VOA标准英语2009年-Winter Weather Slams US Retailers

U.S. retailers² hope to recoup sales that were lost due to heavy snowfall that has paralyzed much of the eastern portion of the country for the past three days.

Michael Bowman | Washington 21 December 2009

 
Photo: AP
Woman and her children shop at Target store in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, 20 Dec 2009

A massive storm that dumped about a half-meter of snow from Virginia to Maine did more than frustrate³ motorists.  It added to the woes⁴ of retailers that were already bracing⁵ for weak holiday sales as the United States struggles to emerge from the deepest and longest recession of the post-World War II era.

The storm's timing⁶ could hardly have been worse, blanketing the most-populous regions of the United States on the last weekend before Christmas, when millions of Americans are preparing to exchange gifts.

"To have the biggest [shopping] weekend of the year wiped out in almost half the country by wicked winter weather and record blizzards⁷ is really going to hurt sales and operating profits, and it is really going to hurt government revenue," says retail¹ analyst⁸ Burt Flickinger of the Strategic Resource Group.

Even before the storm, the National Retail Federation⁹ was predicting a one percent drop in U.S. holiday sales compared to last year.  Although an economic recovery is believed to be underway, U.S. unemployment remains¹⁰ stubbornly high and consumers appear more focused on saving and debt reduction than spending.

Again, retail analyst Burt Flickinger, speaking on Bloomberg Television.

"People are more cash and credit-constrained than at any other time in U.S. history," he noted¹¹.  "So they are only buying for children and immediate¹² family members. Just for need, not for want."

To combat sales losses, many retailers are extending store hours in the few remaining days before Christmas.  While traditional stores clearly lost revenue in recent days, other businesses may actually profit from inclement¹³ weather. 

Many online retailers saw a jump in orders, as shoppers unable to leave their homes turned to their computers to make purchases.  And grocery stores and supermarkets also saw a jump in business ahead of the storm, as people scrambled¹⁴ to buy food and supplies.

"The grocery stores had a surge in business," Flickinger said.  "They were up 100 percent [in sales] per day for two days in a row before the storm."

Consumer spending accounts for more than two-thirds of U.S. economic activity.
 

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 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。

3 frustrate   

v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦

参考例句：

• But this didn't frustrate Einstein.He was content to go as far as he could.但这并没有使爱因斯坦灰心，他对能够更深入地研究而感到满意。
• They made their preparations to frustrate the conspiracy.他们作好准备挫败这个阴谋。

4 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

5 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

6 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

7 blizzards   

暴风雪( blizzard的名词复数 )； 暴风雪似的一阵，大量（或大批）

参考例句：

• Even in the summertime we might be struck by blizzards. 甚至在夏天，我们也可能受到暴风雪的袭击。
• Blizzards battered Britain for the third day. 大风雪袭击英国已进入第三天。

8 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

9 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

12 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

13 inclement   

adj.严酷的，严厉的，恶劣的

参考例句：

• The inclement weather brought forth a host of diseases.恶劣的天气引起了种种疾病。
• They kept on going,even through the inclement weather.即使天气恶劣，他们还是执意要去。

14 scrambled   

v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》