托福阅读素材：苹果手机销量首次下滑

 IPhone sales have fallen for the first time, as the global smartphone market grew at its slowest rate in eight years.

　　目前全球智能手机市场发展速度呈现八年来最低，而苹果手机销量也首次出现了下滑现象。

　　Sales of Apple's high-end smartphones suffered their first ever year-on year decline of 4.4 per cent, according to market analyst¹ Gartner.

　　据市场分析机构高德纳公司称，相比去年同期，苹果高端智能手机的销量首次下降了4.4%。

　　South Korean rival Samsung market share also slipped throughout the year to 22.5 per cent, a decline of 2.2 per cent, but was enough to maintain its position as the world's most popular smartphone vendor². In total, Samsung shipped around 320 million units throughout 2015 globally, compared to Apple's 225 million - some 15.9 per cent of the market.

　　作为苹果公司的劲敌，韩国三星电子公司2015全年的市场份额同样下跌至了22.5%，减幅为2.2%，尽管如此，却也不影响三星成为世界上最受欢迎的智能手机供应商。2015年三星手机全球销量总计达3.2亿台，而苹果手机销量仅为2.25亿台，约占据世界手机市场的15.9%。

　　Consequently Apple's share of the smartphone operating system market also fell, from 20.4 per cent in the final months of 2014 to 17.7 per cent in the third quarter of 2015.

　　相应地，苹果公司智能手机操作系统的市场份额也相应下跌，由2014年第四季度的20.4%减至2015年第三季度的17.7%。

　　Google's Android share rose 4.7 per cent from 76 per cent the previous year to 80.7 per cent in 2015.

　　谷歌的安卓操作系统份额增加了4.7个百分点，从2014年的76%增至2015年的80.7%。

　　The statistics are indicative of the wider slowdown in smartphone sales, as consumers in developed markets own more smartphones and tablets than ever before, and are replacing them at a slower rate than in the past. Weak international currency and fears of economic slowdown - particularly in China - are also contributing factors.

　　这些数据显示了智能手机销量普遍下滑的趋势，其原因在于：如今，发达国家消费群体持有的智能手机和平板电脑数量比之前增加不少，买新换旧的速度也较之前减慢。当然，还有一些其他的影响因素，比如疲软的国际货币形势，以及人们对于经济衰退的忧患意识，特别是在中国。

　　In total, around 1.4 billion smartphones were shipped last year, which, while a 9.4 per cent rise over the same period in 2014, was the slowest rate of growth in the sector³ since its early days in 2008.

　　去年全球智能手机的全球销量总计达14亿台，虽说相较于2014年同期增长了9.4个百分点，但从2008年开始的智能手机市场发展情况来看，手机销量增速却创下了新低。

　　Chinese vendor Huawei was the year's success story after increasing its sales by 53 per cent, making it the world's third-largest vendor. Huawei previously⁴ announced it sold more than 100 million smartphones during 2015, a figure Gartner places at around 104 million.

　　中国手机厂商华为公司的销售量增加了53%，成为世界上第三大手机供应商，这无疑是去年的成功神话了。华为公司先前宣称其2015年的手机销量为1亿台，而据高德纳公司发布的数据，大约为1.04亿台。

　　Fellow China-based brand Xiaomi's sales were revealed to be worse than predicted, after the company claimed to have sold more than 70 million units during 2015, down from its previous estimate of 80 million, which had been revised from the original projection⁵ of 100 million. According to Gartner, the company sold closer to 65 million smartphones.

　　据透露，另一个中国品牌——小米手机的销售量却远低于预期。之前，小米公司称2015年小米手机已售出7000万台，低于8000万台的销售预期，这个销售预期是经过修改的，原本的预期为1亿台。据高德纳公司称，小米公司智能手机销售量仅为近6500万台。

　　The 'others' band, which includes LG, HTC, Sony and BlackBerry, accounted for just under 45 per cent of the total market in 2015, selling some 635 million phones.

　　2015年，LG、HTC、索尼、黑莓等其他手机品牌在手机市场中占据的份额不足45%，售出的手机总量仅有6.35亿台左右。

　　Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone symposium⁶, is set to kick off in Barcelona at the end of this week. New smartphones from Samsung, LG and Xiaomi are expected to invigorate this year's mobile release cycle, while Apple is widely rumoured⁷ to be preparing to launch a new entry-level handset called the iPhone 5se at a separate event on March 15, before going on sale three days later. The iPhone 7 is expected to be released in September.

　　世界移动通信大会是世界上最大的移动手机研讨会，定于本周末在西班牙巴塞罗纳召开。三星、LG和小米公司的新款智能手机都将在今年的手机发布周期中亮相，争相斗艳，另有广为流传的消息称苹果公司预计在3月15日单独举行发布会，发行一款新型初端智能手机，名为“苹果5se”，并将在发布结束的三天后开始上市销售。另外，苹果7预计在今年9月份发行。

1 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。

2 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

5 projection   

n.发射，计划，突出部分

参考例句：

• Projection takes place with a minimum of awareness or conscious control.投射在最少的知觉或意识控制下发生。
• The projection of increases in number of house-holds is correct.对户数增加的推算是正确的。

6 symposium   

n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集

参考例句：

• What have you learned from the symposium?你参加了这次科学讨论会有什么体会？
• The specialists and scholars present at the symposium come from all corners of the country.出席研讨会的专家学者们来自全国各地。

7 rumoured   

adj.谣传的；传说的；风

参考例句：

• It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记