【轻松英文阅读】咖啡要涨价了

 The price of Brazilian Arabica coffee has just surged by 94 percent on the New York futures¹ market. What's behind the rise? Well, it’s the result of bad weather in Brazil. That country's coffee harvest accounts for more than one third of the world's output and when their harvest is down it has a strong influence on coffee prices around the world. This year’s harvest in Brazil is expected to be down as much as 10 percent compared to last year.

 

The region was hit by a severe drought and extremely high temperatures during the growing season. In fact, the country had its hottest January on record. Then, heavy rains and flooding hampered² the harvest. This double whammy in Brazil has lead to the largest world supply deficit³ since the 2009-2010 season.

 

Already, several major chains and coffee retailers⁴ have raised prices. Starbucks will be raising the price of some of its drinks for the first time in four years.

1 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

2 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

3 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

4 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。