Part 3 Capturing Hearts Worldwide

Sunny： Hey Ken， are you an 1）avid social media 2）buff？

Ken： Well， ①I don’t like to toot my own horn， but I do have over ten thousand followers.

Sunny： ②So you must be pretty up to date on what’s trending and what’s falling out of touch. Ken： Yeah， ③I like to keep up with the Joneses， so to speak.

Sunny： So， do you have any idea why chicken and beer sales in Asia suddenly skyrocketed this year？

Ken： Hmmmm…Could it simply be the effects of global urbanization， and the growing prevalence of western ideas？

Sunny： Nope！ Try again？

Ken： Oh， I see. This is like a guessing game.④OK， I’ll play along. Ummmmm…KFC just opened a handful of franchises in China that have started selling beer as an alternative to soft drinks？

Sunny： Hehe， wrong again！

Ken： Alright， alright. Out with it！

Sunny： It actually stems from an insanely popular Korean TV series， You Who Came from the Star， in which one of the characters says that fried chicken and beer are the perfect combination during the first snow.

Ken： Wow， that’s interesting. The show must be pretty darn popular to spark such a spending 3）spree among the masses like that.

Sunny： ⑤And the show’s popularity goes well beyond promoting poultry and adult beverages， it’s actually sweeping its way into the hearts of millions around the world. I mean， everyone from A-list movie stars and government officials to remote rural villagers and farmers are setting their alarms to download today’s hottest Korean dramas.

Ken： How are Korean shows becoming so popular all around the world？

Sunny： Good question. I think their appeal is so 4）far-reaching thanks to some clever concepts and comedic continuity. There’s pretty much never a dull moment in any given scene， which probably has a lot to do with having a talented staff of writers on hand.

Ken： That’s true. ⑥A little good writing goes a long way. ⑦And writers are some of the most underappreciated 5）scapegoats in the media industry， getting almost no credit when a show succeeds but getting much of the blame if the show ends up in the tank.

Sunny： Yeah， and a lot of these new-age writers do a great job of bringing together contrasting ideas， combining modern elements with traditions， and combining 6）exotic culture with local characteristics.

Ken： That’s certainly a recipe for success in any business， incorporating new and old， or east and west， to create a certain 7）dichotomy that people nowadays simply can’t resist. Kind of like the Cronut！

Sunny： Oooo， I really want to try one of those！

Ken： Hehe， see what I mean？ We are all but slaves to our temptation.

Sunny： And the most tempting thing out there right now seems to be the fictional world of Korean drama.

Ken： So why don’t we just give into temptation， and go grab a cronut！

Sunny： You go enjoy your cronut. But I’ll be here， having chicken and beer， enjoying the best show on TV！

Smart Sentences

① I don’t like to toot my own horn， but I do have over ten thousand followers. 我并不喜歡自我吹噓，不過(guò)我確實(shí)有超過(guò)一萬(wàn)的粉絲。

toot one’s own horn： brag or boast about oneself（自我吹噓，自我夸耀）。例如：

Lily loves to toot her own horn about how she is indulged by her husband.

莉莉喜歡夸耀自己如何被丈夫嬌慣。

② So you must be pretty up to date on what’s trending and what’s falling out of touch. 那你一定非常了解什么東西是最新流行，什么東西是落伍過(guò)時(shí)。

up to date： the latest information， in accordance with the current information（最新的）。例如：

A good doctor needs to be up to date on the latest development in his field.

一個(gè)好醫(yī)生需要對(duì)他所在領(lǐng)域的最新發(fā)展有所了解。

fall out of touch： not know the latest news or information about sth.（對(duì)某事的現(xiàn)狀不了解）。例如：

Lucy has fallen out of touch with the fashion world since she left work and became a full-time housewife five years ago.

露西五年前辭職回家當(dāng)全職太太，她現(xiàn)在對(duì)時(shí)尚世界并不了解。

③ I like to keep up with the Joneses， so to speak. 可以這么說(shuō)，我喜歡跟上潮流。

keep up with the Joneses： try to do the same things as people you know（趕時(shí)髦，攀比）。例如：

Look at my wife’s new hair style. She’s always kept up with the Joneses.

看看我老婆的新發(fā)型，她總能跟上潮流。

④ OK， I’ll play along. 好吧，我會(huì)陪你玩。

play along： pretend to cooperate with sb. or sth.（假裝合作、參與）。例如：

I decided that I would play along with Larry for a while to see what would happen.

我決定姑且附和萊里，看看事情會(huì)怎么發(fā)展。

⑤ And the show’s popularity goes well beyond promoting poultry and adult beverages， it’s actually sweeping its way into the hearts of millions around the world. 而且該電視劇的受歡迎程度遠(yuǎn)不止在于促進(jìn)了家禽和成人飲料的銷售，事實(shí)上已經(jīng)迅速蔓延到全世界，深入到無(wú)數(shù)人的心中。

sweep one’s way： move across or through swiftly or with great intensity（疾速傳遍，迅速蔓延）。例如：

Rumors swept their way through school.

學(xué)校里謠言四起。

⑥ A little good writing goes a long way. 好的編劇起到很大作用。

go a long way： very helpful and effective in achieving sth.（有很大作用，大有幫助）。例如：

A little savings every month can go a long way in times of need.

每個(gè)月不起眼的儲(chǔ)蓄在需要的時(shí)候很有用處。

⑦ And writers are some of the most underappreciated scapegoats in the media industry， getting almost no credit when a show succeeds but getting much of the blame if the show ends up in the tank. 在媒體行業(yè)，編劇是一些最不被賞識(shí)的替罪羊，劇集成功的時(shí)候他們幾乎毫無(wú)功勞，但是如果劇集失敗就會(huì)受到諸多指責(zé)。

in the tank： ruined， hopeless（失敗，毀滅）。例如：

Lester had a perfect picnic plan for the weekend with Grace. But when the forecast called for a hurricane， he knew his plan was in the tank.

萊斯特有個(gè)在周末與格雷絲一起去野餐的絕妙計(jì)劃，可天氣預(yù)報(bào)說(shuō)會(huì)有颶風(fēng)，他知道他的計(jì)劃毀了。