近日，苹果中国官网显示，Apple Store大连百年城店将于2025年8月9日20:00停止营业。据了解，这是苹果首次在中国关停直营店。
🤔️小作业：
1.What can be inferred about the Apple store in Parkland Mall?
A. It was Apple's largest store in northeastern China.
B. Its closure was mainly driven by the poor performance of Apple products.
C. It likely suffered from reduced customer traffic due to the mall's decline.
D. It had plans to reopen in a different district of Dalian in 2026.
无注释原文：
Apple Is Shutting a Store in China, Its First Closure in the Country
From: The New York Times
Apple will close a store in northeastern China in August, the first time it has shuttered one of its retail locations since it opened its first outlet in the country in 2008.
The company said on Monday that it would close its store in Dalian City's Parkland Mall on Aug. 9. On social media, locals have described the mall as struggling, noting that other brands like Michael Kors and Armani had closed their stores there.
“Given the departure of several retailers at the Parkland Mall, we have made the decision to close our store,” said Brian Bumbery, an Apple spokesman. “We love serving the Dalian community, and all of our valued team members will have the opportunity to continue their roles with Apple.”
The government has poured large sums into programs designed to spur purchases of smartphones, washing machines and electric vehicles. The trade-in programs have gotten people to spend more, but economists say the impact on consumption could be short-lived.
The pullback also reflects Apple's ongoing business troubles in China, which is its second-largest market. Apple has reported declining sales in China for six quarters. Last year, it reported total revenue in the country of $66.95 billion, nearly 10 percent less than its peak of $74.2 billion in 2022.
Chinese rivals like Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo have eroded Apple's share of the world's largest smartphone market. Last year, Apple's share of sales of smartphones in China fell to 15.5 percent from 17.9 percent a year earlier, according to Counterpoint Research, a tech research firm.
Apple will continue to operate its other store in Dalian at another shopping mall, Olympia 66. The iPhone maker plans to open a new store in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen this month. With that opening, the company expects to finish 2025 with the same number of stores, 58, as it had at the beginning of the year, even after the Parkland Mall closure.
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注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考
含注释全文：
Apple Is Shutting a Store in China, Its First Closure in the Country
From: The New York Times
Apple will close a store in northeastern China in August, the first time it hasshutteredone of itsretaillocations since it opened its firstoutletin the country in 2008.
苹果将于8月关闭在中国东北的一家直营店，这是自2008年在中国开设零售店以来首次关店。
shutter
1）shutter作名词，通常复数，原意表示“活动护窗；百叶窗”，英文解释为“one of a pair of wooden or metal covers that can be closed over the outside of a window to keep out light or protect the windows from damage”，如：to open/close the shutters 打开/关上护窗。
2）作动词，可以指关上百叶窗，也有“（暂时或永久地）停业”的含义（to close down a business or activity）。
📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇讲述疫情影响的文章中提到：As covid-19 shutters businesses and leaves supermarket shelves bare, ...随着新冠肺炎导致众多企业关闭，超市货架空空如也，
retail
retail /ˈriː.teɪl/ 表示“零售，零卖”，英文解释为“the activity of selling goods to the public, usually in shops”举个🌰：The job is open to applicants with over two years' experience in retail. 这份工作面向有两年以上零售经验的求职者。
outlet
outlet /ˈaʊt.let/ 或者outlets一词经常出现，media outlet / news outlets 都可以表示媒体/新闻机构；outlet本身表示“商店，商行；销售公司；专卖店；直销店”，英文解释为“An outlet is a shop or organization which sells the goods made by a particular manufacturer or at a discount price, often direct from the manufacturer.”如：a fast-food outlet 快餐店，a retail outlet 零售店，举个🌰：At the factory outlet you'll find discounted items at up to 75% off regular prices. 在工厂的直销店里，你会找到比常规价低75%的打折商品。
📍而我们日常生活中常见的“奥特莱斯”商场就是outlets的音译，指的就是品牌直销购物中心。
此外，也可以指“（情绪或精力的）发泄方式，发泄途径，施展的机会”，英文解释为“a way in which emotion or energy can be expressed or made use of”举个🌰：Her work provided no outlet for her energies and talents. 她的工作没有给她提供发泄精力及施展才华的机会。
📍美式英语里还可以表示“电源插座（同 power point）”
The company said on Monday that it would close its store in Dalian City's Parkland Mall on Aug. 9. On social media, locals have described the mall as struggling, noting that other brands like Michael Kors and Armani had closed their stores there.
该公司周一表示，将于8月9日关闭大连百年城门店。在『社交媒体』上，当地人指该购物中心生意不好，Michael Kors和Armani等时尚品牌已经相继撤出。
“Given the departure of several retailers at the Parkland Mall, we have made the decision to close our store,” said Brian Bumbery, an Apple spokesman. “We love serving the Dalian community, and all of our valued team members will have the opportunity to continue their roles with Apple.”
