奇速英语今天给大家分享一则英语美文:狗民网宠物社交平台服务于快速增长的数千万中国爱宠、养宠人群以及由此辐射到600亿的宠物经济规模。狗民网由清华校友、天使投资人共同创办，2006年9月1日正式上线提供服务。

　　英语美文分享如下：

　　Once denounced as bourgeois vanity,pets are big business in China

　　宠物曾经被谴责为资产阶级的爱好，但现在却是一笔大生意

　　WITH ITS overflowing ball pits,indoor swimming pools and elaborate obstacle course,the Maidao Play Centre offers a fun-packed day out,reviewers gush.“My girl just loves it here—she just leaps into the car when she realises where we’re going and she can’t wait to play with all her friends,”says a woman in her early 30s.

　　obstacle/'ɒbstək(ə)l/CET4 TEM4

　　N-COUNT An obstacle is an object that makes it difficult for you to go where you want to go,because it is in your way.障碍物

　　gush/gʌʃ/CET6 TEM8

　　1.V-T/V-I When liquid gushes out of something,or when something gushes a liquid,the liquid flows out very quickly and in large quantities.涌出

　　2.V-T/V-I If someone gushes,they express their admiration or pleasure in an exaggerated way.夸张地赞扬

　　leap/liːp/CET4 TEM4

　　V-T/V-I If you leap,you jump high in the air or jump a long distance.跳跃

　　多到溢出来的海洋球，室内游泳池，精心设计的障碍赛，麦道游戏中心会让我们玩得很开心，评论家这样赞道。一位30岁出头的女士说:“我的宝贝就是喜欢这里，她知道我们要去那里时，她就会跳进车里，迫不及待地想带所有朋友一起去玩。”

　　While children would probably love Maidao,it is aimed at dogs.It is just one of hundreds of puppy-grooming parlours,animal hotels and doggy day-care centres that have sprung up across China to cash in on the booming pet industry.The market for food,toys,coats and other products for pets was worth 170bn yuan($25bn)in 2018,up by more than a quarter from the previous year,reckons Goumin,a pet-services portal.This would make it bigger than China’s tea industry.Goumin says China has 73.5m cat-or dog-owners,a group approaching the size of the 90m-strong Communist Party.

　　parlour/ˈpɑːlə/CET6 TEM4

　　N-COUNT Parlour is used in the names of some types of shops that provide a service,rather than selling things.(提供服务而不卖货物的)店堂

　　reckon/ˈrɛkən/CET4 TEM4

　　V-T If you reckon that something is true,you think that it is true.想

　　portal/ˈpɔːtəl/

　　N-COUNT On the Internet,a portal is a website that consists of links to other sites.(互联网上的)门户网站

　　虽然孩子们可能会喜欢麦道，但它其实是为狗狗设计的。为了从蓬勃发展的宠物业中获利，各地涌现出数百家宠物美容院、动物旅馆和狗狗日托中心，这家也只是其中之一。宠物服务网站狗民网估计，2018年宠物食品、玩具、衣服和其他产品的市场价值为1700亿元人民币(250亿美元)，比上一年增长了超过四分之一。其盈利可能会超过中国的茶业。狗民网说，中国有7350万猫或狗的主人，这个群体的规模跟9千万的党员接近。

　　【拓展理解】

　　狗民网宠物社交平台服务于快速增长的数千万中国爱宠、养宠人群以及由此辐射到600亿的宠物经济规模。狗民网由清华校友、天使投资人共同创办，2006年9月1日正式上线提供服务。狗民网是具由SNS与论坛相结合，为宠物主人提供完美综合服务的超人气交互平台。集真实用户创造真实互动，依托网络传播真诚，传递人与动物之间美好的情感与关爱。狗民网从成立之初，整合宠物行业资源，建立垂直宠物社交平台。从2014年，狗民网探索从单一的宠物社交平台向宠物主人综合服务平台转型，最终搭建宠物行业生态圈，满足用户在购物、公益、社交等多方面需求。与此同时，宠物垂直电商、宠物寄养O2O服务开始发力，为养宠人群提供便利、人性化的服务。

　　This is a big change for a country where a dog might once have been as likely to be eaten as fed a treat.Until recently few Chinese saw much sense in keeping animals that could not be put to work.Famine ravaged the country as recently as 1961.Moreover,during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s the bourgeois indulgence of keeping a pet would have attracted the attention of the dreaded Red Guards.Rabies fuelled official paranoia about dogs;until 1993,when Beijing lifted its ban on them,pooches were routinely rounded up and killed.Dogs over 35cm tall are still not allowed in most of the capital.They are said to be too dangerous and noisy.

