BBC报道宝马Mini事件

今天，MINI中国再次就上海车展冰淇凌发放事件郑重道歉。

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the main focus of this article?

A) The Shanghai Auto Show

B) Mini China's distribution of ice cream

C) Racism accusations against car companies in China

D) The negative impact of social media on businesses

2. How did Mini China respond to the accusations of racism?

A) Denying any wrongdoing and blaming employees for the incident

B) Arguing that they only gave ice cream to company employees

C) Admitting to lapses in management and training and apologizing for the incident

D) Defending their actions as being intended to give "sweetness to friends big and small"

A) That it was a question of principle

B) That it was an ideological issue

C) That it should be treated reasonably and without excessive magnification

D) That other vendors should not follow Mini's example

无注释原文：

Shanghai Auto Show: Mini responds to Chinese ice cream racism uproar

From: BBC

UK-based carmaker Mini has responded to an internet uproar in China accusing it of racism at the Shanghai Auto Show.

A video from the event appeared to show Mini staff offering ice cream to foreigners while refusing to give it to Chinese visitors.

Mini China, which is owned by Germany's BMW, said the workers were distributing the treats to company employees.

However, it also said that it was "deeply sorry for the negative mood the incident brought on everyone".

In a statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Mini China said it had given out a total of 600 ice creams during show on 18 and 19 April.

"In addition to distributing 300 portions of ice cream per day, we also reserved a very small portion for our hardworking colleagues on-site," Mini China said.

"The four to five foreigners you see in the video are colleagues who are wearing employee badges," it added.

The company also said the incident resulted from lapses in management and training, and called for consideration towards staff in the video.

In an earlier statement, Mini China said the giveaway was "intended to give sweetness to friends big and small".

BMW did not immediately respond to a BBC request for further comment on Friday.

The topic "BMW Mini" quickly became one of the top searches on Weibo, with over 93 million views.

The comments were largely negative. "You should have specified that the initial purpose was to give 'foreign' big and small friends sweetness," said a post that drew more than 165,000 likes.

"I feel ashamed as a Mini owner," said another user.

The incident spurred one vlogger to give out ice cream in front of Mini's auto show booth.

"I was just angry, and I only gave it to Chinese people," he told Chinese media outlet Jimu News.

However, other social media users called for calm. "Let's treat this reasonable. No matter what type of explanation [Mini gives], there are always going to be people who disagree," said a post that drew several negative reactions.

"We shouldn't excessively magnify a problem to become a question of principle or an ideological issue," wrote Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of state-owned newspaper Global Times.

"Let the staff learn their lessons and let their future events return to normal as much as possible. Let's avoid other vendors getting nervous because of this," he added.

Last week, French luxury label Dior was also accused of racism on Chinese social media over an advertisement showing an Asian model pulling up the corner of her eye.

The picture, promoting Dior's new makeup collection, was swiftly taken down.

This was not the first time Dior has been caught up in controversy in China, one of its biggest markets.

In 2022, it was accused of "culturally appropriating" a Chinese traditional design for one of its skirts.

Earlier that year, a Chinese snack brand also drew criticism for using a model with narrow eyes in its advertisements.

- ◆ -

注：中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Shanghai Auto Show: Mini responds to Chinese ice cream racism uproar

From: BBC

UK-based carmaker Mini has responded to an internet uproar in China accusing it of racism at the Shanghai Auto Show.

总部位于英国的汽车制造商MINI回应了中国互联网上对其在上海车展上种族歧视的指责。

表示“骚动；怨愤；喧嚣；嘈杂；吵闹”，英文解释为“a situation in which there is a lot of public criticism and angry argument about sth that sb has said or done”举个🌰：The article caused (an) uproar. 这篇文章引起了轩然大波。

racism /ˈreɪ.sɪ.zəm/ 表示“种族主义；种族歧视，种族迫害”，英文解释为“the belief that people's qualities are influenced by their race and that the members of other races are not as good as the members of your own, or the resulting unfair treatment of members of other races”

A video from the event appeared to show Mini staff offering ice cream to foreigners while refusing to give it to Chinese visitors.

