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今天，华莱士官方宣告公司正式完成新三板摘牌，股票自2026年2月12日起终止在全国中小企业股份转让系统挂牌，结束其近十年的上市历程。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. In the passage, the phrase “stripped down its sprawling menu” most nearly suggests that Wallace:

A. simplified its menu by removing many items

B. translated its menu into English

C. reduced food prices across all menu items

D. focused on healthier food options

无注释原文：

Here Come China's Food and Drink Chains

From: The New York Times

The transition to the United States is not always smooth. The hot-pot chain Haidilao, which has a cultlike following in China, struggled when it entered the market in 2013.

It did not provide English-language menus. The prices were higher than customers had expected. And its trademark over-the-top service came across as intrusive.

In China, Haidilao's staff provides free manicures to customers waiting for a table, performs noodle-making dances to entertain guests and even peels shrimp by hand for diners. But the staff's attentiveness was initially perceived as “eavesdropping” in the United States, said Qu Cong, the chief financial officer of Super Hi International Holdings, Haidilao's overseas business entity.

“For American customers, there's a strong sense of boundaries, so simply copying the practices used in China might not work,” Ms. Qu said.

Haidilao provided more guidance, in English, on how to navigate the hot-pot dining experience, in which diners dip various raw ingredients into a pot of boiling broth at the table. It tweaked the spice levels on some soup bases and expanded the beef selection.

The chain generated social media buzz over the summer when one of its restaurants appeared in the final episode of “And Just Like That…,” the sequel to “Sex and the City.” In the episode, the hostess sees that Carrie Bradshaw is dining alone and brings out “Tommy Tomato,” a plush doll, to fill the empty seat.

Chinese brands must weigh how much to cater to local tastes. When Wallace, the fast-food chain, opened its first U.S. store last year, it stripped down its sprawling menu to focus mainly on fried chicken sandwiches.

Ricky Chen, the president of Wallace USA, said the standard chicken sandwich the company served in China came with lettuce and mayonnaise. For American diners, Wallace removed the lettuce and added a pickle, which is something Chinese customers “don't really eat.” It also made its food saltier.

Mr. Chen likes Wallace's chances in the new market. “American fast food is getting too expensive,” he said. At its location in California, Wallace offers three full-size chicken sandwiches for $10. By comparison, a single chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A or KFC sells for about $6.

Wallace does not hide its Chinese roots, Mr. Chen said. But it also does not promote them. At first, most of his customers were Asian because they were familiar with the brand. That has since changed.

Wallace said it planned to open 10 more locations by the end of 2026.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Here Come China's Food and Drink Chains

From: The New York Times

The transition to the United States is not always smooth. The hot-pot chain Haidilao, which has a cultlike following in China, struggled when it entered the market in 2013.

进军美国市场并非总是一帆风顺。在中国拥有狂热粉丝的火锅连锁海底捞在2013年首次进入美国市场时就遇到了困难。

cult /kʌlt/ 作名词，表示“风行；流行；崇拜”，英文解释为“someone or something that has become very popular with a particular group of people”如：the cult of celebrity 名人崇拜。

作形容词，cult /kʌlt/ 表示“热门的；流行的；被视为偶像的”，英文解释为“liked very much by a particular group of people”举个🌰：The singer had a cult following in the 1970s. 这位歌手在20世纪70年代拥有一批狂热的追随者。

-like /laɪk/ 表示“像…的，如…的”，英文解释为“like the thing mentioned”举个🌰：The paper criticized what it described as the animal-like behaviour of the fans. 该报批评了球迷们的表现，称之为野蛮行径。

It did not provide English-language menus. The prices were higher than customers had expected. And its trademark over-the-top service came across as intrusive.

