2016年经济学人 一周要闻 梅西能源前CEO面临牢狱之灾 印度打造全球最大生物识别数据库

 

Don Blankenship, arguably America's most powerful coal-industry executive when he was boss of Massey Energy, was sentenced to a year in jail for conspiring¹ to violate safety rules in relation to an explosion at a mine in West Virginia in 2010 that killed 29 men.

作为梅西能源公司（Massey Energy）前任CEO，唐·布兰肯西普(Don Blankenship)可以说是美国煤炭业最有权势的人。因梅西能源公司在其任职期间违反煤矿生产安全条例，导致2010年西弗吉尼亚州矿区发生29人死亡的矿难事件，唐·布兰肯西普被判入狱一年。

Glencore put a dent² in its $26 billion debt pile by selling 40% of its agricultural business to Canada's largest pension fund for $2.5 billion. Earlier this year the Swiss commodities and trading company said it would dispose of assets worth up to $5 billion in 2016 as part of its streamlining efforts.

瑞士大宗商品贸易商嘉能可(Glencore)为削减高达260亿美元的债务，已同意将其40%的农业业务以25亿美元出售给加拿大最大的退休基金会。今年早些时候，嘉能可表示：2016年它将变卖价值50亿美元的资产，加快推动减债计划。

India's government welcomed the news that 1 billion people are now enrolled³ in its biometric-identity scheme, known as Aadhaar. After people register their fingerprints⁴ and retinal patterns they are issued with a card that gives access to public benefits. The government claims this is producing savings⁵, but a proposal in Parliament to allow security agencies to tap the data has raised privacy concerns.

印度政府开展的身份识别项目（名叫Aadhaar计划）已完成对10亿人的生物识别数据采集工作。人们在录入自己的指纹与视网膜信息后，便能得到一张卡，并凭此卡享受公共福利。印度政府对该计划的开展进度很满意，表示Aadhaar计划能够节省政府开支。但是一份关于允许安全机构访问这些数据的议会提案却引发了人们对该计划存在的隐私问题的担忧。

San Francisco became the first place in America to compel businesses to provide full pay for new parents who take leave. California provides new mothers and fathers with 55% of their pay for six weeks after the birth of a child, but firms in San Francisco will now be told to top up the remainder.

旧金山成为美国首个立法要求企业提供全薪产假的城市。在加州，新生儿父母可以享有六周的带薪产假，但企业只支付雇员55%的薪水。如今旧金山的各大企业必须支付休产假雇员的全额工资。

Where dreams don't come true

迪士尼王国后继无人？

Disney's succession plan to replace Robert Iger as chief executive when he eventually retires lay in tatters, after Tom Staggs, the chief operating officer and Mr Iger's heir apparent, abruptly⁶ announced his departure. Mr Staggs had been considered a shoo-in for the top job, but was reportedly not happy that the board was also considering names from outside the Disney world for the position.

迪士尼公司(Disney)首席运营官汤姆·斯塔格斯(Tom Staggs)突然宣布离职。此举使迪斯尼面临后继无人的难题：在罗伯特·伊格尔(Robert Iger)退休后，到底由谁来接替他担任首席执行官汤姆·斯塔格斯曾一度被认为是最有可能担此重任的人，但据报道称，董事会扩大了寻找执行官接班人的甄选范围，并不仅局限于迪斯尼公司内部，这令汤姆·斯塔格斯感到不满。

Demand is high for Tesla Motors' new Model 3 electric car, according to Elon Musk⁷, the company's boss. More than 276,000 vehicles had been reserved by customers by April 2nd, just two days after its official launch. With a starting price of $35,000, the Model 3 will compete directly with midsized executive cars. Deliveries will start in late 2017. But reports of problems procuring⁸ parts for Tesla's older Model X prompted some worries that similar hitches⁹ could bedevil the Model 3's success, and put the brakes on Tesla's soaring share price.

特斯拉总裁埃隆·马斯克（Elon Musk）称，该公司旗下最新的第三代电动汽车Model 3市场需求量巨大。美国时间3月31日,特斯拉正式发布了旗下第三代电动车产品Model 3，两天之后，Model 3预定量便超过了276000辆。35000美元的起售价使这款特斯拉汽车直接与中型高档车进行市场竞争。车辆交付时间为2017年末。但是有报道称：特斯拉旗下的旧车型Model X曾发生过零件获取困难的问题，这使人们担心同样的问题会不会也发生在Model 3身上，从而阻碍特斯拉股价上涨。

1 conspiring   

密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致

参考例句：

• They were accused of conspiring against the king. 他们被指控阴谋反对国王。
• John Brown and his associates were tried for conspiring to overthrow the slave states. 约翰·布朗和他的合伙者们由于密谋推翻实行奴隶制度的美国各州而被审讯。

2 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

3 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 fingerprints   

n.指纹( fingerprint的名词复数 )v.指纹( fingerprint的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Everyone's fingerprints are unique. 每个人的指纹都是独一无二的。
• They wore gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints behind (them). 他们戴着手套，以免留下指纹。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

6 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

7 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

8 procuring   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• He was accused of procuring women for his business associates. 他被指控为其生意合伙人招妓。 来自辞典例句
• She had particular pleasure, in procuring him the proper invitation. 她特别高兴为他争得这份体面的邀请。 来自辞典例句

9 hitches   

暂时的困难或问题( hitch的名词复数 )； 意外障碍； 急拉； 绳套

参考例句：

• He hitches a lift with a long - distance truck. 他搭上了一辆长途卡车。
• One shoulder hitches upward in a shrug. 她肩膀绷紧，然后耸了耸。