现场视频显示，MINI工作人员拒绝向中国参展者提供冰淇凌，却提供给外国人。

Mini China, which is owned by Germany's BMW, said the workers were distributing the treats to company employees.

德国宝马（BMW）旗下的MINI中国表示，这些工作人员是在向公司员工分发冰淇凌。

distribute /dɪˈstrɪb.juːt/ 表示“分发，散发；分配”，英文解释为“to give something out to several people, or to spread or supply something”举个🌰：The books will be distributed free to local schools. 这些书将免费发放给当地学校。

作名词，表示“乐事；享受；特别款待”，英文解释为“a special and enjoyable occasion or experience”举个🌰：As a special treat, I'll take you to my favourite restaurant. 我要带你到我最喜欢的餐馆去，这是个特别待遇。

However, it also said that it was "deeply sorry for the negative mood the incident brought on everyone".

然而，该公司也表示，“对给大家带来的负面体验和心情，我们再次深深地表示歉意。”

In a statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Mini China said it had given out a total of 600 ice creams during show on 18 and 19 April.

在中国社交媒体平台微博上发布的一份声明中，MINI中国表示，在4月18日和19日的展会上，共发放了600份冰淇淋。

"In addition to distributing 300 portions of ice cream per day, we also reserved a very small portion for our hardworking colleagues on-site," Mini China said.

“除了每天300份的发放外，我们还预留了非常少的一部分给我们现场非常辛苦的同事，”MINI中国称。

portion /ˈpɔː.ʃən/ 1）表示“一部分；一份”，英文解释为“a part or share of something larger”举个🌰：A large/major portion of the company's profit goes straight back into new projects. 公司利润的一大部分/主要部分又直接投入了新的项目。

2）表示“（食物的）一份，一客”，英文解释为“the amount of a particular food that is served to one person, especially in a restaurant or a shop that sells food ready to be eaten”举个🌰：The portions are very generous in this restaurant. 这家饭店每份菜量都很足。

📍宝马mini道歉文中，路透社（Reuters）用serving，表示该含义，原文：A person familiar with the matter said the booth had finished giving out 300 servings of ice cream meant for visitors when the incident occurred and the foreigner in the video was a BMW employee. 一名知情人士表示，事发时，该展位已经发放完300份为参展者准备的冰淇淋，视频中的外国人是宝马公司的员工。

📍serving /ˈsɜː.vɪŋ/ 作名词，表示“（供一人食用的）一份；一客”，英文解释为“an amount of one type of food that is given to one person”举个🌰：The quantities given in the recipe should be enough for four servings. 食谱上给出的量足够4个人吃。

作名词，表示“贮藏（物）；储备（物）；备用（物）”，英文解释为“the act of keeping something or a supply of something until it is needed, or a supply that you keep”举个🌰：She keeps a little money in reserve (= for use if and when needed). 她留下了一些钱以备不时之需。

作动词，表示“把…专门留给；把…留作；保留”，英文解释为“to keep something for a particular purpose or time”举个🌰：I reserve Mondays for tidying my desk and answering letters. 我把周一的时间留出来专门清理办公桌和回复信件。

表示“在工地的；在现场的”，英文解释为“existing or happening in the place where people are working or involved in a particular activity”如：on-site facilities 现场设施。

"The four to five foreigners you see in the video are colleagues who are wearing employee badges," it added.

“大家视频里看到的4-5个‘老外’就是同事，他们佩戴了员工胸牌，”MINI中国补充道。

表示“徽章；像章；证章；纪念章 ”，英文解释为“a small piece of metal, plastic, cloth, etc., with words or a picture on it, that you carry with you or that is fastened or sewn to your clothing, often to show your support for a political organization or belief, or to show who you are, your rank, or that you are a member of a group, etc.”

The company also said the incident resulted from lapses in management and training, and called for consideration towards staff in the video.

