2020年经济学人 《欧洲中心的历史》书评--手工业和商业(2)

Despite its winding¹ economic narrative² (and piles of manufacturing statistics), “Porcelain³” is rarely a grind. Ms Marchand writes wittily⁴ about subjects from bourgeois⁵ views on tableware to Weimar advertising⁶, veering⁷ away from tea sets and vases when she spies an interesting vignette. “Fox tossing”, she relates, was a popular pastime for 18th-century courtiers (the animals were hurled⁸ into the air until they died). King Frederick the Great of Prussia recruited hundreds of invalids⁹ from a state hospital literally¹⁰ to sniff¹¹ out illegal coffeeroasters in Berlin and Potsdam.

尽管文中有曲折的经济叙述（和成堆的制造业统计数据），“瓷器”很少会变成苦难。马尔汉德女士风趣地写了一些题材，从资产阶级对餐具的看法到魏玛的广告，当她发现一个有趣的小短文时，她就会偏离描绘茶具和花瓶。她在文中讲述，“扔狐狸”是18世纪朝臣们的一种流行的消遣方式（动物们被抛向空中直至死亡）。普鲁士国王腓特烈大帝在柏林和波茨坦从一家国立医院招募了数百名伤残人士来找出非法的咖啡烘焙者。

The porcelain-makers themselves were often as fascinating as Bottger. After running away from home to become a cowboy, for instance, Philipp Rosenthal made a fortune in porcelain—before being ruined by the Nazis¹². Ordinary workers led colourful lives too. One report of 1796 describes how employees at a firm in Furstenberg drank schnapps at work or skived off to go hunting. Their successors in the 1940s spent their time dodging¹³ Allied¹⁴ bombs and repairing shattered windows.

瓷器制造者自己也通常会像博特格一样具有魅力。例如，菲利普·罗森塔尔离家出走并成为一名牛仔后，他靠瓷器发了财——在被纳粹摧毁之前。普通工人也过上了丰富多彩的生活。1796年的一份报告描述了弗斯滕贝格一家公司的员工是如何在工作时喝烈酒，或是驾车去打猎。在20世纪40年代，他们的继任者躲避同盟国的炸弹和修补破碎的窗户。

Today German porcelain-makers face different threats. Chinese imports are undercutting them. Tastes have evolved: polystyrene cups have long replaced elegant coffee sets in many situations. Between 2006 and 2014 alone 190 German porcelain firms closed. Soon, writes Ms Marchand, production may return entirely¹⁵ to East Asia, where porcelain was first invented. The story that began with Bottger could become just another fairy-tale.

如今，德国瓷器制造商面临着不同的威胁。中国的瓷器进口正在削弱它们。品味已经发生了演变：聚苯乙烯杯子在许多情况下早已取代了优雅的咖啡具。仅在2006年至2014年间，就有190家德国瓷器公司倒闭。马尔汉德女士写道，瓷器的生产也可能很快就会完全回归东亚，那里是瓷器最早的发明地。这个从博特格开始的故事可能会变成另一个童话。

1 winding   

n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈

参考例句：

• A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
• The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。

2 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

3 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

4 wittily   

机智地，机敏地

参考例句：

• They have just been pulling our legs very wittily. 他们不过是跟我们开个非常诙谐的玩笑罢了。
• The tale wittily explores the interaction and tension between reality and imagination. 这篇故事机智地探讨了现实和想象之间的联系和对立。

5 bourgeois   

adj./n.追求物质享受的(人)；中产阶级分子

参考例句：

• He's accusing them of having a bourgeois and limited vision.他指责他们像中产阶级一样目光狭隘。
• The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois.法国革命受到中产阶级的鼓励。

6 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

7 veering   

n.改变的；犹豫的；顺时针方向转向；特指使船尾转向上风来改变航向v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的现在分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转

参考例句：

• Anyone veering too close to the convoys risks being shot. 任何人改变方向，过于接近车队就有遭枪击的风险。 来自互联网
• The little boat kept veering from its course in such a turbulent river. 小船在这湍急的河中总是改变方向。 来自互联网

8 hurled   

v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• He hurled a brick through the window. 他往窗户里扔了块砖。
• The strong wind hurled down bits of the roof. 大风把屋顶的瓦片刮了下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 invalids   

病人，残疾者( invalid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The invention will confer a benefit on all invalids. 这项发明将有助于所有的残疾人。
• H?tel National Des Invalids is a majestic building with a golden hemispherical housetop. 荣军院是有着半球形镀金屋顶的宏伟建筑。

10 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

11 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

12 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 dodging   

n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He ran across the road, dodging the traffic. 他躲开来往的车辆跑过马路。
• I crossed the highway, dodging the traffic. 我避开车流穿过了公路。 来自辞典例句

14 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

15 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。