当时未提供英文菜单，定价超出顾客预期，其标志性的极致服务反被视作侵扰。

1）表示“商标”，英文解释为“a name or symbol on a product that shows it was made by a particular company, and that it cannot be used by other companies without permission”

2）表示“（某人的）标记，特征”，英文解释为“something very noticeable that a person typically has or does”举个🌰：He was wearing one of the brightly coloured ties that are his trademark. 他戴着一条他标志性的亮色领带。

表示“太过头；太过分”，英文解释为“too extreme and not suitable, or demanding too much attention or effort, especially in an uncontrolled way”举个🌰： I thought the decorations were way (= very) over the top. 我觉得这些装饰太过头了。

intrusive /ɪnˈtruː.sɪv/ 表示“打搅的；侵入的；闯入的；侵扰的；烦扰的”，英文解释为“too noticeable, direct, etc. in a way that is disturbing or annoying”举个🌰：The constant presence of the media was very intrusive. 媒体一直在场十分令人讨厌。

In China, Haidilao's staff provides free manicures to customers waiting for a table, performs noodle-making dances to entertain guests and even peels shrimp by hand for diners. But the staff's attentiveness was initially perceived as “eavesdropping” in the United States, said Qu Cong, the chief financial officer of Super Hi International Holdings, Haidilao's overseas business entity.

在中国，海底捞员工会为等位顾客提供免费美甲服务，表演拉面秀来娱乐客人，甚至亲手为食客剥虾。但据海底捞海外业务主体特海国际首席财务官瞿骢透露，这种无微不至的服务最初被美国顾客视为“窥探隐私”。

manicure /ˈmæn.ɪ.kjʊər/ 表示“修指甲；指甲护理”，英文解释为“a treatment for the hands that involves making the skin feel softer and making the nails look better by cutting, smoothing, and painting them”

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。

attentiveness /əˈten.tɪv.nəs/ 表示“关怀；周到”，英文解释为“the quality of being helpful and taking care of others”举个🌰：Parents worry over a school’s quality and the attentiveness of its staff. 家长们对学校的质量和其员工的细心程度感到担忧。

perceive /pəˈsiːv/ 1）表示“感知，察觉，注意到，意识到”，英文解释为“to see something or someone, or to notice something that is obvious”举个🌰：He perceived a tiny figure in the distance. 他注意到远处有个很小的身影。

2）表示“认为；看待；视为”，英文解释为“to come to an opinion about something, or have a belief about something”举个🌰：How do the French perceive the British? 法国人是如何看待英国人的？

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述Bitcoin的文章中提到：Scarcity is a trait of many things that are perceived to have value. 稀缺性正是许多被视为有价值的事物共有的特征。

eavesdrop /ˈiːvz.drɒp/ 表示“偷听”，英文解释为“to listen to someone's private conversation without them knowing”举个🌰：He was eavesdropping on our conversation. 他在偷听我们谈话。

“For American customers, there's a strong sense of boundaries, so simply copying the practices used in China might not work,” Ms. Qu said.

“美国本地客人他会有一个比较强的边界感，完全照搬国内这套可能行不通的，”瞿骢表示。

Haidilao provided more guidance, in English, on how to navigate the hot-pot dining experience, in which diners dip various raw ingredients into a pot of boiling broth at the table. It tweaked the spice levels on some soup bases and expanded the beef selection.

为此海底捞增加了英文指引，帮助顾客理解火锅的用餐方式——食客需要将各种生食材放入桌上的沸汤中涮煮。它还调整了部分锅底的辣度等级，并丰富了牛肉品类选择。

dip /dɪp/ 1）表示“涮，浸，蘸”，英文解释为“to put something into a liquid for a short time”举个🌰：Dip the fish in the batter, then drop it into the hot oil. 先把鱼在面糊中浸一下，然后再放进热油中。

2）可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“（通常指暂时的）减少，下降，衰退”，英文解释为“a decrease in the amount or success of sth, usually for only a short period”如：a sharp dip in profits 利润急剧下降。

表示降低，减少的词经常出现，比如：

📍fall表示“（水平、数量、价格等，尤指较大幅度地）下跌，下降，降低”（to go down to a lower level, amount, price etc, especially a much lower one）

📍slide表示“（价格等）下滑，下跌”（if prices, amounts, rates etc slide, they become lower）

📍diminish表示“（使）减少，（使）减小”（to become or make something become smaller or less）

📍dwindle /ˈdwɪndəl/表示“逐渐减少，缩小，变小”（to gradually become less and less or smaller and smaller）举个🌰：The factory's workforce has dwindled from over 1,000 to a few hundred. 该厂的工人总数已从1000多减少到了几百人。

ingredient /ɪnˈɡriː.di.ənt/ 1）表示“（成功的）要素，因素”，英文解释为“one of the parts of something successful”举个🌰：Trust is a vital ingredient in a successful marriage. 信任是婚姻幸福的重要因素。

