600英镑高跟鞋："和运动鞋一样舒适"

 　　Towering stilettos may be the height of fashion – but coping with the pain and discomfort¹ they cause can be a tall order, as millions of women will testify.

　　穿上细高跟鞋可谓登上时尚的顶峰了——但数百万女同胞们可以证明，要忍受穿上它的疼痛与不适太难了。

　　Now, though, one entrepreneur claims she has finally found the formula for high heels that are as comfortable as trainers.

　　尽管如此，如今一家公司声称他们终于找到了高跟鞋设计的最佳方案，穿上它就和穿运动鞋一样舒适。

　　Dolly Singh, a former executive with a US space transport company, called on experts including a rocket scientist, an astronaut and an orthopaedic surgeon to help her create the ultimate comfy heels using hi-tech plastics.

　　多莉·辛格（Dolly Singh）是一名美国宇航运输公司的前总监。她召集了包括一名火箭科学家、一名宇航员和一名矫形外科医生在内的专家团队，来协助她设计出这双高科技塑料制成的终极舒适的高跟鞋。

　　Ms Singh managed to convince the scientists to tackle it as a 'serious engineering problem' and their first pair of stilettoes is due to go on sale in a few months' time.

　　辛格女士成功说服这些科学家把其当成一个"严肃的工程问题"。他们研制出来的第一款细高跟鞋将在未来几个月开售。

　　和运动鞋一样舒适

　　Unlike traditional stilettoes, which are based on a metal foot plate and rod for a heel, the Thesis Couture shoes are made of high-tech² plastics and polymers.

　　与金属鞋底、鞋跟的传统高跟鞋不同，这款Thesis Couture高跟鞋是由高科技塑料和高分子聚合物制成的。

　　Designed to distribute the wearer's body weight from heel to toe, aerospace-grade foams³ in the sole reduce the impact of each step on the foot by up to 50 per cent.

　　该设计将身体的重量从脚跟分散到脚趾，鞋底运用宇航级别的泡沫减少走路给脚带来的一半压力。

　　But such functional⁴ fashion does come at a price – up to ?600 a pair, to be precise.

　　但是这种功能性的时尚女鞋售价，准确地说来，每双至少600英镑。

　　The first shoes, with heels around three inches high, are expected to go on sale in the autumn.

　　第一款鞋子的鞋跟有3英寸之高，预计在今秋开售。

　　Ms Singh admits they will not have exactly the same feeling as 'tennis shoes', but believes women will find them dramatically more comfortable.

　　辛格女士承认鞋子不可能穿起来完全像双"网球鞋"，但女士们会发现它们好穿得不敢想象。

　　She said: 'It's really important for comfortable and sexy to work together.'

　　她说："舒适和性感兼得很重要。"

　　Ms Singh formed Thesis Couture after convincing scientists to treat the 'fluffy⁵' subject as a 'serious engineering problem'.

　　辛格女士在说服科学家把"消遣"的东西当作"严肃的工程问题"后造出了这款Thesis Couture鞋。

　　'The key was to make it an interesting problem in their language,' Ms Singh said.

　　"关键是要化为他们感兴趣的课题，"辛格女士说道。

　　'Asking them to design a high heel isn't interesting. But asking them to design a structure that supports a secondary structure, which is dynamic and has a 180-degree range of motion and happens to be a human body? That's interesting.

　　"要是请他们设计一双高跟鞋并不吸引他们。但是要是问他们设计一种支撑第二层结构的构造、要灵动、有180度的移动范围，且支撑的恰好是个人体结构？那就有意思了。

　　'I had to make them see it not as a fluffy problem, but as a serious engineering problem.'

　　"我得让他们认为这不是消遣的事，而是个严肃的工程问题。"

　　Her team included British orthopaedic surgeon Andy Goldberg, a virtual reality firm and a 'fashion technologist'.

