BEC高级精讲班第3讲讲义
Home work review
Date: 19 May 2005
Report on a one-day training session
Introduction
The aim of this report is to recommend a one-day training session entitled ‘Familiarity with Your Post’ for the new sales representatives of the Sales Department.
Reasons
We have recruited several sales representatives recently. In spite of former sales experience, they are not familiar with their new working environment and may need quite a period to adapt to everything. Such a one-day training session seems to be necessary and urgent.
Contents and Benefits
There are many items relevant to the one-day training session for the sales representatives, which are designed to highlight work efficiency in the company.
First, some brief information of the company should be given, such as the company’s history, its organizational structure and financial background. The current situation of the company should be emphasized too. These would probably develop their loyalty and affection to the company.
Also, they must be informed of the company’s main products, its annual sales volume, and the sales target of this year. Clear recognition of this can help them adjust their personal goals and it will be served as great motivation.
Besides, the course can focus on our customers. High values should be put on the types and characteristics of the target customers. Sales representatives should also be expected to understand customers’ needs, which will help them to be more responsive an adaptive.
They should be given a brief introduction to the people whom they are working together with since co-ordination and teamwork can greatly contribute to the company.
Recommendation
We strongly recommend that training be arranged as soon as possible. And it could not be held on weekends, or it may occupy their spare time.
Judy Zhang
Sales Manager
Self-study 1b
1.
virtual team
corporate intranet
line manager
business environment
hierarchical organisation
on-line support
operating costs
2.
standardise standardisation standard/standardised
diversify diversity diverse/diversified
respond response/responsiveness responsive
operate operation operating
suit suitability suitable
supervise supervision supervisory
vary variety varied
4.
(1) separate into
(2) for a specific purpose
(3) under direct supervision
(4) spend …on sth.
(5) cope with
(6) on behalf of
II. Vocabulary study
在浩如烟海的英语单词中，英语学习者感到最为头疼的就是无法将他们记住。其实广大的英语学习者可能是没有把握单词中的一些特有规律。今天这个单词学习专题就向大家介绍一组看似生词却是大家以前都学习过的词汇，它们都是一组缩略单词，这也是现代英语，尤其是商务英语发展演变的一个规律。
在学习英语单词时如果注意了这些变化规律会对大家的学习效率起到事半功倍的效果。
rep noun
1 [countable] informal a sales representative 商务代表(非正式用语)
2 [countable] someone who speaks officially for a company, organization, or group of people(公司、机构或团体组织的)代表
ￚsynonym representative
staff/union/company etc rep 员工/工会/公司代表
You need to speak to the students’ rep. 你需要跟学生代表谈一谈。
Safety reps have the right to stop the job when workers are in danger. 当工人处在危险当中，安全代表有权停止工作。
info noun [uncountable] informal
information
admin noun [uncountable] informal
administration
an admin assistant
She works in admin.
ad noun [countable]
informal an advertisement
veg noun [uncountable and countable] British English informal
vegetables
fruit and veg
uni noun [singular, uncountable]
British English Australian English spoken university
dorm noun [countable] informal
a dormitory
gym noun
1[countable] a special building or room that has equipment for doing physical exercise 健身房
ￚ同义词 gymnasium
at/in a gym
I try and work out at the local gym once a week. 我每周去当地的健身房健身。
I go to the gym as often as I can. 我尽可能多地去健身房健身。
2 [uncountable] exercises that people do indoors for physical development and as a sport, especially at school 健身练习
We’ve got gym this afternoon. 我下午要去健身。
Where’s my gym kit? 我的健身装备放在哪里了?
demo noun[countable]
plural demos
1 a recording containing an example of someone’s music that is sent to a record company so that they can decide whether to produce it or not 样带
a demo tape
2 British English informal an event at which a large group of people publicly protest about something 示威，游行
ￚsynonym demonstration
Police stood by to stop any pro-independence demos.
3 an explanation of how something works讲演，展示
ￚsynonym demonstration
4 a) American English an example of a product that is used to show what it is like or how it works 产品样本
demo homes on the new development
lab noun [countable] informal
a laboratory
the school science lab
psych noun spoken informal
1 [uncountable] a short form of psychology 心理学
I’m a psych major now.
2 [countable] a short form of psychiatrist 精神病学家
Share prices
1. Speaking.
in financial pages of newspapers, on the Internet
2. Nasdaq
Nasdaq stands for the National Association of securities Dealers Automated Quotation. It is the largest market for high-tech stocks in the USA.
(美) 全国证券交易商自动化报价系统
(1)change in share price compared with previous day
F : change
(2)amount paid out to shareholders for each dollar invested
A: div = dividend
dividend noun [countable]
1 a part of a company’s profit that is divided among the people with shares in the company红利;股息
2 pay/bring dividends
to be very useful and bring a lot of advantages, especially later in the future 对日后有好处
Good eating habits will pay dividends later on in life. 良好的饮食习惯会令你在今后受益良多。
(3)price of shares at close of previous day’s business
E: last
(4)number of company’s shares traded on previous day
C: vol 100s
(5)highest and lowest prices during previous day
D: high---low
(6)price/earnings ratio(current share price divided by earnings per share)
B: P/E
3. Speaking.
How common is investing in shares in your country?
