20180814

说起咖啡，即便是没喝过、不爱喝的人，估计也听说过星巴克。近年来星巴克一直以教育者的姿态引领着中国的咖啡市场，而且即便是在傲娇的欧洲国家，星巴克也因“屈尊讨好”抢占了一席之地。

但是在澳大利亚，星巴克却一直无法站稳脚跟。2000年，星巴克大举进入澳洲市场，迅速扩张到87家门店，然而澳洲市场的冷淡反应一直持续到2008年，撑不下去的星巴克不得不接连关掉61家店面。至今，星巴克在澳大利亚仅存23家店面。

澳大利亚人对咖啡不感兴趣？事实上，走遍全球的星巴克之所以在澳大利亚不受待见，恰恰是因为它的本土咖啡文化足够坚挺，而且独具特色。快餐式的星巴克在味道上无法满足当地人的需求，而定价又比当地的同类产品高。也难怪澳大利亚人不买星巴克的帐。

be passionate about

be unpassionate about

What went wrong for Starbucks.

There are basically no Starbucks in Australia. Here's what went wrong.

① It's easy to find a Starbucks cafe almost anywhere in the world, but in Australia, there aren't that many. That's because in 2008, the company closed more than 70 percent of its underperforming locations, leaving only 23 Starbucks stores throughout the entire continent.

underperforming: adj. 表现不佳/不如预期的

1. there aren't that many: there are a few / there is a small number (of something) (usually when we expect more)

There aren't that many people here in the restaurant.

餐厅里没那么多人。

There aren't that many students in the classroom today.

今天教室里没有那么多学生。

② Despite Australia's deep love for coffee, the Seattle-based chain didn't meet the same success Down Under as it did in other countries. Starbucks opened in Australia in 2000 and grew to nearly 90 locations by 2008. Starbucks moved too quickly, and 【grew faster than its popularity.】 They launched too rapidly and they 【didn't give the Australian consumer the opportunity to really develop an appetite for】 the Starbucks brand.

2. underperforming: adj. if something is underperforming, it performs less well than expected / it didn't do something as good as we expected it to.

The company is underperforming this year.

It's an underperforming company.

这家公司今年表现不佳。

This brand is underperforming.

It's an underperforming brand.

该品牌今年的表现低于预期。

3. have a deep love for sth.: to have a passion for sth.

I have a deep love for philosophy.

我很喜欢哲学。

He has a deep love for sports.

他很喜欢运动。

She has a deep love for arts.

她对艺术很感兴趣。

4. 【didn't meet the same success:】 didn't achieve the same level of success

5. down under / Down Under: in (or to) Australia (or sometimes New Zealand)

She was born in England, but she's been【 living down under】 for 22 years.

她虽然出生在英国，但一直在澳大利亚生活了22年。

③ Australia's already-thriving coffee culture also proved to be a challenge for the American brand. The Australian cafe industry is expected to hit more than $6 billion in revenue in 2018. 【The country has been immersed in the cafe scene since】 the mid-1900s.

6. develop an appetite/liking for sth.: to start liking sth.

I've developed quite an appetite for classical music.

我对古典音乐产生了浓厚的兴趣。

Recently I've developed quite an appetite for French films.

近来，我对法国电影很感兴趣。

Recently I've developed quite an appetite for Japanese detective novels.

我最近很喜欢看日本的侦探小说。

7. thriving: adj. very healthy in a business way or successful

rolling on

a thriving business / industry

already thriving = already successful

④ Starbucks didn't fit Australians' tastes. The company served sweeter coffee options than Australians preferred, all while charging more than the local cafes.

8. be immersed in: be (very) involved in

【She's immersed in conversation.】

她正忙着在跟别人谈话。

【I'm immersed in my work at the moment, so I can't call you.】

我这会儿正忙着工作呢，没办法给你打电话。

She's immersed in her book, so I won't disturb her.

她正专心看着书呢，我不能打扰她。

⑤ But Starbucks hasn't given up in Australia just yet. The company has started to slowly open more locations in the country. By slowing its growth and trying to 【cater more to tourists】 rather than locals, Starbucks may find a recipe for success in Australia.

