The fall in the quarterly net profits of Apple
苹果公司第一季度净利润下滑
来源：刘立军
TRANSCRIPT
And the technology giant Apple Inc. recalled the 27% fall in the quarterly net profits. The company has revealed that iPhone sales have declined for the second quarter in the row with 15% fewer handsets sold than in the same period last year. Investors are worried by the falling popularity of the company’s key product but hope that the decline might be reversed by the much anticipated release of the iPhone 7 in September.
VOCABULARY
1. reverse v. (动词 + 名词短语) to change sth. completely so that it is the opposite of what it was before 颠倒；彻底转变；使完全相反。
短语：
to reverse a procedure / process / trend 彻底改变程序 / 过程 / 趋势
例句：
The government has failed to reverse the economic decline. 政府未能扭转经济滑坡的趋势。
It is sometimes possible to arrest or reverse the disease. 有时可以阻止病情发展或使病情彻底好转。
2. release n. (可数名词) a thing that is made available to the public, especially a new CD or film/movie 新发行的东西；（尤指）新激光唱片，新电影。如：the latest new releases最新发行的产品
QUESTIONS
TASK 1: Multiple Choice
Choose the best answer.
Question 1: What’s the falling percentage of the technology giant Apple Inc. in its quarterly net profits?
A. 27%.
B. 15%.
C. 42%.
D. 12%.
Question 2: How about the iPhone sales going for the second quarter compared to the same period last year?
A. Increasing rapidly.
B. Increasing steadily.
C. Declining.
D. Same.
Question 3: What do the investors worry about the company’s key product?
A. The falling price.
B. The falling popularity.
C. The falling quality.
D. The falling profits.
TASK 2: Further Development: Translation
Translate the following sentence into Chinese.
Investors are worried about the falling popularity of the company’s key product but hope that the decline might be reversed by the much anticipated release of the iPhone 7 in September.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS
TASK 1:
1. A 主旨题。根据新闻第一句：And the technology giant Apple Inc. recalled the 27% fall in the quarterly net profits.
2. C 细节题。根据新闻第二句：The company has revealed that iPhone sales have declined for the second quarter in the row with 15% fewer handsets sold than in the same period last year.
3. B 细节题。根据新闻第三句：Investors are worried by the falling popularity of the company’s key product but hope that the decline might be reversed by the much anticipated release of the iPhone 7 in September.
TASK 2:
投资者担心苹果公司的关键产品的受欢迎度下滑，但希望今年9月即将发布的大家期待已久的iPhone 7能挽回销售额下滑的局面。