这根香蕉为什么值620万美元？

还记得这根香蕉吗？早在2019年，在美国巴塞尔艺术展（Art Basel）上，一根被胶带粘贴在墙上的香蕉卖出天价：12万美元就引发热议。

去年，韩国首尔Leeum美术馆内，首尔大学一名学生从美术馆墙上取下了这根用胶带粘在墙上展览的香蕉直接开吃。

近日，在苏富比拍卖行举行的拍卖会上，这根香蕉以520万美元的价格被拍卖，含佣金共计620余万美元。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. What is the author's likely perspective on the sale of "Comedian"?

A) Sceptical about the high value placed on conceptual art.

B) Supportive of the idea that conceptual art is a valid form of expression.

C) Amused by the absurdity of paying millions for a perishable object.

D) Neutral, simply reporting on the facts of the auction.

无注释原文：

Peeling the $6.2 Million Banana: An Auction Explainer

From: The New York Times

It wasn't just a banana. It was a banana with a back story.

The spectacle on Wednesday evening, when a Sotheby's auctioneer in Manhattan warned potential bidders not to let Maurizio Cattelan's fruity artwork “slip away,” ended with a duct-taped banana selling for an astonishing $6.2 million, with fees.

A crypto entrepreneur named Justin Sun placed the winning bid, adding Cattelan's 2019 conceptual artwork, titled “Comedian,” to the quirky collection he has amassed over the last few years that includes a Giacometti sculpture, a Picasso painting and a very expensive NFT of a pet rock.

But winning the auction is really just the beginning of the negotiations that will take place over the next month or so (a buyer typically has 30 days to pay, by which time the banana will inevitably blacken and rot). In a phone interview this week, Sun said that he intended to pay for the banana with his own invented cryptocurrency; however, Sotheby's might only accept payment through more popular forms of digital payment like Bitcoin or Ethereum.

Here are questions you might have after seeing the ultrarich wave millions around for a piece of fruit — one that might well spoil from its own success.

What does $6.2 million actually get you?

Contrary to the crypto entrepreneur's statement that he intended to “personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience,” it would be unlikely that the actual banana presented at Sotheby's would survive the plane ride to Hong Kong, even if refrigerated.

In fact, the duct-taped banana is only the physical representation of the conceptual artwork that Cattelan made for the 2019 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, where it was originally sold for between $120,000 and $150,000.

Conceptual artworks are essentially ideas. What the artist typically sells is a certificate of authenticity and list of instructions for owners about how to maintain or recreate their purchases. Cattelan made three editions of “Comedian.”

Once his payment has cleared with the auction house, Sun will likely inherit the surprisingly detailed, 14-page list of instructions with diagrams that Cattelan has provided other collectors of the banana, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which received a version of “Comedian” from an anonymous donor a few years ago.

The instructions include diagrams and an explanation of how the banana should be installed and displayed, including permission to replace the banana when it rots. Lena Stringari, the Guggenheim's chief conservator at the time, said the instructions were easy to follow; they suggested changing the banana every 7 to 10 days and affixing it about 5 feet 9 inches above the ground.

A fresh roll of silver duct tape is included.

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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时官方译文，仅供参考

- ◆ -

含注释全文：

Peeling the $6.2 Million Banana: An Auction Explainer

From: The New York Times

It wasn't just a banana. It was a banana with a back story.

这不仅是一根香蕉。这是一根有故事的香蕉。

peel /piːl/  表示“除去，剥去（水果、蔬菜的）皮”，英文解释为“to remove the skin of fruit and vegetables”举个🌰：Peel, core, and chop the apples. 把苹果去皮、去核并剁碎。

作名词，表示“（尤指水果和蔬菜被削掉的）外皮”，英文解释为“the skin of fruit and vegetables, especially after it has been removed”如：apple peel 苹果皮。

back story /ˈbæk ˌstɔː.ri/ 表示“（电影或故事的）故事背景”，英文解释为“the things that have happened to someone before you first see or read about that person in a film or story”

The spectacle on Wednesday evening, when a Sotheby's auctioneer in Manhattan warned potential bidders not to let Maurizio Cattelan's fruity artwork “slip away,” ended with a duct-taped banana selling for an astonishing $6.2 million, with fees.

