Spot Dictation
Good afternoon, folks. Today's discussion topic is online shopping. With only 2 weeks to go before Christmas, buying presents is a high priority for a lot of people. However, this year not so many people are leaving their homes to browse around the shops. These days, lots of people can do their shopping in the comfort of their own home with the help of the Internet. Online shopping is becoming more and more popular for a number of reasons. Prices are often lower online. You don’t have to queue up in busy shops. And you can buy almost any product imaginable with just a few clicks of your mouse. Computer trends are often male-dominated, but this year, women are expected to do more shopping on the Internet than men. It seems women are now more attracted to the convenience of online shopping than they used to be. Average spending online these Christmas by women will rise to ￡240 compared to the slightly lower average ￡233 for men. While the average spend per person on the high street is only ￡197. 17% of Internet users, mainland female are not buying their Christmas gifts online. In the past, a lot of people were reluctant to shop online. Many were worried about the security of entering their card details on the Internet and reliability of the Internet. But as shopping online has become more widespread, these worries have begun to disappear. 45% of Internet users still do have security worries but it hasn’t slowed down the ever increasing numbers of online shoppers. One victim of the online shopping boom is the UK high street. Christmas trading can represent up to 60% of turnover for some stores. Many companies are concerned not enough shoppers are coming through their doors in the run-up to Christmas. As a result there are lots of special offers in the shops.
【点评】
本篇文章主要是在讲网上购物越来越受到人们的青睐。以即将到来的圣诞节为例，更多的人，特别是女性选择在网上购物。过去人们曾担心网上购物可能会泄露隐私，但是现在这种疑虑正在消失。如果说网络购物一定有受害者的话，那只能是英国的购物街了。那里的生意非常不景气。老板们为了吸引顾客，不得不提供很多促销活动。
总体来说这篇文章不难，没有出现特别难的生词，或者是特别复杂的句式。只要能在遇到数字的时候稍加留意，不会出现特别大的困难。
Statements
1. I hear that Mitchell turned down that job. Well the hours were convenient but she wouldn’t be able to make ends meet.
2. The committee finally reached a decision, and I couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome. Everybody says they haven’t seen me like this for weeks.
3. I do understand your problem. It’s not easy for me to deal with it right away but I’ll certainly try as soon as possible.
4. Being a sales representative is harder than you think. Last week I was in Washington, and before that in New York. Next week I have to go to Chicago.
5. I’m getting used to a lot of things at my new job. But I wish the manager would give me some feedback.
6. According to some researchers, men who eat cooked tomatoes 2-3 times a week have up to a 50% reduction in their risk of developing prostate cancer.
7. Despite her success in designing an adventure game series, which had won numerous praises from fans and critics, Jane Jansen considers herself at heart, a writer and a novelist.
8. China is now the third largest producer of films in the world. However, most of the revenue generated was from a handful of the movies produced.
9. If you lost 2% of your body weight in water, the performance level of your brain may start to weaken. Another 4% may leave in feeling dizzy.
10. Since it is a big order, I accept your price of $30. However it’s a very special price and it leaves us little profit.
解析：
Statements 部分没有出现难词，总体难度不高。但是在做题过程中要注意固定搭配、转折、虚拟语气的表达以及对数字的敏感程度。例如Statement1中turn down, 在这里就表示reject;Statement 6和9中就出现了不少数字，每个数字针对哪项内容是需要格外注意的。
