VOA标准英语2011--US Retailers Gear Up for Holiday Rush

US Retailers² Gear Up for Holiday Rush

 

The day after Thanksgiving in America, or what is called “Black Friday,” which falls on Nov. 25 this year, traditionally marks the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.

What retailers hope will be lusty consumer spending during the winter holidays is fueled, in part, by our cozy³ images of the season. Nathaniel Currier and James Ives’ 19th-century lithographs⁴ of snow-crusted fields, frosty farmhouse⁵ windows, and families bundled on one-horse sleighs still adorn⁶ our holiday cards.

Each year on television, we fall in love again with the snow-dappled town of Bedford Falls in the beloved 1946 Christmas movie classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” And we re-introduce our children to Clement⁷ Moore’s classic poem, “A Visit From Saint Nicholas.”

Sad to say, though, that while gift-giving is still an integral part of the holidays, you don’t see many contented⁸ shoppers. Or, for that matter, carolers, horse-drawn sleighs or miniature villages in charming Christmas window displays. Most downtown department stores that put them up are out of business, replaced by chain stores in suburban⁹ malls.

Nathaniel Currier and James Ives’ 19th-century lithographs of snow-crusted fields, frosty farmhouse windows, and families bundled on one-horse sleighs still adorn our holiday cards.

And retailers, nervous about the state of the economy, aren’t waiting for Thanksgiving weekend to put up tinsel and Christmas trees. The decorations are already up in thousands of towns across the country. The National Retail¹ Federation¹⁰ is projecting a modest 2.8-percent gain in shopper spending this holiday season.

Today’s Currier and Ives would have to depict¹¹ crowded airports and harried¹² shoppers driving from mall to mall. And with more than one-third of Americans now ordering holiday gifts on the Internet rather than fighting the crowds, might another Clement Moore write,

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Computers were stirring - keyboard, modem¹³, and mouse?"

1 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。

2 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

3 cozy   

adj.亲如手足的，密切的，暖和舒服的

参考例句：

• I like blankets because they are cozy.我喜欢毛毯，因为他们是舒适的。
• We spent a cozy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。

4 lithographs   

n.平版印刷品( lithograph的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The etchings, drypoints, lithographs, and engravings together formed his graphic work. 蚀刻画、铜版画、平版画以及雕刻构成了他书画刻印的作品。 来自互联网
• These historic works of art will be released as limited editions of signed lithographs. 这些艺术历史作品是以有限的单一的平版版本发行。 来自互联网

5 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

6 adorn   

vt.使美化，装饰

参考例句：

• She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
• His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。

7 clement   

adj.仁慈的；温和的

参考例句：

• A clement judge reduced his sentence.一位仁慈的法官为他减了刑。
• The planet's history contains many less stable and clement eras than the holocene.地球的历史包含着许多不如全新世稳定与温和的地质时期。

8 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

9 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

10 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

11 depict   

vt.描画，描绘；描写，描述

参考例句：

• I don't care to see plays or films that depict murders or violence.我不喜欢看描写谋杀或暴力的戏剧或电影。
• Children's books often depict farmyard animals as gentle,lovable creatures.儿童图书常常把农场的动物描写得温和而可爱。

12 harried   

v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰

参考例句：

• She has been harried by the press all week. 整个星期她都受到新闻界的不断烦扰。
• The soldiers harried the enemy out of the country. 士兵们不断作骚扰性的攻击直至把敌人赶出国境为止。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 modem   

n.调制解调器

参考例句：

• Does your computer have a modem?你的电脑有调制解调器吗？
• Provides a connection to your computer via a modem.通过调制解调器连接到计算机上。