该公司还表示，该事件是由于流程的疏忽和管理的不细致，并呼吁给视频中的工作人员多点宽容。

lapse /læps/ 1）表示“过失，小失误”，英文解释为“a temporary failure”，如：a lapse of concentration 走神，a memory lapse 一时想不起来，举个🌰：The management's decision to ignore the safety warnings demonstrated a remarkable lapse of judgment. 管理层作出的对安全警告不予理会的决定是决策上的明显失误。

2）表示“（两件事之间的）间隔时间”，英文解释为“a period of time passing between two things happening”如：a time lapse/a lapse of time 时间间隔。

In an earlier statement, Mini China said the giveaway was "intended to give sweetness to friends big and small".

在早些时候的一份声明中，MINI中国表示，此次赠品“旨在给大小朋友送上一份甜蜜”。

一般用giveaway表示“（给顾客的）赠品；（公司为推销产品搭送的）随赠品”，英文解释为“something that is given free to a customer；something that a company gives free, usually with sth else that is for sale”

BMW did not immediately respond to a BBC request for further comment on Friday.

周五，宝马公司没有立即回应英国广播公司（BBC）的进一步置评请求。

The topic "BMW Mini" quickly became one of the top searches on Weibo, with over 93 million views.

“宝马MINI”迅速成为微博上的热门话题之一，浏览量超过9300万。

The comments were largely negative. "You should have specified that the initial purpose was to give 'foreign' big and small friends sweetness," said a post that drew more than 165,000 likes.

评论大多是负面的。“活动本意是给逛展的大小‘外国’朋友送上一份甜蜜，请写明确一些，”一条获得了16.5万多赞的评论写道。

表示“具体说明；明确指出”，英文解释为“to explain or describe something clearly and exactly”举个🌰：He said we should meet but didn't specify a time. 他说我们应该见见面，但没说具体时间。

"I feel ashamed as a Mini owner," said another user.

“作为MINI车主，我感到羞愧，”另一位用户说。

The incident spurred one vlogger to give out ice cream in front of Mini's auto show booth.

这一事件促使一名视频博主在MINI展台前分发冰淇淋。

spur表示“鼓动；激励；鞭策；刺激；鼓舞”，英文解释为“If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.”举个🌰：It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats. 是金钱驱使这些渔民驾驶单薄的小船冒险出海远航。

🎬电影《龙之心3：巫师的诅咒》（Dragonheart 3: The Sorcerer's Curse）中的台词提到：To spur the clans to war. 激励部族发起战争。

"I was just angry, and I only gave it to Chinese people," he told Chinese media outlet Jimu News.

“就是很气愤，而且我只发给中国人，”他告诉中国媒体极目新闻。

outlet/outlets一词经常出现，media outlet / news outlets 都可以表示媒体/新闻机构；outlet本身表示“商店，商行；销售公司；专卖店；直销店”，英文解释为“An outlet is a shop or organization which sells the goods made by a particular manufacturer or at a discount price, often direct from the manufacturer.”如：a fast-food outlet 快餐店 a retail outlet 零售店，举个🌰：At the factory outlet you'll find discounted items at up to 75% off regular prices. 在工厂的直销店里，你会找到比常规价低75%的打折商品。

📍而我们日常生活中常见的“奥特莱斯”商场就是outlets的音译，指的就是品牌直销购物中心。

此外，也可以指“（情绪或精力的）发泄方式，发泄途径，施展的机会”，英文解释为“a way in which emotion or energy can be expressed or made use of”举个🌰：Her work provided no outlet for her energies and talents. 她的工作没有给她提供发泄精力及施展才华的机会。

However, other social media users called for calm. "Let's treat this reasonable. No matter what type of explanation [Mini gives], there are always going to be people who disagree," said a post that drew several negative reactions.

然而，其他社交媒体用户呼吁保持冷静。“让我们理性对待此事。无论[MINI给出]什么样的解释，总会有人不满，”一篇引起几个负面评论的帖子写道。

"We shouldn't excessively magnify a problem to become a question of principle or an ideological issue," wrote Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of state-owned newspaper Global Times.

