年底是消費旺季，商家會大力促銷。在中國，有雙十一、雙十二、元旦和春節；在美國，也有感恩節、聖誕節和新年。這時候很多人會“管不住手”而過度消費，而手機起到了推波助瀾的作用。
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. 花錢過多（由spend加上表示過度的前綴over-）
culprit /ˈkʌlprɪt/ n. （壞事的）原因
smartphone /ˈsmɑːtfəʊn/ n. 智能手機（由smart和phone組成）
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. 移動的、手機上的
typically /ˈtɪpɪk(ə)li/ adv. 通常、常常
purchase /ˈpɜːtʃəs/ v./n. 購買
item /ˈaɪtəm/ n. 一件商品
checklist /ˈtʃeklɪst/ n. 檢查清單（上面列出了要做的事情或者要買的東西）
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. （手機上的）應用程序
payment /ˈpeɪmənt/ n. 支付、付款（由pay加後綴-ment變成名詞）
chief /tʃiːf/ adj. 首席的
analyst /ˈænəlɪst/ n. 分析師
innovation /ˌɪnəˈveɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 創新
contactless /ˈkɒntæktləs/ adj. 非接觸的（由contact加上表示否定的後綴-less並變成形容詞）
credit card 信用卡
loan /ləʊn/ n. 貸款
separate /ˈsep(ə)reɪt/ v. 分開、使分開
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、商戶
target /ˈtɑːɡɪt/ v. 瞄準、以…爲目標
consumer /kənˈsjuːmə(r)/ n. 消費者
Instagram 是美國的圖片社交平臺
millennial /mɪˈleniəl/ n. 千禧一代（大體相當於我國的八零後和九零後加起來）
Gen Z 是千禧一代之後的一代人（大體相當於我國的九五後和零零後加起來）
data /ˈdeɪtə/ n. 數據
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. 與此同時
point of sale 銷售點、結賬處
major /ˈmeɪdʒə(r)/ adj. 主要的、大的
retailer /ˈriːteɪlə(r)/ n. 零售商（由retail加上表示人的後綴-er）
fintech /ˈfɪntek/ = financial technology 金融科技
check out 指結賬離開
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 是一種分期購物方式，其特點是所有款項付清以後才能取貨
spur /spɜː(r)/ v. 刺激、激勵
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. 傾向於
transaction /trænˈzækʃ(ə)n/ n. 一筆交易
frequency /ˈfriːkwənsi/ n. 頻率
in other words 換句話說
end up 以…告終
"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 累積
negative /ˈneɡətɪv/ adj. 不好的、負面的
impact /ˈɪmpækt/ n. 影響
overall /ˌəʊvəˈrɔːl/ adj. 總體的
financial /faɪˈnænʃ(ə)l/ adj. 財務的
vice president 副總裁
advocate /ˈædvəkət/ n. 倡導者（financial advocate類似於財務顧問）
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（亂花錢） or unplanned expenditures.
budget /ˈbʌdʒɪt/ n. 預算
track /træk/ v. 追蹤
income /ˈɪnkʌm/ n. 收入
expense /ɪkˈspens/ n. 花銷
maintain /meɪnˈteɪn/ v. 維持、保持
unplanned /ʌnˈplænd/ adj. 未計劃的
expenditure /ɪkˈspendɪtʃə(r)/ n. 開支
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. 最後一點
tempting /ˈtemptɪŋ/ adj. 誘人的
interest /ˈɪntrəst/ n. 利息
late fee 逾期費（未能如期還款時要支付的懲罰性費用）
fine /faɪn/ adj. 細小的（fine print指合同裏用小號字體印刷的附加說明，往往對消費者不利）
unwelcome /ʌnˈwelkəm/ adj. 不想要的
later on 後來
form /fɔːm/ n. 形式
debt /det/ n. 債務
repayment /rɪˈpeɪmənt/ n. 還款
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