When digital cameras hit the mass market in 1997, Consumers couldn't get enough of them. Within nine years, nearly 300 million digital cameras were sold, and half of all households in the U. S. and Japan owned one, as did 41％ of all European households, making digital photography one of the fastest-adopted technologies of all time. Such dramatic change comes at a price: the icons of photography as we knew is tumbled. Polaroid went bust in 2001. Kodak stopped making film cameras in 2004.
Now. however, it's the sellers of digital cameras themselves who have to worry about possible extinction. With the summer photo-snapping season in full swing, market-research firm IDC is predicting that consumers in Japan and Western Europe will buy fewer digital cameras this year than they did last year (in fact, the numbers already declined in Japan in 2005 ). Around the world, they'll purchase only 10％ more cameras than a year ago—103.2 million versus 93.8 million. That's nothing, considering that in 2005 sales jumped by 27%, in 2004 by 51% and in 2003 by 73. "We're reaching a saturation point," says Chris Chute, an analyst with IDC in Framingham, Massachusetts. "Some of the weak vendors below 8％ market share will have to reconsider their place."
The big picture is one of a shrinking market: IDC predicts that global growth will soon vanish as sales flatten in 2009 at 111.1 million cameras, and then begin to sink in 2010. Things look even soggier through the revenue lens. Retail prices will plummet as they always have, especially as consumer-electronics powerhouses like Samsung, Panasonic and BenQ flex their distribution muscles to grab at market share from the other vendors ahead of them—Sony, Kodak, Olympus, Nikon, Fujifilm, HP and Casio—and from leader of the pack Canon. IDC sees an end to revenue growth for the foreseeable future, as the 10% growth in unit sales will translate into only a 2.2％ boost in revenue, to $33.3 billion, after which industry sales will drop 2.6 to 532.5 billion in 2007.
The strain of a shrinking market has already forced at least three notable vendors out—Konica Minolta exited last spring, selling patents and assets to Sony. Kyocera shuttered its camera business in 2005, two decades after entering the photography market by buying Japan's venerable Yashica Camera Co. and its Contax brand. And Toshiba all but stepped away in 2004. How, then, are other digital-camera vendors going to eke out a living? It won't be easy: two weeks ago, Kodak reported a $282 million second-quarter loss, almost twice that for the same period last year. Low industry-wide profit margins mean that competing on price will be difficult. Consumers can already buy a decent camera for as little as $80. Although iSuppli, a California-based research firm, says the cost of producing a camera will continue to decline, those cost reductions won't keep pace with plummeting consumer prices.
1. In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by .
A. posing the high sales volume of digital cameras
B. justifying the popularity of digital cameras
C. making a comparison
D. explaining a phenomenon
2. Market-research firm IDC has found in their study that .
A. the increasing income of digital camera has stopped
B. the strain of a shrinking market has already forced at least three notable vendors out
C. the sales of digital camera decreased to 111.1 million in 2009
D. retail prices will plummet as they always have
3. Which of the following choices can best generalize the reason why digital-camera vendors are going to "eke out a living" (Para. 4)?
A. Consumers in the whole world will buy fewer digital cameras this year.
B. The digital camera's future is not optimistic.
C. The price of digital camera is keeping on reducing.
D. The increase in sales amount has declined.
4. Which of the following is true of the digital camera according to the text?
A. The weak vendors can not survival in the market.
B. The revenue growth will be ended in the future.
C. The sales amount keeps on reducing from 2003 to 2007.
D. The production cost and the consumer price will continue to decline at the same rate.
5. What's the proper title of this text?
A. The Digital Camera's Tragic Ending
B. The High Price of Dramatic Change
C. The Digital Camera Fights for Survival
D. The Digital Camera 's Near Future
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dramatic [drəˈmætɪk]
adj. 戲劇性的
extinction [ɪkˈstɪŋkʃn]
n. 消失，消滅，廢止
shutter [ˈʃʌtə(r)]
n. 百葉窗；快門
decent [ˈdi:snt]
adj. 正派的，端莊的，有分寸的，大方的
swing [swɪŋ]
v. 搖擺，擺動，迴轉，旋轉
n. 鞦韆，搖擺，擺動
digital [ˈdɪdʒɪtl]
adj. 數字的，數位的
n. 數字，數字式
saturation [ˌsætʃəˈreɪʃn]
n. 飽和（狀態），浸潤，浸透，飽和度
photography [fəˈtɒgrəfi]
n. 攝影，攝影術
reconsider [ˌri:kənˈsɪdə(r)]
vt. 重新考慮，重新審議
fastest-adopted
adj. 最快採用的
plummet [ˈplʌmɪt]
n. 鉛錘，重荷
v. 垂直落下
vanish [ˈvænɪʃ]
vi. 消失，突然不見；［ 數 ］成為零
consumer-electronics
n. 電子用戶
notable [ˈnəʊtəbl]
adj. 值得注意的，顯著的，著名的
vendor [ˈvendə(r)]
n. 賣主
venerable [ˈvenərəbl]
adj. 莊嚴的，值得尊敬的，古老的
exit [ˈeksɪt]
n. 出口；太平門；退場
vi. 退出，離去
1. Within nine years, nearly 300 million digital cameras were sold, and half of all households in the U. S. and Japan owned one, as did 41％ of all European households, making digital photography one of the fastest-adopted technologies of all time.
結構分析：本句是一個並列句，and連接前後兩個分句。在後一個分句中， as did 41％ of all European households 是一個as引導的省略句； making digital photography... of all time 是現在分詞短語作狀語，表示結果。
參考譯文：短短9年間，近3億臺數位相機被銷售一空，並且在美國和日本有一半的家庭都擁有一臺數位相機，而歐洲擁有數位相機家庭的比例則佔到41％。如此高的銷量使數位相機成為一直以來普及速度最快的技術產品之一。
2. Although iSuppli, a California-based research firm, says the cost of producing a camera will continue to decline, those cost reductions won't keep pace with plummeting consumer prices.
結構分析：本句是一個複合句。主句是 those cost reductions won't keep pace with plummeting consumer prices；although引導一個讓步狀語從句；a California-based research firm作 iSuppli 的同位語，對其進行進一步說明。
參考譯文：雖然加利福尼亞當地的一家調研公司 iSuppli 認為相機的生產成本將繼續下降，但是成本的下降卻不如零售價格的下降幅度大。
堅持 源於毫不懷疑自己的價值
同時相信結果源於每次努力的積累
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