在线英语听力室

VOA慢速英语2012 THIS IS AMERICA - How Pawn Shops Make Money; Mike Tyson’s Return

时间:2012-05-22 03:39:08

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

 

THIS IS AMERICA - How Pawn1 Shops Make Money; Mike Tyson’s Return

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I’m Christopher Cruise.

JUNE SIMMS: And I’m June Simms. This week, we tell you about pawn shops and the people who own them - pawnbrokers3. We also tell about former boxing champion Mike Tyson and his recent one-man show.

(MUSIC)

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Pawn shops are businesses where people bring their possessions to sell or to get a short-term loan. The United States has about ten thousand of them.

In the past few years, pawn shops have been doing business with more people than ever before. That is because many lenders now do business only with individuals having good credit ratings or a high-paying job. Often, the individuals most in need of a loan have poor credit ratings. But they do not need a good job or credit rating to get a loan from a pawnbroker2. They only need something of value.

When a traditional lender approves a loan, it may be days or weeks before an individual receives the money. But pawnbrokers will give a loan in just a few minutes based on the resale value of an object and without asking about the person’s job or credit history.

JUNE SIMMS: Many pawn shops specialize in jewelry4. But most shops accept almost anything of value, including computers, musical instruments, guns, old coins and other antiques. The item itself acts as the security, or collateral5, for the loan. If the loan is not repaid, the object can be sold. 

Customers can get the object back -- called redeeming6 it -- at any time by repaying the loan plus the interest and fees they agreed to pay. Or they can pay the interest and leave the item at the pawn shop for a while longer.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The National Pawnbrokers Association is a national trade group representing pawnbrokers. The association calls pawn-brokering “one of humankind’s oldest financial institutions.” It says pawnbrokers operated three thousand years ago in ancient China and in early Greek and Roman times.

Pawn shops may be large or small, clean or dirty, but they are all full of stories. This may explain the popularity of television shows like “Pawn Stars” on the History Channel. The show is about a family of pawnbrokers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

(SOUND)

Another program, called “Hard Core Pawn,” is on the TruTV network. It shows a pawnbroker and his grown children in a large pawn shop in Detroit, Michigan. These programs are among the most-watched shows on the two cable stations.

JUNE SIMMS: Some pawnbrokers say the television shows have made people more willing to consider the idea of pawning7 their possessions. But others say the programs are misleading because they often show people selling things to the pawnbroker. Pawnbrokers say few people want to sell their belongings8. In fact, they may need the item to pawn later. Pawnbrokers say they make more money loaning money than buying items and reselling them.

The National Pawnbrokers Association works to improve the image of the industry. It says pawnshops must follow many federal, state and local laws. The association gives training to its members on how to obey those rules, and urges pawnbrokers to do business in an honest way. It also works to establish good relationships with government and law enforcement officers.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Kevin Prochaska is head of the National Pawnbrokers Association. He owns thirteen pawn shops in Texas. Mr. Prochaska says sixty to seventy percent of his loans are on jewelry. He says it may seem like pawnbrokers make a lot of money, but they have a lot of costs.

KEVIN PROCHASKA: “In my business, my typical stores, we make twenty loans a day, and like I said the average loan’s a hundred fifty dollars. So, you know the pawn service charge on that is, if everybody came and picked up their items, you’d get thirty dollars per hundred and fifty. And that seems like a big number. But when you’re doing thirty times twenty you’re bringing in six hundred dollars a day in revenue. You’ve got three or four people working there, you’ve got the rent, you’ve got the utilities.”

There are pawn shops in some wealthy areas in the United States. But such businesses are the exception. The fact is, most pawn shops are in poorer neighborhoods. Most people who pawn items do not earn a lot and have little money saved. 

JUNE SIMMS: Not everyone believes pawnbrokers provide a good service. Critics have accused them of abusing the poor by charging high interest rates. But pawnbrokers say the high rates are the result of high business costs, including security and storage. And they say pawning an item may be less costly9 than losing electricity or heat.

