Language Point 1
During a typical 30-minute shopping trip down the aisles of an average American supermarket, a bewildering array of about 30,000 products compete for your attention. (Para. 1)
Meaning: A puzzling display of about 30,000 products competes for your attention during a common/casual 30-minute shopping trip to an ordinary American supermarket.
average: a. like most of the others
At about seven months of age the average baby is quite skilled at removing obstacles away to reach something behind it. 在大约七个月时，婴儿通常就能熟练地移开障碍物，伸手去拿其后面的东西。
bewildering: a. confusing because the range of things is very large and offers many choices
There is a bewildering variety of roses to choose from; the roses presented in our shop suit every taste and purpose. 可供选择的玫瑰品种多得令人眼花缭乱, 我们店里的玫瑰可以满足各种品位和目的。
compete for: strive consciously or unconsciously for an objective (as position, profit, or a prize); try to get sth. that other people also want to have
The TV stations are competing for the “Top Ten” across the whole country. 各家电视台正为入选全国“十佳”而激烈竞争。
Three candidates are competing for the favor of the boss in order to take that challenging vacancy, but all in vain. 为了得到这一具有挑战性的职位，三个候选人竞相获取老板的欢心，但都是徒劳。
Language Point 2
How? Packaging—a silent but nevertheless convincing salesman. (Para. 1)
Meaning: How is it that you believe the products are worth a try? That is because their packaging is a silent but persuasive salesman.
Note:
1) “How?” is an elliptical sentence for “How is it that...”.
2) Packaging is compared to a salesman; this is an example of metaphor.
convincing: a. persuasive; eloquent
Last night the president delivered a convincing speech. 昨晚总统发表了令人信服的演讲。
Language Point 3
Each box, jar, and squeeze bottle; each can, bag, and tube has been carefully designed to speak to your inner self. (Para. 2)
Meaning: Experts have carefully designed each box, jar, and squeeze bottle, every can, bag and tube to speak to your inner world.
Note:
1) The figure of speech used in the sentence is personification. Here the box, jar, squeezed bottle, can, bag and tube are taken as someone who can speak to you.
2) inner self: In the second but last paragraph of the text, the author uses “inner mind”, which means the same. Both the two terms, therefore, are similar to deep wants or desires.
Language Point 4
Are you a good parent? Do you care about the environment? Do you want more glamour in your life? Wouldn't you really like something chocolate? (Para. 2)
Meaning: You're a good parent. You care about the environment. You like your life to be a little more glamorous. And you really like something chocolate. So buy the products.
Note: Here we have rhetorical questions, which are asked only for dramatic effect and not to seek answers. People use the yes/no-question form to express a strong feeling, opinion or impression.
More examples:
Isn't that an ugly building?
Don't you ever get upset?
Does nothing ever worry you?
Sometimes we also have a positive rhetorical question:
“How much?” —“A hundred million.” —“Are you crazy?”
Language Point 5
Every detail has been carefully considered, revised and tested on simulated store shelves. (Para. 3)
Meaning: People have carefully considered, revised and tested every detail on shelves that give the effect or appearance of real store shelves.
Language Point 6
Design details are measured in millimeters, for the designers want you to see far more than a container and a label. (Para. 3)
Meaning: They have measured the tiniest details so that you won't think of it just as a container or a label.
Language Point 7
You are buying a personality, an attitude, perhaps even a set of beliefs. (Para. 3)
Meaning: When you buy, you do more than buying goods: through your purchase you are showing your appreciation for a personality, attitude or even a set of beliefs (presented by product designers).
Language Point 8
A forerunner in the study of people's emotional response to packages was Louis Cheskin, a specialist in the psychology of marketing who began his research in the 1930s. (Para. 4)
Meaning: The research of people's emotional response to packages was started by a marketing psychologist named Louis Cheskin in the 1930s.
Language Point 9
Then he asked his subjects which product they preferred, ...(Para. 4)
subject: n. a person or animal used in a medical or scientific experiment
The experiment is to study the effects of smoking, with mice as the subjects. 该实验以小鼠为实验对象，旨在研究吸烟的后果。
Language Point 10
Over 80 percent chose the product in the box with the circles; they believed the contents would be of higher quality. (Para. 4)
Meaning: More than 80% of the customers chose the boxes with the circles because they believed what was contained in the boxes decorated with circles would be of higher quality.
