经济学人222:狗用品市场的利润可不是不容小觑

 　　BLISS¹ spreads across Lalo’s face as his glossy² black locks are blown dry by cooing stylists. Dogs big and small are beautified for 100 pesos ($7.70) in the back of a perspex-walled van run by Fluffy³ Shower, a mobile pet-salon that visits Mexico City’s posh neighbourhoods to apply shampoo and ribbons to upper-class animals. The sharpest dogs sport green, white and red jerseys⁴ to mark Independence Day on September 16th. Next month pet boutiques will sell Halloween pumpkin⁵ outfits⁶ and dainty witches’ hats.

　　当宠物美容师一边哄着Lalo，一边吹干它乌黑亮丽的卷毛的时候，Lalo的脸上洋溢着幸福。在塑胶墙面的货车厢里，无论大狗还是小狗，美容费都是每只100比索（合约7.7美元）。这辆车是一家名叫Fluffy Shower的流动宠物沙龙的，现在正在墨西哥城的富裕地区巡游，出售高级宠物的香波和链条。最引人注目的狗穿着绿色、白色和红色的运动衫，在9月16日庆祝独立日。下个月宠物精品店还会推出万圣节南瓜装和精致的女巫帽。

　　Pet care is booming in emerging markets, as the growing middle class stops buying dogs for security (or dinner) and starts doting⁷ on them. Nowhere has the fashion taken off as quickly as in Latin America. In the past five years spending on pet food and knick-knacks has risen by 44%, to $11 billion, according to Euromonitor, a market-research firm, which estimates that Chile has more pet dogs per person than any other country. Latin pets may be the world’s most fashionable. As Mexico’s rainy season tails off, dogs are stepping out of designer shoes to show off painted claws.

　　中产阶级买狗不再是为了保卫或者食用，而是为了当作宠物，因此宠物保养在新兴国家市场正蓬勃发展。而这种时尚在拉丁美洲的发展是最快的。根据一家市场研究公司欧睿的调查，过去五年中，宠物食品和玩具的开销增长了44%，达到了110亿美元。该公司估计，智利是人均拥有宠物狗数量最多的国家。拉美的宠物应该是世界上最时尚的，随着墨西哥的雨季渐渐结束，狗狗们脱掉时尚鞋子，开始显摆它们的染色的爪子。

　　Rising incomes allow Latinos to treat mutts as members of the family. More young people are living alone and putting off marriage, choosing pets for company instead. These “pet parents” indulge their animals as if they were children, says Emily Woon, Euromonitor’s pet-care supremo, who reports that Latin America has been the “star market” of recent years. Latinos are especially fond of dogs, which are costlier⁸ than cats, but superior in every respect. Whereas in Europe the dog- and cat-food markets are equal, in Latin America dog food outsells cat food by nearly six to one.

　　随着收入的增加，拉美人渐渐把狗狗们当成家庭成员了。越拉越多的独身年轻人推迟婚姻，选择宠物作为自己的伴侣。欧睿宠物保养权威人士艾米丽·伍恩说，这些“宠物爸妈”们对宠物们溺爱地像自己的孩子一样。据她所说，近年来，拉美已经成了“明星市场”了。拉美人特别喜欢狗，尽管养狗比养猫要贵，但是在各方面都比养猫好。在欧洲，猫狗食品市场份额相等，但在拉美，狗粮的销售差不多是猫粮的六倍。

　　There is room for growth. Many Latinos still feed their pets table scraps⁹: three-quarters of Mexican hounds make do with leftover¹⁰ bits of burrito. Billboards¹¹ around Mexico City’s parks urge owners to switch to Pedigree and other brands of delicious packaged pet food.

　　这个市场还有扩大的空间。许多拉美人还是在用剩饭剩菜来喂宠物：四分之三的墨西哥猎犬都在吃墨西哥玉米煎饼的残渣。墨西哥城的公园里到处都是广告牌，力劝宠物的主人改用宝路或者其他名牌包装的可口宠物食品。

　　Glitzy pet superstores, which account for more than a fifth of pet-product sales in America and Canada, barely exist south of the Rio Grande. The most popular outlets¹² are still small, independent pet shops, which retain customers by offering credit. But the superstores will come. And when Latin animal-lovers can buy a full range of food, toys and veterinary services in one place, life could become even more luxurious¹³ for Mexico’s privileged pets.

　　在美国和加拿大，琳琅满目的宠物超市占了宠物产品销售量的五分之一以上，而在格兰德河以南却十分罕见。最流行的经销店还是规模小、单独的宠物商店，并通过赊购来保留客户。但是大型超市还是会出现的，如果拉美的动物爱好者在同一个地方购买所有宠物食品、玩具和医用护理设备，那么墨西哥高级宠物们的生活将会更加奢华。

1 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

2 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

3 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

4 jerseys   

n.运动衫( jersey的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The maximum quantity of cotton jerseys this year is about DM25,000. 平方米的羊毛地毯超过了以往的订货。 来自口语例句
• The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. 大意：NBA官方正在酝酿一个大煞风景的计划——把广告标志绣上球服！ 来自互联网

5 pumpkin   

n.南瓜

参考例句：

• They ate turkey and pumpkin pie.他们吃了火鸡和南瓜馅饼。
• It looks like there is a person looking out of the pumpkin!看起来就像南瓜里有人在看着你！

6 outfits   

n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He jobbed out the contract to a number of small outfits. 他把承包工程分包给许多小单位。 来自辞典例句
• Some cyclists carry repair outfits because they may have a puncture. 有些骑自行车的人带修理工具，因为他们车胎可能小孔。 来自辞典例句

7 doting   

adj.溺爱的，宠爱的

参考例句：

• His doting parents bought him his first racing bike at 13.宠爱他的父母在他13岁时就给他买了第一辆竞速自行车。
• The doting husband catered to his wife's every wish.这位宠爱妻子的丈夫总是高度满足太太的各项要求。

8 costlier   

adj.昂贵的( costly的比较级 )；代价高的；引起困难的；造成损失的

参考例句：

• Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather. 鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。 来自互联网
• Disagreements among creditors can be costlier still. 债权人之间的分歧会加大重组的费用。 来自互联网

9 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

10 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

11 billboards   

n.广告牌( billboard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Large billboards have disfigured the scenery. 大型告示板已破坏了景色。 来自辞典例句
• Then, put the logo in magazines and on billboards without telling anyone what it means. 接着我们把这个商标刊在杂志和广告看板上，却不跟任何人透漏它的涵意。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年4月号

12 outlets   

n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店

参考例句：

• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They must find outlets for their products. 他们必须为自己的产品寻找出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。