outboundtravel：出境游

Outbound travel by Chinese citizens started in 1997 with destinations consisting merely of Thailand， Singapore， Malaysia， the Philippines as well as China’s Hong Kong and Macao. Only 5.32 million Chinese citizens traveled abroad the same year， the official said.

blockbuster：巨片、大片

Hong Kong blockbusters swept the major prizes of Taiwan’s 42nd Golden Horse Film Awards， considered one of the top awards events of the Chinese-language film industry.

money broker：货币经纪人

China’s banking regulator on Friday published detailed rules for the implementation of provisions to manage money brokers.

smooth over：消除

The accord is aimed at smoothing over a rough spot in the US-China trade relationship before President George Bush visits Beijing in the middle of this month.

reshuffle：改组；调整

A financial reshuffle by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China， which was transformed into a joint stock company， is more or less finished.

severence pay：解雇金

“Laying of workers is a tough decision to make because of the strong relation with workers and the high severance pay，” he said.

cutoff point：起征点

China’s monthly personal income tax cutoff point was lifted to 1，600 yuan from 1，500 yuan after drawing on public opinions from the first-ever legislature hearing held on Sept. 27.

write off：勾销债款

Reform measures， including 2 billion yuan （US$246 million） in central bank bills to help write off bad loans as well as efforts to improve management， have already yielded results.

upstart：暴发户；新贵

Facing intense competition both from global rivals like General Motors Corp. and domestic upstarts like Chery Automobile Co.， VW has seen its market share drop to 18 percent， from well over 50 percent in the 1990s.

buy into：买入股票

Once finalized， the deal would mark the European firm’s first direct investment in China’s banking industry， after it lost a bid to buy into Bank of Beijing in March to Dutch rival ING and the World Bank’s International Finance Corp.

liquidator：清算人

Stephen Liu Yiu-keung and Yeo Boon-ann have been appointed as joint liquidators of the company， to implement the transactions outlined in the Settlement Deed.

brisk：兴旺的；生机勃勃的

It is estimated that the sales volume of gold and jewelry during the week-long holiday saw a year-on-year increase of around 35 percent as business was brisk throughout the country

at a discount：打折扣

The valuation is at a discount to the country’s number-five lender， Bank of Communications （BoCom）， whose shares trade at about 2.2 times book.

peak season：高峰期

The first and last three days will be thepeak season of the National Day holiday. The aviation industry has entered into high season， with 400，000 passengers transporting everyday and load factor is close to 75 percent.

headcount：职员总数

“These headcount reductions are indispensable. They will contribute to significant improvements in the competitiveness of Mercedes-Benz through an increase in productivity，” the company said.

bow out：由…退出

Dozens of MP3 player manufacturers in Shenzhen are bowing outas fierce competition has severely squeezed their profit margins.

market maker：做市商

The People’s Bank of China may name banks including HSBC Holdings Plc.， Citigroup Inc. and Bank of China as market makers in the yuan， a step toward a freely traded currency， bankers and traders familiar with the situation said.

tone up：增加

“These firms make a decisive contribution to job creation. Our aim is to liberate their massive potential to improve competitiveness， tone up employment， boost economic growth and encourage social cohesion，” Sioufas said.

gyration：波动

Disruptions to oil and gas supplies may add to energy price gyrations，they said.

wean off：使脱离

China’s central bank pledged Monday to keep the newly unshackled yuan basically stable but urged fresh efforts to wean the economy off export-driven growth.

curb：抑制；控制

The physical and psychological damage caused by Hurricane Katrina is likely to reverberate across the global economy in ways that will curb growth well into 2006， economists say.

perk up：振作起来

There were no significant changes from prior quarters， and SupportSoft met revenue estimates. During the conference call， however， management raised an issue that made my ears perk up.

cap：限制

In an effort to gain some control over what motorists pay at the pump， Hawaii on Wednesday became the first state in the U.S. to set caps on the wholesale price of gasoline.

mortgage：抵押贷款

Rates on 30-year mortgages declined this week after posting increases for six consecutive weeks.

proceeds：收益

The Internet search leader said it will use the proceeds for “general corporate purposes，” including possible acquisitions. Google added that it currently has no agreements or commitments to make a material purchase.

downturn：衰退

“Six weeks after the July 7 attacks killed 56 people， including four suicide bombers， the Greater London Authority （GLA） accepts there has been some downturn，”the economic daily reported.

inflation ：通货膨胀

Consumer inflation shot up in July as rising gasoline prices pinched drivers’ wallets from coast to coast.

Initial public offering：公开募股

Now the startup founded by two Chinese veterans of American tech firms is preparing to follow Google’s example with an initial public offering in the United States， hoping to raise  （编辑：雨巷）