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Lenovo Group Ltd's profit fell for the first time in almost three years on waning demand for personal computers, forcing it to warn of job cuts http://ahead.Net income fell for the first time since 2020, after revenue dropped a bigger-than-expected 24 per cent to US$15.3 billion in the final quarter of last year, according to a company statement. Analysts had expected sales of US$16.4 billion on average.

The world’s largest maker of personal computers has been struggling with a tumble in global demand following a pandemic-era work-from-home boom. PC shipments worldwide plunged 28 per cent last quarter to 2018 levels, according to IDC, hurting it and long-time rivals HP Inc and Dell Technologies Inc.

01 wane

中文义：v. 衰落、衰败、败落、减弱

英文释义：to become gradually weaker or less important

例句：Demand for our products shows no signs of waning. 对我们产品的需求没有减弱的迹象。

wane指月亮的“亏、缺”，所以有“逐渐减少、减弱”的意思。wax则指“月亮渐圆、渐满”。

「wax and wane」就是“（力量、重要性等）兴衰枯荣、盛衰；阴晴圆缺”，例如：

Public interest in the issue has waxed and waned over the years. 这些年来公众对这个话题的兴趣时冷时热。

02 tumble

中文义：v.（价格或数量）暴跌、骤降

英文释义：to fall rapidly in value or amount

例句：The price of oil is tumbling. 油价在急速下跌。

03 plunge

中文义：v. 暴跌、骤降

英文释义：to decrease suddenly and quickly

例句：The bank's profits plunged by 68%. 银行的利润骤降了68%。

“We think the smart devices market is in its worst period,” Lenovo chief executive officer Yang Yuanqing said on anearnings callFriday. The company will need to make adjustments in its workforce to cut expenses in some operations, while hiring in high-growth areas such as services, he said.Yang didn’t provide details on how large the job cuts might be, but he said headcount would be “just a very small portion” of the overall operational cost reduction.

04 head count

中文义：n. 人数统计、统计出的人数、雇员人数

英文释义：If you do a head count, you count the number of people present. You can also use head count to talk about the number of people that are present at an event, or that an organization employs.

例句：Cutting headcount and asking the survivors to do more might seem like a marvellous idea in head office. 裁员且要求幸存者做更多的事情在总部看来是个绝妙的主意。

The PC market might stabilise sooner than expected this year, and the company will in the meantime raise efficiency and invest in innovation, Lenovo said. Such cost cuts helped Lenovo’s quarterly net income fall a smaller-than-expected 32 per cent to US$437 million.“Real demand, reflected by users’ device activations, was much better than industry shipment data,” Yang said.

The market is still working its way through pandemic-era inventory, he said. “We think the market demand is not as bad as many expected.”Still, shares of Lenovo extended losses to more than 4.9 per cent in Hong Kong on Friday, in their biggest intraday drop in a month.

Softer corporate demand adds pressure on Beijing-based Lenovo’s profitability, as revenue contribution from lucrative services solutions declines, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Steven Tseng said.“Deteriorating enterprise spending amid slowing economic growth and geopolitical tension could be the culprit, and the headwind might persist in the near term,” said in a memo ahead of the earnings release.

In the coming quarters, China’s pledge to spur consumer spending could boost electronics sales. The country dropped its stringent Covid restrictions late last year following widespread protests.But the recovery could be a bumpy one. While the smartphone market could see a modest recovery this year, PC sales could face more challenges because of lacklustre demand from corporations, Tseng and Sean Chen said in a separate memo.

“Companies might remain cautious in the near term and tighten spending on digital infrastructure,” they said. “Yet Lenovo could stand out as it’s poised to be the major beneficiary of China’s localisation push to replace foreign-branded PCs in the public sector.”

05 headwind

中文义：n. 逆风、顶头风

英文释义：A headwind is a wind which blows directly towards you when you are moving.

例句：We now face severe global headwinds caused by Russia's war in Ukraine. 如今我们正面临俄乌战争引发的全球危机

反义词：tailwind

例句：What we have developed over decades for cancer vaccine development has been the tailwind for developing COVID-19 vaccine. 我们十几年来开发癌症疫苗的成果一直是研发新冠疫苗的助力。

06 bumpy

中文义：adj. 颠簸的

英文释义：uncomfortable with a lot of sudden unpleasant movements caused by the road surface, weather conditions, etc.

例句：We had a bumpy ride through country lanes. 我们经历了穿越乡间小路的颠簸之旅。

「have/give somebody a bumpy ride」的意思是“（使）处境艰难”，例如：Small enterprises' owners had a bumpy ride. 小企业经营者有过一段苦日子。

之前学过“处境艰难”的一些表达，戳它复习：“身处困境”的四个英文表达

07 push

中文义：n. 矢志的追求、坚定的努力

英文释义：a determined effort to achieve something

例句：The push for reform started in 2000. 推行改革的努力始于2007年

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