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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Mr. Leung runs a company that delivers goods to shops, markets and restaurants. Since the protesters occupied the roads, his business has declined1 sharply2.
"I had to re-route because of the road blockades and congestions," Leung said. "Time on the road is doubled. An order that I could complete within one hour before the protests3, now takes two hours."
To people like Leung, time costs.Leung used to have 100 contracted lorries. And the office phone would ring every few minutes.But now, it's quiet. His company revenue4 dropped 80 percent. And many drivers have quit.
"Now I have only around 10 lorries left," Leung said. "Business is bad. The drivers spend much more time on the road, but their income is less than half of what it used to be. Many of them had to leave."
"It's very hard to hire a driver because of the poor business," Bai Jianlu from Dragonsky Asia Enterprise5 Ltd. said. "I have to sell off the vehicles to stop further losses."
Tai Lin Pai Road in Hong Kong is the main thoroughfare for the city's logistics industry. At peak times, this road was packed with trucks. But now the scene is quite different.
This here is Hennessy Road, a key passage on Hong Kong Island. The eastbound traffic has been stopped for one month. Several key roads in downtown Admiralty and Mong Kok are also occupied. So truck drivers have to take long detours6, but the alternative routes are also congested.
The protests have increased the fuel cost of each lorry by more than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars. And each delivery7 in the occupied areas cost the drivers an extra two to three hours. October should have been the golden period for the industry.
In Hong Kong, there are around 200 small-and-medium-sized logistic companies. Mr. Leung's was among the top 30. But he says his company is now in the worst time since it was set up 20 years ago.
"We experienced8 the 1997 Asia Financial Crisis9 and other difficult times," Leung said. "We got through them, but now we are facing the worst time ever. We can't do our business, and the whole industry is suffering great loss."
Leung said if the protests continue, his remaining drivers would also have to leave. He said he doesn't know how long he can carry on for. And he only hopes the situation can turn better soon, so he can get his business back.
1 declined | |
v.辞谢,谢绝(邀请等)( decline的过去式和过去分词 );(道路、物体等)下倾;(太阳)落下;(在品格、价值上)降低 | |
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2 sharply | |
adj.锐利地,急速;adv.严厉地,鲜明地 | |
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3 protests | |
n.[体]抗议;抗议,反对( protest的名词复数 )v.声明( protest的第三人称单数 );坚决地表示;申辩 | |
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4 revenue | |
n.总收入,财政收入,税收;税务局 | |
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5 enterprise | |
n.企业单位,商业公司,事业,计划 | |
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6 detours | |
绕行的路( detour的名词复数 ); 绕道,兜圈子 | |
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7 delivery | |
n.交付;投递;分娩;解救者;演讲的风格 | |
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8 experienced | |
adj.有经验的;经验丰富的,熟练的 | |
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9 crisis | |
n.危机,危急关头,决定性时刻,关键阶段 | |
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