写在前面
最初，有网友亲手测量发现，市面上许多卫生巾的实际吸收层长度都短于包装标识，有少几毫米的，甚至还有少几厘米的。
事件曝光之后，也引发了多家外媒关注：
我选了其中一篇语言点比较丰富的文章带大家读一读。
外刊原文
请同学们先独立阅读原文，读不懂的地方不要紧，后面会有详细讲解。
我把这篇文章，以及BBC、《纽约时报》的报道，上传到小程序，大家关注下方服务号，点击我的课程👉小程序👉外刊原文，即可阅读。
The reckoning of domestic sanitary pad brands: Implications for consumer trust in China
Sanitary pad brands in China are facing a reckoning, one that has both exposed flaws in product quality and ignited a broader conversation about consumer rights. In recent weeks, the domestic sanitary pad industry has been under fire, with major brands like ABC, Sofy, Kotex and Space7 facing a surge of consumer backlash. This controversy, which started with allegations of misrepresented product specifications, has spiralled into a broader critique of the industry's practices, reshaping consumer perceptions and potentially creating opportunities for cross-border competitors.
The uproar began with revelations that the advertised lengths of many sanitary pads were misleading. Consumers discovered significant discrepancies between the actual and claimed sizes, leading to accusations of "shrinkflation" - cutting product size while maintaining price. Critics pointed out that brands consistently adhered to the lower end of "acceptable" production standards, such as a ±4% length discrepancy, without ever exceeding expectations. This deliberate cost-cutting was seen as a systemic betrayal of trust.
Compounding this was the issue of pH standards. While women’s health products are expected to prioritize safety, many sanitary pads were found to have pH levels aligned with non-skin-contact textiles like tablecloths, potentially causing irritation or harm to users. Industry responses emphasized compliance with national standards, but this defense only highlighted the inadequacy of those standards, further fuelling public dissatisfaction.
外刊精读
The reckoning of domestic sanitary pad brands: Implications for consumer trust in China
清算国内卫生巾品牌：对中国消费者信任的影响
reckoning [ˈrekənɪŋ] 为可数名词，这里指「清算，算总账」(If you say that you will have a reckoning with someone, you mean that you will face them at some time in the future and punish them for something they have done)。
这个词来自动词reckon，reckon 有「计算，估算」的意思。
再举个例子，《纽约时报》一篇关于性骚扰的文章也用到了这个词：
While the #MeToo movement has had some notable victories since it first emerged in China in 2018, including the imprisonment of Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu and a nationwide reckoning about sexual harassment.
这里 a nationwide reckoning about sexual harassment 便指：对性骚扰的全国性的清算。sanitary pads 指「卫生巾」。sanitary pad brands 便指「卫生巾品牌」。 sanitary 为形容词，指「卫生的」。 implication 为可数名词，指「可能的影响，可能的后果」。 implications for sth 指「对…的影响，对…的后果」。如果我们要引出某事物的影响，可以说：
A has implications for B.
比如《经济学人》一篇关于人工智能的文章有这样一句话：
Artificial intelligence will have implications for policymakers in education, welfare and geopolitics.
人工智能将影响教育、福利及地缘政治决策。
我们还可以在implications前面加上形容词：
A has far-reaching / significant implications for B. [写作推荐]
Sanitary pad brands in China are facing a reckoning, one that has both exposed flaws in product quality and ignited a broader conversation about consumer rights.
中国卫生巾品牌正面临一场“清算”危机，不仅产品质量问题纷纷爆出，还引发了关于消费者权益的广泛讨论。
expose 为动词，指「揭露，揭发」。 the flaw in sth 指「...的瑕疵，...的缺陷」。文中 flaws in product quality 便指「产品质量缺陷」。 ignite [ɪɡˈnaɪt] 为动词，本义是「点燃，燃烧」，比喻「引发，激发」。 product quality 指「产品质量」。
In recent weeks, the domestic sanitary pad industry has been under fire, with major brands like ABC, Sofy, Kotex and Space7 facing a surge of consumer backlash.
近几周，国产卫生巾行业受到猛烈抨击，消费者强烈抵制ABC、苏菲、高洁丝、七度空间等主流卫生巾品牌。
be under fire 指「受到严厉批评，遭到猛烈批判」(to be criticized severely for something you have done)。 a surge of sth 指「突发，涌现」。类似的表达还有：a wave of sth, a storm of sth。
我们来看BBC里的两个例子：
A wave of anger has swept Chinese social media over the length of sanitary pads.
