双语阅读英语外刊精讲：钻石与婚姻(附音频)

2018-10-31 09:39:00来源：酷学英语

　　Now, that promise is dimming. Though a growing Chinese middle class will probably prop up demand for a while, millennials in Western countries seem keener on memorable experiences than on bling. Diamonds' image has been blemished by some being mined in war zones and sold to pay for the fighting. Meanwhile, laboratory-grown “synthetic” diamonds, long fit only for industrial use, are becoming good enough to compete with gems from out of the ground.

　　But the long-term threat to diamonds' lustre is more surprising: that their price could plummet. In recent years regulators (and market forces) have undermined De Beers's cartel by limiting the share of other producers' stones that it can buy. Now responsible for just a third of global sales, the company can no longer manage supply by stockpiling gems when demand turns down. It is spending less on advertising, since it no longer gets the lion's share of the benefits. But the very value of diamonds lies in being scarce and coveted—that is, costly. In the jargon, they are “Veblen goods”, named after a 19th-century economist: prestige-enhancing trinkets for which a higher price encourages buyers. With most products, lower prices increase demand; with diamonds, they could kill it.

　　Background information

　　Millennials（千禧一代）：(1984-1995出生)，同义词Y一代，是指出生于20世纪时未成年，在跨入21世纪（即2000年）以后达到成年年龄的一代人。这代人的成长时期几乎同时和互联网/计算机科学的形成与高速发展时期相吻合。该术语在中国的媒体和社会学上也常被普遍运用。不安全和高消费是这一代的特点，但他们并非纯物质主义者，调查显示他们的价值观中，友情和家庭排在第一位，并不认为一份稳定的工作十分宝贵，也不会努力追求这一点。

　　Veblen goods（韦伯伦商品）：是经济学里面界定的一种经济商品，韦伯伦商品特色是商品需求与价格成正向关系，而非正常需求法则的反向关系。这种商品能满足人类的虚荣心，是财富与地位的炫耀，故亦被称为炫耀性消费（Conspicuous consumption）。此名词源于其概念提出者挪威裔美国经济学家托斯丹·韦伯伦。

　　Words

　　1. gift-wrap 作为礼物包装

　　2. courtship ritual 求偶行为

　　3. a good bet一个很好的选择

　　4. dream up 想象出

　　5. A diamond is forever 钻石恒久远，一颗永流传

　　6. prop up 支持，撑起

　　7. millennials 千禧一代

　　8. bling一种戴着以显示财富的珠宝，也泛指昂贵而炫耀的拥有品

　　9. synthetic 人造的合成的

　　10. the lion's share of 最大的份额

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