Pretty in pink?

 　　NB: This is not a word for word transcript¹

　　Yvonne: Hello - I'm Yvonne Archer², this is "6 Minute English" - and thanks to Rob for

　　joining me today.

　　Rob: It's good to be here, Yvonne.

　　Yvonne: Great. Rob – how do you feel about the colour pink?

　　Rob: Pink? Well, it's not my colour but my four-year-old daughter loves it.

　　Yvonne: Well, she's got good taste because pink is the colour of choice for today's

　　programme. But before we find out why, it's time for today's question. Are you

　　ready, Rob?

　　Rob: I'm ready and waiting!

　　Yvonne: Good. In 1918, according to an article that appeared in The Ladies' Journal,

　　what was thought to be the most suitable colour for girls? Was it

　　a) red

　　b) pink or

　　c) blue

　　Rob: Hmm…

　　Yvonne: a) red

　　b) pink or

　　c) blue

　　Rob: I guess as we're talking about pink, I'd say pink.

　　Yvonne: As usual, I'll have the answer for you later on in today's “6 Minute English”!

　　Now, recently, a BBC Radio 4 programme called "Fight the Power of Pink"

　　investigated why little girls have a preference for the colour pink, like young

　　Imogen. She spoke³ to the BBC Breakfast team about her love of pink.

　　Insert 1: Imogen

　　It's not really an obsession⁴, it's when you like, look at it, you feel like, quite dizzy and

　　you go on day dreaming. It's like you're in heaven!

　　Yvonne: Imogen says her love of pink isn't really 'an obsession' - she's not so passionate⁵

　　about it that she doesn't have time for any other interests. But looking at pink

　　has a physical effect on her.

　　Rob: Yes, Imogen says she feels quite 'dizzy' - weak and shaky as though she might

　　faint. So, pink has quite a dramatic effect on her, doesn't it?

　　Yvonne: It definitely does, Rob. It gets her daydreaming⁶ - but what does she mean by

　　'daydreaming'?

　　Rob: Well, she imagines things and situations and can't concentrate or focus on

　　what's actually happening around her.

　　Yvonne: For example, a little girl might be thinking about having a big pink wedding

　　instead of thinking about her school work. So everything would be pink at her

　　wedding, everyone would be dressed in pink, including the men and boys…

　　Rob: You wouldn't catch me wearing pink!

　　Yvonne: Oh no, Rob! I bought you a pink shirt for your birthday.

　　Rob: Oh no. Have you got the receipt?

　　Yvonne: Hmm - I'd better take it back! Anyway, we might be thinking that a preference

　　for pink is only a problem for parents' bank accounts.

　　Rob: Yes, buying all those pink goods could be very costly⁷ for us parents. My

　　daughter has convinced us to buy a pink doll's house.

　　Yvonne: No! How expensive was that?

　　Rob: Very expensive.

　　Yvonne: But a child's firm belief that pink is only for girls can also lead to more serious

　　problems. Here's BBC Breakfast's Charlie Stayt with a story from a viewer:

　　Insert 2: Charlie Stayt, BBC Breakfast

　　Mrs Davies got in touch, she's in Kent, she says: "My 4-year old grandson refused to

　　take his antibiotic⁸ medicine given by his doctor because it was pink! He said pink was

　　for girls. He was really upset."

　　Yvonne: As we heard, Mrs Davies' four-year old grandson refused to take his antibiotic

　　medicine. He didn't want to take it even though he was quite ill.

　　Rob: No, he believes that anything pink is for girls, even medicine - so that can be

　　difficult for parents and perhaps dangerous in some cases.

　　Yvonne: That's true - but in this case, I'm happy to say that he did finally did take his

　　medicine. Well, Greg Hodge, a research director, says that businesses certainly

　　make use of the fact that children generally believe that anything pink is only

　　for girls.

　　Insert 3: Greg Hodge, Research Director

　　People like what their friends like and retailers⁹ and manufacturers aren't silly with that,

　　and they look to build on that and get children to buy stuff that their parents like. So if

　　you're merchandising in a store, if you can persuade the parent that it's good as well and

　　that they want to buy it, then you can also trick the child as well.

　　Yvonne: Retailers and manufacturers - the people who sell and make goods - try to get

　　children to buy things that their parents like and as we'll all have noticed, a lot

　　of it is pink.

　　Rob: And the way stores or shops show - or merchandise - their stuff helps to sell

　　more goods. Both parents and children can be convinced that they want to buy

　　the pink stuff that they see.

　　Yvonne: And it's interesting that Greg Hodge, a research director, says merchandising

　　can 'trick' children into getting their parents to buy what they see.

　　Rob: Yes, the word 'trick' suggests that there's something slightly dishonest about

　　merchandising which makes children want to buy things that they might not

　　really want.

　　Yvonne: So do girls prefer pink for scientific or cultural reasons?

　　Rob: Well, the debate will probably continue for quite some time.

　　Yvonne: Oh, that's a good job, then because we've got to deal with today's question, Rob.

　　Earlier, I asked: in 1918, according to an article that appeared in The Ladies'

　　Journal, what was thought to be the most suitable colour for girls? Was it red,

　　pink or blue?

　　Rob: And I said it had to be pink.

　　Yvonne: And you were absolutely…wrong.

　　Rob: Oh, dear!

　　Yvonne: They felt that blue was a dainty and delicate colour so it was prettier for girls.

　　Rob: Hmm – I like blue. Good choice!

　　Yvonne: But that's all for today and we hope you'll join us again soon for more "6

　　Minute English" - from BBC Learning English!

　　Both: Goodbye!

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

5 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

6 daydreaming   

v.想入非非，空想( daydream的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Stop daydreaming and be realistic. 别空想了，还是从实际出发吧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Bill was sitting and daydreaming so his mother told him to come down to earth and to do his homework. 比尔坐着空想， 他母亲要他面对现实，去做课外作业。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 antibiotic   

adj.抗菌的；n.抗生素

参考例句：

• The doctor said that I should take some antibiotic.医生说我应该服些用抗生素。
• Antibiotic can be used against infection.抗菌素可以用来防止感染。

9 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。