VOA慢速英语-Economics Report - No Money Down: Give-and-Take Site

This is the VOA Special English Economics¹ Report.

Whoever said you cannot get something for nothing has not searched the Internet lately. An increasing number of Web sites offer users a chance to give things away and get things for free. The goal is to keep useful things from being thrown away. This helps people and keeps waste out of the environment.
　
Laura Gernell of Marmet, West Virginia, got a bicycle through The Freecycle Network last year

The largest give-and-take Web site is Freecycle.org. Deron Beal started Freecycle as a non-profit organization in two thousand three. The site says it has more than five and a half million members in more than seventy-five countries. Joining is free. And all the goods offered on the site are free without any conditions.

Each group is supervised² by a small number of moderators. They enforce the rules. For example, members can only make a request for something once a week. And everything on the site must be for all ages.

We spoke³ to a moderator in the Washington, D.C. area. She told us that there were about one hundred members in her local group when she joined in two thousand three. Now there are more than fourteen thousand members. In addition to Freecycle, there are many similar Web sites such as reuseitnetwork.org and freesharing.org.

Other Web sites let users exchange goods and services, or barter⁴. In this ancient form of trade, no money changes hands.

At first, bartering⁵ took place as an exchange between two people. But modern bartering is more complex and is commonly done between businesses. It uses a third party -- a trade exchange company -- to help carry out the barter deal. Trade exchanges permit users to trade goods or services for credits. Businesses can trade these credits for other goods or services. Trade exchange companies usually make money from fees paid by members and by receiving a percentage of the value of barter deals. Bartering helps companies save money, move unused products and connect with new buyers.

Two main trade groups serve the barter exchange industry. They are the National Association of Trade Exchanges and the International Reciprocal⁶ Trade Association. Both have separate systems of credits that make bartering easier. It is estimated that more than four hundred fifty thousand businesses use bartering in some form.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 economics   

n.经济学，经济情况

参考例句：

• He is studying economics,which subject is very important.他正在学习经济学，该学科是很重要的。
• One can't separate politics from economics.不能把政治与经济割裂开来。

2 supervised   

v.监督，管理( supervise的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The architect supervised the building of the house. 建筑工程师监督房子的施工。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He supervised and trained more than 400 volunteers. 他指导和培训了400多名志愿者。 来自辞典例句

3 spoke   

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。

4 barter   

n.物物交换，以货易货，实物交易

参考例句：

• Chickens,goats and rabbits were offered for barter at the bazaar.在集市上，鸡、山羊和兔子被摆出来作物物交换之用。
• They have arranged food imports on a barter basis.他们以易货贸易的方式安排食品进口。

5 bartering   

v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Parliament would be touchy about bartering British soil for ships. 用英国国土换取舰只，议会感到为难。 来自辞典例句
• In former times trade was based on bartering--goods were exchanged for other goods. 以前，贸易是以易货（即货物交换）的方式进行的。 来自辞典例句

6 reciprocal   

adj.相互的，互惠的，互补的；n.相互，互惠 [数］ 倒数

参考例句：

• Our relationship is based on reciprocal respect.我们的关系是以互相尊重为基础的。
• Although I gave him many presents,I had no reciprocal gifts from him.虽然我给他很多礼物，但我没有收到过他给我的礼物。