It comes amid a storm of anger after viral social media videos showed Chinese women measuring the lengths of sanitary pads from popular brandsbacklash 为可数名词，指「强烈抵制，反对」。consumer backlash 便指「消费者的抵制」。 backlash 的介词搭配为the backlash against sth / sb 指「对…的强烈反对」。
我们在经济学人：求求你别来网红城市了 也遇见过这个词：
The growing backlash against tourism has coincided with extraordinary growth in visitor numbers.
抵制游客的呼声变大发生在游客数量高速增长之时。
This controversy, which started with allegations of misrepresented product specifications, has spiralled into a broader critique of the industry's practices, reshaping consumer perceptions and potentially creating opportunities for cross-border competitors.
这场风波的起因在于，不少网友披露诸多品牌卫生巾的实际长度与标示不符，存在误导夸大现象，事件随后升级为对整个卫生巾行业普遍做法的批评指责。经此一事，消费者的观念将发生重大改变，或将为国外卫生巾品牌带来机遇。
allegation [ˌæləˈgeɪʃən] 为名词，指「说法，指控」。
allege 为动词形式，指「指控，声称」。
alleged 为形容词形式，指「被指称的，涉嫌的」。
比如：the alleged perpetrator 犯罪嫌疑人allegedly 为副词形式，指「据说」。
misrepresent [ˌmɪsreprɪˈzent]为动词，指「故意错误地描述，歪曲」(to deliberately give a wrong description of someone’s opinions or of a situation)。
specification [ˌspesɪfɪˈkeɪʃn] 为可数名词，指「规格，明细单，说明书」。
specify [ˈspesɪfaɪ] 为动词形式，指「具体指明，明确说明，详述」。
spiral 作动词，本来是「螺旋式上升或下降」，喻指形势「急剧恶化」( if a situation spirals, it gets worse, more violent etc in a way that cannot be controlled)。
spiral into sth 即「恶化为…，演变为…」。
Reuters 在报道特朗普政府的抗疫作为时有这样一句话：
Seven months before he faces re-election, Trump must find a balance between trying to stop the economy bump from spiraling into a severe recession while appearing to act decisively to contain a still-expanding health catastrophe.
在他面临连任之前七个月，特朗普必须在尽力阻止经济波动恶化为严重衰退和看上去似乎在采取果断行动遏制仍在扩大的医疗灾难之间找到平衡。
broad 为形容词，指「广泛的」。 a broader critique of sth 便指「对某事物更广泛的批评」。
critique [krɪˈtiːk] 为可数名词，指「评论，评论文章」。
practice 为可数名词，指「做法，惯例」(something that people do often, especially a particular way of doing something or a social or religious custom)。
文中the industry's practices 便指「卫生巾行业的做法」。
考研英语一2012年 Text 2 也考过这个词：
[A] punish dubious corporate practices 惩处企业的可疑行为reshape 为动词，由re（重新）+shape（塑造）构成，指「重塑」( to change the shape or structure of something)。
shape 指「形成…，影响…，塑造…」。
That really shaped the way I think.
直译便是：那塑造了我思考的方式。perception 来自于动词 perceive，指「认识，观念，看法」(an idea, a belief or an image you have as a result of how you see or understand sth)。
《经济学人》一篇关于内卷的文章也遇见过这个词:
For young Chinese, especially those with a college degree, there is a growing perception that their career prospects are darkening, their social mobility shrinking and the country’s wealth gap widening.
中国年轻人，尤其是大学生，越来越清晰地意识到，年轻人就业前景不佳、社会流动性降低以及中国贫富差距不断扩大。
我们再来看个美剧《犯罪心理》里的例子：The public perception is that the FBI doesn't have an exemplary record with snipers.
potentially 为副词，指「可能地，潜在地」，大家可以灵活用在写作里。
比如《彭博社周刊》一篇关于双减政策的文章有这样一句话：
Poorer families are unable to afford private tutoring, potentially putting their children at a disadvantage in school and, later, their careers.
贫困家庭无力承担课外辅导的费用，这可能会导致他们的孩子在学校以及随后的职业生涯中处于不利地位。cross-border 指「跨境的」。「跨境电商」就可以译作Cross-border ecommerce。
# 01
我们再来看正文：
The uproar began with revelations that the advertised lengths of many sanitary pads were misleading.
这场风波最初因为，网友揭露许多卫生巾的标示长度存在“虚假宣传”。
uproar 是「骚动，轩然大波」的意思。
比如：spark uproar 引起渲染大波。
Sixth Tone 也用到了这个词：revelation 源于动词 reveal，指「被曝光的秘闻」，强调被公布的事情。
revelation 还可表示「透露，披露」，强调公布这一行为。
BBC一篇关于章子怡和汪峰结婚的文章也用到了这个词：
A Chinese film star's revelation that her parents did not initially approve of her marriage to a divorced man with children, has created a stir on social media.
