1. China was the top direct purchasing choice for South Korean online shoppers in the first quarter this year, accounting for 57 percent of all overseas direct purchasing transactions, followed by the US and EU.
우리나라의 올해 1분기 온라인 해외 직접 구매처 중, 중국이 전체 구매의 57%를 기록해 가장 큰 비중을 차지했고, 미국과 유럽이 그 뒤를 이은 것으로 나타났습니다.
Expression ]
▶overseas : 해외[국외]의, 해외로
▶followed by : 뒤이어, 잇달아; ...가 이어지다[뒤를 잇다]
2. Mask mandates at hospitals have been completely lifted as the government downgraded the Covid-19 crisis level from "alert" to "concern" on Wednesday in a move to fully return to pre-pandemic normalcy.
정부가 팬데믹 이전 정상 수준 복귀를 위한 조치로 어제 코로나19 위기 단계를 '경계'에서 '관심'으로 변경함에 따라, 병원에서의 마스크 착용 의무가 완전히 해제됐습니다.
Expression ]
▶in a move to : ...하기 위한 조치로, ...하기 위해
▶normalcy : 정상임, 정상 상태
3. Taylor Swift has achieved one of the most record-shattering weeks in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, claiming the top 14 positions.
미국의 팝 가수 테일러 스위프트의 노래가 빌보드 싱글 차트에서 1위부터 14위까지 동시에 차지했습니다. 이는 해당 차트 역사상 가장 기록적인 사례에 해당합니다.
Expression ]
▶record-shattering : 기록을 갈아치우는, 기록적인
▶claiming the top position : 1위를 차지하다
4. Europol is looking into the baffling disappearance of more than 170 books from various libraries across Europe over the past few years, including rare editions of the literary great Pushkin.
지난 몇 년 동안 유럽 지역의 여러 도서관에서 문호 푸시킨의 희귀본을 비롯해 170권 이상의 책이 사라진 수수께끼 사건에 대해, 유로폴이 수사를 벌이고 있습니다.
Expression ]
▶baffling : 저해하는, 당황하게 하는, 이해할 수 없는
▶rare editions : 희귀 판본
5. A 98-year-old woman has been reunited with her family after escaping Russian-occupied territory in Ukraine by walking nearly 10 km alone in a pair of slippers and using a cane.
슬리퍼를 신고 지팡이에 의지해 홀로 약 10km를 걸어 우크라이나의 러시아 점령지역을 탈출한 98세 여성이, 헤어졌던 가족과 다시 만났습니다.
Expression ]
▶reunited with : 다시 만나다, 재회하다
▶occupied territory : 점령 지역
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NEWS COVERAGE FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
Americans’ New TV Habit: Subscribe. Watch. Cancel. Repeat.
John Koblin
c.2024 The New York Times Company
Americans are getting increasingly impulsive about hitting the cancellation button on their streaming services. More than 29 million — about one-quarter of domestic paying streaming subscribers — have canceled three or more services over the last two years, according to Antenna, a subscription research firm. And the numbers are rising fast.
The data suggest a sharp shift in consumer behavior — far from the cable era, when viewers largely stuck with a single provider, as well as the early days of the so-called streaming wars, when people kept adding services without culling or jumping around.
[Expression]
▶impulsive = 충동적인 (showing behaviour in which you do things suddenly without any planning and without considering the effects they may have)
▶cull = 추려서 죽이다, 도태시키다; 고르다, 추려내다, 발췌하다 (to select from a group) (to reduce or control the size of (something, such as a herd) by removal (as by hunting or slaughter) of especially weak or sick individuals)
Among these nomadic subscribers, some are taking advantage of how easy it is, with a monthly contract and simple click of a button, to hopscotch from one service to the next. Indeed, these users can be fickle; one-third of them resubscribe to the canceled service within six months, according to Antenna’s research.
“In three years, this went from a very niche behavior to an absolute mainstream part of the market,” said Jonathan Carson, the CEO of Antenna.
[Expression]
take advantage of: (호기, 사실 따위를) 이용하다, …을 이용하여 …하다; 편승하다 (to use the good things in a situation)
▶hopscotch = (동) 이리저리 뛰어다니다; 여기저기 두루 다니며 여행하다 (명) 사방치기[돌차기] 놀이 ((chiefly US) (informal) to move from one place to another) (a child's game in which players hop through a series of squares drawn on the ground)
▶fickle = 변덕스러운, 변화가 심한 (likely to change your opinion or your feelings suddenly and without a good reason)
▶niche = (형) 소수의 사람들을 겨냥한[...이 좋아하는] (명) (시장의) 틈새; 아주 편한[꼭 맞는] 자리[역할/일 등] (interesting to, aimed at, or affecting only a small number of people – e.g. niche marketing, niche market (specialized; focused on the few dedicated consumers)) (an area or position that is exactly suitable for a small group of the same type) (a job or position that is very suitable for someone, especially one that they like)
The change gives consumers far more flexibility, but the implications could be significant for the major media companies, especially if this behavior becomes even more common.
Less loyal subscribers could introduce a whole new level of complexity to their business. Last year, these “serial churners,” as Antenna calls them, accounted for roughly 40% of all new subscriptions and cancellations, Carson said.
The companies “clearly can’t ignore them because it’s such a big, active part of the market,” he said.
[Expression]
▶implication = (행동·결정이 초래할 수 있는) 영향[결과]; 함축, 암시; (특히 범죄에의) 연루 (the effect that an action or decision will have on something else in the future) (an occasion when you seem to suggest something without saying it directly)
▶churn = (특정 서비스의 가입자가) 이탈하다 (원래 뜻은 '휘젓다', '(휘저어 섞는 기계인) 교반기') (If customers churn between different companies that provide a particular service, they change repeatedly from one to another.) (original meaning: to move something, especially a liquid, with great force)
- serial churners: 서비스 이탈과 가입을 반복적으로 하는 사람들, 상습 이탈자
One option for slowing the churn, executives think, is to bring back some element of the cable bundle by selling streaming services together. Executives believe consumers would be less inclined to cancel a package that offered services from multiple companies.
The services are also trying to keep subscribers hooked with “coming soon” features prominently displayed in their apps. Disney+ recently advertised a coming documentary series from National Geographic (“Secrets of the Octopus”), and Apple TV+ is teasing “Dark Matter,” a science-fiction series that comes out in May in its app.
[Expression]
▶hooked = (비격식) (~을) 대단히 즐기는, (~에) 빠져 있는 (enjoying something so much that you are unable to stop having it, watching it, doing it, etc.)
- keep subscribers hooked with: 가입자들을 ...로 붙잡아두다
▶tease = 예고 등으로 본 상품에 대한 기대를 하게 만들다 (원래 뜻은 '(짓궂게) 괴롭히다, 희롱하다, 놀리다' 등) (to give a small amount of information about a subject, product, etc. in order to make people interested in seeing or hearing more about it later)
He’s otherwise enjoying his newfound flexibility around the other services. After canceling Peacock, he brought it back for a short period.
Now, with a pared-down streaming subscription list, there’s a weight off his shoulders, Meisel said.
“I don’t like this new system where you have to have a million different subscriptions to watch what you want to watch,” he said. “I’m happy to cancel to punish the companies who are making me do this.”
[Expression]
▶pared-down = 삭감[긴축]한 (If you describe something as pared-down, you mean that it has no unnecessary features, and has been reduced to a very simple form.)
- pare: 벗기다[깎다]; (크기·양을 서서히) 축소[감축]하다 (to cut away the outer layer from something, especially a fruit or a vegetable)