Another criticism involves the custom of “low-balling.” This is telling an uninformed customer that an item is worth less than it really is. But the opposite also happens. Customers sometimes invent stories about items and claim they are worth more than they are. That is why pawnbrokers must know a lot about many different things. They have to estimate the age of an item, as well as whether it is valuable or worthless.

(MUSIC)

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Mike Tyson has lived a very public life. He recently appeared in a one-man show at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas. The MGM Grand is where the former boxer10 fought some of his biggest fights. The show was called “Undisputed Truth” because, for years, Mike Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion.

He began the show by promising11 the crowd that he was planning to tell his story in his own words. But some of the show was written by others, including his wife.

Much of what Mike Tyson said during his show cannot be broadcast. That is because his language – like his life – was often shocking, threatening and disrespectful, although it could also be funny. 

JUNE SIMMS: Mike Tyson has been called “the baddest man on the planet.” He was once one of the most-feared boxers12 ever. But he said he is now just a “devoted husband and loving father.” He told the crowd his “life has come full circle.” In his words, “I’m pretty happy for the first time in my life. I’m very thankful for all my blessings13.”

These are things Mike Tyson has said before. But stability and happiness have always seemed to be short-term visitors in his life. He has had major successes and even bigger failures. He was the youngest boxing champion in history. He also earned – and spent – an estimated four hundred million dollars.

People he trusted, he says, stole much of his money or did a poor job protecting it. He also paid a lot of money to end earlier marriages. In two thousand three he was unable to pay his debts and declared bankruptcy14. He blamed it on his uncontrolled spending and the poor financial management of others. 

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: At one time Mr. Tyson was not just out of money – he was thirty-eight million dollars in debt. But money was not his only problem. 

In nineteen ninety-two, he began serving a ten-year sentence for raping15 a Miss Black America contestant16. He could have been sentenced to sixty years in prison. He was released after serving three years. He still says he did not rape17 the woman. 

He told the Las Vegas audience that he is still not sure who his father is. He also claimed that his mother was a sex worker who loved alcohol more than she loved her son. Mike Tyson also spoke18 about his nineteen ninety-seven fight against Evander Holyfield. He claimed his opponent repeatedly hit him in the head with his head. He said that is why he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear during the fight.

(SOUND)

JUNE SIMMS: Mike Tyson often seemed uneasy on stage. He performed the show with the help of a teleprompter. It supplied his prepared comments to television screens that audience members could not see. He told VOA that he had been preparing for the show for more than a month.

MIKE TYSON: “You study for like five weeks, just go over the lines, over the lines and stuff, and then use the stuff, because it’s my story, but if I do it from my perspective it’d be too raw for this crowd.”

Mike Tyson seemed very open about the mistakes he had made in his life. He told the crowd that, by the time he was twelve years old, he had been arrested thirty times. He said he loved to fight. “It was love at first fight,” he said. 

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The former heavyweight boxing champion said his first trainer, Cus D’Amato, taught him to “do what I hate to do, but do it like I love it.” Mr. D’Amato, he said, is the only man he ever loved. And when he died, there was no one to control Mike Tyson.

The former champ also said he has never been a good son or brother. In his words, “I was a pig, a womanizer, a monster. I really wasn’t a nice guy. I became a fat cokehead,” noting his use of the drug cocaine19. A lot people have criticized Mike Tyson for his actions over the years, and he agrees with many of them.

(MUSIC)

JUNE SIMMS: Our program was written by Christopher Cruise, and produced by Brianna Blake. I’m June Simms.

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: And I’m Christopher Cruise. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.


