英国卫报:小冰块下的大生意(2)

The Ice Co is not only dominant¹ in its own marketplace. As a supplier of a perishable² good to major retailers³, it is evaluated alongside – and frequently outperforms – some of the UK's most dynamic food and drink brands. Indeed, it recently beat out enterprises such as the "100% plant-based" food company Fullgreen and the premium⁴ bar-snack provider Made For Drink to land SME brand of the year at the prestigious⁵ Grocer Gold Awards. Those companies, just like former winners Fever-Tree, have something that can be evaluated relative to the competition, whether it be superior flavour, a distinctive⁶ brand personality or a clearly identifiable ethical⁷ stance.

The Ice Co公司不仅在自己的市场上居于主导地位，作为大型零售商的易腐商品供应商，它还和英国的一些发展势力较猛的食品饮料品牌平起平坐，而且频繁超越它们。事实上，它最近击败了“100%植物”食品公司Fullgreen和优质酒吧小吃供应商Made For Drink等企业，在著名的“杂货商金奖”中获得了年度中小企业品牌奖。这些公司就像以前的赢家Fever-Tree一样，都有一些相对于竞争对手而言值得称道的东西，比如口味俱佳、品牌个性独特、或者有明确的道德立场。

Ice, though, has no rough edges on which a consumer's imagination can find purchase. "Chaste⁸ as ice," Shakespeare wrote. "The simplest solid thing you can buy in the supermarket," noted⁹ a modern historian of the subject. Ice is perhaps the most purely¹⁰ fungible product any of us will ever buy: if it's clear, fits into a glass, and is solid at the freezing point of water, it has fulfilled the only meaningful criteria¹¹ that most end users will ever care about.

不过，冰块并没有什么特别之处能够激发消费者的想象力找到买点。“纯洁如冰”，莎士比亚写道。“冰是我们能在超市里买到的最简单的固体物质”一位现代历史学家指出。冰可能是每个人都会购买的最纯粹的可替代品：如果它是透明的，可以放进玻璃杯里，并且在冰点时是固态，那么它就已经满足了大多终端用户所关心的唯一有意义的标准。

And so, as much as the Ice Co's success is a result of technological¹² innovation, and of shrewdly moving in step with evolving tastes, it is also a story of near-constant struggle, as generations of icemen and icewomen have sought out ways to sell people something that has only ever been, and will only ever be, frozen water. That The Ice Co has done it on such a large scale is doubly remarkable¹³: ice is not just featureless, it is also evanescent. How do you build an empire out of something born to melt?

所以，the Ice Co公司的成功是技术创新的结果，是精明地跟上不断变化的消费口味的结果。同时它也是一个几乎不间断奋斗的故事，一代又一代的冰人一直在想方设法向人们推销一些从未有过、也永远不会有过的东西——冰冻水。The Ice Co公司能够将这一产业做到这种规模是非常了不起的：冰不仅没有特征，而且瞬息即逝，所以如何用天生就会融化的东西建起一个帝国？

Kept below zero, ice is rock-hard, unchanging. Once it reaches its melting point, though, in a textbook example of entropy, its molecules¹⁴ start to agitate¹⁵ and chafe¹⁶ within their crystalline lattice, until they finally slip their hydrogen bonds and become what ice unfailingly returns to: a puddle¹⁷ of water.

冰在零度以下十分坚硬且姿态不变。然而，在书上的一个关于熵的案例中，冰一旦达到融点，它的分子就会在晶格内搅动、摩擦，直到它们最终脱离氢键，变成冰始终会回到的样子：一滩水。

For centuries, the history of ice was really just the history of attempting to postpone¹⁸ the inevitable¹⁹. The enterprising hacked²⁰ the stuff from icebergs²¹ and lakes and mountaintops; they transported it at no little personal risk to the houses of the rich, who constructed ice houses and ice safes in which to hoard²² their treasure.

几个世纪以来，冰的历史其实就是试图将必定发生的事情延后的历史。企业们从冰山、湖泊和山顶上提取冰，之后冒着很大的个人风险把它运送到富人的房子里，富人们则建造冰屋和冰保险箱将他们的财富储存起来。

The economics of transporting something very heavy and highly perishable meant that ice long remained an unattainable luxury for all but the most wealthy. Ancient potentates²³ flaunted²⁴ ice as a status symbol: in China, during the Eastern Chou dynasty, an "ice-service" detail of 94 people was kept on hand to handle any ice-related business that may occur, from chilling beverages²⁵ to chilling corpses²⁶. Pliny ascribes to the Emperor Nero the invention of the ice bucket, as a method of cooling wine without diluting²⁷ it with ice that had been stored in pungent²⁸ straw and cloth. In 17th-century Florence, the Medici family would host elaborate feasts featuring tabletop mountain ranges sculpted²⁹ from ice (they also acted as patrons to the polymath Bernardo Buontalenti, the pioneer of modern-day ice-cream).

