10月12日午间英语新闻：中国便利店数量增长快 进一步向下沉市场发展

Convenience stores record growth, more penetration into lower-tier cities

中国便利店数量增长快 进一步向下沉市场发展

Most convenience stores in cities this year achieved growth and more penetration into fourth- and fifth-tier cities and county-level markets, according to an industry survey.

行业调查报告显示，今年全国多个城市的便利店门店数量实现正增长，进一步向四、五线城市及县域级市场下沉。

According to the "China Convenience Store Index", released by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association, about 64.1 percent of the surveyed cities saw positive growth in the number of convenience stores in 2023. The number of cities with reduced store numbers accounted for 35.9 percent.

中国连锁经营协会发布的“中国城市便利店发展指数”显示，2023年城市便利店门店数量实现正增长的城市占所调查城市总数的64.1%；门店数减少的城市占所调查城市总数的35.9%。

The index includes the saturation of convenience stores in each city, the growth rate of the total number of stores, the proportion of 24-hour convenience stores, and the business environment.

指数的核心数据为各城市便利店的饱和度、门店总量的增速、24小时便利店的比例及营商环境情况。

Based on calculations from the index, the city of Xiamen in Fujian province, Taiyuan in Shanxi province, Dongguan in Guangdong province, Changsha in Hunan province, and Guangzhou in Guangdong province ranked top five in terms of the development of convenience stores, said the survey.

调查报告称，根据指数计算结果，福建省厦门市、山西省太原市、广东省东莞市、湖南省长沙市、广东省广州市的便利店发展指数名列前五位。

The growth rate of convenience stores in Hefei, Anhui province, reached 11.76 percent, the highest among all cities, followed by Guiyang, Guizhou province, and Kunming, Yunnan province. In all cities, rent and labor costs remain the biggest challenges faced by convenience stores, according to the survey.

安徽省合肥市便利店数量增长率达到11.76%，是所有城市中增长最高的城市，其次为贵州省贵阳市和云南省昆明市。调查指出，在所有城市，房租、人力成本仍然是便利店发展面临的最大挑战。

重点词汇：

1.penetration

英/ˌpenəˈtreɪʃ(ə)n/

美/ˌpenəˈtreɪʃ(ə)n/

n.穿透，渗透，进入；（产品对市场的）渗透度，占有率；（某种信仰在某一社会的）渗透；（为刺探情报对某团体、企业等的）渗入；洞察力

2.tier
英/tɪə(r)/
美/tɪr/
n.（高度各不相同的）一层，一排；（机构或系统的）层次，等级；（衣服的）一层褶裥（或荷叶边）
v.层叠，层层排列；成递升排列

3.saturation

英/ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃn/

美/ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃ(ə)n/

n.饱和，饱和状态；（化学溶液的）饱和状态，饱和度；（尤指照相的）色饱和度；磁化饱和；浸透，湿透

FTC, states sue Amazon for anti-competitive practices

亚马逊因垄断市场哄抬物价遭起诉

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in conjunction with attorneys general from 17 states, filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon on Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges that the tech giant has leveraged its dominant market position to inflate product prices and stifle competition. 

日前，美国联邦贸易委员会FTC连同17个州的总检察长对亚马逊提起反垄断诉讼，指控这家科技巨头利用市场主导地位，在其平台上哄抬商品价格，扼杀市场竞争。

Amazon, the largest e-commerce platform in America, also holds a dominant position in the field of cloud computing. Its influence extends further into areas such as groceries and healthcare.

亚马逊是美国规模最大的电商平台，其在云计算领域也占据主导地位，在杂货、医疗保健等领域的影响力也日益增大。

The FTC alleges that Amazon's third-party e-commerce business engages in anti-competitive practices. For instance, it forces sellers to purchase Amazon's advertising and delivery services, with fees for such services accounting for approximately 50 percent of a seller's income. Additionally, when Amazon finds that a seller's products are priced lower on other platforms, it blocks those seller's products on the Amazon website, the FTC says. 

FTC指出，亚马逊的第三方电商业务存在反竞争行径。例如，强迫卖家购买亚马逊的广告业务和配送服务，此类服务费约占卖家收入的一半。此外，当发现卖家的商品在其他平台售价更低时，亚马逊会在其平台屏蔽这些卖家的商品。

It is the third lawsuit brought against Amazon by the FTC this year. Previously, the FTC accused Amazon of enticing consumers to sign up for membership, illegally collecting children's data through the voice assistant Alexa, and engaging in illegal surveillance of users through the doorbell product Ring.

今年以来FTC已三次起诉亚马逊，此前FTC曾指控亚马逊诱导消费者注册会员；通过其语音助手Alex非法收集儿童数据；通过其门铃产品Ring非法监控用户。

重点词汇：

1.conjunction
英/kənˈdʒʌŋkʃ(ə)n/
美/kənˈdʒʌŋkʃ(ə)n/
n.结合，同时发生；连词；（占星术中两个天体的）相合

2.leverage
英/ˈliːvərɪdʒ/
美/ˈlevərɪdʒ/
n.影响力，手段；杠杆力，杠杆作用；<美>杠杆比率
v.<英>举债经营；充分利用（资源、观点等）

3.stifle
英/ˈstaɪf(ə)l/
美/ˈstaɪf(ə)l/
v.扼杀，抑制；强忍住，压抑（感情）；（使）窒息，（使）喘不上气
n.（马、狗等动物的）后膝关节，后膝髌

4.surveillance
英/sɜːˈveɪləns/
美/sɜːrˈveɪləns/
n.监视，监察