第64章 revamp ri'vmp vt. 改进

What John Lewis's turnaround says about the British high street

The chain has arrested its decline by closing stores and diversifying its busines.

Britain lacks a direct parallel to America's Super Bowl mercials， but if you had to pick one， it would probably be the John Lewis Christmas advert. Each year， over the course of a two- or three-minute video， a monster， a dragon or a man on the moon is taught the meaning of Christmas， usually by small children or animals. The nation either weeps or carps that the wrong song was used for the soundtrack. And the John Lewis Partnership—which runs John Lewis， a department-store chain that sells everything from board games to bathroom fittings， and Waitrose， a posh supermarket—is reaffirmed as having a special place in middle-class Britain's collective consciousness.

And the John Lewis Partnership—which runs John Lewis， a department-store chain that sells everything from board games to bathroom fittings， and Waitrose， a posh supermarket—is reaffirmed as having a special place in middle-class Britain's collective consciousness.

而约翰-刘易斯合伙公司--它经营着约翰-刘易斯（John Lewis）--一家从棋盘游戏到浴室设备都卖的百货连锁店，以及怀特罗斯（Waitrose）--一家高档超市--被再次确认为在英国中产阶级的集体记忆中具有特殊地位。

句子主干是：And the John Lewis Partnership is reaffirmed as having a special place.

which runs John Lewis...and Waitrose...这一部分是定语从句，修饰前面的 the John Lewis Partnership， John Lewis以及Waitrose这两部分是并列的。a department-store chain that sells everything from board games to bathroom fittings是同位语，修饰John Lewis，a posh supermarket也是同位语，修饰前面的Waitrose。

?【词汇难点】

cuddly /'k?dl?/ adj.可爱的

conceive /k?n'si?v/ v.构想

antidote /'?nt?d??t/ n.解药

sentiment /'sent?m(?)nt/ n.情绪

fete /fe?t/ v.赞誉

deputy /'depj?t?/ n.副职

dub /d?b/ v.把…称作

council /'ka?ns(?)l/ n.委员会

dismiss /d?s'm?s/ vt.解职

cut-throat /k?tθr?ut/ adj.激烈竞争的

regulator /'regj?le?t?/ n.监管者

rein /re?n/ n.缰绳，控制权

underlying /?nd?'la???/ adj.根本的

revamp /ri?'v?mp/ vt.改进

【译文】

约翰-刘易斯(John Spedan Lewis)在1928年构想了一个令人感到亲切的资本主义模式，用于对抗对日益高涨的共产主义情绪，这一模式曾经受到过类似的热烈追捧。2012年，它被当时的副首相尼克-克莱格爵士吹捧为英国经济的典范。雇员们被称为“合伙人“，企业将利润的一部分作为年度奖金支付，并给予慷慨的福利；他们每三年选举一次“合伙人委员会“，有权解雇主席。但投资公司Shore Capital的克莱夫-布莱克（Clive Black）说，到了2020年，甚至在疫情让商业街关闭之前，残酷的在线竞争和多年的利润下降已经使这种模式受到威胁。通信监管机构Of的前老板莎伦?怀特女士在2020年2月接管了约翰-刘易斯合伙公司。两年过去了，情况正在好转：基本利润再次攀升。改革后的业务反映了英国商业街的变化：更多的网上业务，更多的成本意识和热衷于多元化。