Language Point 11
I had to accept the fact that the majority of consumers... (Para. 5)
the majority of: most
Although the majority of people seem to prefer TV to radio, radio programs have their unique advantages. 虽然大多数人喜欢电视胜过收音机，但是收音机的节目有其独特的优势。
Language Point 12
...the majority of consumers transferred the sensation from the container to its contents. (Para. 5)
transfer... from... to...: move... from... to...
The head office of the company has been transferred from London to Shanghai. 公司总部已由伦敦迁至上海。
sensation: n.
1) (a) direct feeling, such as of heat or pain, coming from one of the five natural senses, esp. the sense of touch
The sensation of pain is a signal to the brain to act immediately to prevent the body from being hurt further. 疼痛的感觉是要大脑立即行动，防止身体受到进一步伤害的信号。
2) a physical feeling (usu. not knowing the cause and unwanted), such as discomfort, anxiety, pain or doubt
I felt a strange sensation in my stomach as I made my way down the sloping gangway. 我走向倾斜通道时隐约感到胃部不对劲儿。
Language Point 13
And there was another surprise: even after trying these identical products, people overwhelmingly preferred those in the package with the circles. (Para. 5)
Meaning: Another surprise after this choice-making experiment was that people always have an overwhelming preference for products packaged with circle designs.
Language Point 14
He found, for instance, that the look of the package has a gigantic impact on how biscuits taste or how soaps are perceived to clean. (Para. 6)
Meaning: One of his discoveries was that how well biscuits will taste and how well soaps will clean is greatly influenced by the appearance of the package!
Language Point 15
Cheskin named this phenomenon “sensation transfer”. It has since become the basis of packaging research. (Para. 6)
Meaning: Cheskin described this phenomenon as sensation being transferred from the outside packaging to the inside quality. His discoveries are now the basis of packaging research.
Language Point 16
Despite the fact that consumers are increasingly more sophisticated, Cheskin's original concept still works. (Para. 7)
Meaning: Though consumers are becoming more and more sophisticated, Cheskin's original theory is still effective today.
Language Point 17
A blind test of beers can be repeated over and over again, with a strong consensus about taste and quality. (Para. 7)
Meaning: There is a strong agreement on which beers taste better and have better quality when the people in the repeated test are not informed of what beers are tasted.
Note: “A blind test” is a test without telling the subjects what is being tested, not a test with the subjects blindfolded.
Language Point 18
But when the beer bottles are introduced beforehand, they change the way people taste the beer. (Para. 7)
Meaning: When the beer bottles are seen in advance, they change the way people taste the beer.
Language Point 19
One of the most dramatic versions of the Cheskin experiment involved a skin cream placed in packages with three different color schemes. (Para. 8)
Meaning: Perhaps one of the most exciting experiment by Cheskin was about a skin cream tested in packages with three different colors.
dramatic: a. exciting or impressive
His dramatic escape from the prison turned out to be a turning point in his life. 他从监狱戏剧性的逃跑后来证明是他人生的一个转折点。
involve: vt.
1) concern; be related to
The accident involved a truck and 2 people. 这件事故牵涉到一辆卡车和两个人。
2) include (sth.) as a necessary part of an event or situation
Clearly, science may involve not only careful observation but also a willingness to be creative. 显然，科学研究不仅仅需要仔细的观察，还要有创造性的愿望。
Language Point 20
The group testing the cream was told that three different formulas were under consideration, ... (Para. 8)
formula: n.
1) a list of the exact amounts of the ingredients for making sth., esp. medicine
The company announced that it was changing its soft-drink formula to make it sweeter. 该公司宣布，它正在改进其软饮料的配方，使其喝起来更甜。
2) a plan or method for doing sth. well
The formula for success in business, he said, is a willingness to take risks. 他说，商海中成功的秘诀在于甘冒风险。
Language Point 21
Several participants developed skin rashes after using it and had to consult doctors. (Para. 9)
Meaning: Some people even developed skin diseases after using the cream and had to be examined by doctors.
develop: vt. begin to be affected by a disease or medical condition
It seems that you have developed a cold. 看样子你患感冒了。
Language Point 22
Consumers generally do not differentiate between a product and its package. (Para. 9)
differentiate: v.
