America's holiday shopping season started on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It is the busiest shopping day of the year.
美国的节日购物季始于黑色星期五，也就是感恩节之后的一天。这是全年中最繁忙的购物日。

Retailers make the most money this time of year, about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all year. The National Retail Federation (NRF) says about 136 million people will shop during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.
零售商每年这个时候赚钱最多，占到了全年营业收入的20%到30%。美国零售联盟表示，大约1.36亿人将会在感恩节周末期间购物。

More and more will shop online. In an era of instant information, shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals. Nearly 80 percent of this year's holiday shoppers, or about 183.8 million people, will shop on Cyber Monday, says the NRF.
网上购物越来越多。在即时信息时代，购物者可以使用他们的手机来搜索各种折扣。美国零售联盟表示，今年将近80%的节日购物者，也就是大约1.838亿人将会在网络星期一购物。

More than half of all holiday purchases will be made online, they say. One-in-five Americans will use a tablet or smartphone.
他们表示，超过一半的节日采购将会在网上进行，其中20%的美国人将会使用平板电脑或智能手机购物。

Pam Goodfellow is an analyst at Prosper Funding LLC. It is an online lender. "Given how shoppers today overall gravitate towards all things digital, there's a high likelihood online shopping will be bigger than ever over the holiday weekend and on Cyber Monday," she told the NRF.
帕姆·古德费洛（Pam Goodfellow）是Prosper Funding LLC的分析师。这是一家网贷机构。古德费洛对美国零售联盟表示，“鉴于如今的消费者整体倾向于数字化产品，在这个感恩节周末和网络星期一,网购规模很有可能将会超出以往任何时候。”

Online spending on Black Friday will rise 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year. Cyber Monday spending will increase 12 percent to $3 billion, says Adobe Systems Inc.
Adobe system Inc表示，今年黑色星期五的网上消费将会增长15%，达到27亿美元。网络星期一的消费将会增加12%，达到30亿美元。

NBC News reported that for many, shopping online was "a more comfortable alternative" than crowded malls.
NBC News报道称，对很多人来说，网上购物是一种比拥挤的商场更为舒适的选择。

The shift to online shopping has had a big impact on "brick and mortar" shopping malls. Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed and an additional 60 are struggling, according to Green Street Advisors. It tracks the mall industry.
转向网上购物对实体商场有很大影响。根据绿街顾问公司（Green Street Advisors）的消息，自2010年以来已经有超过24家商场关闭，还有60家处境艰难。该公司跟踪商场行业动态。

However, Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed. The sector is thriving again, it says. The International Council of Shopping Centers said 94.2 percent of malls were full, or occupied, with shops by the end of 2014. That is the highest level in 27 years.
然而，《财富》杂志表示，这些商场中的弱者已经被淘汰，该行业再次一枝独秀。购物中心国际理事会表示，截至2014年末，94.2%的商场被店铺挤满，这是27年以来的最高水平。

Economist Gus Faucher said lower unemployment and rising wages could give Americans more money to spend.
经济学家格斯·福彻（Gus Faucher）表示，失业率降低和工资上涨可能会让美国人有更多钱消费。

According to the NRF, the average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts. That's about $630.5 billion between November and December – an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.
根据美国零售联盟的消息，平均每位美国消费者会花费大约805美元买礼物。这意味着在11月和12月之间，会花费超多6300亿美元，比去年增加3.7%。

Nonetheless, Cyber Monday is not the biggest online shopping day in the world. That distinction goes to China's Singles' Day, celebrated November 11, which posted record sales of $14.3 billion this year.
尽管如此，网络星期一不是全球最大的网购日。该荣誉属于中国11月11日的光棍节，今年它创出了143亿美元的销售记录。

I'm Mary Gotschall.
我是玛丽·歌切尔。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)

America's holiday shopping season started on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. It is the busiest shopping day of the year.

Retailers make the most money this time of year, about 20 percent to 30 percent of all revenue all year. The National Retail Federation (NRF) says about 136 million people will shop during the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

More and more will shop online. In an era of instant information, shoppers can use their mobile phones to find deals. Nearly 80 percent of this year's holiday shoppers, or about 183.8 million people, will shop on Cyber Monday, says the NRF.

More than half of all holiday purchases will be made online, they say. One-in-five Americans will use a tablet or smartphone.

Pam Goodfellow is an analyst at Prosper Funding LLC. It is an online lender. "Given how shoppers today overall gravitate towards all things digital, there's a high likelihood online shopping will be bigger than ever over the holiday weekend and on Cyber Monday," she told the NRF.

Customers wrap up their holiday shopping during Walmart's Black Friday events in Bentonville, Arkansas on November 27, 2014 (Gunnar Rathbun/AP)

Online spending on Black Friday will rise 15 percent to hit $2.7 billion this year. Cyber Monday spending will increase 12 percent to $3 billion, says Adobe Systems Inc.

NBC News reported that for many, shopping online was "a more comfortable alternative" than crowded malls.

The shift to online shopping has had a big impact on "brick and mortar" shopping malls. Since 2010, more than 24 shopping malls have closed and an additional 60 are struggling, according to Green Street Advisors. It tracks the mall industry.

However, Fortune says the weakest of the malls have closed. The sector is thriving again, it says. The International Council of Shopping Centers said 94.2 percent of malls were full, or occupied, with shops by the end of 2014. That is the highest level in 27 years.

Economist Gus Faucher said lower unemployment and rising wages could give Americans more money to spend.

According to the NRF, the average American consumer will spend about $805 on gifts. That's about $630.5 billion between November and December – an increase of 3.7 percent from last year.

Nonetheless, Cyber Monday is not the biggest online shopping day in the world. That distinction goes to China's Singles' Day, celebrated November 11, which posted record sales of $14.3 billion this year.

I'm Mary Gotschall.

Mary Gotschall compiled this story for Learning English with reports from VOA News and other sources. Kathleen Struck was the editor.

Do you have an opinion about this topic? Let us know what you think in the Comments section below, or on our 51VOA.COM.

_

Words in This Story

retailer – n. a person or business that sells things directly to customers for their own use

instant – adj. happening or done without delay

mobile – adj. able to be moved

gravitate – v. to be attracted to or toward something or someone

digital – adj. using or characterized by computer technology

likelihood – n. the chance that something will happen

destination – n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent

alternative – n. something that can be chosen instead of something else : a choice or option

brick and mortar – adjectival phrase used to describe a traditional store or business that is in a building instead of on the Internet

mall – n. a large building or group of buildings containing stores of many different kinds and sizes

occupy – v. to fill or be in (a place or space)

distinction – n. a special honor, recognition, or award