Individuals might invest in shares:
to make a quick profit from privatisations,
to get a better return on long-term investment than in a traditional savings scheme,
as part of a benefits packages (share options),
to become eligible for shareholder perks,
to support a company they like.
perk noun [countable usually plural]
something that you get legally from your work in addition to your wages, such as goods, meals, or a car 工作岗位提供的福利，好处
theatre tickets and other perks
perk of
the perks of working at a large law firm
I only eat here because it’s free - one of the perks of the job.
Companies might invest in shares:
to avoid paying tax,
to reinvest profits
to increase company pension funds,
to have a participating interest in other companies (in stock swaps with other companies, in hostile takeover bids etc.)
to consolidate strategic alliances
Market trends
1. Listening.
Internet share prices have fluctuated wildly over the past twelve months. Prices were very high earlier this year but have recently collapsed.
2. Listen again.
(1) B
(2) C
(3) A
(4) C
(5) B
(6) A
(7) B
(8) A
Vocabulary in listening piece
go through the roof
informal
a) also hit the roof
to suddenly become very angry暴跳如雷，大发雷霆
Put that back before Dad sees you and hits the roof!
b) if a price, cost etc goes through the roof, it increases to a very high level(物价等)涨到(或超出)最高限度
The bubble finally burst. 泡沫终究破灭了。
hype noun [uncountable]
attempts to make people think something is good or important by talking about it a lot on television, the radio etc - used to show disapproval(刺激兴趣、促进销售等)天花乱坠的广告宣传(贬义)
Some experts are concerned that the new drug won’t live up to all the hype. 一些专家对于这款新药并不能有广告中所吹捧的药效而感到忧心忡忡。
Despite the media hype, I found the film very disappointing. 尽管媒体对这部电影进行大量的吹捧，我还是觉得它很令人失望。
driving adjective
1 driving rain/snow
rain or snow that falls very hard and fast 倾盆大雨/大雪
2 driving force
someone or something that strongly influences people and makes them do something 驱动力
driving force behind
Hawks was the driving force behind the project.
3 driving ambition
a very great desire to do or achieve something 迫不及待的愿望
Demand has far exceeded a limited supply. 供不应求。
handful noun
1 [countable] an amount that you can hold in your hand 手中所握之量
handful of
The boy picked up a handful of stones and started throwing them at us. 这个男孩拿起一手石子开始向我们扔过来。
2 a handful of something
a very small number of people or things 少量的
There were only a handful of people there.那里人很少。
3 be a handful
informal someone, especially a child, who is a handful is difficult to control 很难驾驭的(小孩)
She’s a lovely child, but she can be a bit of a handful sometimes. 她是个可爱的孩子，但是她有时很难管教。
bandwagon noun [countable]
1 an activity that a lot of people are doing 人们都竞相做的事情
The keep-fit bandwagon started rolling in the mid 80s. 人们在80年代中期开始健身这项运动。
2 climb/jump/get on the bandwagon
to start doing or saying something that a lot of people are already doing or saying - used to show disapproval(贬义)赶浪头;人云亦云
I don’t want to look as if I’m jumping on a green bandwagon. 我并不想看上去也在赶绿色环保这个时尚。
excess noun
2 in excess of something超过
more than a particular amount
The car reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. 这辆汽车每小时的时速超过100迈。
breakeven noun [uncountable] the level of business activity at which a company is making neither a profit nor a loss不赚不赔;收支平衡
(the) breakeven point/level
The firm should reach breakeven point after one year. 该公司在一年后收支平衡。
break even
to neither make a profit nor lose money赚不赔;收支平衡
We’re hoping that we’ll at least break even, and perhaps make a small profit. 我们预计我们的生意至少收支平衡，或者略微获利。
couple noun
1 a couple
a) two things or people of the same kind 两个事物或人
a couple of
There are a couple of girls waiting for you. 有两个女孩在等你。
b) a small number of things 一些事情
I just need to make a couple more calls. 我还要打几个电话。
a couple of
You’ll be all right in a couple of days. 再过几天，你的病就会好的。
2 [countable] two people who are married or having a sexual or romantic relationship 夫妇
a newly married couple 新婚夫妇
the couple next door 隔壁的夫妇
a long way
very much, far, or a great amount or degree 很远的路
We’re still a long way from achieving our sales targets. 我们离销售目标还有很大的距离。
Psychiatry has come a long way (=developed a lot) since the 1920s. 精神病学自从20世界20年代已经发展了很多。
trendy adjective
comparative trendier superlative trendiest
influenced by the most fashionable styles and ideas时髦的，摩登的
a trendy Bay Area restaurant
ￚtrendiness noun [uncountable]
trendy noun[countable] British English informal
plural trendies
someone who is trendy and wants other people to think they are very modern - used especially to show disapproval 赶时髦的人
young trendies from art college 艺术学校的年轻时尚学生
brand factor品牌因素
high brand awareness 对某一品牌的高度认知
revenue noun [uncountable] also revenues
1 money that a business or organization receives over a period of time, especially from selling goods or services 收入
advertising revenue 广告收入
Strikes have cost ￡20 million in lost revenues. 罢工致使这家企业损失了2千万英镑的收入。
2 money that the government receives from tax 国家征收的税收
an increase in tax revenues of 8.4% 税收收入增长了8.4%
….page hits
hit noun [countable]
▶SUCCESSFUL◀
something such as a film, play, song etc that is very popular and successful 成功的电影、演出、歌曲等
a hit single/show/record etc 畅销单曲/演出/磁带
the hit musical ’Phantom of the Opera’
a big/smash/number 1 etc hit
the Beatles’ greatest hits
Which band had a hit with ’Bohemian Rhapsody’?
