经济学人:一周商业要闻5

 　　Business this week 一周商业要闻

　　In a surprise move America’s Department of Justice filed a lawsuit¹ opposing the merger² of American Airlines and US Airways³, specifically because it thinks air fares would rise as a result.  美国司法部提起诉讼反对美国航空公司和全美航空公司的并购，这让人大吃一惊。原因是司法部认为这样会导致航空票价提高。

　　In February the airlines announced they would combine, following the trend of consolidation⁴ among big American carriers. The merger recently won approval from European antitrust regulators.  二月，两家航空公司表示它们将合并，紧跟大型美国运营商的合并趋势。最近这起并购得到了欧洲反垄断监管机构的许可。

　　The American government’s opposition⁵ complicates⁶ American Airlines’ route to leaving bankruptcy⁷ protection, which it entered in 2011. 美国政府的反对使得美国航空公司摆脱破产保护之路更加扑朔迷离，该公司在2011年宣布进行破产保护。

　　BlackBerry, which a few years ago was producing the world’s most sought-after smartphones, set up a committee to explore its “strategic alternatives”, including a possible sale of the company.  几年前还生产深受市场欢迎的智能手机的黑莓公司目前成立了一个委员会探讨其战略选择，包括出售公司。

　　Despite the launch of a revamped range of BlackBerry 10 devices this year the company has seen its market share slip further.  尽管今年发布了全新的黑莓10系列设备，但是其市场占有率进一步下滑。

　　Its stockmarket value is now around $6 billion, down from $40 billion three years ago. 目前其市值已从三年前的400亿美元跌倒了现在的60亿美元。

　　Carl Icahn, an activist⁸ investor⁹ who is marshalling the resistance to Michael Dell’s proposed buy-out of his computer company, revealed that he had acquired a small stake in Apple and had had a “nice” chat with Tim Cook, Apple’s boss, about boosting the size of its share buy-back programme.  正在组织抵抗迈克尔·戴尔收购其创立的电脑公司的激进投资者卡尔·伊坎透露其得到了苹果少许份额的股票，并且表示其与苹果的老板蒂姆·库克有一个美好的对话，对话内容是关于扩张苹果股份回购项目的规模。

　　Earlier this year Apple was pressured into returning more of its cash pile to investors¹⁰ through dividends¹¹ and share buy-backs. 今年早些时候苹果迫于压力通过分红和股份回购的形式向其投资者返还更多的现金。

　　Bill Ackman, another activist investor, resigned from the board of J.C. Penney, a struggling department-store chain, after a public slanging-match with its management.  另外一位激进投资者比尔·阿克曼在与管理层互相谩骂之后从彭尼的董事会辞职，彭尼连锁百货处境艰难。

　　Mr Ackman’s hedge fund owns 18% of J.C. Penney’s shares. In 2011 he pushed to rebrand the stores and recruited an executive from Apple to run the company, only to see his man removed and replaced with J.C. Penney’s former boss. 阿克曼先生的对冲基金持有彭尼18％的股份。2011年阿克曼推动重塑彭尼的形象，并从苹果招募了一位主管管理公司，结果是他雇佣的主管下台，彭尼的前老板重新执掌公司。

　　América Móvil, Latin America’s biggest mobile-phone operator, bid to take control of KPN, offering €7.2 billion ($9.6 billion) for the 70% of shares in the Dutch telecoms company that it does not already hold.  拉丁美洲最大的手机通信运营商“美洲移动”出价72亿欧元（96亿美元）从他人手中购买荷兰皇家电信70％的股份，从而接管荷兰皇家电信。

　　América Móvil, which is owned by Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man, bought a minority stake in KPN last year in its first venture into European telecoms. 美洲移动持有者Carlos Slim是世界首富，去年在向欧洲电信首次投资时购买了荷兰皇家电信的稍小股份。

　　Cisco, a big maker¹² of networking equipment, said it would cut a further 4,000 jobs, or about 5% of its workforce¹³.  大型网络设备制作公司思科表示其进一步减少4000份职位，约为其员工总数的5％。

　　The firm is quitting consumer businesses and expanding into corporate¹⁴ cloud-computing. 该公司正在退出消费者市场，扩大企业云计算市场。

　　The euro zone’s GDP rose by 0.3% in the second quarter compared with the first three months of the year, ending six consecutive¹⁵ quarters of contraction¹⁶.  欧元区的GDP在今年二季度相比一季度增长了0.3%，结束了连续六个季度的持续收缩。

　　Germany’s economy grew by 0.7%, the fastest pace in a year, and France’s by 0.5%.  德国的GDP增长了0.7%，是今年增速最快的国家，法国则增长了0.5%。

　　Italy and Spain were still mired¹⁷ in recession, but Portugal’s economy expanded by 1.1%. 意大利和西班牙仍旧处于衰退中，但是葡萄牙GDP增长了1.1%之多。

　　Japan’s economy grew by 2.6% at an annualised rate in the second quarter, well below most forecasts.  二季度，日本经济按照年化率算增长了2.6%，低于大多数预测。

