2011年MBA英語閱讀加強練習資料007

　　When economic times are tough it is generally thought that the pawnbroking industry booms--after all gold and cheap loans are tempting for credit crunchers.
　　經(jīng)濟不景氣的時候，典當業(yè)卻普遍被看好，因為它提供的金價和低息貸款在信貸緊縮的時候著實誘人。
　　Lynda Damario, regional director of Albemarle & Bond said: "There are increasing numbers of people from all walks of life who are finding themselves in a situation where the banks are unable to help so our business is growing,"
　　Albemarle & Bond典當公司的地區(qū)經(jīng)理林達?達馬里奧說：“越來越多的各行各業(yè)的人陷入困境，銀行幫不了他們，于是我們的生意就好了很多。”
　　That reluctance by banks to lend has helped earn the UK's biggest pawnbroker a 47 per cent rise in profits.
　　正是銀行的惜貸使得這個英國最大的典當公司的利潤增長了47%。
　　At a time when the price of gold is rising in value it is probably unsurprising that sales of second hand jewellery accounted for 75pc of the firm's total sales.
　　如今黃金價格上揚，典當手里的珠寶不足為奇，這塊占到了公司所有銷售業(yè)務(wù)的75％。
　　Harvey & Thompson, one of Britain's biggest pawnbrokers has seen business increase by 11 per cent in recent months and said this is all due to gold--and people coming in to sell their jewellery--not from people simply pawning items.
　　另一家英國大型典當公司Harvey & Thompson也表示，近幾個月生意量增加了11%。不是簡單的物品典當，而是由于金價上漲，人們開始典當手里的珠寶。
　　A spokeswoman for H&T, said that consumers are more aware of the idea of selling their possessions because of the popularity of online auctions. "It's the eBay effect. People are more aware now that they can raise cash by selling things they don't need."
　　H&T的一名發(fā)言人說，由于網(wǎng)上拍賣的日益流行，典當被越來越多的人接受。“這就是‘eBay效應(yīng)’。更多的人認同出售自己的閑置物品來獲得現(xiàn)金。”
　　Pawnbrokers give customers money in return for an object which is held as security until the customer pays off the loan plus any interest charges. No credit checks are needed and, once the item is valued and a rate of interest agreed, the customer can leave with the money. Jewellery and watches are 'pledged' most often.
　　光顧當鋪的人將物件作為抵押典當，當鋪給出現(xiàn)金，直到典當人償還本金和利息（償還后可贖回抵押）。典當人不需經(jīng)過信用檢查，只需交易雙方就典當品價值和利息達成一致，典當人既可換得現(xiàn)金。珠寶和手表是最常見的典當品。
　　According to the National Pawnbrokers Association, around 88 per cent of pledged goods are redeemed. But what if the worst happens and you are unable to pay for the item at the end of the loan period?
　　據(jù)英國全國典當協(xié)會統(tǒng)計，大約88%的典當品都被贖回。但是，如果最壞的情況發(fā)生，你在典當期內(nèi)無力贖回抵押品該怎么辦呢？
　　You can usually extend the length of time of borrowing. If you cannot do this, as a last resort, the pledge will get sold off, but it is generally not in the pawnbroker's interest to do so, particularly as many of them thrive on repeat customers.
　　通常你可以延長贖回期。若你還不能償還，典當行最終將會出售抵押品。但是典當商這么做是不得已而為之的，因為他們特別依賴從回頭客身上賺錢。
　　"The credit crunch isn't positive for any pawnbroker because we lend money and make money from people repaying their loans. If the credit crunch continues it won't be good for any business."
　　“信貸緊縮并非對所有的典當商都有利，因為典當行的利潤來自于典當贖金和利息。如果信貸緊縮持續(xù)，最終對任何行業(yè)而言都是沒有好處的。”