Popular Word - 网店商家屯粮积草备战"双十一"Singles' Day

被不少卖家视为年度最大规模网上促销活动的“双十一狂欢节”，虽然还要等将近一个月的时间才拉开帷幕，但眼下各大商家已经在摩拳擦掌、积极备战。

Online retailers in China are gearing up for an expected shopping fiesta on Nov 11. That's the unofficial, but hugely popular "Singles' Day" in China, when the country's bachelors and bachelorettes buy and give gifts online to comfort their lonely hearts.

五年前，还是淘宝商城的时代，“双十一”(Singles' Day)出现了。第一年只有27个品牌参加，销售额(sales)为5200万元。而到了2012年第四个“双十一”，销售额达到了不可思仪(incredible)的191亿元，震惊了零售业(retail industry)。

据了解，今年天猫“双十一”将有两万商家参加，数量比去年翻倍。Vendors to participate at this year's Shopping Festival have doubled compared with the number last year.不少商家从7月份就开始为“双十一”备货，行内估计，商家为“双十一”准备的货品量将是一个天文数字(astronomical figures) 。

已成规模的“双十一”势必成为众多电商(online retailers)争抢的一块蛋糕。从国庆假期一过，当当网就打响了促销第一枪，进入“店庆月+双十一”状态。之后，苏宁云商、国美在线、京东商城、乐蜂网、酒仙网等相继发动攻势，将本来只有一天的“双十一”拉长到了一个月。
Lured by huge market potential, other major online retailers are putting their weight behind this year's widely anticipated shopping spree, hoping to grab a lucrative slice of the cake.

重点词汇 Key Words:

双十一/光棍节 shuāng shí yī /guāng gùn jiē
Singles' Day

销售额 xiāo shòu é
sales

翻倍fān bèi
double

零售业líng shòu yè
retail industry

天文数字tiān wén shù zì
astronomical figures