CRI听力：China Helps Disabled People to Work

CCB Stock jumps

STOCKS of China Construction Bank jumped by as much as 40.3 percent on their trading debut in Shanghai yesterday amid strong buying of the biggest initial public offering on the Chinese mainland.

The bank surged as high as 9.05 yuan (US$1.21) after opening at 8.55 yuan on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, up from its IPO price of 6.45 yuan apiece. The stocks closed at 8.53 yuan, up 32.25 percent.

Construction Bank, the country's second-biggest lender by assets, raised 58.05 billion yuan in a nine-billion share sale last week after selling the stocks at the upper limit of an indicative price range.

Construction Bank is awaiting approval from the country's banking and insurance regulators to form a life insurance venture with Ping An Insurance (Group).

A repersentive from the bank says that the bank is negotiating with potential partners to purchase an office building in Hong Kong to establish its regional headquarters.
Biz Custom cars driving sales in China

GAVIN Hartley says he's surprised to see that the golden Spirit of Ecstasy, the statuette on the hood of every Rolls-Royce model, is so popular among Chinese customers.

As the general manager at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Hartley is used to helping his Chinese customers indulge their wildest fantasies to make their dream cars. And he says the custom-design market is thriving in China, as the expanding economy sees a demand for better craftsmanship, sleek design and a dynamic driving experience.

More and more customers want their cars to be unique, and Rolls-Royce is one car maker willing to embrace the trend.

"About 90 percent of the company's mainland sales are tailor-made," General manager of Rolls-Royce China .

Jenny Zheng told the Shanghai Daily.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom offers 15 standard and five contrast color combinations while providing 23 mono and contrast interiors available as standard for the line-up.

But customers can also order their own treadplates, embroidery, wood inlays and specific color schemes that are non-standard on the exterior and interior. Additional features such as dividing walls with intercoms, and TV and DVD entertainment can also be fitted.

The customized service has also been extended to redesign the interior equipment - everything from the glovebox to a refrigerator. "We have noticed that Chinese customers have begun to have a stronger preference for the customized models. Some even go quite beyond our imagination," said Hartley.

Halo 3 packages causing problems

Just hours after die-hard fans finally got their hands on a copy of, what's expected to be the top selling video game ever, "Halo 3," blogs brimmed with reports that special limited-edition packaging is scratching the video game disks.

While the scratches don't appear to be keeping gamers from playing the last installment of the popular trilogy, it's a rough patch that Microsoft, which has faced several Xbox 360 glitches in recent months, could have lived without.

Microsoft, which owns the studio that makes the Xbox-only "Halo 3," responded quickly on its Xbox Web site with details for a replacement program. Customers can fill out a form and send in their scratched limited-edition disks for a free exchange through the end of December.

"We have identified that there are some instances of blemishes on discs as a result of the packaging," said Microsoft spokesman David Dennis in an e-mailed statement. "This is a small fraction of the total number of Halo 3 games shipped and sold, and is a limited production version of the game."

Microsoft is selling the limited-edition version, which comes in a tin with bonus behind-the-scenes features and a making-of-the-game documentary, for $70 U-S dollars. A regular copy of the game costs $60, and a "legendary" version, which comes with a replica of the helmet worn by game protagonist Master Chief, costs $130. The game officially went on sale early Tuesday.