“我们不过度对事情上纲上线，不过度做道义追究，”国有报纸《环球时报》前总编辑胡锡进写道。

magnify /ˈmæɡ.nɪ.faɪ/ 1）表示“放大，扩大”，英文解释为“to make something look larger than it is, especially by looking at it through a lens”举个🌰：Although our skin looks smooth, when magnified it is full of bumps and holes. 我们的皮肤看上去很光滑，但放大后看却是坑坑洼洼的。

2）表示“加强，使（问题）更严重”，英文解释为“to make a problem bigger or more important”举个🌰：The hot summer magnified the racial tensions in the community. 炎热的夏日加深了社区的种族矛盾。

ideological /ˌaɪ.di.əˈlɒdʒ.ɪ.kəl/ 表示“思想体系上的，意识形态上的”，英文解释为“based on or relating to a particular set of ideas or beliefs”如：ideological differences 意识形态上的差异。

"Let the staff learn their lessons and let their future events return to normal as much as possible. Let's avoid other vendors getting nervous because of this," he added.

“给参展方和工作人员总结经验，（调整、完善接待工作应有的机会，）让他们之后的参展尽量恢复正常，也避免其他参展方产生连带紧张，”他补充道。

vendor /ˈven.dər/ 表示“小贩；摊主；卖主”，英文解释为“someone who is selling something”举个🌰：For the past few months she's been working as a street vendor, selling fruit and vegetables. 几个月以来，她一直在街头卖水果和蔬菜。

Last week, French luxury label Dior was also accused of racism on Chinese social media over an advertisement showing an Asian model pulling up the corner of her eye.

上周，法国奢侈品牌迪奥（Dior）也因一则广告展示一名亚洲模特“拉眼角”而在中国社交媒体上被指控种族主义。

表示“公司；品牌商品；公司名称；公司标志”，英文解释为“a company that produces goods for sale, the goods themselves, or the company's name or symbol”举个🌰：Her favourite designer label (= maker of expensive clothes) is Armani. 她最喜欢的服装品牌是阿玛尼。

📍此前，戳爷Troye Sivan被传已分手数月？文中就提到，Representatives for Sivan's label EMI declined to comment on rumours of a split. 戳爷的唱片公司EMI代表拒绝对分手传闻发表评论。label指的则是“唱片公司”，英文解释为“a company that produces and sells records, CDs, etc.”。

The picture, promoting Dior's new makeup collection, was swiftly taken down.

这张宣传迪奥新彩妆系列的照片很快被撤下。

make-up/makeup 表示“化妆品”，英文解释为“coloured substances used on your face to improve or change your appearance”举个🌰：I put on a little eye make-up. 我在眼部上了淡妆。

熟词僻义，1）表示“作品集”，英文解释为“a group of poems, stories or pieces of music published together as one book or disc”如：a collection of stories by women writers 女作家小说集。

2）表示“（常指同类的）收集物，收藏品”，英文解释为“a group of objects, often of the same sort, that have been collected”。

3）表示“（某位服装设计师的）一系列新装作品”，英文解释为“a range of new clothes produced by one clothes designer”如：the summer/winter collection 夏装/冬装系列。

This was not the first time Dior has been caught up in controversy in China, one of its biggest markets.

这并不是迪奥第一次在其最大的市场之一中国陷入争议。

表示“争议；争论；争辩”，英文解释为“a lot of disagreement or argument about something, usually because it affects or is important to many people”举个🌰：There was a big controversy surrounding/over the use of drugs in athletics. 体育界对使用违禁药物争议很大。

In 2022, it was accused of "culturally appropriating" a Chinese traditional design for one of its skirts.

2022年，该公司被指在一款裙子上“文化挪用”了中国传统设计。

cultural appropriation /ˌkʌl.tʃər.əl əˌprəʊ.priˈeɪ.ʃən/ 表示“文化挪用”，英文解释为“the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own, especially without showing that you understand or respect this culture”举个🌰：Some see his use of African music as cultural appropriation. 有人认为他对非洲音乐的使用是一种文化挪用。

Earlier that year, a Chinese snack brand also drew criticism for using a model with narrow eyes in its advertisements.

同年早些时候，一家中国零食品牌也因在广告中使用眯眼模特而受到批评。

- 今日要点 -

- 词汇盘点 -

- 词汇助记 By ChatGPT -