關閉全球350家店舖
Forever 21, a California-based clothing retailer that helped to drive the fast fashion trend in the United States, has filed for bankruptcy.
在美國掀起快時尚浪潮的加州成衣銷售品牌Forever 21已宣布破產。
drive(v.)推動file for提出申請bankruptcy(n.)破產
Its fall represents a cautionary tale of how a business suffered at the hands of overexpansion, the dotcom economy, and the ever-changing tastes of young shoppers.
Forever 21的破產情況為一記警鐘，展現出一家企業如何在過度膨脹、網路泡沫經濟和喜好改變快速的年輕消費者中求生存後失敗。
fall(n.)垮台represent(v.)代表cautionary tale具警示性的事件suffer(v.)歷經at the hands of...受⋯⋯折磨overexpansion(n.)過度膨脹dotcom economy網路泡沫經濟
Founded in 1984 by a Korean-American couple, Forever 21 has been a household name for affordable fashion.
Forever 21在1984年由一對韓裔美籍夫妻創辦後，很快成為家喻戶曉的平價品牌。
Founded in 1984...= Since Forever 21 was founded in 1984....
From its inception, it helped many teenage girls dress like their idols with a range of inexpensive yet fashionable clothing.
Forever 21成立至今提供許多價格不高又時尚的單品，讓許多青少女能打扮得跟她們的偶像一樣。
in-(prefix)加在形容詞及由形容詞轉化而來的詞前表不、無、非
Along the way, it grew to become a main attraction of many traditional shopping malls, opening hundreds of enormous stores across the US and elsewhere.
當時，Forever 21也成為多家傳統購物中心中的主要吸客來源，在美國及其他地區開展上百家分店。
along the way在這段期間
However, its ubiquitous presence is a prime example of the obsession with brick and mortar.
然而，這樣快速展店的行為，正是過度迷戀實體店鋪的典型例子。
ubiquitous(adj.)似乎無所不在的prime example=typical exampleobsession(n.)迷戀brick and mortar實體建築（商店）
With approximately 800 stores worldwide, each measuring on average 38,000 square feet, this retail chain now finds itself burdened with astronomical rents.
Forever 21在全球擁有約800家店舖，每間店平均有38000平方英尺（約1067坪），如天文數字般龐大的租金成為沉重負擔。
burden(v.)負擔
Just think about how much they have to pay in rent for the following locations, and you’ll begin to understand the magnitude of their predicament: 94,000 square feet in San Bernardino; 127,000 square feet in Las Vegas; and a four-story, 90,000-square-foot store in New York’s Times Square.
他們擁有在加州聖貝納迪諾（San Bernardino）的94000平方英尺（約2641坪）店舖、拉斯維加斯（Las Vegas）的127000平方英尺（約3568坪）商店，還有紐約時代廣場共90000平方英尺（約2528坪）的四層樓店面。只要想想這些地點的租金，就可以有點概念了。
magnitude(n.)巨大predicament(n.)困境=plight
As it was expanding, Forever 21 invested aggressively in conventional malls, apparently without regard to the rising e-commerce market or the younger generation.
在Forever 21展店時期，他們積極投資傳統商場，顯然沒有考量到正在崛起的電子商務模式與年輕客群。
expand(v.)擴展invest(v.)投資aggressively(adv.)積極的、野心勃勃的apparently(adv.)實際上、顯然regard(n.)關心、關注
Since more and more people are shifting to online shopping, a decline in foot traffic in traditional malls has occurred, with a serious impact on their profit margins.
越來越多人轉往網購之後，逛傳統商場的人少了，嚴重影響Forever 21的利潤。
shift(v.)改變decline(n.)下滑foot traffic實際顧客量profit margin利潤率
Also, the clothing brand has been losing its appeal with Generation Z. A case in point is Dawn Trevino, a 19-year-old college student who now seldom buys anything at Forever 21 because its styles feel derivative. “I want something unique,” she said.
再者，Forever 21也漸漸無法吸引Z世代的年輕人，一位19歲的大學生Dawn Trevino便是實例，她幾乎不在Forever 21買衣服，因為她覺得Forever 21缺乏獨創性，她說：「我想要獨特一點的衣服。」
a case in point佐證derivative(adj.)缺乏獨創性的
In response to its current plight, Forever 21 has filed for voluntary bankruptcy and is going to close up to 350 stores worldwide, including up to 178 in the US market, according to its spokesperson. Will this clothing retailer stage a successful comeback? Only time will tell.
為了因應目前的困境，Forever 21發言人指出，Forever 21已申請自願破產，並將關閉全球350家店舖，其中包含美國市場的178家Forever 21。這家成衣品牌能否東山再起，只能靜待觀察。
plight(n.)困境file(v.)申請voluntary bankruptcy申請stage or make a comeback 東山再起