　　ravage/'rævɪdʒ/CET6 TEM4

　　V-T A town,country,or economy that has been ravaged is one that has been damaged so much that it is almost completely destroyed.摧毁

　　bourgeois/ˈbʊəʒwɑː/CET6 TEM4

　　1.ADJ If you describe people,their way of life,or their attitudes as bourgeois,you disapprove of them because you consider them typical of conventional middle-class people.中产阶级的

　　2.N a member of the middle class,esp one regarded as being conservative and materialistic or(in Marxist thought)a capitalist exploiting the working class(思想保守、追求物质的)中产阶级;(马克思主义理论中)剥削工人阶级的资产阶级

　　dread/drɛd/CET6 TEM4

　　V-T If you dread something which may happen,you feel very anxious and unhappy about it because you think it will be unpleasant or upsetting.害怕;担忧

　　这对一个曾经把狗当作食物来吃的国家来说，是一个巨大的变化。其实直到最近，也很少有中国人认为饲养不能工作的动物有很大的意义。（本段略）在首都大部分地区，35厘米以上的狗仍然是不允许出现的。据说它们太危险，噪音太大。

　　Today’s pet boom is being fuelled by a generation that barely remembers the privations of the past.City-dwelling young professionals born in the 1980s and 1990s account for 70%of spending on pets,according to Goumin.Theirs is a richer China,where the old emphasis on community has been replaced by a greater sense of individualism.Many of them are also lonelier than earlier generations,having been lured away from their families and friends by jobs in big cities.

　　privation/praɪˈveɪʃən/

　　N-UNCOUNT If you suffer privation or privations,you have to live without many of the things that are thought to be necessary in life,such as food,clothing,or housing.贫困;缺衣少食

　　dwelling/'dwelɪŋ/TEM4

　　N-COUNT A dwelling or a dwelling place is a place where someone lives.住所;居住地

　　individualism/ˌɪndɪˈvɪdjʊəˌlɪzəm/TEM4

　　N-UNCOUNT You use individualism to refer to the behaviour of someone who likes to think and do things in their own way,rather than imitating other people.我行我素

　　如今宠物市场的繁荣是由几乎不记得过去贫困状况的一代人所推动的。据狗民网统计，80后和90后出生在城市的专业人士占宠物消费的70%。他们眼里的国家是一个更富裕的中国，在那里，过去所强调的公社观念已被一种更强烈的个人主义意识所取代。他们中的许多人也比前几代人更孤独，他们更喜欢大城市的工作，独自奋斗，离开家人和朋友。

　　【搭配与表达】

　　lure away

　　分散注意力

　　【例】

　　Computer games are luring youngsters away from their lessons.

　　电脑游戏诱惑着青少年，分散了他们的学习注意力。

　　【句子分析】

　　Many of them are also lonelier than earlier generations,having been lured away from their families and friends by jobs in big cities.

　　having been lured away from their families and friends by jobs in big cities是过去分词作状语，但这里要强调这个被动发生在主句的动作之前，所以用了having been done的结构，如果是普通的过去分词作状语，就直接是done。

　　【例】

　　Having been punished by his father,the boy do not make the noise.

　　男孩先被爸爸惩罚了，然后就不发出那种噪声了。

　　“The air is bad outside and it’s so easy to stay in and watch things on the internet,”says Wang Xiaoyang,a café-owner in her 20s who moved to Beijing from her hometown in Inner Mongolia.She is one of more than 200m unmarried Chinese in their 20s or 30s.“I live alone,so it’s nice to have little Liuyi waiting all happy to see me when I get home,”she adds,as she flicks through photos of other cats on her iPhone.

　　add/æd/CET4 TEM4

　　V-T If you add something when you are speaking,you say something more.(讲话)补充

　　flick/flɪk/TEM4

　　1.V-T/V-I If something flicks in a particular direction,or if someone flicks it,it moves with a short,sudden movement.迅速地移动

　　2.V-T If you flick something away,or off something else,you remove it with a quick movement of your hand or finger.(用手或手指)弹掉

　　3.V-T If you flick something such as a whip or a towel,or flick something with it,you hold one end of it and move your hand quickly up and then forward,so that the other end moves.抽打

　　4.V-I If you flick through a book or magazine,you turn its pages quickly,for example,to get a general idea of its contents or to look for a particular item.If you flick through television channels,you continually change channels very quickly,usually using a remote control.快速翻看

　　“外面的空气很糟糕，待在家里上网看东西很容易，”20多岁的咖啡馆老板王晓阳说，她是从内蒙古的家乡搬到北京的。她是中国2亿多二三十岁的未婚女性之一。“我一个人住，所以有小六一高高兴兴地迎接我回家真的太好了。”她一边翻着iPhone上其他猫咪的照片，一边补充道。