周三晚间这个奇异场面——曼哈顿苏富比拍卖行的拍卖师劝告潜在竞拍者不要让毛里齐奥·卡泰兰的这件水果艺术作品“溜走”，最后的结局是一根缠着胶带的香蕉卖出了620万美元（含佣金）的天价。

spectacle /ˈspɛktəkəl/ 1）表示“壮观场面；壮观景象”，英文解释为“a public event or show that is exciting to watch; an exciting appearance”举个🌰：The carnival was a magnificent spectacle. 嘉年华场面十分壮观。

2）表示“不寻常的事；出人意料的情况”，英文解释为“an unusual or unexpected event or situation that attracts attention, interest, or disapproval”举个🌰：It was a strange spectacle to see the two former enemies shaking hands and slapping each other on the back. 见到两个宿敌握手言欢，拍着彼此的背部，真是一幅奇怪的场景。

auctioneer /ˌɔːk.ʃəˈnɪər/ 表示“拍卖人；拍卖商”，英文解释为“a person in charge of an auction who calls out the prices that people offer”

bidder /ˈbɪd.ər/ 表示“出价的人”，英文解释为“someone who offers to pay a particular amount of money for something”举个🌰：In an auction, goods or property are sold to the highest bidder (= the person who offers the most money). 在拍卖中，货物或房产会卖给出价最高的人。

duct tape /ˈdʌkt ˌteɪp/ 本身为不可数名词，表示“强力胶带，管道胶带”，英文解释为“a long, thin strip of very strong, sticky material that is sold in a roll and is often used for covering holes or other repair jobs”

duct-tapedv意思是用管道胶带（duct tape）粘贴或固定。

astonishing /əˈstɒn.ɪ.ʃɪŋ/ 表示“令人惊讶的；惊人的”，英文解释为“very surprising”举个🌰：Her first novel enjoyed an astonishing success. 她的第一部小说取得了惊人的成功。

A crypto entrepreneur named Justin Sun placed the winning bid, adding Cattelan's 2019 conceptual artwork, titled “Comedian,” to the quirky collection he has amassed over the last few years that includes a Giacometti sculpture, a Picasso painting and a very expensive NFT of a pet rock.

一位名叫孙宇晨的加密货币企业家竞标成功，将这个卡泰兰2019年的概念艺术作品《喜剧演员》加入到他过去几年积累的古怪收藏中，这些收藏包括贾科梅蒂的雕塑、毕加索的画作，以及一件极其昂贵的宠物石NFT。

crypto /ˈkrɪp.təʊ/ 1）表示“加密货币（cryptocurrency 的缩写）”举个🌰：Which are the best performing cryptos? 表现最好的加密货币有哪些？

2）表示“加密（encryption 的缩写）”举个🌰：If you're using strong crypto, there's nothing anyone could do to decrypt that data. 如果你使用的是强加密，那么任何人都无法解密该数据。

conceptual /kənˈsep.tʃu.əl/ 表示“观念上的；构思的；概念上的”，英文解释为“based on ideas or principles”举个🌰：The main weakness of the proposal is conceptual. 这项提议的主要不足是在构想方面。

quirky /ˈkwɜːkɪ/ 表示“古怪的，独特的”，英文解释为“unusual in an attractive and interesting way”举个🌰：He was tall and had a quirky, off-beat sense of humour. 他个子高高的，有一种独特、另类的幽默感。

amass /əˈmæs/ 表示“集聚，积累，大量收集（尤指钱或信息）”，英文解释为“to get a large amount of something, especially money or information, by collecting it over a long period”举个🌰：She has amassed a huge fortune from her novels. 她靠写小说慢慢积攒了一大笔钱。

近义词：

📍accumulate：to gradually get more and more of sth over a period of time 积累；积聚；

📍rack up表示“大量获得（利润）；严重遭受（损失）；（体育中）多次赢得（比赛）”（If a business racks up profits, losses, or sales, it makes a lot of them. If a sportsman, sportswoman, or team racks up wins, they win a lot of games or races.）

sculpture /ˈskʌlp.tʃər/ 表示“雕塑，雕刻；塑像，雕塑品，雕刻品”，英文解释为“the art of forming solid objects that represent a thing, person, idea, etc. out of a material such as wood, clay, metal, or stone, or an object made in this way”

But winning the auction is really just the beginning of the negotiations that will take place over the next month or so (a buyer typically has 30 days to pay, by which time the banana will inevitably blacken and rot). In a phone interview this week, Sun said that he intended to pay for the banana with his own invented cryptocurrency; however, Sotheby's might only accept payment through more popular forms of digital payment like Bitcoin or Ethereum.