　　The figure will fuel a debate about whether to increase the national sales tax to help reduce public debt.  该增长数字引起了关于是否增加国家销售税减少国债的讨论。

　　Some economists¹⁸ argue that raising the tax next year, as planned, will only dampen Japan’s soggy recovery. 一些经济学家表示明年按计划增加税负只会抑制日本疲软的复苏。

　　A survey of house prices by Britain’s Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors recorded the fastest rate of growth since November 2006 (measured as the proportion of surveyors reporting a rise in prices minus those reporting a fall).  英国皇家特许测量师协会的一份房价报告记录了自2006年十一月以来房价的最快增速（测算是按照报告价格增长的调查者比例减去报告价格降低的调查者比例）。

　　The index rose in every region of England and Wales, not just in London, as would-be house buyers surged into the market.  随着潜在的购房者涌入市场，指数不仅仅是在伦敦，在英格兰和威尔士全境都为增长。

　　In March the government unveiled a “Help to Buy” scheme that backs cheap loans for new buyers.  三月，英国政府出台了一项助买计划，为新购房者提供低价贷款。

　　Critics say this is merely creating a new property bubble. 批评者表示这几乎正在创造新的房地产泡沫。

　　The minutes from the latest meeting of the Bank of England’s Monetary¹⁹ Policy Committee showed that one of its members dissented²⁰ from the introduction of “forward guidance” that the bank will keep interest rates at 0.5% until the unemployment rate falls to 7%.  英格兰银行贷款政策委员会最新会议流出的摘要显示委员会中一名成员对前瞻指引的引言持异议。该引言规定英格兰银行在失业率下降到7%以下前将会将利率保持在0.5%。

　　Martin Weale supported the policy in principle but voted against it because of concerns about inflation.  马丁·威尔原则上支持此项政策，但是由于担忧通货膨胀所以投了反对票。

　　Britain’s unemployment rate remained unchanged in the three months to June at 7.8%. 英国的失业率二季度持续保持在7.8%。

　　The first criminal charges were brought in the case of a derivatives²¹ trade that resulted in $6 billion in losses last year for JPMorgan Chase.  JP摩根收到去年导致60亿美元损失的衍生品交易案件的第一项指控。

　　Prosecutors²² in New York accused two former traders who worked in London of conspiracy²³ and wire fraud, though Bruno Iksil, the trader nicknamed the “London whale”, avoided charges in an immunity²⁴ deal. 尽管外号伦敦鲸鱼的交易员布鲁诺·伊克希尔在一项豁免协议中拒绝指控，纽约的检察官仍指控JP摩根伦敦的其与另一名前交易员合谋策划远程诈骗。

　　Steinway Musical Instruments, arguably the world’s best-known maker of pianos, accepted a buy-out offer from John Paulson’s investment firm for $512m. 斯坦威乐器公司可以说是世界上最好的钢琴生产商，近日接受了约翰·鲍尔森的投资公司5亿1200万美元的收购计划。

　　In July Steinway had agreed to be bought out by Kohlberg & Company in a separate private-equity deal, but Kohlberg declined to match Mr Paulson’s overtures²⁵. 七月，斯坦威同意科尔伯格公司的独立私募股权交易，但是科尔伯格最终拒绝了此项交易。

1 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

2 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

3 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

4 consolidation   

n.合并,巩固

参考例句：

• The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
• The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。 来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 complicates   

使复杂化( complicate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• What complicates the issue is the burden of history. 历史的重负使问题复杂化了。
• Russia as a great and ambitious power gravely complicates the situation. 俄国作为一个强大而有野心的国家，使得局势异常复杂。

7 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

8 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。

9 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

10 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

11 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

12 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。

13 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

14 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

15 consecutive   

adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的

参考例句：

• It has rained for four consecutive days.已连续下了四天雨。
• The policy of our Party is consecutive.我党的政策始终如一。

16 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。

17 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

20 dissented   

不同意，持异议( dissent的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We dissented from the decision. 对那项决定我们表示了不同意见。
• He dissented and questioned the justice of the award. 他提出质问，说裁判不公允。

21 derivatives   

n.衍生性金融商品；派生物，引出物( derivative的名词复数 )；导数

参考例句：

• Many English words are derivatives of Latin words. 许多英语词来自拉丁语。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These compounds are nitrosohydroxylamine derivatives. 这类合成物是亚硝基羟胺衍生物。 来自辞典例句

22 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

23 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

24 immunity   

n.优惠；免除；豁免，豁免权

参考例句：

• The law gives public schools immunity from taxation.法律免除公立学校的纳税义务。
• He claims diplomatic immunity to avoid being arrested.他要求外交豁免以便避免被捕。

25 overtures   

n.主动的表示，提议；（向某人做出的）友好表示、姿态或提议( overture的名词复数 )；（歌剧、芭蕾舞、音乐剧等的）序曲，前奏曲

参考例句：

• Their government is making overtures for peace. 他们的政府正在提出和平建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He had lately begun to make clumsy yet endearing overtures of friendship. 最近他开始主动表示友好，样子笨拙却又招人喜爱。 来自辞典例句