attract attention or to persuade people to buy sth,为了引起注意或说服人们购买某物的不寻常的伎俩或不必要的装置。

除了商业领域,gimmick还可以用来表达政治中使的花招,比如Obama called it a "classic Washington gimmick".(奥巴马说这是“典型的华盛顿政客的伎俩“。)

在小说Middlesex《中性》中,作者Jeffrey Eugenides调侃道:A gimmick or, in today’s parlance, a “branding.”(这是一种噱头,或者用今天的话说,是一种“品牌包装”。)

另外,gimmick的近义词有很多,伟哥从使用层面来给大家辨析一下。

辨析:trick/ploy/stunt/promotion/gimmick

  • trick:强调一种巧妙的手法或花招,可能具有欺骗性,也可能仅用于娱乐;比如play a trick on sb.(捉弄某人)。

  • ploy:强调一种为了达到特定目的而采用的策略或计划,更侧重于策略性;比如Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder, not a cynical marketing ploy.(圣诞节应该是激动人心的奇妙时刻,而不是自私牟利的营销计谋。)

  • stunt:强调一种引人注目或危险的动作,有时也用来描述戏剧性的手法或花招;比如In a bold promotional stunt for the movie, he smashed his car into a passing truck.(在那部影片大胆的宣传噱头中,他把自己的汽车撞向一辆过路的卡车。)

  • promotion:常用于商业领域,指一种为了增加销售或提高知名度而进行的宣传活动;比如They are having a promotion - buy one get one free.(他们正在进行促销活动——买一送一。)

  • gimmick:强调一种巧妙的手法或策略,可能具有欺骗性,也可能仅用于吸引注意力;比如It is another gimmick aimed at showing the world that this time they are serious about peace.(这只是又一个向世界表明他们正在认真地对待和平的小把戏罢了。)


好了,今天的精读分析就到这里。剩下的内容,同学们可以尝试着自己翻译,并留言到评论区。




最后,我的课程推荐。

我的泛英语学习的外刊课,在下面。立志于睁眼看世界、提高英文硬实力、打破知识茧房的朋友都可加入。像今天的这种外刊时效性文章,我都会带大家去学习。

我强烈建议你,抽空读点儿外刊!

我的考研课,适合25/26考研的同学,点下方链接:


带你脱口而出流利英语的实用口语课。

问个问题,你有能力开口说英语吗?