不过，赢得拍卖其实只是未来一个月左右的谈判的开始（买家通常有30天的时间付款，届时香蕉将不可避免地变黑和腐烂）。在本周的一次电话采访中，孙宇晨表示，他打算用自己发明的加密货币来支付；但苏富比可能只接受比特币或以太坊等更流行的数字支付方式。

auction /ˈɔːk.ʃən/ 1) 作名词，表示“拍卖”，英文解释为“An auction is a public sale where items are sold to the person who offers the highest price.”举个🌰：The painting is expected to fetch up to $123,000 at auction. 这幅画预计在拍卖会上能卖到12.3万美元。

2) 作动词，表示“拍卖”，英文解释为“If something is auctioned, it is sold in an auction.” 举个🌰：Two drawings by French artist Cocteau will be auctioned next week. 法国艺术家科克托的两幅画作将在下周拍卖。

cryptocurrency  /ˈkrɪptoʊkɜːrənsi/ 表示“（公共网络的，而非政府发行的）加密电子货币（使用加密法确保付款安全支付及收取）”，实际就是加密货币，英文解释为“a digital currency produced by a public network, rather than any government, that uses cryptography to make sure payments are sent and received safely”如：cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin 诸如比特币一类的加密电子货币。

Here are questions you might have after seeing the ultrarich wave millions around for a piece of fruit — one that might well spoil from its own success.

在看到超级富豪们为一个水果一掷千金——而这水果很可能会因为自己的成功而变质腐烂——之后，你可能会有以下问题：

表示“极其富有的”，英文解释为“having an extremely large amount of money or property”

wave millions around不是一个固定短语，但它是一种生动的比喻性表达，在非正式语境中非常自然。它形象地描述了富人随意花费巨额金钱的行为，尤其是当这种行为带有炫耀意味时。不过，这个短语通常带有一种轻微的批判或调侃色彩，适用于特定场景，比如讨论奢侈消费或富人行为的文章或对话。

spoil /spɔɪl/ 1）表示“破坏；糟蹋；毁掉”，英文解释为“to destroy or reduce the pleasure, interest, or beauty of something”举个🌰：He tried not to let the bad news spoil his evening. 他努力不让那个坏消息破坏他晚上的兴致。

2）表示“溺爱，娇惯;宠坏”，英文解释为“to allow a child to do or have everything that it wants to, usually so that it expects to get everything it wants and does not show respect to other people”

3）表示“（使）（食物）变质，（使）变坏”，英文解释为“When food spoils or is spoiled, it is no longer good enough to eat.”举个🌰：The dessert will spoil if you don't keep it in the fridge. 如果你不把甜点放在冰箱里，它会坏掉的。

What does $6.2 million actually get you? 620万美元究竟买到了什么？

Contrary to the crypto entrepreneur's statement that he intended to “personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience,” it would be unlikely that the actual banana presented at Sotheby's would survive the plane ride to Hong Kong, even if refrigerated.

这位加密货币企业家表示，他打算“亲自吃掉这根香蕉，作为这次独特艺术体验的一部分”，实际上，即使冷藏，在苏富比拍卖行展出的这根香蕉也不太可能在飞往香港的途中保持完好。

refrigerated /rɪˈfrɪdʒ.ər.eɪ.tɪd/ 表示“冷藏的”，英文解释为“kept cold in a fridge”举个🌰：The blood warmers heat refrigerated blood so it can be administered rapidly. 血液加热器将冷藏的血液加热，以便快速输血。

In fact, the duct-taped banana is only the physical representation of the conceptual artwork that Cattelan made for the 2019 edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, where it was originally sold for between $120,000 and $150,000.

事实上，胶带香蕉只是卡泰兰为2019年迈阿密海滩巴塞尔艺术博览会制作的概念艺术品的实物代表，其最初售价在12万至15万美元之间。

Conceptual artworks are essentially ideas. What the artist typically sells is a certificate of authenticity and list of instructions for owners about how to maintain or recreate their purchases. Cattelan made three editions of “Comedian.”

概念艺术品本质上是一种理念。艺术家通常售出的是一份鉴定证书和一份说明清单，供拥有者了解如何维护或重新创作他们所购买的作品。卡泰兰制作了三个版本的《喜剧演员》。

certificate /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kət/ 1）表示“证书；证明”，英文解释为“an official document that states that the information on it is true”如：a birth/marriage/death certificate 出生/结婚/死亡证明；

2）表示“成绩合格证书；毕业证书”，英文解释为“the qualification that you receive when you are successful in an exam”举个🌰：She has a Certificate in Drama Education. 她有戏剧教育资格证书。

authenticity /ˌɔː.θenˈtɪs.ə.ti/ 表示“确实性；真实性；可靠性”，英文解释为“the quality of being genuine or true.”举个🌰：The authenticity of her story is beyond doubt. 她讲述的事情的真实性不容置疑。

Once his payment has cleared with the auction house, Sun will likely inherit the surprisingly detailed, 14-page list of instructions with diagrams that Cattelan has provided other collectors of the banana, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, which received a version of “Comedian” from an anonymous donor a few years ago.