　　Owners like to splurge on their pets.They spend an average of more than 5,000 yuan a year on pet paraphernalia,according to Goumin—more than the average college graduate in China earns in a month.Tiny,stuffed-toy-like Pomeranians and Japanese Shiba Inu are big sellers thanks to their popularity among stars of Chinese social media,says a pet-shop assistant in Beijing.A Pomeranian puppy can fetch as much as 18,000 yuan,although those who risk buying one online might pay only 2,000.Corgis,French bulldogs and huskies are also in vogue.

　　splurge/splɜːdʒ/

　　V-I If you splurge on something,you spend a lot of money,usually on things that you do not need.挥霍

　　bulldog/'bʊldɒg/

　　N-COUNT A bulldog is a small dog with a large square head and short hair.牛头犬

　　vogue/vəʊg/CET6 TEM8

　　N-SING If there is a vogue for something,it is very popular and fashionable.时尚

　　主人往往喜欢在宠物身上挥霍。据狗民网说，他们平均每年花在宠物用品上的钱超过5000元，超过中国大学毕业生一个月的平均收入。北京一家宠物店的店员说，由于博美犬和日本柴犬在中国明星中很受欢迎，它们都很畅销。一只博美犬可以卖到1.8万元，而那些在网上冒险买一只的人可能只需要花2000元。柯基、法国斗牛犬和哈士奇也很流行。

　　【搭配与表达】

　　be in vogue/be the vogue

　　流行

　　【例】

　　Short skirts are very much in vogue just now.

　　短裙时下非常流行。

　　【句子分析】

　　A Pomeranian puppy can fetch as much as 18,000 yuan,although those who risk buying one online might pay only 2,000.

　　1.fetch除了有拿来的意思，在这边指的是卖得，售得〔尤用于新闻报道〕

　　【例】

　　The painting is expected to fetch at least$20 million.这幅画预计至少能卖两千万美元。

　　2.who risk buying one online是those的定语从句。

　　Not all Chinese welcome pets on the streets.A recent video of a woman being pushed by a man after she kicked his dog away from her child sparked fury about pet owners’failure to restrain their animals.Since then the south-western city of Wenshan has imposed a ban on dog-walking from 7am to 10pm.Jinan,in the east,has introduced a points system for pet-owners.Those committing offences such as failing to register their dog or letting it off the lead in public lose points.If enough points are lost the pet can be confiscated.

　　restrain/rɪˈstreɪn/CET4 TEM4

　　V-T If you restrain someone,you stop them from doing what they intended or wanted to do,usually by using your physical strength.制止

　　register/ˈrɛdʒɪstə/CET4 TEM4

　　V-T/V-I If you register to do something,you put your name on an official list,in order to be able to do that thing or to receive a service.登记;注册

　　confiscate/'kɒnfɪskeɪt/CET6 TEM4

　　V-T If you confiscate something from someone,you take it away from them,usually as a punishment.没收

　　并不是所有的中国人都想在街上看到宠物。最近的一段视频里，一个主人没有管好狗狗，它靠近了一位女士的孩子，女士就踢开了狗狗，这名男士便推搡了她，这段视频引发了人们对宠物主人未能管住自己宠物的愤怒。从那以后，中国西南部的文山市开始禁止主人从早上7点到晚上10点遛狗。东部城市济南为宠物主人设置了一种积分系统。那些违反规则的人，比如没有给狗登记或者在公共场合没有牵住狗狗，都会被扣分。如果扣到一定的分数，宠物可以被没收。

　　【搭配与表达】

　　spark sb’s interest/hope/curiosity

　　激起某人的兴趣/希望/好奇心

　　【例】

　　topics that spark children’s imaginations

　　激发儿童想象力的话题

　　【句子分析】

　　A recent video of a woman being pushed by a man after she kicked his dog away from her child sparked fury about pet owners’failure to restrain their animals.

