万花筒 2010-12-08&12-09 丰田2011年将减产

Toyota Motor has lowered its global production plans for 2011, after a sluggish¹ recovery in US sales.
The Asahi Shimbun says the top car maker² is cutting production by about 200,000 units, bringing next year's target to 7.8 million vehicles.Toyota was the only major auto³ brand to report a fall in U.S. sales last month. The revision means Toyota's global production would fall short of eight million units for the third straight year.
The figure excludes its Daihatsu Motor arm and truckmaking unit Hino Motors.
Toyota does not release calendar year production plans, but in the first ten months of this year, Toyota's global output was 6.4 million units, matching the result for all of 2009.However, Toyota and its Japanese rivals' sales were helped by government subsidies⁴ for fuel-efficient vehicles.
These expired in September, and new car sales have since fallen for three straight months.Latest sales figures released Monday by auto trade groups showed a 2.2% fall in sales of Toyota's Prius in Japan, though the hybrid⁵ remains⁶ the best-selling car in the domestic market for an 18th consecutive⁷ month. Arnold Gay, Reuters.

1 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。

2 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

3 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

4 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。