原文标題：
The Marble Arch mound
Over the hills
How to lure shoppers off their computers? With a heap of earth, apparently
大理石拱門小丘
山丘之上
如何誘導購物者離開他們的電腦?顯然是一堆土
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THE 25M-HIGH artificial hill at one end of Oxford Street dubbed the Marble Arch Mound opened in July.
25米高，位于牛津街的一端，這座名為“大理石拱門小丘”的人工山在七月份開放了。
It was supposed to help lure shoppers freed from lockdown away from internet stores and back to Britain’s best-known shopping thoroughfare.
這是為了吸引那些在封鎖期間從網上商店中解放出來的購物者，回到英國最著名的購物大道。
But once the first visitors were allowed on it, it was revealed to be a mess.
但當第一批遊客獲準進入時，人們發現這裡一片混亂。
Rain swept turf off the slopes, leaving bare scaffolding on view. What grass remained turned brown.
雨水沖走了山坡上的草皮，留下光秃秃的腳手架。剩下的草都變成褐色了。
To Britons familiar with children’s television, it was reminiscent of a shabby, low-rent Teletubby land.
對于熟悉兒童電視的英國人來說，它讓人想起了破舊、租金低廉的天線寶寶樂園。
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During construction the cost ballooned from £3.3m ($4.7m) to £6m.
在施工期間，成本從330萬英鎊激增到600萬英鎊。
After it opened, plans to charge for entry were scrapped.
開放之後，收費入場的計劃被取消了。
The deputy leader of Westminster Council, which commissioned the mound from MVRDV, a Dutch design company, resigned.
委托MVRDV（一家荷蘭設計公司）修建此山丘的威斯敏斯特議會副主席辭職了。
Opposition councillors said the mound was “an international embarrassment” and called for it to be dismantled immediately.
反對派議員稱這座山丘是“一場國際性的尴尬”，要求立刻拆除。
It is due to come down as planned on January 9th.
計劃将于1月9日拆除。
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It has managed to draw in passers-by, perhaps in search of a chuckle.
它成功地吸引了路人，也許他們是為了找點樂子。
By December 13th 215,000 had visited, not far off Westminster Council’s goal of 280,000 (which was based on plans to charge up to £8 for entry).
截至12月13日，已有21.5萬名遊客參觀，離威斯敏斯特議會28萬的目标不遠了(該目标是基于門票收費高達8英鎊的計劃)。
On a sunny day the view is decent, taking in Hyde Park, the Shard and the London Eye (an unfortunate reminder that other, better views are available).
陽光明媚的時候，這裡的景色還不錯，可以看到海德公園、碎片大廈和倫敦眼(不幸的是提醒了人們還有更好的景色可以看)。
On a recent morning a dozen people milled about on its rickety viewing platform.
最近的一個早晨，十幾個人在搖搖晃晃的觀景台上漫無目的地轉來轉去。
“We wouldn’t have paid, mind you,” says a couple from Bristol.
來自布裡斯托爾的一對夫婦說:“提醒你一下，我們不會付錢的。”
The structure feels “temporary”, says another sightseer.
另一位觀光客說，這座建築感覺是“臨時的”。
You enter via a ramp alongside some scrappy planting, and leave through the interior, a maze of scaffolding that creaks with every step.
你從一個旁邊種着雜亂植物的斜坡進來，再從内部離開，迷宮般的腳手架每踩一步都嘎嘎作響。
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Before covid-19 Oxford Street was already struggling, over-dependent on department stores that were losing the retail battle to online shopping, and lacking the restaurants, bars and gyms that would attract visitors round the clock.
在新冠疫情以前，牛津街就處境艱難。過于依賴線下百貨公司使它在和網購的競争中敗下陣來，并且缺少能夠全天候吸引遊客的餐館，酒吧和健身房。
Air pollution and traffic made it a miserable place to stroll.
空氣污染和交通也使這裡變成一個不宜散步的地方。
Pedestrianising could have helped, but was opposed by residents of other parts of the West End who feared displaced traffic.
