VOA慢速英语2020--欧洲经济应该为圣诞节重新开放吗?

The Christmas season has always been important for the economy¹. Stores, hotels and travel businesses usually make their money at Christmas time. But it is unclear if the holiday season helps other industries.

The health crisis² has forced countries across Europe to shut down until early December to contain the spread of coronavirus. Governments are hoping to re-open their economies³ in time for Christmas. Some economists⁵, however, wonder if it will do any good.

The question is especially important this year. There is a risk that re-opening too early could hurt public health, economic growth⁶ and employment⁷.

Black Friday and online sales

The financial research firm Deloitte says the biggest European spenders on Christmas last year are those in Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal.

In Britain, December sales are usually around 12 percent of the yearly⁸ total. Economists say that helps retail⁹ businesses, even if people buy less in January to recover from December spending.

However, lower-priced Black Friday sales across Europe in late November has made December spending less important. The growth in online purchasing also makes it less necessary for some stores to stay open. German retail association¹⁰ HDE expects online sales to fuel an increase of 1.2 percent over 2019.

Some economists believe that even if people do not buy before Christmas, they will spend on other things.

Paul Donovan is chief economist⁴ at UBS Global¹¹ Wealth Management. He said in his weekly blog, "Not spending on drinks at a Christmas party translates into the purchase of new furniture."

Last-minute purchase

Television news often shows crowded stores with last-minute purchasers before Christmas. But there are other, less obvious effects of the Christmas season.

Usually, productivity¹² drops as Christmas nears. Workers rush out to buy things or go to parties. One research company found that 25 percent of workers reported they do less work or try to avoid more work during the holiday season.

There are even some economists who believe the act of buying gifts is bad for the economy.

Yale economist Joel Waldfogel wrote a paper in 1993 called "The Deadweight Loss¹³ of Christmas." He said that when people pay a lot for gifts, especially unwanted gifts, that was like destroying their economic value.

Economists continue to argue about this idea. However, few disagree that Christmas does have unintended and harmful effects on the economy, from drunk-driving accidents to increased paper waste.

Information on new coronavirus cases in coming days will show if Europe can reopen for Christmas. But for the economy, it may not make any difference.

Words in This Story

retail - adj. the business of selling things directly¹⁴ to customers for their own use

furniture - n. chairs, tables, beds, etc., that are used to make a room ready for use

obvious - adj. easy to see or notice

productivity - n. the rate at which goods are produced or work is completed

deadweight - adj. something heavy that is being carried

1 economy   

n.经济；节俭；秩序；机体

参考例句：

• We must do our best to develop the national economy.我们必须努力发展国民经济。
• The country's economy is not very healthy.国家的经济不很景气。

2 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

3 economies   

n.节约( economy的名词复数 )；经济；经济情况；经济结构

参考例句：

• A customs union would integrate the economies of these countries. 关税联盟会把这些国家的经济紧密结合在一起。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Economies have peaks and troughs. 经济有高峰，也有低谷。 来自辞典例句

4 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

5 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 growth   

n.生长，栽培

参考例句：

• All living things depend on the sun for their growth.万物靠太阳生长。
• Youth is the time of physical growth.青年时期是长身体的时期。

7 employment   

n.雇用；使用；工作，职业

参考例句：

• A large office requires the employment of many people.一个大办事处需要雇用好多人员。
• The state of employment in this city is improving.这个城市就业状况正在改善。

8 yearly   

adj.每年的，一年一度的；adv.一年一次地

参考例句：

• The flower show is a yearly event in our town.我们镇上的花展一年举行一次。
• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。

9 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

10 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

11 global   

adj.全球的；球形的；世界的

参考例句：

• A global environmental meeting is going to be held here.一个全球环境会议将在这里举行。
• The report takes a global view of the company's problems.这份报告对公司的问题作了综合性的论述。

12 productivity   

n.生产力，生产率，多产

参考例句：

• Farmers are introducing in novations which increase the productivity.农民们正引进提高生产力的新方法。
• The workers try to put up productivity.工人设法提高生产率。

13 loss   

n.损失，遗失，失败，输，浪费，错过，[军]伤亡，降低

参考例句：

• His death was a great loss to the country.他的逝世对这个国家是一大损失。
• Because of the continued loss,the factory closed down.由于连续亏损，工厂关闭了。

14 directly   

adv.直接地，径直地；马上，立即

参考例句：

• I will telephone you directly I hear the news.我一听到消息，马上打电话给你。
• She answered me very directly and openly.她非常坦率地、开门见山地答复了我。