英国的流行文化
Listen & Learn 听力Read & Translate 读译
Hello and welcome to Trend UK, your shortcut to popular culture from the British Council. In the next few minutes we’re going to be asking whether you’re after value for money when you’re shopping for fashion; or fashion that’s made with values. We’re all after a bargain on the high street. But how often do you stop to consider how some stores seem to stock low-cost/high fashion items quicker and more cheaply than others? Fulfilling our needs for fast fashion means increased production and competition in clothing made in countries with low-wage economies. Our reporter Mark has been to the high street to find out more.
Here in a typical British high street there are plenty of bargains to be had. Handbags at 3.99, T-shirts for a fiver and shoes for under a tenner - all roughly equivalent to the price of an everyday meal. But how many of the people shopping in this high street have stopped to think about how it’s possible to sell clothes so cheaply? Is it because some companies are turning a blind-eye to the exploitation in the countries where these items are made? Ruth Rothelson is an expert on ethical shopping from the Ethical Consumer Research Association, who amongst other things produced the magazine ‘Ethical Consumer’.
Ruth, just tell us what the Ethical Consumer Research Association is.
OK, well the Ethical Consumer Research Association exists to provide information for shoppers, letting them know what the companies are doing behind the brands that they see on the shelves.
So what makes an ethical shopper?
Very broadly speaking, people who are concerned about ethical issues want to know that the product they’re buying hasn’t been made at the expense of the people who are producing it, whether it’s in this country or abroad. They might also be concerned with other kinds of issues: whether the company is involved in armaments, or whether they’re donating money to certain political parties. And that as a shopper, you might not want to give your money to that party so therefore you might not want to buy a product from a company who is supporting a political party that you don’t agree with.
And is there any kind of rule of thumb? Is something that’s more expensive, for example, likely to be more ethical?
Unfortunately it isn’t always the case that the more expensive something is, the more ethical it is. We can buy very cheap products and it’s very likely that when products are cheap, something has suffered in order to get it to us. Whether it’s the person making it or the animals or the environment. Quality however, is often a good indicator whether something, especially with clothes, has been made well. And unfortunately a lot of ethical products will cost more because they reflect the real cost of bringing that thing into the shops. So something that has been made in a factory where the workers have been paid a proper wage will cost you more to buy, simply because the people making it are getting paid enough to live on.
Do you have to be well off then to be an ethical shopper?
It really depends. You don’t have to be rich to be an ethical shopper. One way of thinking about ethical shopping is thinking about buying less. Sometimes we buy an awful lot more than we need. We buy more items of clothing than we need. So being an ethical shopper really means thinking a bit before you go and spend your money in the shops. Some things may cost a little bit more in the short-run, but be worth it in the long-run. If you are paying for quality, something will last you longer and then save you money. And sometimes you can buy things second hand. There’s a lot of charity shops on the high street to buy, good clothes. Sometimes you can look a lot better than someone who’s just bought off the high street because you can have quite a unique look, and the quality that you find in most second hand shops is really very good these days. So it’s about thinking before you shop.
Thanks Ruth. Now among the shoppers here I’ve got Lauren and Bella. Starting with you Bella, would you consider shopping ethically?
Definitely for food. And clothing, well, when I buy clothes I wouldn’t want to think of them being made in a sweat shop.
Lauren you do shop ethically. But you’ve got a slightly different take on it haven’t you.
Yeah I suppose I shop ethically but my original thing for that was that I like to wear clothes that are different from everyone else. So I would start shopping for vintage clothes. So ethically, obviously they’re second hand so…also I buy a lot of clothes from market stalls, from fashion students maybe. So they’re all made here, so they would be made ethically as well.
Thanks Lauren, thanks Bella. Well it’s an interesting debate, and I’ll certainly be doing my clothes shopping with a little bit more care in future.
Our reporter Mark, out among the dedicated and ethical followers of fashion there. And that’s it for this time. Please remember that the opinions expressed in Trend UK are those of the individuals concerned, and not necessarily the views of the British Council. Don’t forget, you can find out what the British Council is doing on contemporary UK by using your local British Council Information Centre or by checking our website , that’s ishcouncil [all one word] . Just follow the links under ‘Contact Us’. And while you’re on the website you can also your English by checking out the words and phrases in the Trend UK online glossary. And tell us what you think by sending us a comment or voting in the online poll. But for now, from me and all the Trend UK Team, bye bye.
Tricky Words 生词
A fiver means 5 pounds sterling and a tenner of course is equal to 10 pounds.
Turning a blind eye is used to describe the process of ignoring unpopular orders or inconvenient facts or activities.
Ethical refers to something which is morally or socially acceptable.
Another word for weapons is armaments.
If you are well-off you have no financial worries and are moderately rich.
In the long run refers to a future time period usually in a business sense.
A charity shop is a shop that sells second-hand goods to raise money for charity.
-
农村文化建设调查报告通用
随着个人素质的提升,越来越多的事务都会使用到报告,多数报告都是在事情做完或发生后撰写的。为了让您不再为写报告头疼,下面是小编帮大家整理的农村文化建设调查报告通用,仅供参考,大家一起来看看吧。一、调查背景近年来,随着农村经济的快速发展,农村文化建设也逐渐受...
-
有关茶文化的诗句
在生活、工作和学习中,大家总免不了要接触或使用诗句吧,诗句通常按照诗文的格式体例,限定每句字数的多少。那什么样的诗句才是经典的呢?以下是小编精心整理的有关茶文化的诗句,供大家参考借鉴,希望可以帮助到有需要的朋友。有关茶文化的诗句11、丛老卷绿叶,枝枝相接连...
-
《文化苦旅》读书心得必备(11篇)
心中有不少心得体会时,可以通过写心得体会的方式将其记录下来,通过写心得体会,可以帮助我们总结积累经验。应该怎么写才合适呢?以下是小编精心整理的《文化苦旅》读书心得,欢迎大家借鉴与参考,希望对大家有所帮助。《文化苦旅》读书心得1喜欢读余秋雨先生的书,先生总...
-
科技文化节学生发言稿
在充满活力,日益开放的今天,我们总不得不需要用到发言稿,通过对发言稿语言的推究可以提高语言的表现力,增强语言的感染力。那么问题来了,到底应如何写好一份发言稿呢?以下是小编整理的科技文化节学生发言稿,欢迎阅读与收藏。科技文化节学生发言稿1老师们、同学们:为弘...