英语听力精选进阶版 6043（在线收听）

With only two weeks to go before Christmas, buying presents is a high priority for a lot of people. However, this year not so many people are leaving their homes to browse 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 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 is the UK high street. Christmas trading can represent up to 60% of turnover 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 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

in the comfort of their own home 在家里舒舒服服的(…)    

to queue up 排队

any product imaginable 可以想象到的产品   

a few clicks of your mouse 点击你的鼠标

male-dominated 由男性主宰的  

the high street 主要商业街  

reluctant 勉强的   

entering their card details 填写银行卡资料

reliability 可靠性    

widespread 流行广泛的  

internet users 上网者    

ever-increasing 不断增长的

victim 牺牲品   

boom 繁荣 

trading 交易  

turnover 营业额   

special offers 特价  

the run-up 即将到来之际    

to lure 诱惑