　　她的团队包括一名英国矫形外科医生安迪·戈德堡(Andy Goldberg)、一个虚拟现实公司，以及一个"时尚设计师"。

　　The shoe's structure will be made in Singapore, with its exterior⁶ crafted in Italy and Brazil.

　　鞋子的框架将在新加坡完成，而外壳是在意大利和巴西完成。

　　'I've loved high heels ever since I was young, but as I got older I began to love them less.

　　"我年轻时就爱高跟鞋，但随着年龄增长，我就没那么喜欢穿高跟鞋了。"

　　'I found myself in a position where I had two choices: I could either downgrade my shoes and have uglier shoes, or I could keep wearing my really pretty shoes and I would end up with ugly, deformed⁷ feet.

　　"我觉得我有两个选择：要么选择矮跟的丑鞋，要么继续穿美美的鞋，然后有一双丑陋变形的脚。"

　　'It got to a point that this became an important enough problem in my life where I thought don't complain, do something.

　　"我后来意识到这是我人生中的一个重要问题，不能只抱怨，要有解决方法。"

　　'Millions of women for hundreds of years have been wearing the same crappy internal architecture for a long time, so it takes an outside force to prioritise and say actually consumers will reward this and will think it's important if we create it.'

　　"数百万女性们几百年来长期穿着一样蹩脚的内部构造，因此需要外力的推动才能让人们重视这个问题。如果我们造出了这样的鞋子，顾客们会真心感激的。"

　　The skeleton of the shoes are due to be manufactured in Singapore and the fashionable outer skin made in Italy and Brazil.

　　鞋子的框架将在新加坡制造，而时尚的外观会在意大利和巴西完成。

　　Initially⁸, 1,500 limited edition pairs will be sold in the autumn for ?610, with each numbered and signed by a guest fashion designer.

　　在意大利，1500双限量版高跟鞋将在今年秋天发售，售价为610英镑。每双鞋子都有编号，上面还有一名时尚设计顾问的签名。

　　A few dozen pairs will also be sent to celebrities⁹ and VIPs.

　　数十双鞋将会被送到名人和贵宾手中。

　　Ms Singh said, following the launch, the shoes will be marketed at professional women and pairs will cost between ?200 and ?600 each.

　　辛格女士说，首发之后，鞋子将针对职业女性进行营销。每双售价为200至600英镑。

　　But her ultimate goal is to license¹⁰ the company's technology to other brands.

　　但她的终极目标是让公司的这项技术推广到其它牌子。

　　'Five years from now I want every high heel on the face of the Earth to be made the way we make them,' Ms Singh said.

　　"五年后，我想让地球上所有高跟鞋都按照我们的方式制造。"辛格女士说道。

　　Vocabulary

　　stiletto: 细高跟鞋

　　trainer: 软运动鞋；跑鞋

　　orthopaedic: 整形外科的

　　polymer: （高分子）聚合物

　　fluffy: 琐屑的；空洞的，无内容的

1 discomfort   

n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便

参考例句：

• One has to bear a little discomfort while travelling.旅行中总要忍受一点不便。
• She turned red with discomfort when the teacher spoke.老师讲话时她不好意思地红着脸。

2 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

3 foams   

n.泡沫，泡沫材料( foam的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sea water foams under the bow. 海水在船首下面泛起浪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The meter handles gases, liquids, foams, and slurries. 这流量计可以处理气体，液体，泡沫状物和稀浆等。 来自辞典例句

4 functional   

adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的

参考例句：

• The telephone was out of order,but is functional now.电话刚才坏了，但现在可以用了。
• The furniture is not fancy,just functional.这些家具不是摆着好看的，只是为了实用。

5 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。

6 exterior   

adj.外部的，外在的；表面的

参考例句：

• The seed has a hard exterior covering.这种子外壳很硬。
• We are painting the exterior wall of the house.我们正在给房子的外墙涂漆。

7 deformed   

adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的

参考例句：

• He was born with a deformed right leg.他出生时右腿畸形。
• His body was deformed by leprosy.他的身体因为麻风病变形了。

8 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

9 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

10 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。