2007年VOA标准英语-iPhone Price Cut Angers Some Apple Customers
时间：2019-01-07 作者：英语课 分类：2007年VOA标准英语（九月）
Washington
06 September 2007
Technology aficionados 1 who rushed out to buy Apple's much-hyped iPhone since its debut 2 less than three months ago are expressing buyer's remorse 3 now that Apple has slashed 4 the product's price by one-third. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, the announcement of a revamped line of iPod products has not bolstered 5 Apple stock, which plunged 6 more than five percent Wednesday and continued to sink in trading Thursday.
The Apple iPhone
Consumers usually welcome price breaks, but not when they recently purchased a product, only to see everyone else able to purchase the same merchandise for significantly less. Until Wednesday, Apple's revolutionary cellular 7 telephone, media player and web surfer rolled into one, called the iPhone, sold for $599. Today, it can be purchased for $399.
Apple says the price cut is designed to boost sales as America's holiday shopping season nears. Many iPhone owners are crying foul 8 although people who purchased the gadget 9 within the last two weeks are entitled to a refund 10 of the price difference.
The negative reaction overwhelmed what was supposed to be an upbeat day Wednesday for Apple. Chief executive Steve Jobs announced an overhaul 11 of the California-based company's highly-profitable iPod media players.
Steve Jobs (file photo)
"It [the iPod] is going to come in all these great colors," said Steve Jobs. "It is super-thin. We think it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is just incredible."
Prices for high technology gear often fall after their introduction, but many analysts 12 say it is unusual for the price to be slashed so drastically and so quickly for a ground-breaking product. At the same time, they note that the price cut will make it easier for Apple to meet its goal of selling one million iPhone units in the United States by the end of this month.
In other news, the number of American homeowners in danger of losing their property continues to grow. More than one in 20 homeowners are behind in their mortgage payments, and the U.S. Mortgage Bankers Association reports that the number of foreclosure proceedings 13 has reached all-time highs in each of the last three quarters.
House for sale
America's housing and mortgage industries have been hard-hit by upheaval 14 in the so-called "sub-prime" market, referring to loans with higher interest rates designed for those with poor credit. The upheaval is blamed for recent stock market volatility 15 across the globe.
In more positive news, the U.S. Labor 16 Department is reporting greater than expected gains in U.S. productivity, while jobless claims in the United States fell last week for the first time in nearly two months.
- West Coast aficionados of postwar coffee-shop architecture(Karal Ann Marling) 西海岸战后咖啡店式建筑的狂热追随者（卡拉尔安马林） 来自互联网
- Clay developed a radical style which appalled boxing aficionados. 克莱发展出一种震惊拳击迷的全新风格。 来自互联网
- That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
- The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。
- She had no remorse about what she had said.她对所说的话不后悔。
- He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。
- Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
- He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He bolstered his plea with new evidence. 他举出新的证据来支持他的抗辩。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- The data must be bolstered by inferences and indirect estimates of varying degrees of reliability. 这些资料必须借助于推理及可靠程度不同的间接估计。 来自辞典例句
- The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
- She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。
- She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
- Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。
- Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
- What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！
- This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
- She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。
- They demand a refund on unsatisfactory goods.他们对不满意的货品要求退款。
- We'll refund your money if you aren't satisfied.你若不满意，我们愿意退款给你。
- Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
- It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。
- City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
- I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。
- He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
- to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼
- It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。
- The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。
- That was one reason why volatility was so low last year.这也是去年波动性如此低的原因之一。
- Yet because volatility remained low for so long,disaster myopia prevailed.然而，由于相当长的时间里波动性小，灾难短视就获胜了。