“鉴于大连百年城购物中心内多家零售商的离开，我们决定关闭该零售店，”苹果发言人布赖恩·邦伯里说，“我们珍视为大连社区的服务，所有宝贵的团队成员都将有机会继续留任苹果。”
The government haspouredlarge sums into programs designed tospurpurchases of smartphones, washing machines and electric vehicles. Thetrade-inprograms have gotten people to spend more, but economists say the impact on consumption could beshort-lived.
政府已投入巨资，用于推动消费者购买『智能手机』、洗衣机和电动汽车的相关项目。以旧换新计划确实让人们增加了消费，但经济学家表示，它对消费的影响可能是短暂的。
pour sth into sth
表示“大量投入（金钱或供应品）”，英文解释为“to give a lot of money or effort to something with the idea of making it successful”
spur
spur /spɜːr/ 表示“鼓动；激励；鞭策；刺激；鼓舞”，英文解释为“If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.”举个🌰：It's the money that spurs these fishermen to risk a long ocean journey in their flimsy boats. 是金钱驱使这些渔民驾驶单薄的小船冒险出海远航。Spurred (on) by her early success, she went on to write four more novels in rapid succession. 受到之前成功的鼓励，她紧接着又连续写了4部小说。
trade-in
trade-in表示“折价贴换交易，以旧折价换新”，英文解释为“a method of buying something new by giving something you own as part of the payment for it”举个🌰：We got a good trade-in price for our old car. 我们的旧汽车折抵了不少钱。
short-lived
short-lived /ˌʃɔːtˈlɪvd/ 表示“短暂的；短命的”，英文解释为“If a feeling or experience is short-lived, it only lasts for a short time.”举个🌰：I had a few relationships at college, most of which were fairly short-lived. 我在大学时谈过几次恋爱，但大多都十分短暂。
The pullback also reflects Apple'songoingbusiness troubles in China, which is its second-largest market. Apple has reported declining sales in China for six quarters. Last year, it reported total revenue in the country of $66.95 billion, nearly 10 percent less than itspeakof $74.2 billion in 2022.
闭店也反映了苹果在中国市场面临的经营困境，作为该品牌的第二大市场，苹果在华销售额连续六个季度下滑。去年，它在大中华区的营收降至669.5亿美元💵，较2022年742亿美元💵的峰值减少了近10%。
ongoing
ongoing /ˈɒŋˌɡəʊ.ɪŋ/ 表示“持续存在的；不断发展的；继续进行的；进行中的”，英文解释为“continuing to exist or develop, or happening at the present moment”如：an ongoing investigation/process/project 持续进行的调查/持续的过程/正在实施的工程。
peak
peak /piːk/ 可以作名词，也可以作动词，表示“（达到）峰值”，英文解释为“When something peaks, it reaches its highest value or its highest level.”举个🌰：Temperatures have peaked at over 90 degrees. 温度已达到峰值，超过了90度。
Chineserivalslike Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo haveerodedApple's share of the world's largest smartphone market. Last year, Apple's share of sales of smartphones in China fell to 15.5 percent from 17.9 percent a year earlier, according to Counterpoint Research, a tech research firm.
华为、小米、Vivo等本土竞争对手不断蚕食苹果在全球最大『智能手机』市场的份额。据科技市场研究机构Counterpoint Research的数据，去年苹果在中国的『智能手机』销量份额占比从17.9%降至15.5%。
rival
rival /ˈraɪ.vəl/ 作名词，表示“竞争对手；敌手”，英文解释为“a person, group, etc. competing with others for the same thing or in the same area”
作动词，表示“可与…相媲美，比得上”，英文解释为“to be as good, clever, beautiful, etc. as someone or something else”举个🌰：No computer can rival a human brain for/in complexity. 没有任何计算机比得上人脑复杂。
erode
erode /ɪˈrəʊd/ 表示“降低，削弱”，英文解释为“If the value of something erodes or is eroded by something such as inflation or age, its value decreases.”举个🌰：Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits. 金融市场的竞争降低了利润。
还可以指“（气候）侵蚀，腐蚀；（岩石、土壤）风化”等，英文解释为“if the weather erodes rock or soil, or if rock or soil erodes, its surface is gradually destroyed”
Apple will continue to operate its other store in Dalian at another shopping mall, Olympia 66. The iPhone maker plans to open a new store in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen this month. With that opening, the company expects to finish 2025 with the same number of stores, 58, as it had at the beginning of the year, even after the Parkland Mall closure.
苹果在大连的恒隆广场店将继续运营。这家iPhone制造商计划本月在中国南方城市深圳开设一家新店。即使大连百年城店闭店，在这家新店开业后，公司预计到2025年底门店数量仍将保持在年初的58家。
- 词汇盘点 -
shutter、 retail、 outlet、 pour sth into sth、 spur、 trade-in、 short-lived、 ongoing、 peak、 rival、 erode
- 词汇助记 By AI -
The retail outlet shuttered after short-lived success. Its rival had poured resources into trade-in deals, spurring sales to a peak. Now, ongoing economic woes erode consumer confidence across the sector.