一位中国电影明星透露，她的父母最初并不同意她与一位离异带娃男子结婚，这在社交媒体上引起了轩然大波。advertise 为动词，advertise sth 指「为...做广告，宣传...」。
文中advertised为过去分词作前置定语，修饰lengths，指「被宣传的长度，广告上说的长度」。misleading 为形容词，指「误导人的」。
Consumers discovered significant discrepancies between the actual and claimed sizes, leading to accusations of "shrinkflation" — cutting product size while maintaining price.
他们发现实际尺寸与标示尺寸相差甚远，谴责品牌方“缩水式通胀”，价格不变但产品尺寸“缩水”。
discrepancy指「不一致，不符，差异，出入」(a difference between two amounts, details, reports etc that should be the same)。
介词搭配为 discrepancy between sth and sth, discrepancy in sth。
discrepancies between the actual and claimed sizes 便指「实际尺寸与品牌方声称的尺寸」。Well, there's a discrepancy in the profile.
claim 作动词，指「声称」。这里claimed sizes 指「声称的尺寸」。
再比如《经济学人》一篇关于网瘾的文章有这样一句话：
The claimed “cure” rate (meaning a return to more normal usage) is 70-75%.
声称的“治愈”率（意味着恢复较为正常的使用方式）为70%到75％。shrinkflation 是一个经济学术语，由 shrink（缩水）和 inflation（通货膨胀）构成，指的是在价格不变或涨幅不大的情况下，商品的数量、体积或质量悄然减少，从而实现隐形的涨价。
Critics pointed out that brands consistently adhered to the lower end of "acceptable" production standards, such as a ±4% length discrepancy, without ever exceeding expectations. This deliberate cost-cutting was seen as a systemic betrayal of trust.
批评人士指出，卫生巾品牌一直把尺寸做到国家标准允许误差范围内的最低值（例如卫生巾的全长偏差规定为±4%），从不“超标生产”。这种故意削减成本的行为在消费者看来是卫生巾行业对信任的辜负背叛。
consistently 为副词，指「一直，一贯」。
adhere to sth 指「遵守，遵循」(to continue to behave according to a particular rule, agreement, or belief)。
比如：adhere to the rules 遵守规则
adhere to a principle 坚持原则
adhere to a promise 信守诺言
外媒一篇关于中国女性拒绝服美役的文章也用到了这个词：
Failing to adhere to beauty standards can hinder a woman’s career progression in a setting where it’s common for job advertisements to request photos.
中国的招聘信息通常会要求求职者附上照片，在这种情况下，不符合审美标准可能会阻碍女性的职业发展。名词形式为adherence，短语adherence to sth 指「对...的坚持，对...的遵守，对...遵循」。
再比如《经济学人》一篇关于国产剧《都挺好》的文章曾这样描述孝道：
Many people say the best measure of adherence to this virtue is whether a son takes good care of his parents in old age.
很多人说，坚持这种美德的标准是儿子是否照顾好年迈的父母。end 是「端，限度」的意思。the lower end 便指「更低的那一端」。 exceed [ɪkˈsiːd] 为动词，指「超过，超出」(to be more than a particular number or amount )。
You've exceeded all my expectations.
cost-cutting 由cut（削减）和cost（成本）合成，指「成本削减」。
see sth as sth / adj. 指「把...视为...」。
be seen as sth / adj. 为被动形式，指「被视为...」。
我们再来看一个美剧《好想做一次》 的例子：systemic [sɪˈstemɪk] 来自于名词system，指「系统性的，影响全身的」。我们平时说的「系统性风险」就叫作systemic risks。
再比如：systemic misogyny 系统性的厌女 systemic racism 系统性的种族歧视
# 02
Compounding this was the issue of pH standards. While women’s health products are expected to prioritize safety, many sanitary pads were found to have pH levels aligned with non-skin-contact textiles like tablecloths, potentially causing irritation or harm to users.
而卫生巾pH标准问题则将事件进一步白热化。按道理讲，女性卫生用品应首要关注安全问题，但测试后发现，许多卫生巾的pH值却与桌布等非皮肤直接接触纺织品相当，使用后可能产生刺激，对人体造成危害。
🎈语法点睛：这句话涉及一个很重要的语法点：现在分词、过去分词或不定式置于句首，引起句子完全倒装。
有时候当我们想强调谓语中现在分词、过去分词或不定式所表示的动作时，可将其置于句首。
这句话便是如此：
Compounding this // was // the issue of pH standards.
