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发表于 2016-7-10 10:13:28
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typically *
adv. in a way that a particular type of thing usually happens 典型地
volunteer *
n. someone who does something without being paid, or who is willing to offer to help someone 志愿者
whereas *
conj.but in contrast; while on the other hand 反之，而在另一方面
e.g. He must be about sixty, whereas his wife looks about thirty.
Phrases and Expressions
account for
make up a particular amount or part of something 占
e.g. Imports from Japan accounted for 40% of the total.
be comprised of
be made up of
e.g. The city's population is largely comprised of Asians and Europeans.
lose touch with
no longer speak or write to someone because they do not live with you, work with you, etc. 与......失去联系
e.g. I've lost touch with most of my friends from college.
take on
agree to do some work or be responsible for something 承担
e.g. He's taking on too much work. He looks awful.
The Older Subculture
Although business people have a very high opinion of the opportunities in the youth market, elderly people have been largely neglected by marketers and frequently by society itself. Many people feel that American marketers have gone too far in attempting to please the youth market and particularly those aged 18 to 34. A recent survey found that over 40 percent of the nation's leading advertisers said the 50-plus [1] market has little impact on their current marketing strategies. An advertising executive observed that markets have long concentrated only on consumers below the age of 49. He noted that "it is as if the world ceases to exist once you are beyond 49[2]". One of the problems with retailing in America is that merchants have lost touch with older customers—their customer has changed, but they have not.
Why the neglect[3]? Many marketers consider the youth market to be attractive and exciting, whereas older consumers are thought to be dull and uninteresting. Although this situation may be understandable psychologically, it may make poor economic sense[4], because middle-aged consumers hold considerably more promise for a wide range of consumer goods and services than do the young[5].
Nevertheless, many Americans—even many marketers—hold negative stereotypes about the 50-plus market that are not based on fact. The following eight myths about this group can limit a company's success in attracting older customers:
i. Older consumers are all the same. (Actually this market is comprised of numerous groups.)
ii. They think of themselves as old. ("Old age" is typically 15 years older than they are, and doesn't begin until well past 70.)
iii. They aren't an important percentage of consumers. (Those 50 and over often have a lot of spending money and they account for almost one-third of spending on refrigerators, floor coverings, new cars, jewelry, and groceries.)
iv. They won't try something new. (A survey for one company found that in one year, 45 percent had tried a new brand of cereal, and 30 percent had tried a new canned soup and soft drink brand.)
v. They have impaired mental faculties. (Only about 5 percent have serious mental impairment. Moreover, intelligence tests reveal little change from age 17 to 80.)
vi. They are in poor health. (Most are not disabled and will remain healthy until their last years.)
vii. They keep to themselves.[6] (Many are socially active, are involved as volunteers, and are taking on new responsibilities.)
viii. They aren't physically active. (A recent Gallup poll revealed almost half of those 65 and over regularly engage in exercise.) (428 words)
PASSAGE III Bargains
Proper Names
Hungary
匈牙利
New Zealand
新西兰
pengo
彭戈(1925-1946年匈牙利货币单位，嗣后改为forint)
Persian
adj. 波斯的
shilling
先令(原英国货币单位)
New Words
accuse *
v. 指挥
e.g. He's been accused of murder.
advantageous
adj. beneficial 有利的
e.g. The lower tax rate is particularly advantageous to poorer families.
bargain *
n. something bought cheaply for less than its usual price 廉价商品
e.g. It's a well-known fact that there is nothng the consumer loves more than a real bargain.
breathtaking
adj. 令人吃惊的
bulk *
n. a big mass of something 大量，大块
e.g. A great bulk of her time is taken up with answering the phone.
charming
adj. very pleasing and attractive; nice 迷人的
chop *
n. 羊排，猪排
circular *
adj. shaped like a circle 圆形的
decent *
adj. acceptable and good enough 合适的
e.g. We must provide decent housing for the poor.
definition *
n. 定义
equivalent *
n. something that is the same as something else 等价物
extort
v. illegally force someone to give you money by threatening them 勒索，强取
extravagant *
adj. spending a lot of money on things that are not necessary 奢侈的
fade *
v. disappear gradually 消失
e.g. All memory of her childhood had faded from her mind.
freezer
n. 冰箱，冷藏箱
grandchild
n. 孙子，孙女，外孙，外孙女
greedy *
adj. always wanting more than you need 贪婪的
e.g. He's greedy for power.
guilty *
adj. having done something that is a crime 有罪的
e.g. She must have done something wrong, because she's looking so guilty.
impertinence
n. 无理，鲁莽
innocent *
adj. not having much experience of life 不谙世故的
e.g. as innocent as a new-born baby
loo
n. 洗手间
lucky *
adj. having good luck 幸运的
e.g. John was lucky enough to be selected for the team.
murderer *
n. 谋杀犯，凶手
novelty *
n. the quality of being new, usual, and interesting 新奇
e.g. Cars were still something of a novelty at the beginning of the century.
orthodox *
adj. that is considered by most people to be normal, correct and acceptable 正统的，传统的
e.g. We would prefer a more orthodox approach to this problem.
outraged *
adj. very angry and shocked 震惊的，义愤填膺的
e.g. People were outraged at the idea of the murderer Hindley being released.
pea *
n. 豌豆
pensioner *
n. someone who is receiving a pension 领养老金的人
plead *
v. 承认，认罪
e.g. They made him plead madness. 他们要他承认精神错乱。
prohibit *
v. stop officially an activity by making it illegal or against the rules 禁止
e.g. Motor vehicles are prohibited from driving in the town center.
reduction *
n. reducing or being reduced 降低，减少
e.g. There are huge price reductions in many shops during the summer sales.
resist *
v. 经得住
e.g. Jill couldn't resist making jokes about his baldness (秃顶).
