2006年VOA标准英语-Growing Pains for eBay

By Mil Arcega
Washington, D.C.
23 June 2006
 
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eBay.com  
  
eBay, one of the biggest success stories of the dot.com era, is turning 11 years old.  Economic experts say that's about middle age for many Internet start-ups. As VOA's Mil Arcega reports, some say the world's largest online commerce company is starting to show its age.

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eBay's success is a testament¹ to the economic power of the Internet. With more than 200 million members worldwide, eBay conventions can seem more like church revivals² than business meetings.

 
Diane Bingham
  
The enthusiasm comes from converts such as Diane Bingham, who says eBay changed her life.  Bingham, a recovering alcoholic³, started her antique business eight years ago with $20 and an old computer. "Our first year we made $30,000, which was a fortune for us. Then, we made four million last year and we're projected to do six million this year."

Bingham now employs 60 people at her warehouse⁴ in Utah, which serves thousands of buyers and suppliers overseas. She said, "I'm a coal miner's daughter from Price, Utah, and if I can do it, anyone can."

It's the kind of rags-to-riches story eBay likes to tell, but after only 11 years, the company, which has enjoyed its largest growth overseas, may be showing signs of age.

Brian Cooley  
  
Brian Cooley is an editor at CNET.com, a computing⁵ and technology news service. "They've hit a plateau for sure in the United States and perhaps in the German market, which is also very important for them,” Cooley said, “Their growth in Asia, however, is not as assured as it was in these early markets that they once dominated."

 

That's particularly true in China, where there are more than 100 million Internet users. Voice of America senior economics correspondent Jim Randle says eBay is losing some of its edge to younger companies, which in some cases offer the same services for free. "In China, their toughest competitor is Taobao.com, which has about double the market share that eBay does."

Meg Whitman  
  
Stock for eBay is down about 15 percent this year -- in part because of the company's $2.5 billion purchase of Internet telephone company Skype. eBay chief executive officer Meg Whitman says the purchase will strengthen eBay's global presence by allowing users to communicate with buyers and sellers around the world. She said, "The combination of eBay, Paypal and Skype is more powerful than the sum of its parts."

Despite the growing competition, eBay remains⁶ an imposing⁷ force in the world of e-commerce.  Estimates suggest eBay will generate more than $50 billion in business by the end of this year

1 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

2 revivals   

n.复活( revival的名词复数 )；再生；复兴；（老戏多年后）重新上演

参考例句：

• She adored parades, lectures, conventions, camp meetings, church revivals-in fact every kind of dissipation. 她最喜欢什么游行啦、演讲啦、开大会啦、营火会啦、福音布道会啦--实际上各种各样的娱乐。 来自辞典例句
• The history of art is the history of revivals. 艺术的历史就是复兴的历史。 来自互联网

3 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

4 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

5 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

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 imposing   

adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的

参考例句：

• The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
• He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。