零售業的黃金季
The exchange of gifts is central to Christmas, and as December rolls around, shoppers ready their cash and credit cards for the long-awaited holiday season.
交換禮物是聖誕節很重要的活動，隨著十二月的到來，消費者都已經為這個等待已久的節慶準備好現金和信用卡了。
exchange (n.)(v.)交換central (adj)中心的,重要的roll around (時間或事件)發生,到來ready (v.)把…準備好long-awaited (adj.)等待已久的
Traditionally considered to begin the day after American Thanksgiving, the holiday season is a very important time for retail shopping, lasting all the way until January.
傳統上認為聖誕節在美國感恩節結束後就開始了，這段聖誕季對零售業來說非常重要，會持續到隔年一月。
retail (n.)零售；retail price 零售價last (v.)持續
To illustrate this in numbers, retail sales in the US rose to a total of $630 billion in 2015.
用數據來說明的話，2015時美國零售業的銷售額在這個時期來到六千三百億。
illustrate (v.) 畫插畫,說明rise=increase=grow
This means that the average US holiday shopper spent around $805, with more than half of it spent on family shopping.
這意味著一般美國消費者在聖誕季期間花費了大約805美元，其中超過一半是花在家庭購物上。
average (adj.)一般的,平均的
Previously, the month of January mostly included white sales and clearance sales; however, the January sales now include both winter close-out sales and the sales of consumers redeeming the gift cards they received as Christmas presents.
在以前，一月大部分都是大促銷或是清倉拍賣；然而，現在一月有冬季出清拍賣，還有為收到禮品卡當聖誕禮物的消費者舉辦的拍賣，讓他們可以兌換商品。
consumer (n.)消費者redeem (v.)贖回,彌補,用優惠券或禮物卡兌換商品
In the UK, retailers call the Christmas season the “golden quarter,” referring to the three months of October through December in which the retail industry aims to make the most profit.
在英國，零售業者稱聖誕季節為「黃金季」，指的就是從十月到十二月這三個月，在這段期間零售產業預計賺取最大的利潤。
quarter (n.)四分之一,季refer to 涉及,提profit (n.)利益；賺取利益 make a profit, earn a profit, turn a profit, generate a profit