Supper Shopping Mall

Supper Shopping Mall

 

Forget the ¹⁾notion about quiet, ²⁾suburban¹ shopping centres. The twenty-first century mall is an involving world of retail² drama. It’s a place where shoppers are ³⁾electrified with ⁴⁾exotic new sights, and a place where people find a sense of connection and community. It’s a whole experience unto itself. It’s a mall world.

 

Southdale, America’s first ⁵⁾enclosed shopping mall, opened in 1956. Drawing its ⁶⁾inspiration from European ⁷⁾arcades, architect Victor Gruen, found a perfect solution to Minnesota’s freezing winters and blistering⁴ summer heat. 

 

Margaret Crawtord(Urban Theorist, Harvard University): In the history of the mall, Southdale is a key moment, because it took a kind of loose outdoor collection of stores and services and unified⁵ it under a climate-controlled roof. And this really changed the nature of shopping and the entire experience. The ⁸⁾enclosure of the mall made a much more ⁹⁾dramatic and intense space. Architects, designers, developers began to really ¹⁰⁾orchestrate that, and to create almost urban levels of ¹¹⁾intensity⁶. They became a whole other world, separate from the suburbs that they were located in. They became exciting and intense retail experiences. 

 

During the ’60s and ’70s, the “malling” of America took off. Liberated⁷ women were ¹²⁾empowered by their newly found ¹³⁾purchasing strength and ¹⁴⁾mobility⁸. By the ’80s, look-alike malls had ¹⁵⁾dotted the landscape.  Something had to change.

 

Modern Mall—Mall of America

 

When Mall of America opens for business, the community screams delight. With up to nine hundred thousand visitors a week, it’s as though a new city is instantly born. 

 

Mall of America is composed of four themed shopping streets, forming a three story rectangle around Knott’s Camp Snoopy, a seven acre theme park. Mall of America is the nation’s number one tourist destination, attracting more visitors than Disney World, the Grand Canyon⁹ and Graceland combined. 

 

Karal Marling(Pop Culture Historian, Univ. of Minn.): One of the ways in which places like this tend to make their mark in this world is by ¹⁶⁾braggadocio¹⁰. ¹⁷⁾Darn it, we might be cold, but we have a mall that’s bigger than 83 football fields. Uh, darn it, we have ¹⁸⁾tornadoes in the summer, but we’ve got a mall with the world’s largest indoor ¹⁹⁾amusement park.

 

Eric Nelson(Prof. of English, St. Olaf College): And just that title, Mall of America, is a ²⁰⁾dynamite¹² selling point.  And, uh, ²¹⁾evocation¹³ of the flag and logo, its  bigness.

 

And ²²⁾draw in the crowds, it does, to popular attractions like Underwater Adventures…

 

Visitor: We had asked the children, if they could go anywhere they wanted, where would they like to go? The children said they wanted to come back to Mall of America because there was so much for them to do. You can see, they just love it. They ²³⁾have a ball. 

 

It’s a fantasy that you can walk through. Someone has described malls as “television that you walk through.” Walking through the Mall of America is like walking through cable, ²⁴⁾surfing the channels.

 

Modern malls have developed an amazing ²⁵⁾arsenal¹⁴ of new devices to attract consumers—thrill rides, special events, ²⁶⁾extravagant¹⁵ theming and interactive¹⁶ retail experiences.

 

Joe Pine(Co-author, The Experience Economy): If you look at the history of economic progress, we’ve moved from an ²⁷⁾agrarian¹⁷ economy, based on ²⁸⁾commodities, to an industrial economy based on goods, to a service-based economy. Today, what we’re doing is, we’re moving to an experience economy, where what consumers want are experiences; memorable¹⁸ events that engage them in an ²⁹⁾inherently personal way. 

