会展英语Lesson 1 The Canton Fair

1、会展英语会展英语 English for Conferences and Exhibitions 王芳（Fay） Course Description o会展英语会展英语 obusiness convention Requirements o1. Get the handouts printed after class and read them. o2. Be creative, critical and active. o3. Prepare for your future career. (What would you like to do after graduation? What

2、would you like to do for a living in the future?) Unit 1 The Canton Fair Background information in 2009 it was floods and power shortages; and in 2010 it was labour and regulation. Spring Fair/ Autumn Fair oAt this years spring fair, which runs from April 15th to May 5th, the battle over pricing is

3、being fought more keenly than ever. Proviso (限制性规定) oTo an outsider, the prices alone suggest there is nowhere to go but up. A nicely packaged toothbrush sells for just $0.10, sunglasses for $1-3, watches for under $2 and office chairs start at under $30 (with the proviso that in each case the order

4、 must be for hundreds of items or more). Lethargic 萎靡不振的萎靡不振的 salesperson 销售人员销售人员 Take 收入额收入额 oThe list of pressures on suppliers, meanwhile, runs on and on. Labour is not only expensive, it is scarce at almost any cost. Even the most lethargic salesperson can provide a take on the impact of commod

5、ity pricesbe it petroleum, steel, cotton or woodon products. Benchmark 基准、参照点 substantial 可观的、数量庞大的 oSmaller sellers also mention the pinch of pricier credit. Last October the one-year corporate lending rate that serves as a widely cited benchmark was 5.31%. In April, after a series of increases, it

6、 reached 6.31%. That increase is substantial enoughalmost 20%but the true extent of the tightening seems to be much greater than official rates suggest. Pawnbroker oThat is because a lot of lending in China takes place in shadowy private markets. According to Macquarie Securities, the so-called “Wen

7、zhou rate”, based on the private-borrowing market in a famously entrepreneurial city in south-east China, has risen to 6-8% a month, up from about 1.5% a month in late 2008 and matching levels seen in early 2008 when credit was genuinely scarce. Pawnbrokers, Macquarie adds, are charging 4% a month f

8、or loans that are, by their very nature, fully secured. Sanguine=optimistic upfront=预付金 full balance=全额 oAccess to lower rates seems, at least in part, tied to how much employment a company provides. The bigger manufacturersthose with perhaps more than 10,000 workers seem sanguine about getting hold

9、 of credit (if not workers and materials). Smaller suppliers are in a tougher position, which gives added clout to the trade buyer who can pay more upfront or the full balance fast or, preferably, both. 最后一段 oThe notion that disruptions like the Japanese earthquake and unrest in the Middle East coul

10、d push prices down is not much discussed at the fair, but the possibility of an abrupt price decline is hardly inconceivable. Chinas inflationary problems first surfaced in food prices, and food prices may also herald the disinflation to come. Old hands oSuppliers may have the upper hand for now but old trade-fair hands will tell you that arguments about price are never over. Questions: o1. What a