be a hit with somebody
(=be liked by them)
It’s hoped the new museum will be a big hit with families.
▶HIT SOMETHING◀
an occasion when something that is aimed at something else touches it, reaches it, or damages it 撞击
Our ship took a direct hit and sank.
▶COMPUTER◀
a) an occasion when someone visits a website 浏览
The site had 2,000 hits in the first week. 该网站第一周就迎来了2000次的点击。
b) a result of a computer search, especially on the Internet 点击
thousands of irrelevant hits 上千次的无关点击
phenomenal adjective
very great or impressive极其显著的
the phenomenal success of computer games in recent years 近些年来电脑游戏取得的巨大成功
phenomenal growth/rise/increase
California had experienced a phenomenal growth in population. 加利福尼亚的人口经历了明显的增长。
He has learned a phenomenal amount in the last two years. 他在过去的两年间学习到了大量的知识。
The results have been phenomenal. 结果很显著。
ￚphenomenally adverb
The group have been phenomenally successful in Europe. 这个集团在欧洲非常地成功。
turnover noun
1 [singular, uncountable] British English the amount of business done during a particular period营业额
2 [singular, uncountable] the rate at which people leave an organization and are replaced by others 员工流动的比率
turnover of
Low pay accounts for the high turnover.
staff/labour turnover
a high degree of labour turnover among women 妇女中的好流动率
yardstick noun [countable]
1 something that you compare another thing with, in order to judge how good or successful it is标准;准绳
yardstick of
Profit is the most important yardstick of success for any business. 利润是衡量任何一家企业成功的最重要尺度。
as a yardstick
These subjects are used as a yardstick against which to measure the children’s progress.这些科目是用来衡量孩子进步的尺度。
2 a special stick used for measuring things which is exactly one yard long码尺
jump noun [countable]
▶INCREASE◀
a sudden large increase in an amount or value 突然的巨大上升
jump in
a jump in inflation rates 通货膨胀率的大幅上升
search engine noun [countable]
a computer program that helps you find information on the Internet 搜索引擎
sell-off noun [countable]
1 British English the sale of an industry that the government owns, to private companies or other people 将国有企业出售给私人
2 American English the sale of a lot of stocks or shares, which makes the price decrease 抛售股票(从而致使股票价格下跌)
depress verb [transitive]
1 to make someone feel very unhappy 让某人不高兴
The thought of taking the exam again depressed him. 一想到考试就让他高兴不起来。
It depresses me that nobody seems to care. 没有人关注此事让我很不高兴。
2 to prevent an economy from being as active and successful as it usually is 不景气
Several factors combined to depress the American economy. 几个因素综合在一起让美国经济不景气。
3 formal to reduce the value of prices or wages 降低
High interest rates may depress share prices. 高利率可以降低股票价格。
the flood of Internet companies 大量的网络公司
flood noun
1 [uncountable and countable] a very large amount of water that covers an area that is usually dry 洪水
The village was cut off by floods.
the worst floods for over fifty years
2 [countable] a very large number of things or people that arrive at the same time 向洪水般涌入的人或事
flood of
The UN appealed for help with the flood of refugees crossing the border. 当难民洪水般跨国边境时，联合国提出申请援助。
float ▶COMPANY◀
[transitive] to sell shares in a company or business to the public for the first time公司首次发行股票
float something on something
The company will be floated on the stockmarket next year. 该公司将于明年在股票市场上市。
flotation noun [uncountable and countable]
a time when shares in a company are made available for people to buy for the first time
The company has decided to postpone its flotation on the stock market until next year.