2）表示“（尤指烹调用的）原料”，英文解释为“Ingredients are the things that are used to make something, especially all the different foods you use when you are cooking a particular dish.”举个🌰：Coconut is a basic ingredient for many curries. 椰子是多种咖喱菜的基本成分。

broth /brɒθ/ 表示“肉汤；蔬菜清汤”，英文解释为“Broth is a kind of soup made by boiling meat or vegetables.”如：chicken broth 鸡汤。

🎬电影《美国动物》（American Animals）中的台词提到：You need to have a little bit of spice in the broth. 你总得在肉汤中加点香料

🎬电影《游戏之夜》（Game Night）中的台词提到broth和上面的simmering：I've purchased four lamb shanks that I've been simmering in a broth of red wine and rosemary. 我买了4个羊小腿 加上红酒和迷迭香 炖了一锅浓汤。

补充：

📍俚语too many cooks spoil the broth表示“厨师太多烧坏汤；人多反倒误事”（said when there are too many people involved in trying to do the same thing, so that the final result will not be good）

可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“稍稍调整（机器、系统等）；稍稍改进”，英文解释为“to make slight changes to a machine, system, etc. to improve it”举个🌰：I think you'll have to tweak these figures a little before you show them to the boss. 我想你得略微改动一下这些数字再让老板过目。

📍此前在浴霸能不能？欲罢不能！一文中讲述苹果发布的新版Apple Watch Series 5仅仅相对上一个版本没有太大更新时就提到：The Apple Watch Series 5 features a slightly tweaked design. Apple Watch Series 5的设计略有调整。

The chain generated social media buzz over the summer when one of its restaurants appeared in the final episode of “And Just Like That…,” the sequel to “Sex and the City.” In the episode, the hostess sees that Carrie Bradshaw is dining alone and brings out “Tommy Tomato,” a plush doll, to fill the empty seat.

今年夏天，它的一家门店出现在《欲望都市》续集《就这样……》的大结局里，女服务员见凯莉·布拉德肖独自用餐，拿出一只名为“汤米·汤米拖”的番茄玩偶陪坐，引发社交媒体热议。

buzz /bʌz/ 的本义是指“嗡嗡声，蜂鸣声”（a continuous noise like the sound of a bee），还有“闹哄哄；喧闹”（a lot of activity, noise, and excitement）、“兴奋之感，喜悦心情”（a strong feeling of excitement, pleasure, or success, or a similar feeling from drinking alcohol or taking drugs）的含义。

此处buzz，韦氏词典（Merriam-Webster）给出的英文解释为：“speculative or excited talk or attention relating especially to a new or forthcoming product or event”或者是“an instance of such talk or attention”，（引起）关注/热议等，如：their first song created a huge buzz 他们的第一首引起热烈反响，create a buzz 制造话题，造势，炒作，制造噱头。

📍此外，比较常见的一个词buzzword，表示“流行语，热词，时髦用语，流行术语”（a word or phrase from one special area of knowledge that people suddenly think is very important）

在电视/电影节目中，episode /ˈep.ɪ.səʊd/ 表示“一集，一节，片断”（one of the single parts into which a story is divided, especially when it is broadcast on the television or radio），也可以指“事件；（相关的）一连串事件；一段经历”，英文解释为“a single event or group of related events”举个🌰：This latest episode in the fraud scandal has shocked a lot of people. 诈骗丑闻最新爆出的这一事件让很多人瞠目结舌。还可以指「疾病的发作，发病」，英文解释为：a finite period in which someone is affected by a specified illness.

