VOA标准英语2011--Hidden Charges Inflate Price Tag

Hidden Charges Inflate¹ Price Tag

A while back, a friend of ours took his son to a professional basketball game. He walked up to an arena² window and purchased two tickets for $40 apiece. But his credit card was NOT charged $80.
The clerk assessed an additional $3 "service charge" per ticket. This prompted our friend to ask a logical question:
"I came and got the tickets. So what ‘service' did the team provide? Doesn't the ticket cost cover the ‘service' of printing it and selling me two seats?"
The answer is no, it doesn't. And guess what? The add-on charge would have applied³, even if he had paid cash.
This practice of piling on mysterious extra charges is mushrooming. Another friend bought three baseball tickets. They were cheap compared to basketball - just $15 apiece.
But listen to the add-ons:
A $4 "convenience fee," whatever that is, on EACH ticket. A $3.50 "processing charge" on the total order. And another $1.75 because our friend bought and printed his tickets online. That's almost $18 extra - a 60-percent markup⁴!
Heaping on charges is called "shrouding⁶." You shroud⁵, or conceal⁷, the REAL costs of goods and services until it comes time to pay the bill. As the New York Times reported, shrouding is common at places like restaurants, where sparkling water poured at your table can significantly boost your bill; rental-car counters and auto⁸ dealers⁹, where there's a litany of extras and warranties¹⁰ and insurance fees that show up only in fine print; and on airplane reservations, where extra booking and baggage fees are legendary¹¹.
So if you're thinking of attending a U.S. sporting event, bring money - not just for tickets, food, and drinks, but also for all manner of "convenience charges" that are especially "convenient" to the team's bank account.

1 inflate   

vt.使膨胀，使骄傲，抬高（物价）

参考例句：

• The buyers bid against each other and often inflate the prices they pay.买主们竞相投标，往往人为地提高价钱。
• Stuart jumped into the sea and inflated the liferaft.斯图尔特跳到海里给救生艇充气。

2 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。

3 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

4 markup   

n.加价，涨价，利润

参考例句：

• This mean that international delivery will line markup from today.这意味着国际快递将从今天起全线涨价。
• Our products are expensive,and distributors and retailers always want a large markup.我们的产品很贵，经销商和零售商总是要求高额利差。

5 shroud   

n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏

参考例句：

• His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
• How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下，我该怎么做呢？

6 shrouding   

n.覆盖v.隐瞒( shroud的现在分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The mist shrouding the walley had lifted. 笼罩山谷的雾霭散去了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A dark stubble was shrouding his strong jaw and dimpled chin. 硕大有凹陷的下巴上满是深色的短须。 来自互联网

7 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

8 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

9 dealers   

n.商人( dealer的名词复数 )；贩毒者；毒品贩子；发牌者

参考例句：

• There was fast bidding between private collectors and dealers. 私人收藏家和交易商急速竞相喊价。
• The police were corrupt and were operating in collusion with the drug dealers. 警察腐败，与那伙毒品贩子内外勾结。

10 warranties   

n.保证书，保单( warranty的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I read and compare warranties before purchasing. 我在购买前阅读和比较保修单。 来自超越目标英语 第4册
• One way of ensuring reliability is insisting on guarantees and warranties. 要确保产品可靠性的一个方法，就是坚持制定产品的品质保证条款。 来自互联网

11 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。