Australian coffee lovers love simple and strong coffee.

9. a recipe for success: if something is a recipe for success, it's very likely to become successful or a success.

The company offered big discounts on all products. And this was a recipe for success.

该公司对所有产品都给予了很大的折扣。这就是他们成功的秘诀。

【this is my recipe for success】

a recipe for disaster: if something is a recipe for disaster, it is very likely to become a disaster.

You didn't plan your lesson. So I think it's no surprise that, really, this was a recipe for disaster. We are not surprised that your lesson was a disaster.

你没有提前备课，所以你那节课效果不好，我们一点都不觉得奇怪。

2018年，第90届奥斯卡金像奖的收视率创下了历史新低，近4小时的颁奖典礼仅有2650万人收看，比去年下降了近20%。因此，奥斯卡学院希望通过创新来吸引更多观众。2018年8月8日，奥斯卡组委会宣布了一则大新闻：从明年开始，奥斯卡奖将新增一项“最受欢迎奖”（outstanding achievement in popular film）。

然而，美国绝大多数电影业内人士和影迷对于奥斯卡的这一变革并不买账，质疑的声音不绝于耳，美国国家公共广播电台（NPR）认为，给票房大片专门设奖项毫无意义，“因为它们都已经被奖励过——它们赚取的超高票房就已经是给这些影片的最高奖项。”

为何奥斯卡会冒天下之大不韪设立这个奖项？其实，“最受欢迎奖”可以理解为对现实商业利益的妥协——奥斯卡颁奖礼插播的广告收费极其高昂，如果收视率继续下跌，广告费肯定大受影响。看来，流量面前，“小金人”也不得不低头了。

【Gong clanger】: the Oscars

gong: n. 奖章；锣

clanger: n. 过失；令人尴尬的错误

hit the gong with a clanger

双关，敲锣，奥斯卡搞错奖项

1. gong

Gary Oldman is ready to add an Oscar to the gongs he has already won for his portrayal of Winston Churchill.

加里·奥德曼已经准备好为自己所饰演的丘吉尔再添一枚奥斯卡的功勋章了。

① In recent years 【the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences】学院奖 has been 【on the defensive.】

be on the defensive: （处于）防御的姿态

·be on the offensive （处于）进攻的姿态always on the defensive.

② When the 【#OscarsSoWhite】 diversity 【row erupted 】in 2015, it responded by 【expanding the voting pool】 to include more【 ethnic-minority and female industry professionals.】

What r they rowing about?

他们吵啥呢

③ Last year, when accusations against Harvey Weinstein【 spawned #MeToo】, it introduced 【new codes of conduct.】

✘2. spawn

New technology has spawned new business opportunities.

新技术创造了大量新的商机。

④ This week, with Oscar-ceremony 【viewership at an all-time low 】【amid claims】 that the awards are out of touch with 【the average moviegoer】, the organisation announced a new gong for "achievement in popular film".

all-time low: 有史以来最低

·at an all-time high: 有史以来最高

amid: prep. 在其中；在中间

be out of touch with someone: 触及不到某人；跟某人无关

⑤ That seems to have made things worse.

⑥ Though the 【terms of eligibility】评选标准 have not yet been announced, critics have【 decried谴责】 the move, arguing that "best" and "popular" are not 【mutually exclusive相互排斥地】 and that【 the new category will 【serve to 】ghettoise圈进 films】 like "Black Panther", Marvel's Afrofuturist superhero hit.

eligibility: n. 合乎标准；合格

decry: vt. 谴责

mutually: adv. 互相地

exclusive: adj. 独有的；排外的

ghettoise: vt. 使……聚居

Afrofuturist: 黑人科幻

3. decry

Everyone decried his life of gambling.

每个人都谴责他的赌博生涯。

People decried the campaign as the waste of money.

人们都谴责这项运动只是在浪费金钱。

⑦ Others simply【 consider it pointless.】

⑧ "A prize for popular films already exists," one writer tweeted. "It's called 【money."票房】o