6月6日午间英语新闻：Z世代掀起“购金热” 成为黄金消费主力军

Gen Z in 'gold rush' for precious metal investment
Z世代掀起“购金热” 成为黄金消费主力军

Whether it is purchasing gold accessories or investing in precious metal, the younger Chinese generation is showing an increased interest in gold, which seems to be a more conventional investment category.
无论是购买金饰还是投资金条，中国年轻一代表现出对黄金日益浓厚的兴趣，而黄金看上去一直是比较传统的投资类别。

According to a report released by the LeadLeo Research Institute in mid-March, 55 percent of consumers frequenting gold shops on the Chinese mainland are those aged 25 to 34. Consumers aged 35 to 44 make up the second-largest group, accounting for 36 percent of gold store shoppers.
根据头豹研究院3月中旬发布的报告，经常光顾中国大陆黄金门店的消费者有55%年龄在25岁到34岁之间。35岁到44岁的消费者是黄金的第二大消费群体，占了黄金门店消费者的36%。

Experts from the China Gold Association said that Generation Z — those born between 1995 and 2009 — will become the majority of gold consumers. The consumption group of gold bars and jewelry is becoming increasingly younger, they said.
中国黄金协会的专家指出，Z时代（1995年到2009年出生的一代人）将成为黄金消费的主力军。他们指出，金条和金饰的消费群体将会日趋年轻化。

The younger generation's interest in gold is in line with the overall shopping spree of the precious metal over the past few months. While global consumption in gold jewelry remained flat at a total of 478 metric tons in the first quarter, Chinese consumers purchased a total of 198 tons of gold jewelry during the same period, the highest since 2015, according to Wang Lixin, regional CEO of the World Gold Council (China).

年轻一代对黄金的热情与过去几个月的购金热是一致的。据世界黄金协会中国区首席执行官王立新介绍，尽管一季度全球金饰消费量为478公吨，与往年持平，但是中国消费者在一季度总共购买了198吨金饰，这是自2015年以来的最高水平。

The relatively bullish performance of gold in the capital market is another major reason for the "gold rush". London spot gold hit a record high of $2,079.37 per ounce on May 4, 14 percent higher than the price at the beginning of this year. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index has climbed 7 percent during the same period.
黄金在资本市场上相对坚挺的行情是“黄金热”的另一个主要原因。伦敦现货黄金价格在5月4日达到了每盎司2079.37美元的历史最高点，比今年年初价格高出了14%。上证综合指数在同期上涨了7%。

重点词汇

1、precious
英/ ˈpreʃəs / 美/ ˈpreʃəs /
adj. 宝贵的，珍贵的；珍视的，重要的；珍稀的，珍奇的
n. （用作称呼）宝贝，亲爱的
adv. 非常，极其

2、conventional
英/ kənˈvenʃən(ə)l / 美/ kənˈvenʃən(ə)l /
adj. 依照惯例的，遵循习俗的；老一套的，习惯的；（武器等）常规的，非核的

3、bullish
英/ ˈbʊlɪʃ / 美/ ˈbʊlɪʃ /
adj. 看涨的；上扬的；似公牛的

Steak, coffee and cheese locked up as shoplifting rises

盗窃案激增，英国超市给牛排、咖啡、奶酪“上锁”

In March, police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland recorded nearly 33,000 incidents of shoplifting according to data analysed by the BBC. That is a significant 30.9% increase compared with March last year.
根据英国广播公司BBC数据显示，3月份，英格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰警方记录了近3.3万起商店盗窃案件，同比增涨30.9%。

Photos circulating on social media have shown the range of anti-shoplifting measures being taken at different supermarkets. One user posted a picture of steaks enclosed in security devices at a Co-op store. "They're packaging steaks like they're gold bars," they wrote. 
社交媒体上流传的照片显示了不同超市采取的各种反扒措施。一位用户发布的照片显示，在连锁超市Co-op，牛排被锁在全装置，配文称：“他们把牛排包装得像金条一样。”

Another user posted a picture of "dummy" coffee jars on a shelf at Co-op, with customers told to ask at the counter if they want to buy the real thing. "Cost of living reaching new heights, my local Co-op is now a grocery show room," she wrote. A Co-op spokesperson told the BBC that these are not nationwide policies at their stores.
另一位用户发布的照片显示，Co-op的货架上摆放着“空”咖啡罐，顾客被告知如果他们想买，需要到柜台询问。这位用户写道：“生活成本已经飙升到新高度，我们这儿的Co-op现在是一个百货陈列室。”一位Co-op发言人告诉BBC，这些措施并未在全英所有的门店实施。

According to police data, certain regions saw even more pronounced spikes in shoplifting in March. Gwent Police reported the sharpest rise, with instances of shoplifting surging to 961 between January and March, up from 552 in the same period last year.
警方数据显示，某些地区在3月份出现了更加明显的入店行窃高峰。格温特警方报告的入店行窃案增长幅度最大，1月至3月期间商店盗窃事件激增至961起，高于去年同期的552起。

Meanwhile forces in Northumbria, Staffordshire and Hampshire saw shoplifting rates soar by more than 50%. It comes as food prices are rising at the fastest rate in nearly 45 years.
与此同时，诺森比亚、斯塔福德郡和汉普郡的警方发现入店行窃率飙升了50%以上。这是因为食品价格正在以近45年来的最快速度上涨。

Grocery prices increased by 19.1% in the year to April, which was down slightly from March but still close to record highs. Staples like sugar, milk and pasta were all up sharply, according to the latest official figures.
截至 4 月，食品杂货价格同比上涨19.1%，较3月份略有下降，但仍接近历史高位。根据最新官方数据，糖、牛奶和面食等主食价格均大幅上涨。

This isn't the first time that supermarkets have stepped up security measures during the cost of living crisis. Last year, photos of security-tagged Lurpack were shared widely on Twitter, as the price of the butter brand soared.
这不是超市第一次在生活成本危机期间加强安全措施。去年，随着黄油品牌价格的飙升，推特上也流传着贴有防盗签的黄油照片。

重点词汇
1、shoplifting
英/ ˈʃɒplɪftɪŋ / 美/ ˈʃɑːplɪftɪŋ /
n. 入店行窃
v. 装作顾客在商店偷窃（shoplift 的 ing 形式）

2、dummy
英/ ˈdʌmi / 美/ ˈdʌmi /
adj. 假的，仿真的
n. 人体模型，假人（常用于陈列服装）；（练习或训练中用的）仿制品，仿造物；玩具娃娃，玩偶；沉默的人；挂名者，虚设者，傀儡