时间:2019-01-02 作者:英语课 分类:健康与经济


英语课

ECONOMICS REPORT - Holiday Shopping Season in the U.S.
By Mario Ritter


Broadcast: Friday, December 03, 2004


I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Economics Report.


Almost one-fourth of all personal spending in the United States takes place during the holiday season. There are gifts to give this month for Christmas, Hanukkah and the African American celebration of Kwanzaa. The traditional shopping season began last Friday, after Thanksgiving Day. Personal spending represents two-thirds of the economy, so holiday sales are especially important.


Reports on November results have just come out. Major sellers, especially lower-priced ones, had mostly moderate gains at stores open at least a year. Wal-Mart was up just seven-tenths of one percent. Wal-Mart is the biggest seller in the world. The company had expected growth of two to four percent in November, fueled by sales on "Black Friday."


The day after Thanksgiving is called that. Storekeepers used to record profits in black ink and losses in red ink. A day in the black means a return to profit.


But for this Black Friday, Wal-Mart decided 1 not to cut prices as aggressively on some goods as other stores did. Wal-Mart says it has learned from this and will listen more to its customers this holiday season.


Businesses also listen to the Consumer Confidence Index to get an idea of how Americans feel about the economy. Many economists 2 expected an increase in consumer confidence in November. But the Conference Board, a private group, says the index fell again for a fourth month.


The National Retail 3 Federation 4 estimated in September that holiday sales would increase four and one-half percent this year. Holiday sales increased five percent last year, after poor sales the year before.


The business group estimated that Americans will spend two hundred twenty thousand million dollars this season. It says they spent just over ten percent of that last weekend.


Also, it says more Americans for the first time this season plan to use a debit 5 card than a credit card for purchases. A debit card, also called a check card, is linked to the money that a person has in a bank. In other words, users must have the money before they can spend it.


About thirty-five percent of shoppers said they would mainly use debit cards, compared to thirty percent for credit cards. Financial experts say this change might mean that more people want to keep to a budget this holiday season.


This VOA Special English Economics Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Gwen Outen.



adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
n.经济学家,经济专家( economist的名词复数 )
  • The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
  • Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》
v./n.零售;adv.以零售价格
  • In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
  • These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。
n.同盟,联邦,联合,联盟,联合会
  • It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
  • Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。
n.借方,借项,记人借方的款项
  • To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方?
  • We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱,只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。
学英语单词
abrasion test of lubricant
absolutely additive set function
action-packed
Ad-conductor cathode
asynchronous measurement
atoles
badamsha (batamshinskiy)
best variety to be grown in a given region
biconstituent
boiler water evaporator
branch current vector
braunbeck
Bukit Mertajam
buried aureole
by the quart
carpet runner
cholelithic dyspepsia
chrysolophuss
cololabis saira
conventionists
cooperative buying
corpus amygdaloideum
dapsone tablet
depressionless
desert wind squall
Dick Cheney
donbassite
double worsted
elaunon bipartitus
elegises
Ewenni
Exton's quantitative reagent
ferro-electric transformer
five way mechanical lubricator
fleetly
fnrfuryl trimethylammoniam iodide
fp.
Fragaria chiloensis
genus laminarias
get a good scolding
gump-stumps
high cost
hou ti y?eh
hydraulic braked vehicle
income produced
induction logging
initial property
joltless
Khwarshi
lactogenic hormones
lagenae
lca
letting go
lithium monoborate
lizichev
lndian turnip
magneticcore
make our peace with
merolidine
murali
musculi corrugator glabellae
mynott
myripristis murdjan
nature and flavor
nephila pilipes
on the rolls
papaya whip
Pohle air lift pump
porcelain-clad type current transformer
posterocluspon
pyrone carboxylic acid
Quitman County
rear beam
reverse visual angle
Rhododendron ellipticum
searment
Single Liability System
single mode connector
spiritual experience
statelier
STDT
sub treasury
Synagrops bellus
tail bay wall
Tarims
tashmitums
teaselled
technetium-99m
telish
tin-pan
title entry
town walls
treel
uncertain interpretation
venae metacarpeae dorsales
volatile oil reservoir
Vroomshoop
weak caustic solution
West Wellow
ziega
zigzag intermittent weld
zoma