VOA标准英语2009年-Don't Worry About that Loud Thump at t

It's just the latest batch¹ of holiday catalogs arriving

Ted² Landphair | Washington, DC 23 December 2009

 
Photo: Nenyaki, Flickr Creative Commons
There aren't many full-service department stores any more and thus, not many Christmas window displays, either. Catalogs that come in the mail have helped to replace them.

 

Every yuletide fire needs some good, combustible³ tinder to get the flames roaring.  And Americans don't have to go out into the brush to find some.  We just tear off pages from the thick, slick holiday catalogs that keep arriving.

Figures aren't in for 2009 yet, but the Wall Street Journal reports that last year alone, more than 17 billion catalogs were mailed in the United States.  That's 56 for each and every American!

 
Matt McGee, Flickr Creative Commons

The L. L. Bean Company of Maine, which makes snug⁴ outdoor wear, alone sends out a quarter of a million catalogs, and some companies mail several within the holiday season.  No wonder mailmen and women walk with a bit of a stoop this time of year.
This is all somewhat surprising at a time when Americans are increasingly turning away from print products like newspapers and magazines and shopping circulars in favor of online options.  Some people consider holiday catalogs to be little more than fancy junk mail.

 
flashbacks.com, Flickr Creative Commons
Product catalogs have been around for a century or more. Sears and Montgomery Ward⁵ department stores began sending them out in the late 1800s. This Sears Christmas catalog is 1970s vintage.

But companies keep sending out expensive catalogs because studies show that a lot of us look forward to leafing through them, much as we used to love peering into festive⁶ department-store windows. 

While Americans are buying more and more merchandise online or on the telephone, it's often the colorful printed catalogs that send us there.

The Journal estimates that holiday catalogs consume about 80 billion tons of paper.  That's roughly 3 percent of all the paper produced in the country each year.  And advocacy groups such as the Environmental Defense⁷ Fund have estimated that the energy used to produce all the holiday catalogs could power one million homes for a year. 

The retailers⁸ who make and mail catalogs at an average cost of one dollar apiece say they'd love to use more recycled paper, but it's difficult to make the catalogs' thin, glossy⁹ pages from recycled pulp¹⁰.  And don't forget, they add, the millions of dollars they spend on postage each holiday season help keep the U.S. Postal¹¹ Service in business!

Read more of Ted's personal reflections and stories from the road on his blog, Ted Landphair's America.
 

1 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

2 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

3 combustible   

a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物

参考例句：

• Don't smoke near combustible materials. 别在易燃的材料附近吸烟。
• We mustn't take combustible goods aboard. 我们不可带易燃品上车。

4 snug   

adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房

参考例句：

• He showed us into a snug little sitting room.他领我们走进了一间温暖而舒适的小客厅。
• She had a small but snug home.她有个小小的但很舒适的家。

5 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

6 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 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。

9 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

10 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

11 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。