时间:2018-12-17 作者:英语课 分类:英语广播节选


英语课
With only two weeks to go before Christmas, buying presents is a high priority 1 for a lot of people. However, this year not so many people are leaving their homes to browse 2 around the shops. These days lots of people can do their shopping in the comfort of their own home with the help of the internet.
  Online shopping is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons; prices are often lower online, you don’t have to queue up in busy shops and you can buy almost any product imaginable with just a few clicks of your mouse.
  Computer trends are often male-dominated but this year women are expected to do more shopping on the internet than men. It seems women are now more attracted to the convenience of online shopping than they used to be.
  Average spending online this Christmas by women will rise to £240 (3360 Yuan) compared to the slightly lower average of £233 for men, while the average spend per person on the high street is only £197. 70% of internet users, male and female, are now buying their Christmas gifts online.
  In the past a lot of people were reluctant to shop online. Many were worried about the security of entering their card details on the internet and the reliability 3 of the internet but as shopping online has become more widespread, these worries have begun to disappear. 45% of internet users still do have security worries but it hasn’t slowed down the ever-increasing numbers of online shoppers.
  One victim of the online shopping boom 4 is the UK high street. Christmas trading can represent up to 60% of turnover 5 for some stores. Many companies are concerned that not enough shoppers are coming through their doors in the run-up to Christmas. As a result there are lots of special offers in the shops.
  Most shops traditionally have sales after Christmas but this year the bargains have come early in an attempt to lure 6 consumers to spend. Bad news for the high street has become good news for the bank balances of UK shoppers this Christmas!

GLOSSARY 词汇表
to browse around 浏览
to queue up 排队
a few clicks of your mouse 点击你的鼠标
the high street 主要商业街
entering their card details 填写银行卡资料
widespread 流行广泛的
ever-increasing 不断增长的
boom 繁荣
turnover 营业额
special offers 特价
in the comfort of their own home 在家里舒舒服服的(…)
any product imaginable 可以想象到的产品
male-dominated 由男性主宰的
reluctant 勉强的
reliability 可靠性
internet users 上网者
victim 牺牲品
trading 交易
the run-up 即将到来之际
to lure 诱惑


1 priority
n.优先处理的事,居先,优先(权)
  • The development of the national economy is a top priority.发展国民经济是应予以最优先考虑的事。
  • Things should be taken up in order of priority.办事应有个先后次序。
2 browse
vi.随意翻阅,浏览;(牛、羊等)吃草
  • I had a browse through the books on her shelf.我浏览了一下她书架上的书。
  • It is a good idea to browse through it first.最好先通篇浏览一遍。
3 reliability
n.可靠性,确实性
  • We mustn't presume too much upon the reliability of such sources.我们不应过分指望这类消息来源的可靠性。
  • I can assure you of the reliability of the information.我向你保证这消息可靠。
4 boom
n.隆隆声;vt.发隆隆声
  • The country is having a great boom in industry.这个国家的工业正蓬勃发展。
  • Boom!Boom!Boom!A series of explosions shook the valley.轰!轰!轰!一连串爆破声震撼山谷。
5 turnover
n.人员流动率,人事变动率;营业额,成交量
  • The store greatly reduced the prices to make a quick turnover.这家商店实行大减价以迅速周转资金。
  • Our turnover actually increased last year.去年我们的营业额竟然增加了。
6 lure
n.吸引人的东西,诱惑物;vt.引诱,吸引
  • Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
  • He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。
学英语单词
A good deed bears a blessing for its fruit.
Abaiang Atoll
age discrimination in employment
airbreaking
albunea groeningi
amperometric titrimeter
anecdotages
automatic alarm for main engine and auxiliary engine
b.scs
Banks Hall
Booth multiplier
box level
branch of internal acoustic meatus
brandy room
browneys
calcium chloride-urea
california-berkeley
Chaddock sign
chaetotaxies
circular-frequency
circumtonsillar
cyst sac
deaminizes
Defra
diaspora space
die dunghill
dieselisations
division Cyanophyta
Draconid
draft stock
egg-drop
electropoion
electrosensitivity
ensepulchers
erosio
exhalements
Fair Funds for Investors
fanpage
flash-o-lens
flipflop equipment
fragmentable
fundus vesicae urinariae
Gastrosil
glass-coach
goulash communist
Guizot, Francois Pierre Guillaume
Hale County
Hanafism
heat pump hybrid heating system
hutch up
hydraulic efficiency joint
insurance on last survivor
jilliver
knock the shit out of someone
LFSS
literal theonymy
lower-densities
make a spectacle of oneself
methyl p-anisyl ketone
Miklibær
Minotaurs
monostyla sinuata
nausinoe perspectata
non-identical twin
oftrepeated
optical disc array
optional contract
Orthidina
outer-directeds
paces
pagurid
phlebographies
quay financial software
roger bacons
San Felices de los Gallegos
Saruk
Secondary stocks
seed-head
sensibilization
sensibilized
sezession
shear loss
slide-valve
small tie-beam
sodiumlamp
sook
su model
subsonic combat
supplementary mats
swinging out
Symplocos crassilimba
system connection mode
taxis
teruteros
three heat switch
tracking coverage
travelling fellowship
Ulcolax
unfrlozen
urophasianus
vitle
wang yang-ming