年底是消费旺季，商家会大力促销。在中国，有双十一、双十二、元旦和春节；在美国，也有感恩节、圣诞节和新年。这时候很多人会“管不住手”而过度消费，而手机起到了推波助澜的作用。
Smartphones make us spend more
by Aimee Picchi
Overspending at the holidays isn't a new problem, but a modern culprit may now be to blame: the smartphone.
overspend /ˌəʊvəˈspend/ v. 花钱过多（由spend加上表示过度的前缀over-）
culprit /ˈkʌlprɪt/ n. （坏事的）原因
smartphone /ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/ n. 智能手机（由smart和phone组成）
Mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Pay typically are free, and people can use them to quickly purchase an item in a store or online. That can be dangerous during the holidays, when checklists are long and stress levels high.
mobile /ˈməʊbaɪl/ adj. 移动的、手机上的
typically /ˈtɪpɪk(ə)li/ adv. 通常、常常
purchase /ˈpɜːtʃəs/ v./n. 购买
item /ˈaɪtəm/ n. 一件商品
checklist /ˈtʃeklɪst/ n. 检查清单（上面列出了要做的事情或者要买的东西）
level /ˈlev(ə)l/ n. 水平
"That's a lot of the appeal of these apps and these kinds of new mobile payments," says Matt Schulz, chief industry analyst at CompareCards.com. But, he adds, "Much of the innovation that's going on now, whether it's contactless credit cards or apps or personal loans, is to separate folks from their money more easily and more quickly."
appeal /əˈpiːl/ n. 吸引力
app /æp/ n. （手机上的）应用程序
payment /ˈpeɪmənt/ n. 支付、付款（由pay加后缀-ment变成名词）
chief /tʃiːf/ adj. 首席的
analyst /ˈænəlɪst/ n. 分析师
innovation /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 创新
contactless /ˈkɒntæktləs/ adj. 非接触的（由contact加上表示否定的后缀-less并变成形容词）
credit card 信用卡
loan /ləʊn/ n. 贷款
separate /ˈsep(ə)reɪt/ v. 分开、使分开
folks /fəʊks/ = people
Aside from mobile payment apps, merchants are also directly targeting consumers through ads on Instagram and other social media services. Mobile wallets and social media purchases are particularly popular with millennials and Gen Z consumers, according to new data from Salesforce.com.
aside from 除了
merchant /ˈmɜːtʃ(ə)nt/ n. 商家、商户
target /ˈtɑːɡɪt/ v. 瞄准、以…为目标
consumer /kənˈsjuːmə(r)/ n. 消费者
Instagram 是美国的图片社交平台
millennial /mɪˈleniəl/ n. 千禧一代（大体相当于我国的八零后和九零后加起来）
Gen Z 是千禧一代之后的一代人（大体相当于我国的九五后和零零后加起来）
data /ˈdeɪtə/ n. 数据
Meanwhile, point-of-sale loans also encourage higher spending. These loans are offered by thousands of merchants including major retailers like Walmart, and through fintech firms such as Affirm and Afterpay when you check out.
meanwhile /ˈmiːnwaɪl/ adv. 与此同时
point of sale 销售点、结账处
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主要的、大的
retailer /ˈriːteɪlə(r)/ n. 零售商（由retail加上表示人的后缀-er）
fintech /ˈfɪntek/ = financial technology 金融科技
check out 指结账离开
Instead of paying upfront（提前）, these loans allow consumers to pay for a purchase over a number of weeks or months, or what Schulz describes as "layaway without the wait." But they can spur consumers to spend more, with Affirm saying consumers boost their average order by about 90% when offered one of their loans.
or /ɔː(r)/ conj. 也就是
layaway 是一种分期购物方式，其特点是所有款项付清以后才能取货
spur /spɜː(r)/ v. 刺激、激励
boost /buːst/ v. 提高、增加
Consumers who use mobile wallets tend to spend 2.4% more on the typical transaction, according to the study from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. That might not seem like a lot, but consumers boosted the frequency of transactions by 24% when using mobile wallets. In other words, consumers end up spending more because they tend to buy more frequently when using mobile apps.
tend /tend/ v. 倾向于
transaction /trænˈzækʃ(ə)n/ n. 一笔交易
frequency /ˈfriːkwənsi/ n. 频率
in other words 换句话说
end up 以…告终
"Small, regular purchases add up and, if you're not careful, this spending can have a negative impact on your overall financial health," says Dana Marineau, vice president and financial advocate at Credit Karma.
add up 累积
negative /ˈneɡətɪv/ adj. 不好的、负面的
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 影响
overall /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːl/ adj. 总体的
financial /faɪˈnænʃ(ə)l/ adj. 财务的
vice president 副总裁
advocate /ˈædvəkət/ n. 倡导者（financial advocate类似于财务顾问）
Don't start your holiday shopping without a budget, says Schulz. Aside from tracking your regular income and expenses, maintain a list of what you want to buy for friends and family members to avoid splurges（乱花钱） or unplanned expenditures.
budget /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ n. 预算
track /træk/ v. 追踪
income /ˈɪnkʌm/ n. 收入
expense /ɪkˈspens/ n. 花销
maintain /meɪnˈteɪn/ v. 维持、保持
unplanned /ʌnˈplænd/ adj. 未计划的
expenditure /ɪkˈspendɪtʃə(r)/ n. 开支
Lastly, research point-of-sale loans before jumping into one, no matter how tempting it might be. Some loans charge interest, while others make money by charging late fees. Understanding the fine print will help you avoid an unwelcome surprise later on. And remember that these loans are another form of debt that are approved within seconds but lock you into months of repayments.
lastly /ˈlɑːstli/ adv. 最后一点
tempting /ˈtemptɪŋ/ adj. 诱人的
interest /ˈɪntrəst/ n. 利息
late fee 逾期费（未能如期还款时要支付的惩罚性费用）
fine /faɪn/ adj. 细小的（fine print指合同里用小号字体印刷的附加说明，往往对消费者不利）
unwelcome /ʌnˈwelkəm/ adj. 不想要的
later on 后来
form /fɔːm/ n. 形式
debt /det/ n. 债务
repayment /rɪˈpeɪmənt/ n. 还款
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