#25. Do you like a large shopping center being built in your neighborhood?
While the proponents of the plan to build a large shopping center in my community believe that it will aid economic development, I think that it will possibly do irreparable harm to our neighborhood. The proposed shopping center will damage existing businesses, provide inferior products, and destroy the environment of our peaceful community.
Research indicates that companies with less than 50 workers employ more people and generate more revenue as a percentage of a nation's GDP than large-scale corporations. This is true in America, where small businesses are considered the engine of the economy, as it is in our community where many people own and operate small shops. Large stores can buy large quantities of goods at wholesale prices. While local grocery, that cannot buy products in bulk, will be unable to compete. Once the competition is gone, the large store can raise its prices and lower its employee's wages. This classic example of exploitative monopoly capitalism impoverishes a community while enriching a small number of people.
The goods sold at the shopping center would be mass produced and necessarily of inferior quality to the handcrafted local goods and freshly grown local produce. Cheap products like plastic furniture would lack the character and local flavor of traditional wooden furniture made right here in our town. Cheaply mass-produced food, laden with pesticides and chemical preservatives, would crowd out the healthier, fresher, and tastier local produce on the shelves of the large shopping center. Low prices from the large store might tempt local consumers to eat less healthy food, endangering the health of local people as well as harming the incomes of local farmers and shopkeepers.
Lastly, I must point out that a large shopping center might bring unwelcome development to our small community. Ugly and noisy roads and parking lots would need to be constructed. The volume of people wanting to buy things at the new shopping center would worsen the traffic situation, which is already bad. Pollution from cars and trucks already has a notably degrading effect on the local air-quality and this is also bound to become worse as the traffic to and from the shopping center increases.
25. 你赞同在你家周围建一个大型购物中心吗？
那些支持在我们社区建立一个大购物中心的人认为它会有助于经济的发展，我却认为它可能会对我们的周围产生难以挽回的危害。提议中的购物中心会破坏现有的商业、提供低质量的商品，并且会破坏我们社区安静的环境。
研究指出，50人以下的公司雇用的人数和产生的计入国家国民生产总值的收入都比那些大企业高。这一点在美国是事实，在我们的社区里也同样是事实。美国的小企业被认为是经济的发动机，而我们社区有很多人拥有并经营着小商店。大商店能以批发价格购买大量商品，而地方的小商店无力大规模购买商品，将会无法与之竞争。一但没有了竞争，大商店就会提高商品的价格并降低员工的工资。这种典型的剥削性垄断资本的例子榨干一个社区的同时让一小拨人发财。
购物中心出售的商品一定是大批量生产的，质量上肯定不如手工生产的本地货和本地种植的新鲜作物。廉价制品如塑料家具没有我们镇上出产的传统木制家具的特点和本地风味。大量生产的充满了杀虫剂和化学防腐剂的廉价食品，将会把更健康、更新鲜、更美味的本地产品挤出购物中心的货架。低价会诱使本地消费者吃那些不够健康的食品，危害本地人的健康，并且会减少本地农民和商店主的收入。
最后，我必须指出，大型购物中心可能会给我们的小社区带来令人厌恶的发展势态。难看、喧闹的道路与停车场将被修建。在新的购物中心，购物者的数量会使本来就很差的交通更加恶化。来自轿车与卡车的污染已经给当地的空气质量造成了明显的恶化，随着购物中心来往交通的增加，这一切势必变得更加糟糕。
- proponent ［prəˈpəunənt］ n. 建议者，支持者
- monopoly ［məˈna:pəli］ n. 垄断，垄断者
- impoverish ［imˈpa:vəriʃ］vt. 使贫穷；使枯竭
- irreparable ［iˈrepərəbl］ adj. 不能挽回的
- inferior ［inˈfiriə］ adj. 下等的，下级的；差的，次的；自卑的
- handcrafted ［ˌhændˈkræftid］adj. 手工的，手工艺的
- generate ［ˈdʒenəˌreit］ vt. 产生，发生
- pesticide ［ˈpestiˌsaid］ n. 杀虫剂
- revenue ［ˈrevənju:］ n. 收入，国家的收入，税收
- preservative ［priˈzə:vətiv］ n. 防腐剂
- endanger ［enˈdeindʒə］ vt. 危及
- wholesale ［ˈhəulˌseil］ adj. 批发的
- degrading ［diˈgreidiŋ］adj. 可耻的，不名誉的
- bulk ［bʌlk］ n. 大批，大多数
- exploitative ［iksˈplɔitətiv］ adj. 剥削的