乔布斯传 第401期:微软契约(4)

 　　Gates and his chief financial officer, Greg Maffei, made the trip to Palo Alto to work out the framework for a deal, 盖茨和他的首席财务官格雷格·马菲一起到帕洛奥图去设计合作框架，

　　and then Maffei returned alone the following Sunday to work on the details. 之后的下一个周日马菲自己来处理细节。

　　When he arrived at Jobs's home, Jobs grabbed two bottles of water out of the refrigerator 当他来到乔布斯家时，乔布斯从冰箱里拿了两瓶水，

　　and took Maffei for a walk around the Palo Alto neighborhood. 然后带马菲出去在帕洛奥图周围散步。

　　Both men wore shorts, and Jobs walked barefoot. 他们都穿着短裤，乔布斯还光着脚。

　　As they sat in front of a Baptist church, Jobs cut to the core issues. 当他们在一座浸礼会教堂前坐下时，乔布斯直入主题。

　　"These are the things we care about," he said. “这些就是我们所关心的，”他说，

　　"A commitment to make software for the Mac and an investment." “一个为Mac开发软件的承诺和一笔投资。”

　　Although the negotiations¹ went quickly, the final details were not finished until hours before Jobs's Macworld speech in Boston. 虽然谈判进展很快，但是直到乔布斯在波士顿的Macworld大会作演讲前几个小时，合同的最终细节才确定。

　　He was rehearsing at the Park Plaza² Castle when his cell phone rang. 他在公园广场酒店城堡会议厅彩排时，手机响了。

　　"Hi, Bill," he said as his words echoed through the old hall. “嗨，比尔。”他说，他的声音在古老的礼堂回响。

　　Then he walked to a corner and spoke³ in a soft tone so others couldn't hear. 然后他走到一个角落里，小声说话以防别人听见。

　　The call lasted an hour. Finally, the remaining deal points were resolved. 这通电话打了一个小时。最后，剩下的几个问题都解决了。

　　"Bill, thank you for your support of this company," Jobs said as he crouched⁴ in his shorts. “比尔，感谢你对这家公司的支持，”穿着短裤的乔布斯蹲在那儿说，

　　"I think the world's a better place for it." “我想世界因为有它会变得更好。”

1 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

2 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 crouched   

v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He crouched down beside her. 他在她的旁边蹲了下来。
• The lion crouched ready to pounce. 狮子蹲下身，准备猛扑。