roller-skate
n. 四轮溜冰鞋
sake *
n. 目的，理由
for the sake of 为了
e.g. He moved to the seaside for the sake of his health.
sane
adj. able to think in a normal and reasonable way 清醒的，明智的
saw *
n. 锯子
seemingly *
adv. appearing to be something when this is not actually true 似乎
e.g. The road was dusty and seemingly endless.
spacious *
adj. large; with plenty of space to move around in 宽敞的
e.g. a very spacious kitchen
sticky *
adj. 粘的，粘性的
e.g. The floor was very sticky near the cooker.
tastily
adv. 美味地
toothpaste
n. 牙膏
tremendous *
adj. excellent 极好的，不平常的
e.g. a tremendous film/pianist/experience
utterly *
adv. completely, absolutely 完全地
e.g. We failed utterly to convince him.
vaguely *
adv. not clearly or distinctly 模糊地
e.g. Her face is vaguely familiar.
whereupon
conj.after which; and then 然后，于是
e.g. She laughed at him, whereupon he walked out.
1. Directions: Read the following passage carefully and chooose the right word or phrase for each blank.
Bargains
Let us take the orthodox definition of the word bargain. It is something offered at a low and __________ (advantageous/disadvantageous) price. It is an opportunity to buy something at a lower price than it is really worth. A more recent definition is: a bargain is a dirty trick to extort money from the pockets of silly and innocent people.
I have never attended a large company's board [1] meeting in my life, but I feel certain that the discussion often takes the following lines[2]. The _______ (money/cost) of producing a new toothpaste, for example, would make 80p[3] the decent price for it, so we will market it at ￡1.20. It is not a bad toothpaste (not especially good either, but not bad), and as people like to try new things it will sell well to _________ (start/start with); but the attraction of novelty soon fades, so sales will fall. When that starts to happen we will reduce the price to ￡1.15. And we will turn it into a bargain by printing 5p OFF all over it, whereupon people will ________ (run/rush) to buy it even though it still costs about forty-three percent more than its fair price.
Sometimes it is not 5p OFF but 1p OFF. What breathtaking impertinence to advertise 1p OFF your soap or washing powder or dog food or whatever. Even the poorest old-age pensioner ought to regard this ________ (as/(empty)) an insult, but he doesn't. A bargain must not be missed. To be offered a "gift" of one penny is like being invited to dinner and offered one single pea (tastily cooked), and nothing else. Even if it represented a real reduction it would be an insult. _________ (Still/Moreover), people say, one has to have washing powder (or whatever) and one might as well buy it a penny cheaper. When I was a boy in Hungary a man was accused of murdering someone for the sake of one pengo, the equivalent of a shilling, and pleaded guilty[4]. The judge was outraged: "To kill a man for a shilling!... What can you say in your ________ (offense/defense)?" The murderer replied:"A shilling here... a shilling there..." And that's what today's shopper says, too:"A penny here... a penny there..."
The real danger starts when ___________ (fully/utterly) unnecessary things become "bargains". There is a huge number of people who just cannot resist bargains and sales. Provided they think they are getting a bargain they will buy clothes they will never wear, furniture they have _________ (no/(empty)) space for. Old ladies will buy roller-skates and _______ (smokers/nonsmokers) will buy pipe-cleaners[5]. And I once heard of a man who bought an electric circular saw as a bargain and cut off two of his fingers the next day. But he had no regrets: the saw had been really cheap.
Quite a few people actually believe that they __________ (make/waste) money on such bargains. A lady I know, ___________ (likewise/otherwise) a charming and seemingly sane woman,[6] sometimes tells me stories such as this:"I've had a lucky day today. I bought a dress for ￡120, reduced from ￡400; I bought a suitcase for ￡40, reduced from ￡120 and I bought a beautiful Persian carpet for ￡600, reduced from ￡900." Perhaps she may add vaguely that she has been a trifle extravagant, but it will never________ (happen/occur) to her that she has actually wasted ￡760. She feels as though she has made ￡660. She also feels, I am sure, that if she had more time for shopping, she could make a living _______ (with/out of) it.
Some people buy in bulk because it is cheaper. At certain moments New Zealand lamb chops[7] may be 3p cheaper if you buy half a ton of them, so people rush to buy a freezer __________ (to/just to) find out later that it is too small to hold half a ton of New Zealand lamb. I once knew a couple who could not resist ____________ (to buy/buying) sugar in bulk. They thought it a tremendous bargain, not to be _______( missed/lost), so they bought enough sugar for their lifetime and the lifetime of their children and grandchildren. When the sugar arrived they didn't know where to store it—____________ (when/until) they realized that their loo was a very spacious one. So that was where they piled up their sugar. Not only ________ (their guests felt/did their guests feel) rather strange whenever they were offered sugar to put into their coffee, but the loo became extremely sticky.
To offer bargains is a commercial trick to make the poor poorer. When greedy fools fall for this trick, it serves them right [8]. All the same, if bargains were prohibited by law our _________ (level/standard) of living would immediately rise by 7.39 per cent. (770 words)
Phrases and Expressions
accuse ... of
say someone to be guilty of a crime or of doing something bad 指控
e.g. He's accused of murder.
all the same
in spite of; anyway 尽管如此，仍然
e.g. He gives us a lot of trouble--but I like him all the same.
cut off
separate something by cutting it from the main part 割去
e.g. She cut off a small piece of bread and gave it to me.
fall for something
be tricked into believing something that is not true 相信某事
e.g. I did not fall for Joe's story about being a jet pilot.
in bulk
in large amounts 大量
e.g. Buying in bulk is more economical than shopping for small quantities.
might (just) as well 倒不如，(满)可以
e.g. It's no good waiting for the bus. We might as well walk. |
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