冰块因为又重又极易融化，运输成本高，所以长期以来除了最富有的人之外，冰块对于其他人来说都是难以企及的奢侈品。古代的统治者将冰作为身份的象征：在中国东周时期，有一个由94人组成的"冰务”小组随时准备处理从冰冻饮料到冰冻尸体等任何可能发生的与冰有关的事情。普林尼将冰桶的发明归功于尼禄皇帝，即一种冷藏葡萄酒的方法，用冰桶储存的葡萄酒无需用放在难闻的稻草里或布里的冰块进行稀释。在17世纪的佛罗伦萨，美第奇家族会精心策划以冰雕的陡峭山脉为特色的盛宴（他们也是现代冰淇淋先驱、博学的伯纳多·布翁塔伦蒂的赞助人）。

1 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

2 perishable   

adj.（尤指食物）易腐的，易坏的

参考例句：

• Many fresh foods are highly perishable.许多新鲜食物都极易腐败。
• Fruits are perishable in transit.水果在运送时容易腐烂。

3 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。

4 premium   

n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；售价高的

参考例句：

• You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外费用。
• Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。

5 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

6 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

7 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

8 chaste   

adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的

参考例句：

• Comparatively speaking,I like chaste poetry better.相比较而言，我更喜欢朴实无华的诗。
• Tess was a chaste young girl.苔丝是一个善良的少女。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

11 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

12 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

13 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

14 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

15 agitate   

vi.(for,against)煽动，鼓动；vt.搅动

参考例句：

• They sent agents to agitate the local people.他们派遣情报人员煽动当地的民众。
• All you need to do is gently agitate the water with a finger or paintbrush.你只需要用手指或刷子轻轻地搅动水。

16 chafe   

v.擦伤；冲洗；惹怒

参考例句：

• The foaming waves chafe against the rocky shore.汹涌的波涛猛烈地冲击着礁岸。
• A stiff collar may chafe your neck.硬的衣领会擦伤你的脖子。

17 puddle   

n.(雨)水坑，泥潭

参考例句：

• The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
• She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。

18 postpone   

v.延期，推迟

参考例句：

• I shall postpone making a decision till I learn full particulars.在未获悉详情之前我得从缓作出决定。
• She decided to postpone the converastion for that evening.她决定当天晚上把谈话搁一搁。

19 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

20 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

21 icebergs   

n.冰山，流冰( iceberg的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The drift of the icebergs in the sea endangers the ships. 海上冰山的漂流危及船只的安全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The icebergs towered above them. 冰山高耸于他们上方。 来自辞典例句

22 hoard   

n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积

参考例句：

• They have a hoard of food in the basement.地下室里有他们贮藏的食物。
• How many curios do you hoard in your study?你在你书房里聚藏了多少古玩？

23 potentates   

n.君主，统治者( potentate的名词复数 )；有权势的人

参考例句：

• Among high-fashion potentates, Arnault has taken an early lead on the Internet. 在高级时装大亨中，阿诺尔特在互联网方面同样走在了前面。 来自互联网

24 flaunted   

v.炫耀，夸耀( flaunt的过去式和过去分词 )；有什么能耐就施展出来

参考例句：

• She flaunted the school rules by not wearing the proper uniform. 她不穿规定的校服，以示对校规的藐视。 来自互联网
• Ember burning with reeds flaunted to the blue sky. 芦苇燃烧成灰烬，撒向蔚蓝的苍穹。 来自互联网

25 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

26 corpses   

n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

27 diluting   

稀释，冲淡( dilute的现在分词 )； 削弱，使降低效果

参考例句：

• A companion would have been a distraction, diluting the pathos of the moment. 要是有一个伴侣在旁就会分散我的注意，冲淡此时此刻的哀婉之情。
• Diluting agent has certain transparency for ink multi-color overprint. 冲淡剂具有必定的透明量，适分油不朱的众色叠印。

28 pungent   

adj.（气味、味道）刺激性的，辛辣的；尖锐的

参考例句：

• The article is written in a pungent style.文章写得泼辣。
• Its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hideouts.它的刺激性气味会令恐怖分子窒息，迫使他们从藏身地点逃脱出来。

29 sculpted   

adj.经雕塑的

参考例句：

• a display of animals sculpted in ice 冰雕动物展
• The ladies had their hair sculpted by the leading coiffeur of the day. 女士们的发型都是当代有名的理发师做的。