(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
The Internet has changed the nature of the way we shop. More and more of us are shopping online instead of in "bricks and mortar" stores. In the United Kingdom, this is having dire consequences for the traditional high-street store. A respected business leader has released a report containing grim statistics on the future of U.K. retailing. CEO Bill Grimsey warns that 47 per cent of Britain's chain stores are "horribly stressed financially". This amounts to some 20,000 stores. He predicts a quarter of these will be out of business within the next three years. Mr Grimsey has also said that the continual demise of traditional shopping streets has led to what he termed as "ugly" town centres.
Mr Grimsey provided a range of reasons for the degeneration of Britain's downtown areas. Over 40,000 of Britain's shops are empty; roughly eleven per cent of all retail space. Grimsey said many stores have not sufficiently risen to meet the challenge posed by the Internet. He said that rather than looking to the future, and at innovative ideas to lure customers back, many stores are still stuck in the past. In particular, he said companies were too "nostalgic". Another reason is that multinational companies are draining local areas of money. He said: "It is not difficult to keep local money within the local economy, but it doesn't work if…we are listening too much to big firms."
中文翻译
互联网改变了人们的购物方式。比起实体店，越来越多的人选择在线购物。在英国，互联网对传统购物街构成了严重影响。一位商界领袖发表了一份关于英国未来零售业的报告，报告中包含了许多惨淡数据。首席执行官比尔·格里姆塞警告称，英国有47%的零售商店遭受到了严重的财政状况。这相当于2万家商店。他预计在未来的三年内，四分之一的商店将退出市场。格里姆塞先生还称传统商业街的陨落将导致他所说的，市镇中心的衰败景象。
格里姆塞先生就英国市中心的陨落说了几点原因。超过4万家英国商店空无一人；这大约为11%的零售市场空间。格里姆塞认为许多商店无法应对互联网所带来的挑战。他称比起面向未来，运用创新方式吸引顾客，许多商店还是止步不前。他称特别是许多企业，他们太怀旧了。另一个原因是跨国企业正在掘取当地资本。他称：“要让本地资金留在本地经济中，这不难，但是如果我们一味听从大公司，那就无济于事了。
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重点讲解
1.out of business 退出市场
例句：All of which would have crushed our margins and slowly but surely driven us out of business.
所有这些巨头都会吞噬我们的利润率，缓慢而坚定地将我们挤出这个市场。
2.a range of 一系列
例句：Should a service with a range of users enable all users to access all data?
具有一系列用户的服务是否允许其所有用户访问所有数据？
3.instead of 而不是
例句：His success plays his luck instead of his skill.
他取得的成功靠的是运气而不是技术。
4.meet the challenge 迎接挑战
例句：The holy city is striving to meet the challenge with some Vegas-like amenities.
这座圣城正在努力打造拉斯维加斯式的设施以迎接挑战。
听力题目
1.How did the article describe traditional shops?
a) as online stores
b) as being old-fashioned
c) as being concerned with nature
d) as bricks and mortar stores
2.What kind of consequences is the Internet having on stores?
a) dietary
b) dire
c) positive effects
d) unfair
3.What did a report contain?
a) photos of every closed store
b) a way forward
c) bleak statistics
d) innovative ideas
4.How many shops could go bust within the next three years?
a) 5,000
b) 47%
c) 20,000
d) 11%
5.How did a CEO describe the look of town centres?
a) modern
b) comfortable
c) ugly
d) original
6.What percentage of retail space in the UK is vacant?
a) 10
b) 11
c) 12
d) 13
7.What ideas have stores not been looking at?
a) ideas to move location
b) nostalgic ideas
c) ideas about new technology
d) ones to bring customers back
8.What feelings did the CEO say stores had too much of?
a) nostalgia
b) pity
c) anger
d) relief
9.What is draining local economies of money?
a) sewage systems
b) tourists
c) multinational firms
d) nostalgia
10.How can local economies make things difficult for themselves?
a) by not offering huge discounts
b) by listening to big companies
c) competing with the Internet
d) closing early
听力答案
1.d
2.b
3.c
4.a
5.c
6.b
7.d
8.a
9.c
10.b