1) perceive/tell the difference between two or more things
It's the job of the medical examiner to differentiate between accidental death and murder. 搞清楚是意外死亡还是谋杀致死是医检者的工作。
The company does not differentiate between men and women—everyone has the opportunity to project him or herself. 该公司对男女员工一视同仁——每一个人都有机会表现自己。
2) (of a quality) make (sth.) different by (its) presence
What differentiates these two cars? 是什么使得这两种汽车有所区别？
Language Point 23
One leading package design firm has carried this principle to a money-making extreme: the firm designs packaging for products that do not yet exist. (Para. 10)
Meaning: The idea has been taken even further to the point of money making. One leading/influential firm designs packages for products that do not yet exist.
Language Point 24
The packaging is then tested and the marketing concept refined. (Para. 10)
Meaning: Packages are designed, tested and the market concept modified so that they will be ready to use on a future product.
Language Point 25
Only when it's clear that the company has a winner on its hands will it need to go to the expense of actually developing the product. (Para. 10)
Meaning: Only when the company is confident that the product can win at market will it then spend money developing it.
winner: n. sth. that is (expected to be) successful
That project's a real winner. 那个项目的确万无一失。
on one's hands: under one's care or management; under one's control
He has got so much money on his hands. 他有许多金钱可以自由支配。
go to the expense of: expend/spend money on
Nowadays people are often seduced in the supermarket and go to the expense of buying a lot of things that are neither needed nor practical. 现在，人们在超市中经常经不住诱惑，花钱买回许多既不需要又不实用的东西。
Language Point 26
A forthcoming product from a top chocolate company was developed in just this manner. (Para. 10)
Meaning: A leading chocolate company developed a product to be sold on the market just in this way.
Language Point 27
Color is also an integral part of packaging. (Para. 11)
Meaning: The colors used on a package are a key/essential/indispensable part of the success.
integral: a.
1) necessary or essential for completeness
He is our best friend, and is integral to our team. 他是我们最好的朋友，我们这个队离不开他。
2) whole; complete
The whole living quarter is characterized by integral design. 整个住宅区的设计是浑然一体的。
Language Point 28
Studies of eye movement have shown that color triggers the fastest response of any element of a package. (Para. 11)
Meaning: Eye movement studies have shown that different colors, among elements of package design, cause the quickest reaction from costumers.
Language Point 29
For decades the general arrangement on the label has stayed more or less the same: a horizontal array of tomatoes, surrounded by leaves and highlighted with vertical carrots. (Para. 12)
Meaning: For decades the general design on the label has remained unchanged: a row of tomatoes, surrounded by leaves and made prominent by carrots that stand upright.
highlight: v. emphasize; make prominent; attract attention to
The TV interview highlights the need for increased investment in the anti-poverty campaign. 电视访谈强调了扶贫中增加投资的必要性。
n. the best, most important, or most interesting part
The highlight of our trip to New York was the hour spent at the top of the Empire State Building. 我们的纽约之旅的最精彩部分是登上帝国大厦顶层的那一个小时。
The highlights of the match will be shown on TV tonight. 比赛的最精彩部分将于今晚在电视上播出。
Language Point 30
What you might not notice but will probably feel, is the intensity of the vegetables' colors. (Para. 12)
Meaning: Although you may not pay any attention to the intensity of the vegetables' colors, you will probably feel their influence upon you.
Language Point 31
This gives the vegetables a color that dazzles the eye; thus, the vegetables are strongly compelling. (Para. 13)
Meaning: That way, the product packaging color dazzles people's eyes, and so makes the vegetables look more attractive.
dazzle: vt.