saturate verb [transitive]
1 formal to make something very wet 浸湿
ￚ同义词 soak ￚ反义词 dry
Water poured through the hole, saturating the carpet. 水通过漏洞留下来，将地毯浸湿。
2 to put a lot of something into a particular place, especially so that you could not add any more 饱和
saturate something with something
Our culture is saturated with television and advertising. 我们的文化在电视和广告中随处可见。
3 saturate the market 市场饱和
to offer so much of a product for sale that there is more than people want to buy
level off/out phrasal verb
1 to stop going up or down and continue at the same height (使)变得平坦，(使)变得平整
After climbing steeply, the path levelled off. 在爬过了这段陡峭的路途后，道路开始平缓下来。
The plane levelled out at 30,000 feet. 飞机在3万英尺的高空开始水平飞行。
2 to stop rising or falling and become steady达到稳定
Inflation has begun to level off. 通货膨胀开始稳定下来。
slide verb
past tense and past participle slid
1 [intransitive and transitive] to move smoothly over a surface while continuing to touch it, or to make something move in this way在平面上滑动，使在平面上滑动
slide along/across/down etc
Francesca slid across the ice.
slide something across/along etc
He opened the oven door and slid the pan of cookies in.
He slid open the door of the glass cabinet.
2 [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to move somewhere quietly and smoothly, or to move something in this way溜过，滑过;缓慢潜行
slide into/out of etc
Daniel slid out of the room when no one was looking.
She slid into the driver’s seat.
slide something into/out of etc something
He slid the gun into his pocket.
3 [intransitive] if prices, amounts, rates etc slide, they become lower 下降
synonym drop
opposite rise
Stocks slid a further 3% on the major markets today. 股票价格今天在各主要市场中都继续下滑了3%。
4 [intransitive] to gradually become worse, or to begin to have a problem 开始产生问题
Students’ test scores started to slide in the mid-1990s. 学生的考试成绩在90年代中期开始下滑。
slide into
Murphy gradually slid into a pattern of drug abuse. 吗啡逐渐成为人们滥用的一种毒品。
5 let something slide
a) to let a situation get gradually worse让某事变得越来越坏
Management has let safety standards slide at the factory. 管理层让这家工厂的安全水准不断下降。
slide noun [countable]
▶FOR CHILDREN◀
a large structure with steps leading to the top of a long sloping surface which children can slide down 儿童玩耍的滑梯
▶DECREASE◀
[usually singular] a decrease in prices, amounts etc 下降
ￚopposite rise
slide in
the current slide in house prices 目前房价的下降
on the slide
The company’s shares were on the slide again yesterday, down 7p at 339p. 该公司的股票价格昨天又下降了7便士，降到了339便士。
▶PICTURE◀
a small piece of film in a frame that you shine a light through to show a picture on 幻灯片
Enthusiasm does seem to be cooling. 人们对网络股的热情看来开始冷却。
roller coaster noun [countable]
1 a track with very steep slopes and curves, which people ride on in small carriages at fairs and amusement parks环滑车，环滑车道
2 a situation that changes often忽好忽坏;时起时落;起伏
Their relationship was an emotional roller coaster.
volatile adjective
1 a volatile situation is likely to change suddenly and without warning 多变的
an increasingly volatile political situation 变得越来越复杂多变的政治局面
the highly volatile stock and bond markets 变化多的股票和债券市场
2 someone who is volatile can suddenly become angry or violent 易怒的
3 technical a volatile liquid or substance changes easily into a gas 易挥发的
ￚvolatility noun [uncountable]
listing noun
1 [countable] an official or public list 官方的、公众的名单
listing of
a listing of all households in the district 该地区所有家庭的名单
2 listings [plural] lists of films, plays, and other events, with the times and places at which they will happen 电影、演出及其他活动的安排
3 [countable] if a company has a listing on the stock exchange, it can offer its shares for sale(把证券)列入上市证券名单
broker noun [countable]
1 someone who buys and sells things such as shares in companies or foreign money for other people(股票债券等的)经纪人
stockbroker 股票经纪人
2 someone who arranges sales or business agreements for other people(买卖的) 中间人, 代理人
a real estate broker 房地产经纪人
commission noun
1 [countable] a group of people who have been given the official job of finding out about something or controlling something专门委员会
The Government set up a commission to investigate allegations of police violence. 政府为调查对警方的指控而成立了专门小组。
commission on
the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 治理环境污染皇家委员会
2 [uncountable and countable] an extra amount of money that is paid to a person or organization according to the value of the goods they have sold or the services they have provided佣金
The dealer takes a 20% commission on the sales he makes.
on commission
He sold cosmetics on commission.
Confidence will return. 重铸信心。
soar verb [intransitive]
▶AMOUNTS/PRICES ETC◀
to increase quickly to a high level 迅速上升
ￚopposite plummet
Her temperature soared. 她的体温迅速升高。
The price of petrol has soared in recent weeks. 汽油价格在最近几周迅速攀升。
soaring unemployment 越来越多的失业人口
▶IN THE SKY◀
a) to fly, especially very high up in the sky, floating on air currents 盘旋
She watched the dove soar above the chestnut trees.
b) to go quickly upwards to a great height
The ball soared to left field.