　　1.主句是A recent video of a woman sparked fury about pet owners’failure to restrain their animals.spark fury about是引起对······的愤怒。

　　2.being pushed by a man是分词作a woman的定语，after she kicked his dog away from her child是时间状语。

　　【背景介绍】

　　关于云南省文山州文山市出台规定“禁止7点至22点遛狗”，网友们意见泾渭分明，但谁也无法说服谁。针对此事，文山市动物卫生监督所工作人员11月5日回应澎湃新闻称，这是防患于未然，不能等着犬只伤人了再出台规定，“这还有啥可争议的？”

　　10月29日，文山市人民政府网站贴出了一则名为《文山市人民政府关于加强文山市区犬类管理的通告》（下称“通告”）。

　　该通告称，为进一步规范和加强养犬管理，优化市民居住环境，维护公共安全和治安秩序，根据《中华人民共和国治安管理处罚法》《中华人民共和国动物防疫法》《城市市容和环境卫生管理条例》《云南省城市建设管理条例》等法律法规，经研究，决定加强文山市区犬类管理。

　　通告内容显示，文山城规划区范围内犬类一律实行拴养或圈养，不得放养；养犬人必须办理《动物免疫户口册》，对于擅自转让、涂改、伪造犬只《动物免疫户口册》的，由公安部门依法处理；携犬出户时，犬只必须使用束犬链，犬链长度不得超过1米，并由成年人牵引，早上7:00至晚上22:00禁止溜犬。

　　此通告一经媒体披露，在网上引起轩然大波。一部分网友认为，该规定理应获赞，希望全国推广；另一部分网友则认为规定过于严格，养狗人在晚间遛狗又难免给休息的人造成影响。

　　11月5日，文山市城市管理综合行政执法局工作人员回应澎湃新闻称，此规定由文山市政府牵头出台，文山市正在参评全国文明城市，这么做，也是考虑到市容市貌和环境卫生方面的管理需要。

　　上述工作人员还表示，市民们在日常锻炼身体时遛狗，有时不及时清理狗狗粪便，对市容环境造成一定影响，执法局接到多起市民针对遛狗人士的投诉，“此前市区也有流浪狗伤人事件，我们一直在管理流浪狗伤人事件，这一次专门针对这个事情出台了规定。”

　　文山市动物卫生监督所工作人员告诉澎湃新闻，此规定由市政府出台，专门针对城市方面的管理。对市民而言，一旦遭遇流浪狗或恶性犬袭击，就有可能染上狂犬病，面临生命危险。上述工作人员认为，不一定得等出事了再出台规定，这是防患于未然，“养狗的人拉街上又不管粪便，多不卫生，你在家里养谁管你啊，这还有啥可争议的？”

　　Many Chinese see the proliferation of pets as a symptom of a bigger crisis.China is ageing rapidly.Although the one-child policy was replaced with a two-child rule in 2016,and has been further eased since,the birth rate is still falling.On Zhihu,an online forum,many ask why young people choose raising pets over their Confucian duty of raising children.“We must encourage the younger generation to think more about the prosperity of the motherland,”argues one teacher.Drawing an analogy with pet-loving but stagnant Japan,they fear dog days are on their way.

　　Confucian/kən'fjʊʃən/CET4

　　ADJ Confucian means relating to Confucianism.儒家的

　　prosperity/prɒˈspɛrɪtɪ/CET4 TEM4

　　N-UNCOUNT Prosperity is a condition in which a person or community is doing well financially.繁荣

　　stagnant/ˈstæɡnənt/CET6 TEM4

　　ADJ If something such as a business or society is stagnant,there is little activity or change.(经济、社会等)停滞不前的

　　许多人将宠物数量的激增视为一场更大危机的征兆。中国正在迅速老龄化。尽管独生子女政策在2016年被二胎政策取代，并在那之后进一步放宽，但出生率仍在下降。在线论坛“知乎”上，许多人问为什么年轻人选择养宠物，而不是像儒家倡导的那样，承担繁衍后代的责任。“我们必须鼓励年轻一代多想想祖国的繁荣昌盛，”一位老师说。拿热爱宠物但经济停滞不前的日本做个比较，中国人担心狗狗的天下即将到来。

　　【阅读小测答案】

　　1.Which of the following statements expresses the most important idea in the passage?

　　A.China has 73.5m cat-or dog-owners,a group approaching the size of the 90m-strong Communist Party.

　　B.Today’s pet boom is being fuelled by a generation that barely remembers the privations of the past.

　　C.Many Chinese see the proliferation of pets as a symptom of a bigger crisis.

　　D.Until recently few Chinese saw much sense in keeping animals that could not be put to work.

　　2.When Beijing lifted its ban on dogs?

　　In 1993.

　　3.WITH ITS overflowing ball pits,indoor swimming pools and elaborate obstacle course,the Maidao Play Centre offers a fun-packed day out,reviewers gush（夸张地赞扬）.

　　4.The market for food,toys,coats and other products for pets was worth 170bn yuan($25bn)in 2018,up by more than a quarter from the previous year,reckons Goumin,a pet-services portal（门户网站）.

　　5.Moreover,during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s the bourgeois（中产阶级）indulgence of keeping a pet would have attracted the attention of the dreaded Red Guards.

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