Week 6 Day 4

Perfect Products
I guess we'll never be able to quell the persistent rumors about the invention of auto tires that will never wear out, stockings that cannot tear,and pens that won't run dry. A voluble economist informed me that such products will never be marketed. "Can you imagine," he asked, "a manufacturer cutting his own throat? Why would he sell you an item that you will never have to replace? No," My confidant whispered,"it's part of their scheme of planned obsolescence to sell you merchandise with a limited life span in order to keep you coming back for more." I am dubious about the existence of those prefect products, but then I am from Missouri.
完美的產品
我猜想我們永遠也無法平息這些不斷出現的謠言:會有人發明永遠不會磨平的輪胎，永遠不會破的襪子，永遠不會沒水的筆。一位健談的經濟學家告訴我這樣的產品永遠不會上市。他說:"你能想像一個廠商把自己的命脈弄死嗎?他怎麼可能賣給你產品是你永遠都不會在更換的?不可能，"我的密友輕聲的說，"產品會壞掉就是她們的計畫之一，如此一來，你就會持續的回來買這些有限壽命的產品了。" 我非常懷疑這些完美的產品是否能問世，除非你能證明給我看。

Words
1. quell 平息， 消除 v.
2. voluble 健談的，口若懸河的 adj.
3. confidant 密友，知己 n.
4. obsolescence 廢棄，陳舊，過時 n.
5. dubious 可疑的，懷疑的 adj.
6. persistent 持續的 adj.
7. wear out 磨破 v.
8. stocking 襪子 n.

Today's Idiom
thumb's down
古羅馬時代，在圓形劇場中常有鬥劍勇士在場上爭鬥，羅馬皇帝若看到武士表現太差，就會將大拇指往下轉，表示不滿意的意思，因此後來這句話就引申成為表示拒絕的象徵。

Grammar 主詞藍色 動詞(片語)咖啡色 受詞綠色 連接詞橘色 關係代名詞紫色
1.I guess we'll never be able to quell the persistent rumors about the invention of auto tires that will never wear out, stockings that cannot tear,and pens that won't run dry.
第一句話，the persisitent rumors about the invention of其實就是 the persistent rumors (that is) about the invention of ，只是把關係代名詞跟動詞省略的用法。後面有三項東西就是他所提到的發明，句法完全相同，而三項物品的that都是關係代名詞。

2.A voluble economist informed me that such products will never be marketed.
inform這個字是告知，通知的意思，如果後面接的是名詞，就用inform someone of something這個片語，但如果是個完整的句子，就用that引導出後面的子句。

3."Can you imagine," he asked, "a manufacturer cutting his own throat? Why would he sell you an item that you will never have to replace? No," My confidant whispered,"it's part of their scheme of planned obsolescence to sell you merchandise with a limited life span in order to keep you coming back for more."

cut one's throat就是割喉，商場上的降價競爭通常就會被形容成割喉戰 cut-throat competition，在這邊不是好幾家廠商競爭，而是指產品如果不會壞，就沒有人會持續更新替換，廠商等於只能賺一次的錢，之後就沒生意了，所以不賺錢就沒法生存，就如同把喉嚨割斷無法呼吸，很快就會死亡。

4.I am dubious about the existence of those prefect products, but then I am from Missouri.
所以最後一句作者說它很懷疑這些產品會真的問世，因為沒有人會做不賺錢的生意，最後一句I am from Missouri (Week 6 Day 1)有詳盡的解釋。