▶SPIRITS/HOPES◀
if your spirits (=the way you are feeling, for example happy, sad etc) or hopes soar, you begin to feel very happy or hopeful 感到高兴，有希望
Adam’s smile sent her spirits soaring.
▶LOOK TALL◀
[not in progressive] if buildings, trees, towers etc soar, they look very tall and impressive 高大的，壮观的
Here the cliffs soar a hundred feet above the sea.
a soaring skyscraper 壮观的摩天大楼
consolidate verb [intransitive and transitive]
1 to strengthen the position of power or success that you have, so that it becomes more effective or continues for longer 巩固
The company has consolidated its position as the country’s leading gas supplier. 该公司巩固了自己在这个国家首屈一指煤气供应商的地位。
The team consolidated their lead with a third goal. 这支队伍的第三粒进球巩固了他们的领先地位。
2 to combine things in order to make them more effective or easier to deal with 重组
We consolidate information from a wide range of sources. 我们把从广泛渠道得来的消息组织在一起。
The company is planning to consolidate its business activities at a new site in Arizona.这家公司计划在新的办公地点重新整合他们的业务。
ￚconsolidation noun [uncountable and countable]
the consolidation of political power 巩固正当权利
acquire verb [transitive]
1 formal to obtain something by buying it or being given it 获得
Manning hoped to acquire valuable works of art as cheaply as possible. 曼宁乡以尽可能低的价格获得有价值的艺术作品。
She has acquired an email address and a site on the WorldWide Web. 她通过万维网获得了一个油箱地址和网址。
2 to get or gain something 获得
The college acquired a reputation for very high standards. 该学院获得高质量的声誉。
3 to gain knowledge or learn a skill 学习知识
He spent years acquiring his skills as a surgeon.
Elsie acquired a good knowledge of Chinese.
acquisition noun
1 [uncountable] the process by which you gain knowledge or learn a skill 学习，习得
the acquisition of language 学习语言
2 [uncountable] the act of getting land, power, money etc 获得土地、权力、金钱
acquisition of
the acquisition of new sites for development 为了开发土地而获得的新地盘
3 [countable] formal something that you have obtained by buying it or being given it 收购
The Art Society is holding an exhibition of recent acquisitions. 美术协会将近期收购的艺术作品举办展览会。
substantial adjective large in amount or number 巨大的
ￚ同义词 considerable
We have the support of a substantial number of parents. 我们得到了大多数家长的支持。
a substantial salary 大笔薪酬
a substantial breakfast 丰盛的早餐
The document requires substantial changes. 这份文件需要大量的修改。
3. Speaking.
Would you be prepared to invest in Internet shares?
V. Describing Graphs
2. Listening.
There was a general upward trend in the first six months.
take off
▶AIRCRAFT◀
if an aircraft takes off, it rises into the air from the ground(飞机)起飞
ￚsynonym lift off
I felt quite excited as the plane took off from Heathrow. 当飞机从伦敦的希思罗机场起飞后我感到异常的兴奋。
takeoff n.
sell something ↔ off phrasal verb
1 to sell something, especially for a cheap price, because you need the money or because you want to get rid of it廉价出售(不想保留的东西)
After the war, we had to sell off part of the farm. 战后我们不得不将部分农场抛售出去。
We try to sell off any leftover cakes before we close.我们试图在关门前将剩下的蛋糕低价出售。
2 to sell all or part of an industry or company 出售部分或全部公司或产业
The Leicestershire company has sold off many of its smaller branches to cut debts. …公司为了减少负债，将它下属的小分支部门都出售出去。
panic verb
past tense and past participle panicked present participle panicking
[intransitive and transitive]
to suddenly feel so frightened that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly, or to make someone do this惊慌, 害怕
He started to panic when he saw the gun. 当他看见枪的时候他看到很害怕。
Don’t panic! We’ll soon get you out of there. 别害怕，我们马上就把你从这里带出去。
panic somebody into doing something
The protests became more violent and many people were panicked into leaving the country. 示威抗议者变得越来越具有暴力性，很多人都很害怕而离开了这个国家。
panic noun
1 [countable usually singular, uncountable] a sudden strong feeling of fear or nervousness that makes you unable to think clearly or behave sensibly 害怕
in (a) panic
The children fled in panic.