现在分词短语compounding this被放在了句首，引起了句子完全倒装。我们把它还原成正常语序即：
The issue of pH standards // was compounding this.
为啥作者要倒装呢？一般有两个原因：
1）从内容上说，倒装可以增强与上文的衔接。这句话便是如此：这里this指代上文 a systemic betrayal of trust，把Compounding this 放在句首，能让前后两句话的衔接更加紧密。
2）从结构上说，英语讲究「尾重原则」，为了避免句子头重脚轻，保持句子平衡，需要将较⻓较复杂的主语，置于句末。
我们再来看个例子，2021年1月19日《纽约时报》对中国大学生的考研热进行了报道，文中有这样一句话：
Further fueling the competition is the fact that many students who had planned to study or work abroad no longer have that option.
这句话的结构为：
Further fueling the competition // is // the fact that many students who had planned to study or work abroad no longer have that option.
这句话的主语为the fact that+同位语从句，非常长，为了避免让句子看起来头重脚轻，同时增加与上一句话的衔接性，作者将现在分词Further fueling the competition前置到句首，引起句子完全倒装。
我们将句子还原为正常语序即：
The fact that many students who had planned to study or work abroad no longer have that option // is // further fueling the competition.
许多原本计划出国学习或工作的学生不再有这样的选择，这让竞争进一步加剧。我们再来看词汇：
compound 作动词，指「使...恶化，加重...」，相当于make sth bad become even worse，类似于中文中的「火上浇油」、「雪上加霜」。
举个例子：
Coronavirus may compound matters. 新冠病毒让问题更加严重。
类似的表达还有exacerbate sth, aggravate sth, worsen sth。be expected to do sth 被期待做某事，可以理解为「理应做某事」。
prioritize 为动词，指「优先处理…」。
Deborah, I have prioritized your life and business ahead of my own.
be found to do sth 指「被发现做某事」。
textile 为可数名词，指「纺织品」。
have sth done 指「让...被别人...」。
比如大家最熟悉的例子：
I had my hair cut. 我剪头发了。
我的头发是被理发师剪的，而不是自己剪的。
文中have pH levels aligned with non-skin-contact textiles便指「让PH值与非皮肤直接接触纺织品一致」。align 为动词，排成一条直线（a line），即「使...一致」。
互联网行业的打工人，一定听过一句黑话：咱们对齐一下。这里的「对齐」，就是align。常用搭配为align sth with sth。
比如：This policy is closely aligned with the goals of the organization.这一政策与该机构的目标非常一致。
irritation [ˌɪrɪˈteɪʃən] 为不可数名词，指对皮肤的「刺激」。
Industry responses emphasized compliance with national standards, but this defense only highlighted the inadequacy of those standards, further fuelling public dissatisfaction.
对此，卫生巾行业在回应中强调其符合国家标准，但这种自我辩护只能说明卫生巾领域国标“缺失”，进一步加剧了公众不满。
emphasize [ˈemfəsaɪz] 为动词，指「强调，着重」，相当于stress。
compliance [kəmˈplaɪəns] 为不可数名词，指「服从，遵守」(when someone obeys a rule, agreement, or demand)。这里指对规章制度的服从、遵守。
comply [kəm'plaɪ] 为不及物动词，指「服从，遵守」，介词搭配为comply with sth。
compliant [kəmˈplɑɪ.ənt] 为形容词，指「顺从的，百依百顺的」。咱们平时形容一个小孩「乖」，就可以用compliant来表达。
「遵守规定」也可以说：be compliant with regulations。defence 这里为可数名词，指「辩护，辩词」。
inadequacy [ɪnˈædəkwəsi] 为名词，指「不够好，不胜任」。
inadequate [ɪnˈædəkwət] 为形容词，指「不够好的，不足的，不强的」。
fuel 作名词，指「燃料」，作动词指「加燃料，加油」，还可引申为「使...恶化，使...更强烈」(to make something, especially something bad, increase or become stronger)。
比如：His words fueled her anger still more. 他的话火上浇油，使她更愤怒了。
我们在就业难，考研热，被围困的中国大学生 | 纽约时报里也遇见过这个词：
Most of the recovery has been fueled by blue-collar sectors such as manufacturing, on which the Chinese economy still relies heavily.
这次经济复苏主要是由制造业等蓝领产业推动，中国经济仍然严重依赖这些行业。
The End
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