补充：

📍第几集用的是Episode，第几季则为Season. 你下载美剧时可能就会看到S01E02，就是指的第1季第2集。最后一集 finale：the last part of a piece of music or of a show, event etc （演出的）终场，最后一幕；（音乐的）终曲；（事件等的）结尾。

🎬还有，看剧时新一集开头通常会有的一个说法：previously on ...，...的前情提要，前情回顾。

sequel /ˈsiːkwəl/表示“（书或电影的）续篇；续集”，英文解释为“A book or movie which is a sequel to an earlier one continues the story of the earlier one.”

对比：

📍prequel /ˈpriːkwəl/ a book or a film/movie about events that happened before those in a popular book or film/movie 先篇，前篇，前传（叙述某流行图书或电影中的故事之前的事情）

plush /plʌʃ/ 1）作名词，表示“绒布；（丝或棉的）长毛绒”，英文解释为“thick, soft cloth, with a surface like short fur, used especially for covering furniture”如：plush cushions/curtains 绒布垫子/窗帘。

2）作形容词，表示“奢侈的，豪华的；舒适的”，英文解释为“expensive, comfortable, and of high quality”如：a plush hotel 豪华的宾馆。

🎬电影《功夫熊猫2》（Kung Fu Panda 2）中的台词提到：My fist in your plush cuddly super soft face. 我那打在你毛茸茸脸的拳头。

Chinese brands must weigh how much to cater to local tastes. When Wallace, the fast-food chain, opened its first U.S. store last year, it stripped down its sprawling menu to focus mainly on fried chicken sandwiches.

中国品牌还需权衡本地化程度。华莱士去年在美国开首店时，大幅精简菜单，集中主打炸鸡三明治。

英式 cater for sb/sth 美式 cater to 表示“迎合；满足；满足或提供（个人或团体的）愿望或需求”，英文解释为“to provide what is wanted or needed by someone or something”举个🌰：The club caters for children between the ages of four and twelve. 该俱乐部适合4至12岁的儿童。

sprawling /ˈsprɔː.lɪŋ/表示“蔓延的；杂乱无序伸展的”，英文解释为“spreading in an untidy way”如：a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇。

sprawl /sprɔːl/ 作动词，1）表示“（懒散地）摊开四肢坐（或躺）”，英文解释为“to spread the arms and legs out carelessly and untidily while sitting or lying down”举个🌰：I knocked into her in the corridor and sent her sprawling (= knocked her over). 我在走廊里和她迎头相撞，把她撞了个四脚朝天。

2）表示“（尤指城市）杂乱无序地扩展，散乱地延伸”，英文解释为“(especially of a city) to cover a large area of land with buildings that have been added at different times so that it looks untidy”举个🌰：The refugee camps sprawl across the landscape. 眼前杂乱地散落着许多难民营。

Ricky Chen, the president of Wallace USA, said the standard chicken sandwich the company served in China came with lettuce and mayonnaise. For American diners, Wallace removed the lettuce and added a pickle, which is something Chinese customers “don't really eat.” It also made its food saltier.

美国区总裁里奇·陈表示，中国版经典鸡腿堡带生菜和蛋黄酱，美国版去掉生菜，加了中国顾客“不怎么吃”的腌黄瓜，并把整体口味调得更咸。

pickle /ˈpɪk.əl/ 表示“腌菜，泡菜；菜酱”，英文解释为“a vegetable or fruit in vinegar or in salty water, especially a cucumber”举个🌰：Have some pickles with your sandwich. 在三明治里加些泡菜。

Mr. Chen likes Wallace's chances in the new market. “American fast food is getting too expensive,” he said. At its location in California, Wallace offers three full-size chicken sandwiches for $10. By comparison, a single chicken sandwich at Chick-fil-A or KFC sells for about $6.

他看好在这个新市场的前景。“美国快餐已经太贵了，”在其加州门店，三份足量鸡腿堡只需10美元。相比之下，Chick-fil-A或肯德基单份就要约6美元。

Wallace does not hide its Chinese roots, Mr. Chen said. But it also does not promote them. At first, most of his customers were Asian because they were familiar with the brand. That has since changed.

华莱士并不掩饰中国背景，里奇·陈说。但也没有刻意宣传。开业初期，顾客多是认识品牌的亚裔。但现在情况已经不同。

Wallace said it planned to open 10 more locations by the end of 2026.

华莱士称计划2026年底前再开10家店。

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