2 [countable usually singular, uncountable] a situation in which people are suddenly made very anxious, and make quick decisions without thinking carefully 焦躁，盲动
panic over/about
the recent panic over the safety of baby milk 最近关于婴儿牛奶安全问题的恐慌
panic buying/selling 恐慌抢购/抛售
a wave of panic selling in Hong Kong
collapse verb
▶STRUCTURE◀
[intransitive] if a building, wall etc collapses, it falls down suddenly, usually because it is weak or damaged 坍塌
Uncle Ted’s chair collapsed under his weight. 泰德叔叔的椅子经不住他的分量踏了。
The roof had collapsed long ago. 这个屋顶很久以前就踏了。
▶ILLNESS/INJURY◀
[intransitive] to suddenly fall down or become unconscious because you are ill or weak 失去知觉，突然跌落下来
He collapsed with a heart attack while he was dancing. 他在跳舞时由于心脏病突发而失去了知觉。
▶FAIL◀
[intransitive] if a system, idea, or organization collapses, it suddenly fails or becomes too weak to continue (系统、想法、机构)失灵、失败
The luxury car market has collapsed. 豪华汽车市场无人问津。
I thought that without me the whole project would collapse. 我认为没有我的话，整个项目将会失败。
▶PRICES◀
[intransitive] if prices, levels, etc collapse, they suddenly become much lower (价格、程度等)急剧下跌
There were fears that property prices would collapse. 人们很担忧房地产的价格将会下降。
collapse noun
▶BUSINESS/SYSTEM/IDEA ETC◀
[singular, uncountable] a sudden failure in the way something works, so that it cannot continue 倒台，突然失败
collapse of
the collapse of the Soviet Union 前苏联的垮台
His business was in danger of collapse. 他的生意有破产的危险。
▶BUILDING/STRUCTURE/FURNITURE ETC◀
[uncountable] when something suddenly falls down 倒塌
the collapse of an apartment building during the earthquake 在地震中一栋公寓楼倒塌
▶ILLNESS/INJURY◀
[singular, uncountable] when someone suddenly falls down or becomes unconscious because of an illness or injury (由于疾病或受伤)跌落，失去意识
The president said he was fine after his collapse yesterday. 总统说尽管他昨天摔倒，但今天感觉还好。
▶MONEY/PRICES ETC◀
[singular] a sudden decrease in the value of something 突然下跌
the collapse of the stock market 股市价格的下跌
collapse in
a collapse in the value of pensions 养老金的下降
recover
1 [intransitive] to get better after an illness, accident, shock etc 身体康复
After a few days of fever, she began to recover.
recover from
He’s in hospital, recovering from a heart attack.
2 [intransitive] to return to a normal condition after a period of trouble or difficulty 恢复正常状态
The tourist industry is recovering to pre-war levels. 旅游业恢复到了战前的水平。
recover from
Yesterday morning shares seemed to recover from Monday’s collapse. 昨天早晨，股票价格看上去从周一的下降之后又恢复过来了。
decline noun [singular, uncountable]
a decrease in the quality, quantity, or importance of something 下降
decline in
There has been a decline in the size of families. 家庭人员的数量在下降。
decline of
the decline of manufacturing 制造业的衰败
rapid/sharp/steep/dramatic decline 迅速/急剧/巨幅/戏剧性的下降
a rapid decline in unemployment 事业数量的下降
steady/gradual/long-term decline 平稳的/逐渐的/长期下降
The island’s population initially numbered 180, but there was a gradual decline until only 40 people were left. 该岛最初只有180人，但是人数不断下降之后，只有40人还在岛上。
the social and economic decline faced by many cities 许多城市都面临着社会和经济下滑
in decline
There’s a widely held belief that educational standards are in decline (=falling). 人们都认为教育质量在下降。
decline verb
▶DECREASE◀
[intransitive] to decrease in quantity or importance 下降
Spending on information technology has declined. 在信息技术方面的支出在下降。
Car sales have declined by a quarter. 汽车的销售下降了25%。
After the war, the city declined in importance. 战后，该城市的重要性下降了。
▶SAY NO◀
[intransitive and transitive] formal to say no politely when someone invites you somewhere, offers you something, or wants you to do something 拒绝
Offered the position of chairman, Smith declined, preferring to keep his current job. 史密斯获得了董事长职位的提名，但是他拒绝了，还是想在原岗位工作。
Mary declined a hot drink and went to her room. 马丽不想喝热饮，直接进了自己的房间。
decline an offer/invitation etc
Mary declined Jay’s invitation to dinner. 玛丽拒绝了…共赴晚餐的邀请。
decline to do something
The court declined to review her case. 法庭拒绝再次审理她的案件。
The minister declined to comment (=refused to speak to people who report the news) about the progress of the peace talks. 部长拒绝对和平进程事宜发表任何评论。
▶BECOME WORSE◀ [intransitive] to become gradually worse in quality 质量下降 ￚ同义词 deteriorate
Her health has been declining progressively for several months.她的健康状况在这几个月里逐步下降。
Qualified staff are leaving and standards are declining. 有水平的员工逐渐离开，工作的质量在下降。
ￚdeclining adjective
declining attendance at baseball games 棒球观众人数下降
3. Language.
Adjectives:
typical, upward, sharp, current, strong, recent
Adverbs:
fairly, predictably, finally
Verbs:
going, took off, soaring, fallen, panic, doubled, peaking, has collapsed
Nouns:
trend, gains, level, losses, recovery, value
Prepositions with time phrases:
over the last twelve months, in the first six months, by December last year, in January, by February/May, in the last four weeks
Prepositions with figures:
from, to almost/over, at nearly/just over, by nearly, down almost
u Before we start to describe the movement of the share prices, we should at least know the basic vocabulary and structures needed.
