The Decline of Small Businesses

　　小企业的劣势

　　During the recent years, countless small businesses have closed their doors and gone bankrupt. The corner grocer's, the small dress shop, the beauty salon, all are victims of market competition. Most of them are replaced by other small businesses that temporarily fill the needs of the neighbourhood but frequently end up, sharing the same fate of dissolution. More often, the market served by small businesses is taken over by large stores and shops. Businesses like the corner groceries and the dress shops have gone to big department stores and supermarkets, which not only keep adequate store and variety, but also provide better environment and service.

　　Apparently, it is increasingly difficult for small businesses to succeed in the present complex economic structure based, as it is, on small profit margins and tremendous sales volume. Lack of enough fund and poor management may be the chief cause of this tragedy. In addition, the quality of their commodities often causes suspicion of the customers as many small businesses are found to sell fake products for more profit, thus earning themselves an evil reputation. As to shopping environment and convenient service, they are unmentionable. All of the above speed up their bankruptcy.

　　Today, with the establishment of more and more groups and big corporations, how small businesses can survive in the tide of the market competitive economy has become a hot social issue.

　　作文结构分析：

　　· Small businesses gone bankrupt

　　· Cause 1 — difficult to run on the basis of small profit margins and tremendous volume

　　· Cause 2 — short of fund

　　· Cause 3 — evil reputation

　　· Cause 4 — undesirable environment and service

　　· How to survive is questionable

　　作文内容分析：

　　本文是一篇议论文, 涉及一社会热门话题, 文中内容贴近现实, 读来使人感到“这些事似乎都发生在我们周围”。此外, 全文文笔非常流畅, 是一篇很好的短文。

　　单词词组：

　　go bankrupt 破产

　　beauty salon 美容院

　　corner grocer's 小街杂货店

　　market competiton 市场竞争

　　share the same fate 遭遇相同命运

　　be taken over by... 由……取代

　　small profit margins and tremendous volume 薄利多销

　　cau se suspicion 引起怀疑

　　speed up 加速

　　groups and big corporations 集团和大公司

　　survive in the tide of market competitive economy 在市场竞争经济大潮中幸存

　　hot social issue 社会热点