VOA常速英语2020--疫情将使美零售业业绩迎来断崖式下滑

With the staggering loss of jobs in the retail¹ sector² because of virus shutdowns, a trade group is asking that furloughed employees be able to work part-time and still receive full unemployment benefits. AP's Jackie Quinn has details.

受新冠疫情影响，许多企业关停，这导致零售行业有许多人失业。某贸易组织请求让休假的员工以兼职的状态工作，同时能获得全职员工的福利。下面请听美联社记者杰基·奎恩发回的详细报道。

The Retail Industry Leaders Association, a group that includes Home Depot³, Best Buy, Walmart and the Gap, is asking Congress to allow furloughed and laid off retail workers to accept part-time assignments without facing reduction in their state unemployment benefits.

零售业领袖协会的成员包括家得宝、百思买集团、沃尔玛、盖璞。该协会请国会允许休假和失业的零售业员工能获得兼职任务，同时不要减少其所在州的失业津贴。

Meanwhile, Walmart says it plans to hire another 50,000 people to meet the surging demand for essentials on top of 150,000 jobs already added.

与此同时，沃尔玛表示其计划雇佣5万人来满足必需品激增的需求。在此之前，已增加15万个工作岗位。

With people desperate for work, Walmart says it's received more than one million applications for the new temporary and part-time jobs. I'm Jackie Quinn.

在人们都苛求工作岗位的情况下，沃尔玛表示其收到了100多万份简历短工和兼职的申请。感谢收听杰基·奎恩发回的报道。

One of the most sacred Easter symbols of the Christian⁴ Orthodox faith - the Holy Fire - arrived in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Saturday. But the coronavirus outbreak meant only a top group of Eastern Orthodox clerics were able to receive it.

基督东正教复活节最神圣的标志之一生活于周六抵达了约旦河西岸的伯利恒市。但疫情肆虐意味着只有一组东正教牧师能接收圣火。

In normal times, Bethlehem's Manger Square would be packed with thousands of pilgrims and worshippers who would pass the holy fire to each other to light their candles. This year, crowds have been banned in an attempt to curb⁵ the spread of the coronavirus.

正常情况下，伯利恒市的马槽广场都会聚集着数千名朝圣者和礼拜者，他们会彼此传递生活来点亮蜡烛。但今年禁止了人群的聚集，从而抑制疫情的传播。

The Holy Fire ritual marks the belief that a fire appears spontaneously every year from the tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem.

圣火的仪式标志着人们的信仰——每年，圣火都会自发地从耶路撒冷耶稣的墓穴中出现。

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 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。