(I) There are two basic sentence patterns to describe the trend.
1. It increased sharply from January to April.
主语 + 表示趋势的动词 + 副词 + 时间状语。
2. It showed a small increase from January to April.
There was a slight increase from January to April.
From January to February, there has been a moderate decline in sales.
(形式)主语 + 动词 + 形容词 + 表示趋势的名词 + 时间状语。
(II) Verbs and Nouns to describe the movement
There are only three kinds of movement, namely, upward trend, downward trend and not changing at all. Now let’s take it in turns to look at it.
Upward trend
Verbs to show increase
一般意义的上升
2 to go up
2 to rise
2 to increase
2 to climb
2 to grow
2 to exceed
2 to overtake
急剧上涨
2 to jump
2 to shoot up
2 to rocket
2 to surge
2 to soar
2 to take off
在境况不好的情况下改善
2 to improve v.改善
2 to recover v. 恢复
2 to pick up
上升到极值
2 to peak v. 到达顶峰
2 to reach a peak 到达顶峰
surge verb [intransitive]
to suddenly increase
ￚsynonym shoot up
Oil prices surged.
However, in some cases, if you simply know the basic form of a verb, you may not write a successful passage. Sometimes you must write the movement all in the past tense because the share prices were all in the period in the past. So in the following, there is a list of the past tense and past participle for the verbs meaning upward trend.
2 go ---went; gone
2 rise---rose; risen
2 increase ---increased; increased
2 climb ---climbed; climbed
2 grow --- grew; grown
2 exceed ---exceeded; exceeded
2 overtake --- overtook, overtaken
2 jump --- jumped; jumped
2 shoot ---shot; shot
2 surge --- surged, surged
2 soar---soared; soared
2 take off --- took; taken
2 rocket --- rocketed; rocketed
2 improve --- improved; improved
2 recover --- recovered; recovered
2 pick up--- picked; picked
2 peak---peaked; peaked
2 reach---reached; reached
Nouns to show increase
In the second sentence pattern, you need to use nouns to show increase. So the following is the list of nouns to show increase.
2 a rise
2 an increase
2 growth
2 an improvement
2 a recovery
2 reach a peak
2 a jump
2 a surge
2 Downward Trend
Verbs to show decrease
一般意义的下降
2 to go down
2 to fall
2 to decrease
2 to drop
2 to decline
2 to dip
2 to slide
2 to reach a trough (降到谷地)
2 to reduce (v. 减少)
降到极值
2 to reach to trough
2 to hit/fall to the lowest point
2 to bottom out降到最低点，停止下降并即将回升
急剧下降
2 to plunge
2 to plummet
2 to collapse
2 to dive
bottom verb
bottom out phrasal verb
if a situation, price etc bottoms out, it stops getting worse or lower, usually before improving again
There are signs that the recession has bottomed out.
dive verb[intransitive]
past tense dived also dove AmE, past participle dived
▶NUMBERS◀
if numbers, prices etc dive, they suddenly become much lower than before
The dollar dived against the yen in Tokyo today.
The following is the list of words in their past tense and past participle.
2 to go ---went; gone
2 to fall---fell; fallen
2 to decrease---decreased; decreased
2 to drop---dropped; dropped
2 to decline---declined; declined
2 to dip---dipped; dipped
2 to reduce --- reduced; reduced
2 to slide --- slid, slid
2 to reach--- reached, reached
2 to hit --- hit, hit
2 to bottom --- bottomed, bottomed
2 to plunge--- plunged, plunged
2 to collapse --- collapsed, collapsed
2 to dive --- dived, dived
Nouns to show decrease
2 a fall
2 a decrease
2 a decline
2 a drop
2 a dip
2 reduction: e.g. to see further reduction
2 a collapse
3 verbs or verb phrases to show stable
2 remain the same
2 remain constant (adj. 不变的)
2 remain stable (adj. 不变的)
2 remain steady (adj. 平稳的)
2 remain unchanged
2 show little change
2 level off 稳定下来 (过去式： levelled off)
(III) Adjectives and adverbs
Even when the trend is the same, the speed and expansion may not be the same. So we need adjectives and adverbs to describe the trend.
We use adverbs to qualify a verb (see sentence pattern 1) and adjectives to qualify a noun(see sentence pattern 2).
1. It increased sharply from January to April.
主语 + 表示趋势的动词 + 副词 + 时间状语。
2. It showed a small increase from January to April.
There was a slight increase from January to April.
(形式)主语 + 动词 + 形容词 + 表示趋势的名词 + 时间状语。
Therefore, we take a look at the list of adjectives and adverbs to quality the movement.