1) blind (sb.) briefly with too much light
I did not switch on the light in case it should dazzle her. 我没有开灯，免得她感到刺眼。
2) (fig.) impress deeply
In the year in which they met, 1954, Layton had two books of poetry published—and Leonard was dazzled by the man's prolific genius. 他俩于1954年认识，那年，莱顿出版了两部诗集，伦纳德对他的多才多艺赞叹不已。
In fact it has been a dazzling success, by almost every measure. 无论怎么看，这都是巨大的成功。
compelling: a. convincing; persuasive
His account of her life is one of the most compelling books about how a girl of humble origin becomes a pop star. 他将她的生活写成了书，叙述了一个出身卑微的女孩如何成长为明星的过程，本书是同类作品中最令人信服的作品之一。
Language Point 32
But as Cheskin's early experiment proved, just because people can see triangles doesn't mean they like them. (Para. 14)
Meaning: However, that triangles catch people's attention does not necessarily mean that people like triangles, and this was proved by Chestion's early experiment.
Language Point 33
And color presents a similar dilemma. (Para. 14)
Meaning: The same is true of colors: that some colors catch people's attention does not mean that people like them.
Language Point 34
Cheskin thought that the most noticeable color was yellow, which for some products has negative associations and in other cases may just be irritating. (Para. 14)
Meaning: Just as Cheskin believed, perhaps the most noticeable color of all was yellow. However, yellow might have a negative impact for some products, and it might just make people feel annoyed!
Language Point 35
As you walk around a store, you'll see a great many eye-catching, pointy, explosive masculine graphic elements on packages, often in bright yellow. (Para. 15)
Meaning: People can see during their walk around a store that there are many attractive, pointed and explosive-looking masculine features on some packages that are in bright yellow.
Language Point 36
These harsh shapes get attention. (Para. 15)
Meaning: The distinct shapes do get the customers' attention.
Language Point 37
These kindly messages are what consumers consider when deciding whether to bring the product home. (Para. 15)
Meaning: It's the friendly messages like those that encourage people to buy the products.
Language Point 38
Feminine forms—circles and ovals that denote completeness, softness and inclusiveness—provide the fundamental themes for packages, because these forms have the most positive associations. (Para. 16)
Meaning: Circles and ovals which have meanings of softness and being complete, are described as feminine shapes and these make up the essential/fundamental themes to have the most positive associations in the customers.
Language Point 39
But to work well, they must also be modified with some other symbol. (Para. 16)
Meaning: If the shapes are going to work/to be effective, they have to be contrasted with/backed up with a different design of some sort.
modify: vt. change sth. slightly in order to improve it or make it less extreme
A variety of schools are taking effective measures to modify their curriculum. 各类学校正采取有效措施改进课程设置。
Language Point 40
Thus, circles are played against rectangular shapes or bold lettering: the oval of one company's trademark is split by a torch and filled with the company's name. (Para. 16)
Meaning: That's why the circles might be contrasted with rectangular shapes and bold lettering. For instance, the oval shape of the company's trademark might be the background for a torch and filled with the company's name.
Language Point 41
...people have instinctive responses to colors and shapes. (Para. 17)
instinctive: based on instinct, i.e. natural feeling rather than reasoning
Many Americans seem to have an instinctive dislike of authority. 许多美国人似乎对权威有本能的反感。
Language Point 42
But just how these responses initiate the purchase of a box of pudding mix or a jar of skin cream is not well understood. (Para. 17)
Meaning: Nevertheless, it's still not well understood how the colors and shapes on a box of pudding mix, a jar of skin cream or any other products encourage people to buy them.
Language Point 43
“I can't ask you why you like a certain package,” says a marketing consultant, “and you can't tell me. The package is not silent. It screams — but it screams to your inner mind.” (Para. 17)
Meaning: One marketing consultant says it this way, “I can't ask you why you like a certain package, and you can't tell me the reason. The package is not silent. It screams — but it screams to your inner mind/world.”
Language Point 44
The consultant argues that people know, on some level, that the purchases they make will not fulfill their deepest wants. (Para. 18)
Meaning: The consultant claims that on some deep level of the mind, people know that the items they buy will not meet their deepest desires.
Language Point 45
...the deficiencies we feel in ourselves. (Para. 18)
deficiency: n. state of lacking sth. essential
Calcium deficiency is common among children. 缺钙现象在儿童中很常见。
