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Bobos1 In Shangr i-La
Just when China's new affluents have begun to enjoy their xiaozi, or bourgeois lifestyle( a downtown apartment, flashy automobiles and Starbucks mochaccinos ) , along comes a book from America to stir up their lifestyles. Recently young Chinese have been snapping up2 copies of the newly translated version of“Bobos in Paradise 3”, by American author David Brooks. The book’s thesis — that the bohemian spirit of the 1960 s has come together with the acquisitive impulses of the 1980 s to create the hybrid bourgeois-bohemian, a. k. a. 4 the Bobo — has sparked debate all around China .“All my friends are talking about the Bobos, ”one Beijing book shopper told the official Xinhua News Agency. Clubs have been formed offering lectures and discussions on the Bobo Lifestyle , and Bobo magazines are appearing on newsstands. Chinese Bobos are being targeted by everyone from real- estate agents to mobile phone companies. A local businessman opened the Bar in Beijing, which is fitted with computers so customers can check their e -mail while sitting on rustic Chinese furniture hand-picked by the owner from peasant villages. Web sites keep springing up to help people determine if they are“Bobo qualified”, and if so, how to act appropriately.
As the“ pleased and surprised”Brooks waits to see whether he’ll get his fair share of author royalties out of the phenomenon (“I mean, that’s a billion copies, ”he told journalist) , Beijing is breeding its fair share of Bobo-bashers. Another journalist says the average Chinese person has a strong disdain for the nouveau riche5 . He wonders how many Chinese today earn enough to be considered a Bobo. And, he argues, those who do are more bourgeois than bohemian.“We have people with a lot of money, but there’s no social consciousness. ”He says. “ Rich people don’t care about the environment, unemployment, rural problems or mine disasters. ”
練習題：
Ⅰ. Matching:
1. flashy A. despise
2. hand-picked B. fashionable
3. disdain C. selected
4. trendy D. pastoral
5. rustic E. sparkling
Ⅱ. Questions :
1. Give some examples to represent the lifestyle of“xiaozi”.
2. According to the last paragraph, what can you infer about rich Chinese?
