经科版BEC中级课文辅导unit5

Leeds were awarded a penalty. 利兹队获得一个罚点球的机会。

inventory noun
plural inventories
1[countable] a list of all the things in a place 物品记录单
inventory of
We made an inventory of everything in the apartment. 我们把公寓里所有的物品都作了登记。
2[uncountable and countable] American English all the goods in a shop 存货
ￚ同义词 stock

VI. Reading Passage
THE PROBLEM OF LATE PAYMENT
Small and medium-sized businesses have had a hard time over the last few years. In the UK thousands of businesses have gone bankrupt as a result of declining markets, increased competition from abroad and rising overheads. However, another factor which is common to many bankruptcies is the lack of cashflow caused by late payment of invoices.

In 1996 a survey by Thornton Hughs International discovered that more than a quarter of businesses in Europe have to wait more than 90 days to be paid and 8% of businesses are forced to wait more than 120 days. Late payers often say they settle their accounts late because of recession, but there is evidence that many firms are using late payment as a method of improving their own cashflow. A survey shows that 36% of delays in payment are intentional. By delaying the settlement of their accounts, businesses transfer their financial problems to other businesses. It is usually the smallest firms that suffer most from this kind of behavior.

There are now plans to do something about this problem. The European Commission (the governing body of the European Union) suggests there should be legal penalties for late payment. Late payers should be legally required to pay interest on the debt. To be effective, the interest rate would be high. Finally, a system of fines (to be paid in addition to the interest payments) should be introduced. A recent survey in the UK revealed that 35% of transactions are carried out without any contract at all. It was therefore unclear when payments were due. In Denmark, even though the problem is smaller, the authorities have decided to deal with it by automatically applying a legal payment period when there is no written contract. This ensures that payment is fixed at 30 days after the creditor has requested payment.

Many of the cash problems of small and medium-sized companies are, in fact, caused by national and local government agencies settling their accounts late. The European Commission has proposed that this area should be looked at. They point out that in some countries, for example the USA, interest on arrears is already paid automatically by public authorities. In France, cities publish dates of their payments to contractors to show how quickly they settle their debts.

The European Commission suggests several other ways of dealing with the problem of late payment. Firstly, they suggest offering courses for small businesses. These courses would include legal advice on drafting contracts and on methods of obtaining payment for outstanding debts. Secondly, they would offer workshops to the public officials who are responsible for dealing with contracts. Thirdly, they suggest national campaigns to persuade large organizations not to take advantage of their greater financial strength and size when they are dealing with smaller businesses. Part of the publicity would be the message that if we work together to make payment periods shorter we can help not only the financial health of small and medium-sized businesses, but also that of the economy as a whole.

due ▶MONEY◀
if an amount of money is due, it must be paid at a particular time 到期的
The next income tax payment is due on 31 January. 下一次收入税的缴纳在1月31日。

arrears noun [plural]
1 be in arrears
if someone is in arrears, or if their payments are in arrears, they are late in paying something that they should pay regularly, such as rent 到期未付
Many people are in arrears with their rent. 许多人都没有支付他们的房租。
be four weeks/three months etc in arrears 迟交4周/三个月/
fall/get into arrears (=become late with payments) 迟交