The e-commerce boom has fueled demand for warehouses (仓库). And the increasing demand is mostly linked to online shopping, because Internet shoppers are always expected to provide a wider variety of goods. Vacancy rates (空仓率) have therefore decreased greatly, from 10% across America and Europe a decade ago to just 5% now. In some places, like Toronto and Tokyo, they are below 2%.
The value of existing assets of warehouses is ballooning as a result. This in turn is attracting more investment. However, people’s enthusiasm for building new warehouses is now starting to run up against obstacles. The first is lack of space, especially in densely populated cities. The problem has grown so acute in parts of Germany that delivery lorries operate from sites across the border in Poland and France. High costs, restrictive zoning rules and current rents make it difficult to convert existing properties, such as struggling shopping malls, into distribution centers.
Public hostility to new sites is also growing. Large warehouses are noisy and operate around the clock. Suburban homeowners across America and Europe worry about pollution from lorries. Even where developers promise thousands of jobs, politicians complain that these will be low-skilled, or soon replaced by robots. Five Conservative members have called on Britain’s government, run by their own party, to stop a huge warehouse from being built in south-east England.
Warehouse owners are getting more crentive. Amazon is changing former golf courses in America into distribution centers. The online giant is also converting an empty car park in central London into a delivery hub. Less creatively, developers are raising rents and it’s estimated that they will go up by 6% globally this year. That may upset e-merchants.
【小题1】What do the figures quoted in the first paragraph illustrate?| A．Online shopping is driving the demand for warehouses. |
| B．A large number of goods are sold at reduced prices. |
| C．The number of online shoppers has declined. |
| D．Goods in Toronto and Tokyo are less popular. |
| A．Because the shopping mall is not large enough. |
| B．Because people’s enthusiasm is not high enough. |
| C．Because delivery truckers don’t like the idea. |
| D．Because the cost of doing so is high. |
| A．Agreement. | B．Awareness. | C．Opposition. | D．Preference. |
| A．Warehouse owners are getting more creative. |
| B．Some vacant sites are converted into warehouses. |
| C．It’s harder for them to park in the center of London. |
| D．Rents for warehouses are rising all over the world. |
