经济学人:一周商业要闻10

 　　Business this week 一周商业要闻

　　After admitting in August that it was considering its options, BlackBerry announced that it had agreed to a $4.7 billion buy out from a consortium headed by its biggest shareholder¹. 在八月份承认其正在考虑其选择之后，黑莓宣布同意以其最大股东为首的财团47亿美元的收购。

　　( The deal is not final; the board may explore alternative bids.) The company's announcement came after it reported a $960m write down because of poor sales of its latest touchscreen phone. （交易还没最终确定，董事会可能会选择其他出价。）由于最新款的触屏手机销量不佳导致其产生了9.6亿美元的减记，此后黑莓宣布了出售的消息。

　　Once so addictive³ it was dubbed⁴" CrackBerry", BlackBerry's share of the global smartphone market has fallen to less than 3%, from 11% in 2011. 曾经一度如此流行并冠名为“CrackBerry”的黑莓全球智能手机市场的份额从2011年的11%下降到了如今的不到3%。

　　Anger mounted in Finland, Nokia's home country, about the €19m( $25m) pay off that Stephen Elop will receive when he takes up his new job at Microsoft. 诺基亚的祖国芬兰最近很生气，因为史蒂夫埃洛普在微软任职新工作之后将从诺基亚获得1900万欧元（2500万美元）的辞退金。

　　Microsoft is buying Nokia's once proud handset division, which saw its business slip further under Mr Elop's tenure⁵ as chief executive. 微软正在收购诺基亚曾经辉煌的手机部门，埃洛普任职首席执行官时该部门的业务进一步下滑。

　　According to a Finnish newspaper, he refused a request to hand back some of the money because he is battling a divorce from his wife. 据一份芬兰报纸报道，他拒绝交回部分辞退金的要求，因为他正在跟其妻子离婚。

　　Once again proving the naysayers wrong, Apple sold 9m of its new iPhone 5C and 5S models in their first weekend on the market, doubling its previous launch record for an iPhone. 再次证明了唱衰者的错误。苹果iPhone5S和iPhone5C在上市一周的销量达到了900万，是上代iPhone上市首周销售记录的两倍。

　　The figure was boosted by including sales from China for the first time, where the new gold coloured iPhone was particularly popular. 数字大幅上升，其中原因包括首次在中国发行，中国市场香槟金的iPhone尤其受欢迎。

　　Alibaba, China's biggest e commerce firm, failed to reach an agreement with the Hong Kong stock exchange about how it will structure its board after an IPO, and is now likely to list in New York, according to reports. 中国最大的电商阿里巴巴在于港交所关于首次公开招股后如何构建其董事会未能达成协议，据报道，现在有可能选择在纽约上市。

　　Alibaba's valuation is expected to be at least $60 billion when it makes its stockmarket debut⁶ next year. 明年上市时，阿里巴巴的估值预计会达到600亿美元。

　　Applied⁷ Materials, which is based in Silicon⁸ Valley, agreed to merge⁹ with Tokyo Electron in a deal that shakes up the business of supplying equipment to the semiconductor¹⁰ industry. 总部位于硅谷的应用材料公司同意来自东京电子的合并，这将会使得半导体工业设备供应业务产生巨大变动。

　　The combined pair will account for a quarter of the market. 合并之后这两家的份额将会占到四分之一。

　　Shareholders¹¹ in Applied Materials will own 68% of the new entity¹², which is valued at $29 billion. 应用材料公司的股东将会在新公司中占股68%，价值290亿美元。

　　That makes it one of the biggest foreign takeovers of a Japanese company. 这将会使得它成为日本公司收购的最大外国公司之一。

　　The United Auto¹³ Workers ' health care trust exercised its right as the holder² of a 41.5% stake in Chrysler to require the carmaker to file for an IPO. 美国汽车工人医保信托作为克莱斯勒占股41.5%的股东，要求克莱斯勒提交首次公开募股，行使了其作为股东的权力。

　　The trust is in dispute with Fiat¹⁴, Chrysler's majority owner, about the value of the shares it holds, which Fiat wants to buy in order to own Chrysler outright¹⁵. 该信托与克莱斯勒的主要拥有者菲亚特关于其所持股份价值存在争议，菲亚特想将这些股份买回，从而彻底掌管克莱斯勒。

　　The IPO's prospectus¹⁶ warned that a flotation could see Fiat divorcing itself from Chrysler, which has blossomed since their marriage in 2009. 这次首次公开募股的招股章程警告菲亚特一次发行股份可能使其与克莱斯勒脱离关系，这从2009年他们的联姻以来就在酝酿了。

　　No date was forthcoming as to when the IPO might happen. 首次公开募股的日期还未确定。

　　JPMorgan Chase was rumoured¹⁷ to be nearing an $11 billion mega settlement that covers all its outstanding legal issues with regulators. 传言摩根大通为其与监管机构未解决的法律问题支付了将近110亿美元的巨额偿付费用。

　　On September 19th the bank was fined $920m by American and British authorities for its conduct in the" London whale" trading scandal. 9月19日，摩根大通被英美政府罚款9.2亿美元，原因是其在“伦敦鲸”交易丑闻中的行为。

　　ICAP, a London based broker¹⁸, was fined $65m by's America Commodity Futures¹⁹ Trading Commission and $22m by's Britain Financial Conduct Authority for manipulating the LIBOR benchmark interest rate's. 总部位于伦敦的经纪公司ICAP被美国商品期货交易委员会罚款6500万美元，同时被英国金融市场监管局罚款2200万美元，原因是其操纵伦敦银行同业拆息基准利率。