分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 pawn 8ixyq     
n.典当,抵押,小人物,走卒;v.典当,抵押
参考例句:
  • He is contemplating pawning his watch.他正在考虑抵押他的手表。
  • It looks as though he is being used as a political pawn by the President.看起来他似乎被总统当作了政治卒子。
2 pawnbroker SiAys     
n.典当商,当铺老板
参考例句:
  • He redeemed his watch from the pawnbroker's.他从当铺赎回手表。
  • She could get fifty dollars for those if she went to the pawnbroker's.要是她去当铺当了这些东西,她是可以筹出50块钱的。
3 pawnbrokers 7eb1277eb8b88607176ca8eae6bbba61     
n.当铺老板( pawnbroker的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • To exploit this demand, pawnbrokers are shedding their dingy, Dickensian image. 为了开拓市场,典当商人正在试图摆脱他们过去阴暗的狄更斯时代的形象。 来自互联网
  • Each state and territory has legislation that requires pawnbrokers to be licensed. 各个州和地区的法律都规定当铺老板必须取得特许执照。 来自互联网
4 jewelry 0auz1     
n.(jewllery)(总称)珠宝
参考例句:
  • The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
  • Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。
5 collateral wqhzH     
adj.平行的;旁系的;n.担保品
参考例句:
  • Many people use personal assets as collateral for small business loans.很多人把个人财产用作小额商业贷款的抵押品。
  • Most people here cannot borrow from banks because they lack collateral.由于拿不出东西作为抵押,这里大部分人无法从银行贷款。
6 redeeming bdb8226fe4b0eb3a1193031327061e52     
补偿的,弥补的
参考例句:
  • I found him thoroughly unpleasant, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. 我觉得他一点也不讨人喜欢,没有任何可取之处。
  • The sole redeeming feature of this job is the salary. 这份工作唯其薪水尚可弥补一切之不足。
7 pawning c1026bc3991f1f6ec192e47d222566e5     
v.典当,抵押( pawn的现在分词 );以(某事物)担保
参考例句:
  • He is contemplating pawning his watch. 他正在考虑抵押他的手表。 来自辞典例句
  • My clothes were excellent, and I had jewellery; but I never even thought of pawning them. 我的衣服是很讲究的,我有珠宝;但是我从没想到要把它们当掉。 来自辞典例句
8 belongings oy6zMv     
n.私人物品,私人财物
参考例句:
  • I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
  • Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。
9 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
10 boxer sxKzdR     
n.制箱者,拳击手
参考例句:
  • The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
  • He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。
11 promising BkQzsk     
adj.有希望的,有前途的
参考例句:
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
12 boxers a8fc8ea2ba891ef896d3ca5822c4405d     
n.拳击短裤;(尤指职业)拳击手( boxer的名词复数 );拳师狗
参考例句:
  • The boxers were goaded on by the shrieking crowd. 拳击运动员听见观众的喊叫就来劲儿了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The boxers slugged it out to the finish. 两名拳击手最后决出了胜负。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 blessings 52a399b218b9208cade790a26255db6b     
n.(上帝的)祝福( blessing的名词复数 );好事;福分;因祸得福
参考例句:
  • Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马,焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
14 bankruptcy fPoyJ     
n.破产;无偿付能力
参考例句:
  • You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产,就必须节省开支。
  • His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。
15 raping 4f9bdcc4468fbfd7a8114c83498f4f61     
v.以暴力夺取,强夺( rape的现在分词 );强奸
参考例句:
  • In response, Charles VI sent a punitive expedition to Brittany, raping and killing the populace. 作为报复,查理六世派军讨伐布列塔尼,奸淫杀戮平民。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The conquerors marched on, burning, killing, raping and plundering as they went. 征服者所到之处烧杀奸掠,无所不做。 来自互联网
16 contestant qp9zR     
n.竞争者,参加竞赛者
参考例句:
  • The company will furnish each contestant with a free ticket.公司将为每个参赛者免费提供一张票。
  • The personal appearance and interview of the contestant is another count.参加比赛者的个人仪表和谈话也是一项。
17 rape PAQzh     
n.抢夺,掠夺,强奸;vt.掠夺,抢夺,强奸
参考例句:
  • The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
  • He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。
18 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
19 cocaine VbYy4     
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂)
参考例句:
  • That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
  • Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。