纪录片《美国商业大亨传奇》 石油风云（2）

Why are we playing so much in plumbers¹?

为什么要付这么多钱给那些管道工

We run a refinery².

我们运营着一家炼油厂

So, we start making our own pipes.

我们可以拥有自己的管道

At this rate, we'll be lucky if we break even this year.

按照这个价格 幸运的话 我们今年就能收回成本

If you wanna call it a day, John, just say.

如果你想就此结束 约翰 你可以直接说

I should go.

我要走了

Is everything all right?

一切都还好吗

It's fine.

很好

At the age of twenty-seven,

27岁那年

Rockefeller is in the early stages of building his refining business,

洛克菲勒正处在初涉炼油行业的阶段

but his company is teetering on the verge³ of bankruptcy⁴.

而他的公司正面临着破产的重大风险

Vanderbilt sees him as someone he can manipulate to his advantage.

范德比尔特把他看成是自己可以利用的人

An exclusive deal to ship Rockefeller's oil

运输洛克菲勒所产石油的独家交易

will guarantee that the Commodore's trains stay filled with cargo⁵.

将能保证船长的火车充满货物

Vanderbilt invites Rockefeller to meet with him in New York.

范德比尔特邀洛克菲勒到纽约见他

For the young oil man, the meeting is the opportunity of a lifetime.

对于这个年轻的油商 这次会谈将会影响他的一生

A way out of his troubles,

他将有机会摆脱困境

and a way to save his company from complete collapse⁶.

让自己的公司免于破产

Rockefeller, he respected Vanderbilt.

洛克菲勒非常崇拜范德比尔特

He could see what he had achieved.

他看得到他的成就

Vanderbilt was setting the pattern and the archetype

洛克菲勒将范德比尔视为自己的榜样

of what Rockefeller himself wanted to be.

他也想成为范德比尔特这样的人

He wanted to be the Vanderbilt of petroleum⁷.

他想成为石油业的范德比尔特

That's the way he saw himself.

这就他的自我认知

As Rockefeller prepares for his trip to New York,

洛克菲勒为去纽约做准备时

Vanderbilt's plan is set in motion.

范德比尔特的计划就已经开始行动了

1 plumbers   

n.管子工，水暖工( plumber的名词复数 )；[美][口]（防止泄密的）堵漏人员

参考例句：

• Plumbers charge by the hour for their work. 水管工人的工作是以小时收费的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Plumbers, carpenters, and other workmen finished the new house quickly. 管道工、木工及其他工匠很快完成了这幢新房子。 来自辞典例句

2 refinery   

n.精炼厂，提炼厂

参考例句：

• They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

3 verge   

n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。

4 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。

5 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

6 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

7 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。