改造成行人專區本可以起到幫助作用，但遭到了倫敦西區其他地區居民的反對，他們擔心交通擁堵。
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During the pandemic Oxford Street also suffered disproportionately.
在疫情期間，牛津街也遭受了不成比例的損失。
According to Cushman & Wakefield, a property consultancy, and MyTraffic, a data-analytics firm, in the year from March 2020 footfall declined more than in any other major European shopping district.
根據戴德梁行（一家房地産咨詢公司）和MyTraffic（一家資料分析公司）的資料顯示，從2020年3月開始的一年中，客流量的下降幅度超過了歐洲其他任何一個主要購物區。
Sales are below the level of 2019, says Marie Hickey of Savills, an estate agent.
第一太平戴維斯的房地産經紀人瑪麗•希基表示，銷售額低于2019年的水準。
Between March 2020 and August 2021 a fifth of its stores closed.
在2020年3月和2021年8月期間，五分之一的商店都關閉了。
Five department stores are downsizing or converting retail space into offices.
五家百貨公司正在縮小規模或将零售店轉型成辦公室。
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Westminster Council’s proposal for revival, announced in February 2021, was a £150m facelift.
威斯敏斯特議會于2021年2月宣布了複興提案，耗資1.5億英鎊進行翻新。
It included making temporarily widened pavements permanent, installing public art, upgrading nearby parks—and the mound.
包括将臨時加寬的人行道固定下來，放置公共藝術品，更新附近的公園——以及這個小山丘。
Some of this is sensible, in particular the wider pavements: shoppers are more likely to visit bricks-and-mortar outlets if walking between them is more pleasant.
其中一些是合理的，特别是加寬的人行道：如果商店之間的路走起來讓人更舒服，購物的人們會更有可能去實體商店。
Rents have come down since before the pandemic, too, which makes retail more viable.
自從疫情之前房租價格就降低了，讓實體零售店店更切實可行。
But the only long-term solution for Oxford Street, says Ms Hickey, is becoming less retail-heavy and more mixed-use.
但希基女士表示，對于牛津街僅有的長期解決辦法就是--減少零售，增加混合用途。
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Look past the gimmicky mound, and there are early signs that things are heading in the right direction.
撇開花哨的小山丘，有早期的迹象表明現在正在朝着對的方向前進。
IKEA will open up shop in 2023. Some department stores are planning gyms, pools and restaurants.
宜家将于2023年開門營業。一些百貨公司正在規劃健身房、遊泳池和餐廳。
Perhaps the pandemic was just what Oxford Street needed. Business had got so bad that it forced much-needed change.
也許疫情正是牛津街需要的。商業需要變得特别糟糕才能促使急需的改變發生。
（恭喜讀完，本篇英語詞彙量585左右）
原文出自：2021年12月18日《The Economist》Britain版塊。
精讀筆記來源于：自由英語之路
本文翻譯整理：Fei Min
本文編輯校對: Irene
僅供個人英語學習交流使用
【補充資料】（來源于網絡）
牛津街（Oxford street）：英國首要的購物街，是倫敦西區購物的中心，每年吸引了來自全球的3千萬遊客到此觀光購物，長1.25英裡的街道上雲集超過300家的世界大型商場。
交通：牛津街還為倫敦的中心提供了一條重要的交通幹線，每小時有50輛公共汽車運作，4個地鐵站與5條線路相連，進而確定了公共運輸網的核心地理位置，也為商業的繁榮做了最好的鋪墊。
曆史：從羅馬時代直到17世紀，牛津街主要作為從倫敦西城之外到牛津地區的道路而存在的。
【重點句子】（3個）
這是為了吸引那些從網上商店中解放出來的購物者回到英國最著名的購物大道。
But the only long-term solution for Oxford Street is becoming less retail-heavy and more mixed-use.
對于牛津街唯一的長期解決辦法就是，要減少零售，增加混合用途。
自由英語之路