2006年VOA标准英语-Ice Cream Shop a Hit in Turin During Winte

By Parke Brewer¹
Turin
25 February 2006
 

Gelato shop counter in Turin  
  
One normally thinks of ice cream as a warm-weather treat. While the mountain venues² of the Winter Olympics have been cold and snowy, it's been above five degrees Celsius³ on most days in Turin for nearly the entire games. And that has meant many visitors to a popular gelato shop.

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As many people know, gelato is Italian for ice cream. And the best gelato, as reported by such Italian publications as Louis Vuitton Guide and La Repubblica, can be found in Turin in a little gelatoria near the main train station called Riva Reno.

It has been open less than a year under the guidance of Nicola and Ping Greco, a husband and wife team, who opened their first Riva Rena store in Milan.

Nicola is Italian and used to work in the auto⁴ industry. Ping is a Chinese-American, and a former Voice of America and BBC journalist who also decided⁵ to switch careers. "After I moved to Italy, I didn't speak a word of Italian and so I reinvented myself. Now I became a Gelato Woman," she said.

The Riva Reno gelato store in Turin has been getting a lot of Olympic visitors. NBC, the American television network broadcasting the Winter Games, did a special feature story on Riva Reno because of its fine reputation. And Ping says word began to spread.

"We have a sign on the door that says, 'Ice cream, the perfect source of energy.' So we hope that will attract athletes and non-athletes alike. And once they take our gelato, they will go to wherever they are from and say, 'My God! I have tasted the best gelato in my life!'," she said.

 
Nicola (left) and Ping Greco
  
Nicola Greco says Riva Reno's base products are made exclusively for their company. And when they make their gelato on premises⁶, they use a high tech scale, that displays the exact amount of the ingredients to be used.

"The scale has all the recipes in it and the recipes are controlled by our central headquarters, because this is a franchise⁷. So the scale has an Internet-based program, and we can basically check in everyplace where we have a Riva Reno franchise, each single flavor if it's made according to standards, standards that are contained in the scale," he said.

And those standards and quality are what have made Riva Reno so popular.

Two American men who stopped by during the Olympics praised the ice cream with remarks such as: "Superb. This is terrific." "It's creamier, the texture⁸ and the flavor." "It's much better than American ice cream. Seems richer."

The locals in Turin love it too, said one woman. "Well, it's not fake. You can feel the ingredients, like the fruits are special. It's not like those things you buy anywhere. It's really special."

Even in its short time in existence, Ping Greco says Riva Reno has already become a profitable gelato store. "I think that gelato of this quality does not exist anywhere else," she said.

And Ping and Nicola Greco might also say that the publicity⁹ their gelato has received during these Olympics has been somewhat like the chocolate syrup¹⁰ and cherry on top.

1 brewer   

n. 啤酒制造者

参考例句：

• Brewer is a very interesting man. 布鲁尔是一个很有趣的人。
• I decided to quit my job to become a brewer. 我决定辞职，做一名酿酒人。

2 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

4 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

5 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

6 premises   

n.建筑物，房屋

参考例句：

• According to the rules,no alcohol can be consumed on the premises.按照规定，场内不准饮酒。
• All repairs are done on the premises and not put out.全部修缮都在家里进行，不用送到外面去做。

7 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

8 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。

9 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

10 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。