形容词副词
steady 稳定的
The sales of computers showed a steady increase in the past quarter.steadily 稳定地
The sales of computers increased steadily in the past quarter.
gradual 渐渐的
gradually 渐渐地
slight 微微的
The production of timber showed a slight fall in the past quarter.slightly 微微地
The production of timber fell slightly.
Gentle微微的Gently微微地
slow 慢慢的 (频度词汇)
It showed a slow growth.slowly 慢慢地 (频度词汇)
It grew slowly.
considerable 相当的
considerably 相当地
noticeable 明显的
noticeably 明显地
Marked 明显的Markedly 明显地
sharp 急剧的
sharply 急剧地
significant 巨大的
significantly 巨大地
dramatic 戏剧性的，巨大的
dramatically 戏剧性地;巨大地
substantial 巨大的
substantially 巨大地
enormous 巨大的
enormously 巨大地
rapid 快的 (频度词汇)
rapidly 快地 (频度词汇)
(IV) Incorporating more data
Actually when we need a thorough description of the trend, we should include the figures or data into our description. So we should use the following prepositions.
l 当我们要描述从…上升(下降)到…，我们可以使用介词from…to…。比如：
The sales of computers improved from 25 units to 30 units.
The enrollment dipped from 39 students in November to 20 students in December.
l 当我们要描述变化的幅度时，我们用介词by或of。比如：
The sales of computers rose from 25 units to 30 units. The sales rose by 5 units.
电脑的销售从25台增长到30台，增长了5台。(表示趋势的动词 + by)
The sales of computers rose from 25 units to 30 units. They showed an increase of 5 units.
电脑的销售从25台增长到30台，增长了5台。(表示趋势的名词 + of)
l 当我们要描述一组数据的起点、最高点以及终点时，应该使用介词at。
It started at 2.
It peaked at 10.
It finished at 2.
Prepositions with figures:
from, to almost/over, at nearly/just over, by nearly, down almost
(V) Approximation
When you describe a line graph or a bar chart, you cannot really find the exact figures. So you should use the following words to demonstrate your accuracy on description.
just under
well under
just over
well over roughly
nearly
approximately
around
about
Prepositions with figures:
from, to almost/over, at nearly/just over, by nearly, down almost
(VI) Describing trends
From the graph in the textbook, we can see that the graph has a lot of changes within a period of time. So in this case, you should grasp the main trends. Study the graphs and language below.
(VII) Time
Between 1980and1990…
In 1980…
Since 1980…
over the last twelve months
in the first six months
by December last year
in January
(VIII) Comparison
In 198039% of rural dwellers had drinking waterscompared with 50% in 1990.
whereas in 1990 50% had it.
More
Fewer urban
ruraldwellers have a water supply thanrural
urbandwellers.
(XI) Tense to be used
when you start to describe the graph, you should first look at the time period. In most cases, the graph is drawn according the past figures. However, some graphs collect data according the speculation. So then you should use the simple future tense. Alternatively, the graph may relate to the present figures. Therefore, you should use the present perfect tense to illustrate the graph.
一般过去时
Between 1980 and 1990, the number of tourists rose steadily.
一般过去时
In 1980, most people bought goods from small shops.
现在完成时
Since the year 2000, most people have bought goods from large supermarkets in the immediate locality.
一般将来时
In the years to come, people are bound to buy things from home via the Internet.
过去完成时
By December last year, the share price had fallen sharply.
Checklist
l Describing trends
l Describing increase and decrease
l Incorporating data
l Using approximations
l Writing appropriate and varied sentence patterns
l Writing about varied time periods.
Similarity and differences (page 20)
Writing:
Sample answer:
The share prices of both IBM and AOL showed a general upward trend from June until the end of 1998. However, while AOL shares then continued to rise steadily over the next three months, the price of IBM shares fell slightly. By March 1999 both shares were worth about $100.
AOL shares then shot up, almost doubling in value within four weeks. They reached high of $180 in mid-April before collapsing to just over $100 per share at the beginning of May. There was a slight recovery during that month however, despite this, by June 1999 the price of AOL shares was once again about $100. In contrast, despite minor fluctuations, IBM shares made a steady recovery over the three-month period, finishing at just over $100, almost equal to AOL.
Homework
1. Self-study 2a.
(1) 各种表示趋势词汇的回顾
(2) 本单元词汇回顾
2.
u The graphs below show the changing share prices of 2 private companies that went public and issued shares on the stock exchange. Both companies were eventually bought back by previous owners.
u Using the information from the graphs, write a short report describing the general movement of the share prices and comparing the performance of the two companies between the issue date and the buy-back date.
 
1. 改写句子。
(1) We should regularly hold training programmes.
(2) What they need to do is to sell our new tea drinks.
(3) The knowledge of employees should be renewed.
(4) Based on the investigation amongst the staff, what they need anxiously is culture diversity among countries
(5) As the period is just one day, the contents couldn’t be too much.