Take Away English-January Sales 一月大减价

Bargain hunters queue up for their favourite shop

For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing – sales! Across the country, prices are slashed¹ on clothing, electronics, home furnishings and more, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains.

The sales start on Boxing Day - 26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors. In Oxford² Street queues formed outside shops ahead of pre-dawn openings for the start of their sales. At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3.30am for the 'Next' clothing store's sale which began at 4am. Some hardy³ individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line.

Consumers who hit the shops were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80% as department stores joined the sales frenzy⁴. The shops are absolutely heaving as the sales got into full swing, with more than half a million people converging⁵ on London's West End.

Famous sales include the biggest, most prestigious⁶ shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis. Department stores are always a good bet – you're likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed refreshments⁷!

It's a good time to stock up on cheap gadgets⁸, and there's no better time to invest in some designer threads.

Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale – a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want. For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online retailers⁹ are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own.

The most organised of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales!

GLOSSARY 词汇表

shopoholics 购物狂 bargains 廉价或减价的货品 pre-dawn 天亮前的 individuals 个人 hit the shops 去商店 heaving 人声鼎沸 department stores 百货商店 under one roof 在一个屋檐下 gadgets 通常指小电器 unromantic 不浪漫的

prices are slashed 大幅度减价 bargain hunters 专拣便宜货的人 hardy 耐寒的，能吃苦的 camped 露营 sales frenzy 疯狂的购买减价商品 got into full swing 达到购买高潮 a good bet （包罗万象的）好去处 to stock up on 储备 threads （习语）衣服 getting in on the act 参与到某种活动中

 

1 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

3 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

4 frenzy   

n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动

参考例句：

• He was able to work the young students up into a frenzy.他能激起青年学生的狂热。
• They were singing in a frenzy of joy.他们欣喜若狂地高声歌唱。

5 converging   

adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Plants had gradually evolved along diverging and converging pathways. 植物是沿着趋异和趋同两种途径逐渐演化的。 来自辞典例句
• This very slowly converging series was known to Leibniz in 1674. 这个收敛很慢的级数是莱布尼茨在1674年得到的。 来自辞典例句

6 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

7 refreshments   

n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待

参考例句：

• We have to make a small charge for refreshments. 我们得收取少量茶点费。
• Light refreshments will be served during the break. 中间休息时有点心供应。

8 gadgets   

n.小机械，小器具（ gadget的名词复数 ）

参考例句：

• Certainly. The idea is not to have a house full of gadgets. 当然。设想是房屋不再充满小配件。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• This meant more gadgets and more experiments. 这意味着要设计出更多的装置，做更多的实验。 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

9 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。