　　America Department of Justice brought criminal charges against three former employees at ICAP, only the second group of bankers it has charged over the LIBOR scandal( the first were at UBS). 美国司法部对三名ICAP的前雇员提出刑事指控，这是继瑞银之后第二组被指控操纵伦敦银行同业拆息基准利率的银行家。

　　The Swedish government sold its remaining 7% stake in Nordea, ending its involvement with the Nordic region's biggest bank, which was bailed²⁰ out in the early 1990s. 瑞典政府出售了其在Nordea银行最后的7%的股份，结束了其对北欧最大银行的参与，该银行在1990年代早期接受政府金援。

　　The government is using the proceeds from the sale to repay public debt. 政府正在利用出售所得款项偿还公共债务。

　　The IMF cut its GDP growth forecast for Russia for the third time this year, partly because of weak investment. 国际货币基金组织今年第三次更改其对俄罗斯GDP增长的预期，部分是因为投资的疲软。

　　It now expects the Russian economy to grow by 1.5% this year and 3% in 2014. 现在，该组织预计今年俄罗斯经济增长1.5%，2014年会增长3%。

　　That is far below the growth of 5-8% in the years before the financial crisis. 这相比金融危机前5-8%的增长下降了很多。

　　New rules came into force in America that allow private firms to advertise publicly for funding from accredited²¹ investors²². 美国允许民营企业做广告吸收合格投资者资金的新规生效。

　　A ban on what is known as general solicitation²³ was passed in the 1930s to protect investors from an abundance of money raising scams during the Depression. 1930年代通过了一般招揽禁令，为了保护投资者免受大萧条时期大量的集资诈骗。

　　The new rules should help start ups in their quest for seed money by allowing them to place adverts²⁴ on anything from the internet to buses. 新规会有助于创业公司通过在网络和汽车等地方投放广告来筹集资金。

　　Speaking a few days after the Federal Reserve decided²⁵ not to start tapering²⁶ its $85-billion a-month asset buying programme, William Dudley, the vice²⁷ chairman of the Fed's policymaking committee, said the economy remained" tepid²⁸" and that" no one in markets should have been surprised" by the decision. 在美联储决定不启动每月850亿美元的资产购买计划后不久，美联储决策委员会的副主席威廉达德利表示经济仍然不温不火，市场中没有人对此决定感到惊讶。

　　Mr Dudley still thinks tapering could begin this year, though it" depends on the data". 达德利先生仍然认为此项计划会在今年进行，尽管取决于数据。

　　The Fed's next meeting is in October. 美联储的下次会议在十月举行。9

1 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

2 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

3 addictive   

adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的，成为习惯的

参考例句：

• The problem with video game is that they're addictive.电子游戏机的问题在于它们会使人上瘾。
• Cigarettes are highly addictive.香烟很容易使人上瘾。

4 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

7 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

8 silicon   

n.硅(旧名矽)

参考例句：

• This company pioneered the use of silicon chip.这家公司开创了使用硅片的方法。
• A chip is a piece of silicon about the size of a postage stamp.芯片就是一枚邮票大小的硅片。

9 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

10 semiconductor   

n.半导体

参考例句：

• In the beginning,engineers hoped to use semiconductor lasers.在开始时，工程师们希望能够利用半导体激光器。
• The main agent of the company brand semiconductor sales.本公司主要代理各品牌半导体销售。

11 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

12 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

13 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

14 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

15 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

16 prospectus   

n.计划书；说明书；慕股书

参考例句：

• An order form was included with the prospectus.订单附在说明书上。
• The prospectus is the most important instrument of legal document.招股说明书是上市公司信息披露制度最重要法律文件。

17 rumoured   

adj.谣传的；传说的；风

参考例句：

• It has been so rumoured here. 此间已有传闻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• It began to be rumoured that the jury would be out a long while. 有人传说陪审团要退场很久。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

18 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

19 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。

20 bailed   

保释，帮助脱离困境( bail的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Fortunately the pilot bailed out before the plane crashed. 飞机坠毁之前，驾驶员幸运地跳伞了。
• Some water had been shipped and the cook bailed it out. 船里进了些水，厨师把水舀了出去。

21 accredited   

adj.可接受的；可信任的；公认的；质量合格的v.相信( accredit的过去式和过去分词 )；委托；委任；把…归结于

参考例句：

• The discovery of distillation is usually accredited to the Arabs of the 11th century. 通常认为，蒸馏法是阿拉伯人在11世纪发明的。
• Only accredited journalists were allowed entry. 只有正式认可的记者才获准入内。

22 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

23 solicitation   

n.诱惑；揽货；恳切地要求；游说

参考例句：

• Make the first solicitation of the three scheduled this quarter. 进行三位名单上预期捐助人作本季第一次邀请捐献。 来自互联网
• Section IV is about the proxy solicitation system and corporate governance. 随后对委托书的格式、内容、期限以及能否实行有偿征集、征集费用由谁承担以及违反该制度的法律责任进行论述，并提出自己的一些见解。 来自互联网

24 adverts   

advertisements 广告，做广告

参考例句：

• the adverts on television 电视广告
• The adverts are not very informative. 这些广告并没有包含太多有用信息。

25 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

26 tapering   

adj.尖端细的

参考例句：

• Interest in the scandal seems to be tapering off. 人们对那件丑闻的兴趣似乎越来越小了。
• Nonproductive expenditures keep tapering down. 非生产性开支一直在下降。

27 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

28 tepid   

adj.微温的，温热的，不太热心的

参考例句：

• She bent her mouth to the tap and drank the tepid water.她把嘴伸到水龙头底下去喝那微温的水。
• Her feet firmly planted on the tepid rough brick of the floor.她一双脚稳固地立在微温而粗糙的砖地上。