 

Watts¹⁹ Wacker(Futurist): Retail has come to realize the power of new and different. And I think people today really know that, when they go to a mall, they’re going to have a unique experience with many ³⁰⁾stimuli²⁰ that are different than they’ve ever seen before, even though the goods themselves may not be. 

 

注释：

1) notion [5nEuFEn] n. 观念, 想法

2) suburban [sE5bE:bEn] a. 郊外的, 偏远的

3) electrify²¹ [i5lektrifai] v. 使激动

4) exotic [i^5zCtik] a. 外来的, 奇异的

5) enclose [in5klEuz] v. 围住，包住

6) inspiration [7inspE5reiFEn] n. 灵感

7) arcade³ [B:5keid] n. 拱廊, 有拱廊的街道

8) enclosure [in5klEuVE] n. 围起来的场地

9) dramatic [drE5mAtik] a. 激动人心的，戏剧性的

10) orchestrate [5C:kistreit] v. 使和谐地结合起来

11) intensity [in5tensiti] n. 强烈, 强度

12) empower [im5pauE] v. 授权与, 使能够

13) purchase [5pE:tFEs] v. 购买

14) mobility [mEu5biliti] n. 灵活性，能动性

15) dot [dCt] v. 在……上打点

16) braggadocio [brA^E5dEuFiEu] n. 自吹自擂

17) darn it =damn it  该死的，可恶

18) tornado¹¹ [tC:5neidEu] n. 旋风, 龙卷风

19) amusement [E5mju:zmEnt] n. 娱乐, 消遣

20) dynamite [5dainEmait] a. 超众的

21) evocation [7evEu5keiFEn] n. 唤出, 唤起

22) draw in 引诱; 使加入

23) have a ball <美俚>尽情作乐，狂欢

24) surf [sE:f] v. 在……冲浪

25) arsenal [5B:sinl] n. 库，任何事物的集成

26) extravagant [iks5trAvE^Ent] a. 过分的

27) agrarian [E5^rZEriEn] a. 耕地的

28) commodity [kE5mCditi] n. 日用品；农产品

29) inherently [in5hiErEntli] ad. 天性地, 固有地

30) stimuli [5stimulai] n. 刺激,刺激物（stimulus的复数形式）

 

 

精彩纷呈的超级商城

 

把“宁静的近郊购物中心”这一概念丢掉，21世纪的商城是引人入胜的零售舞台。这是一处令你目不暇接的地方，这是一处令你感受社区生活的地方。商城本身就是一项全方位的消费体验。现在是商城的天下。

于1956年开业的“南代尔”是美国首个全封闭式的商城。建筑师维多托·古恩受欧洲购物廊的启发，想出了一个能妥善解决明尼苏达州冬天严寒、夏天酷热的问题的办法。

 

玛格丽特·廓尔特（哈佛大学城市学家）：南代尔的出现是商城历史上的一个关键时刻，它把提供商品或服务的零散户外店铺集中在一个可控温的室内，这的确改变了购物的本质和整个体验。封闭的商城室内环境营造出一种更奇妙、更热烈的氛围。建筑师、设计师和发展商开始精心营造那样和谐的气氛，创建出城市味十足的动感。商城变成一个新世界，与所处的市郊环境截然不同。去商城购物成为一种兴奋刺激的体验。

60至70年代间是美国商城的腾飞时代。经历了女性解放运动后的女性突显其购买能力及流动性，消费地位也得到提高。到了80年代，举目皆是如出一辙的购物商城。商城的经营模式必须有所突破。

 

现代商城——“美国商城”

 

美国商城开业后，公众为之欢呼喝彩。每星期有近90万名游人前来，就像有一座新的城市拔地而起一样。

美国商城有四条不同主题的购物廊，形成一座三层高的长方形建筑物，围在中间的是占地七英亩的主题公园——诺特史诺比开心乐园。美国商城是美国第一旅游热点，游人数目超过迪士尼乐园、大峡谷和猫王故居的总和。

 

