The pet business is growing even faster than pet numbers, because people are spending more and more money on them. 宠物行业的增长速度甚至比宠物数量还快，因为人们在宠物身上花的钱越来越多。
No longer are they food-waste-recyclers, fed with the scraps that fall from their masters' tables. 宠物不再是食物垃圾的回收者，不再吃主人桌子上掉下来的残羹剩饭。
Pet-food shelves groan with delicacies crafted to satisfy a range of appetites, 宠物食品货架上摆满了精心制作的美味佳肴，以满足各种各样的食欲，
including ice cream for dogs and foods for pets that are old, diabetic or suffer from sensitive digestion; 包括为狗狗准备的冰淇淋，以及为年老、患有糖尿病或消化不良的宠物准备的食物；
diabetic[,daiə'betik]:糖尿病的
a number of internet services offer bespoke food, tailored to the pet's individual tastes. 许多互联网服务提供定制的食物，以适应宠物的个人口味。
bespoke:定制的（bespoke furniture定制家具/bespoke software定制软件）
In the business this is called “pet humanisation”—the tendency of pet owners to treat their pets as part of the family. 在商业领域，这被称为“宠物人类化”——宠物主人倾向于将宠物视为家庭的一部分。
This is evident in the names given to dogs, which have evolved from Fido, Rex and Spot to—in America—Bella, Lucy and Max. 从狗的名字就可以看出这一点，在美国，狗的名字从Fido, Rex和Spot变到Bella, Lucy和Max。
It is evident in the growing market for pet clothing, pet grooming and pet hotels. 这在不断增长的宠物服装、宠物美容和宠物旅店市场上是显而易见的。
It is evident in the demand for breeds such as the French bulldog, 从对法国斗牛犬等品种的需求中就可以明显看出这一点。
which, tellingly, looks a bit like a human baby. 很明显，法国斗牛犬看起来有点像人类的婴儿。
People still assume that pets must be working for humanity in some way, perhaps making people healthier or less anxious. 人们仍然认为宠物一定在以某种方式为人类服务，或许是让人们更健康，或许是减轻了焦虑。
But the evidence for that is weak. 但这方面的证据并不充分。
Rather, new research suggests that canines have evolved those irresistible “puppy-dog eyes” precisely to manipulate human emotions. 相反，新的研究表明，狗狗进化出了那些令人难以抗拒的“小狗眼睛”，正是为了控制人类的情绪。
manipulate[mə'nipjuleit]:操纵（A tool to view, analyze and manipulate log files.）
It has worked. 这的确奏效了。
The species that once enslaved others now toils to pay for the care of its pets, which lounge on the sofa waiting to be taken to the grooming salon. 曾经奴役其他物种的人类现在要辛苦地支付照顾宠物的费用，这些宠物懒洋洋地躺在沙发上，等着被带到美容沙龙。
enslave:奴役（Her drug addiction has completely enslaved her.）
Sentimental Americans often refer to themselves not as cat-owners but as the cat's “mommy” or “daddy”. 多愁善感的美国人常常称自己为猫的“妈妈”或“爸爸”，而不是猫的主人。
South Koreans go one further, describing themselves as cat “butlers”, pandering to every feline whim. 韩国人则更甚，他们自称为猫的“管家”，迎合猫的每一个奇想。
butler['bʌtlə]：男管家
pander：迎合（I have never been tempted to pander to everyone.）
Watch a hapless dog-walker trailing “his” hound, plastic bag in hand to pick up its mess, and you have to wonder: who's in charge now? 看着一个倒霉的遛狗人牵着“他的”狗，手里拿着塑料袋捡狗粪，你一定会心生疑问：现在谁是老大？
REVIEW:
满足各种各样的食欲：satisfy a range of appetite
糖料病的：diabetic
定制的食物：bespoke food
适合：tailor to
宠物美容：pet grooming
法国斗牛犬：French bulldog
控制人类的情绪：manipulate human emotion
奴役别人：enslave others
辛苦地：toil to
男管家：butler
迎合每一个人：pander to everyone
网友评论