英语听力精选进阶版 7091

Background: 上月中国汽车销售量一举跃居世界第一。据中国官方媒体报道说中国已经超越美国成为世界汽车销量第一国。

China's auto¹ market 汽车市场 was the second largest in the world last year, behind the United States.

The new data 数据 suggests though that in the first few weeks of this year a lot more cars were sold here than in America.

The Chinese bought 735,000 new vehicles - about 78,000 more than were sold in the United States. Analysts² 分析者 caution though that we shouldn't conclude that this is now the world's largest car market.

Sales are always higher in China ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations, which this year came at the end of the January. In America they usually fall after Christmas.

Of course the economic crisis 金融危机 made the situation in the US even worse than normal.

But it's unlikely that China will maintain the number one position in world auto sales throughout the year.

The president of General Motors China Division, Kevin Wale points out that even if more cars are sold here than in the US, that doesn't necessarily mean more profit 利润 is generated in China:

"You need to recognise that the value of those sales are on average 平均 significantly lower than the sale of a vehicle in the US, so the revenue 收入 that's generated in the market will be significantly larger than the China market for quite some time to come."

As far as volume 量 of sales though, the direction of travel is clear. Mr Wale expects China to become the world's largest auto market within five to ten years.

Outside of big cities like Shanghai few Chinese people own a car and the big auto makers³ hope that, as standards of living 生活水平 continue to improve here, more will want to buy one.

GLOSSARY⁴ 词汇表

auto market 汽车市场

data 数据

analysts 分析者

economic crisis 金融危机

profit 利润

on average 平均

revenue 收入

volume 量

standards of living 生活水平

Questions and Answers

1. True or false? Sales of cars in China were poor last year. 

False. China's car market was the second largest in the world last year.

2. How many new cars were sold in China this year?

735,000

3. When are car sales highest in China? 

Sales are higher in China before the Lunar New Year celebrations.

4. According to Kevin Wale, when will China become the biggest car market?

In the next five to ten years.

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。