卡罗尔·马宁（明尼苏达州大学流行文化历史学家）：这类商城能驰名天下其中一个原因是全靠自吹自擂。我们这里虽然很冷，但我们拥有面积超过83个足球场的商城。虽然夏天还有龙卷风，但是我们有全球最大室内游乐场。

 

埃里克·纳尔逊（圣·奥拉夫大学英语教授）：单是“美国商城”这名称已经是一个非凡的卖点。单是这个名称便能勾起人们对美国国旗和标志，以及地方宽敞宏大的联想。

 

游客：我们问过孩子们，若任由他们选择，他们想去哪里玩？他们说想再来美国商城，因为这里有很多玩意。看得出来，他们就是喜欢那里，他们玩得很开心。

 

这是一个你可穿越其中的幻想世界。有人把商城比作“可以穿梭其中的电视”。逛美国商城就像在穿越有线电视，在各频道上冲浪。

现代商城派生出一个以各种新设施吸引顾客的神奇宝库：过山车，特别表演，美轮美奂的主题布置以及互动购物体验。

 

乔·派恩（《体验型经济》合著者）：回顾经济发展的历史，我们由以农产品为基础的农业经济发展到基于批量生产商品的工业经济，然后再到服务为基准的经济。现在我们正走向体验型经济，顾客所要的是从难忘活动中所得到的各种个人体验。

 

瓦特·威克（未来学家）：零售商已经渐渐明白到新颖和别具一格的力量。我想现代人都意识到，当他们去商城时，祈望得到的是一种从未有过的独特的刺激体验，即使商品平平无奇也没关系。

 

 

 

1 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

2 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

3 arcade   

n.拱廊；(一侧或两侧有商店的)通道

参考例句：

• At this time of the morning,the arcade was almost empty.在早晨的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。
• In our shopping arcade,you can find different kinds of souvenir.在我们的拱廊市场，你可以发现许多的纪念品。

4 blistering   

adj.酷热的；猛烈的；使起疱的；可恶的v.起水疱；起气泡；使受暴晒n.[涂料] 起泡

参考例句：

• The runners set off at a blistering pace. 赛跑运动员如脱缰野马般起跑了。
• This failure is known as preferential wetting and is responsible for blistering. 这种故障称为优先吸湿，是产生气泡的原因。 来自辞典例句

5 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。

6 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

7 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

8 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

9 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

10 braggadocio   

n.吹牛大王

参考例句：

• He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.人们讨厌他，因为他老是吹牛。
• Underneath his goofball braggadocio lies a kind of purity.在他笨拙的自夸里蕴含着一丝纯洁。

11 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

12 dynamite   

n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)

参考例句：

• The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。
• The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。

13 evocation   

n. 引起，唤起 n. &lt;古&gt; 召唤，招魂

参考例句：

• Against this brilliant evocation of airlessness we may put Whitman's view of the poet. 我们从他这段批评诗人无生气的精采论述中，可以看出惠特曼对于诗人的看法。
• It prefers evocation spells and illusions to help it disguise It'self. 他更喜欢塑能系法术和可以辅助伪装自己的幻术。

14 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

15 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

16 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

17 agrarian   

adj.土地的，农村的，农业的

参考例句：

• People are leaving an agrarian way of life to go to the city.人们正在放弃农业生活方式而转向城市。
• This was a feature of agrarian development in Britain.这是大不列颠土地所有制发展的一个特征。

18 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

19 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

20 stimuli   

n.刺激（物）

参考例句：

• It is necessary to curtail or alter normally coexisting stimuli.必需消除或改变正常时并存的刺激。
• My sweat glands also respond to emotional stimuli.我的汗腺对情绪刺激也能产生反应。

21 electrify   

v.使充电；使电气化；使触电；使震惊；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The country is now making effort to electrify and informationize manufacture.国家正在致力于制造业的电气化和信息化。
• He needs money to electrify his surface lines.他需要钱把他的地面线路电气化。