一旦拍卖行结清款项，孙宇晨很可能会继承卡泰兰提供给其他香蕉收藏者的一份长达14页、出人意料地详尽的说明清单，其中附有图解，其他收藏者包括所罗门·R·古根海姆博物馆，该馆几年前从一位匿名捐赠者那里得到了一版《喜剧演员》。

auction house /ˈɔːk.ʃən ˌhaʊs/ 表示“拍卖行”，英文解释为“a company whose business is selling things at auction”

inherit /ɪnˈher.ɪt/ 1）表示“经遗传得到（父母的性格、外貌、品质、特征）”，英文解释为：to have the same character or appearance as your parents，举个🌰：I inherited my mother's curly hair. 我遗传了母亲的鬈发。

2）表示“继承（财产）”，英文解释：If you inherit money or property, you receive it from someone who has died. 举个🌰：He has no son to inherit his land. 他没有儿子来继承他的土地。

diagram /ˈdaɪ.ə.ɡræm/ 表示“图，图解，示意图”，英文解释为“a simple plan that represents a machine, system, or idea, etc., often drawn to explain how it works”举个🌰：The teacher drew a diagram showing how the blood flows through the heart. 老师画了一张示意图来说明血液如何进出心脏。

anonymous /əˈnɒn.ɪ.məs/ 1）表示“匿名的”，英文解释为“If you remain anonymous when you do something, you do not let people know that you were the person who did it.”举个🌰：An anonymous benefactor stepped in to provide the prize money. 一位匿名捐助人参与进来提供了奖金。

2）表示“不记名的”，英文解释为“Something that is anonymous does not reveal who you are.”举个🌰：Of course, that would have to be by anonymous vote. 当然，那得是通过不记名投票。

3）表示“没有特色的”，英文解释为“without any unusual or interesting features”如：long stretches of dull and anonymous countryside 大片大片千篇一律、枯燥平淡的乡村，举个🌰：He has a rather anonymous face. 他相貌平平。

donor /ˈdəʊ.nər/ 1）表示“献血者；器官捐献者”，英文解释为“a person who gives some of their blood or a part of their body to help someone who is ill”如：a blood donor 献血者，a kidney donor 肾脏捐献者。

2）表示“捐助者，捐赠者”，英文解释为“a person who gives money or goods to an organization”举个🌰：Thanks to a large gift from an anonymous donor, the charity was able to continue its work. 多亏得到了一位匿名人士的大笔捐助，该慈善机构才得以继续运转。

The instructions include diagrams and an explanation of how the banana should be installed and displayed, including permission to replace the banana when it rots. Lena Stringari, the Guggenheim's chief conservator at the time, said the instructions were easy to follow; they suggested changing the banana every 7 to 10 days and affixing it about 5 feet 9 inches above the ground.

说明中包括图示，并解释了香蕉的装置和展示方法，包括香蕉腐烂后的更换许可。古根海姆博物馆当时的首席文物保护员莱娜·斯特林加里表示，这些说明很容易遵循；它们建议每7到10天更换一次香蕉，并将香蕉固定在离地面约1.75米的地方。

rot /rɒt/ 表示“腐败；腐烂；腐朽”，相当于“decay”举个🌰：Rot has got into the furniture. 家具开始朽坏。

the rot表示“形势恶化”，英文解释为“used to describe the fact that a situation is getting worse”举个🌰：The team should manage to stop the rot if they play well this week.如果球队本周比赛表现好，他们应该能够阻止形势的恶化。

conservator /kənˈsɜː.və.tər/ 表示“监护人，监护方”，英文解释为“a person or an organization that has been legally chosen to control the finances or property of another person, company, or organization”举个🌰：A judge appointed a professional conservator to look after the young man's interests. 法官指定了一位专业监护人照顾这位年轻人的利益。

affix /əˈfɪks/ 表示“使固定；附上；粘上；贴上”，英文解释为“to fasten or stick one thing to another”举个🌰：affix something to something She affixed a stamp to the envelope. 她把一张邮票贴在信封上。

A fresh roll of silver duct tape is included.

随附一卷新的银色布基胶带。

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