2020年经济学人 一周要闻 泰国最大收购案诞生 推特与投资者达成和解 新冠病毒致众多活动取消

Aon and Willis Towers Watson, the world's second- and third-largest insurance brokers¹, agreed to combine in a $30bn deal.Separately, Tesco, one of the world's biggest supermarket chains, said it would sell its operations in South-East Asia to Charoen Pokphand, a Thai conglomerate², for $10.6bn. It is the biggest-ever takeover in Thailand.

全球第二大保险经纪公司怡安保险以300亿美元收购第三大保险经纪公司韦莱韬悦。另外，全球最大的连锁超市之一乐购表示，他们将以106亿美元的价格将其东南亚公司出售给泰国企业集团正大集团。这是泰国有史以来最大的收购案。

Twitter reached a truce³ with activist⁴ investors⁵ led by Elliott, a hedge fund, seeking changes at the company. Three new directors were added to the board. Jack⁶ Dorsey keeps his job as chief executive; he has been criticised by the investors for having too many outside interests. As part of the deal a committee has been tasked with evaluating a "succession plan" for Mr Dorsey.

推特与以对冲基金埃利奥特为首的维权投资者达成了和解，寻求对公司进行改革。董事会增加了三名新董事。杰克·多尔西保住了首席执行官的职位；投资者批评他拥有太多的外部利益。作为协议的一部分，一个委员会被赋予了评估多尔西“继任计划”的任务。

In Britain, dozens of Conservative MPs backed an amendment⁷ to a bill that would end the involvement of Huawei, a Chinese maker⁸ of telecoms equipment, in the country's 5G networks, on the grounds of national security. The amendment was defeated, but it was the first Tory rebellion against Boris Johnson's government.

在英国，数十名保守党议员支持一项法案修正案，该修正案以维护国家安全为理由，不让中国电信设备制造商华为参与该国5G网络建设。该修正案被否决了，但这是保守党首次反对鲍里斯·约翰逊政府。

The UN and World Meteorological Organisation⁹ released a report on the rise of carbondioxide emissions¹⁰. "Greenhouse-gas concentrations are at the highest levels in three million years, when the Earth's temperature was as much as three degrees hotter and sea levels some 15 metres higher," said António Guterres, the UN's secretary-general.

联合国和世界气象组织发布了一份关于二氧化碳排放量上升的报告。“温室气体浓度达到了300万年以来的最高水平，那时地球温度比现在高3度，海平面比现在高15米。”联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯表示。

The list of events cancelled or postponed¹¹ because of covid-19 mushroomed. Casualties include the rest of the NBA season in America and the Coachella festival in southern California. The Council on Foreign Relations scrapped¹² a roundtable on "doing business under coronavirus".

因新型冠状病毒而取消或推迟的活动快速增多。其中包括美国NBA的赛季剩余比赛和南加州的科切拉音乐节。美国对外关系委员会取消了一个关于“在冠状病毒疫情期间经商”的圆桌会议。

1 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

2 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

5 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

8 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

9 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

10 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

11 postponed   

vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发）

参考例句：

• The trial was postponed indefinitely. 审讯无限期延迟。
• The game has already been postponed three times. 这场比赛已经三度延期了。

12 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。