商业报道:经济危机的启示

Banking¹ crisis lessons learned

Were bankers sorry enough? A member of Britain's Parliament, Colin Breed, discusses the bankers' apologies.

A: I think they probably were bearing in mind what they have lost personally. But of course, they were saying sorry on behalf of their organizations which have affected² literally³ millions of people－shareholders，pensioners , account holders，and of course the taxpayer⁴.

B: What did you learn today that you didn't learn before, besides just the threat of the event？

A: Probably two things. One is that those they will charge with taking the final decisions in such, probably didn't have sufficient experience or training to really understand the Risk Management issues. And secondly⁵, I think the speed with which this event occurred, like... like, it was liken into a tsunami⁶, if you like, this morning. I think that came across; there is something that perhaps we didn't quite understand. We believe, in fact, there was plenty of time for the bankers to adjust their policies and their business models. But they were saying that "no", there was so little time for changing. I think that took about surprise.

B: It was fairly horrifying⁷ to listen to so many people basically saying and that this happens so quickly. But also that perhaps they didn't fully⁸ understand the entire market. There seemed to be people who were extremely qualified⁹ but not qualified in this area--running banks.

A: I think it's exactly right. And I think they relied far too much on outside advice, most notably¹⁰, of course, the Credit Ratings Agency. From my point of view, it seemed almost impossible that you can consider a mortgage to someone who had no assets, no income and no job, who had ever been part of a AAA derivative¹¹.

B: You are a politician. You have to justify¹² the billions of dollars and pounds being spent. And are you angry, are your constituents¹⁴ telling you they are angry? And do you get the feeling that this anger is simmering or is building?

A: There is genuine anger, but the need to actually undertake such a huge bailout of taxpayers¹⁵' money to people who apparently¹⁶, and I say "apparently", are still being able to access or have access to bonuses which they have been paid on fictitious¹⁷ profits. And I think there is still no end to the situation, many people feel that we may not be at the end yet. There may still have to be even more government assistance one from another to get us out this enormous hole of the banks' dark forest.

B: Are you angry as a politician?

A: I am angry as a politician and as a former banker myself, because I think that I’m very proud of profession and a banking history which goes back to centuries has been brought down to this sort of ignominy. And I am angry of that and I am angry they have actually had to resort to huge amount of taxpayers’ money which could be much better spent on other things.

GLOSSARY¹⁸

1. bear in mind v.记住 牢记不完

2. literally Really; actually:真实地；确切地（表示强调语气）

3. Risk Management 风险管理

4. come across 来到, 偶遇, <口>给人印象深刻 不期而遇,交付

5. Credit Ratings Agency 信用等级评价机构

6. derivative n.派生的事物, 派生词adj.引出的, 系出的

7. constituent¹³ n.委托人, 要素adj.有选 举权的；

8. simmer vt.慢煮 煨, 炖, n.将沸腾的状态,

9. fictitious profit 虚构利润

10. government assistance n.政府援助

11. ignominy n.耻辱

 

银行家们的道歉就算了事吗？英国下议院议员Colin Breed谈到了银行家们的道歉。

A：我觉得他们可能记得的是他们自己的受损，但是当然，他们也代表其使数百万人受损的组织而道歉，这些受损者有股东、领年金者、账户持有者，当然还有纳税人。

B：除了这次危机的危害，你如今学到了哪些以前没有明白的东西？

A：可能有两个方面。一是他们会最终决定控告，以经验或接受的培训不足而难以真正理解风险管理的理由。二是这次危机爆发的速度，很像海啸，我想今天早上已经来了，这点

可能是我们真的难以理解的。事实上，我相信银行家们是有充足的时间来调整他们的政策和商业模式的，但是他们说“不”，因此几乎没有时间来做出改变了，我想这是让人吃惊的。

B:但是听到如此多的人都说（危机）来得很快，这是相当可怕的。但是可能并没有充分了解整个市场。似乎有这样的人，他们相当胜任，但却无法胜任这个领域：经营银行。

A:我觉得很对。我想他们过多地依赖于外界的建议，特别地，当然是指客户信贷分类机构。在我看来，向一个没有资产、没有收入、没有工作、从未被列入信用等级的人抵押，是几乎不可能的。

B：你是一名政治家，你必须要正当使用数十亿美元和英镑，你生气吗？你的委托人告诉你他们生气吗？你感觉这种生气是激昂的还是渐涨的？

A：确实很生气。但是也需要真正理解拿着如此巨大的一笔资金，也就是纳税人的钱去救市，就那些“似乎”可以有得到红利渠道的那些人，而这些红利是从虚假利润中得来的。我

觉得这种现状还没有结束，许多人认为可能还没有结束。可能还会有更多的“拆了东墙补西墙”式的政府资助，来帮助我们摆脱银行巨大的漏洞。

B：作为一名政治家你生气吗？

A：我自己作为一名政治家和曾经的银行家而生气，我想我为这个职业而骄傲，为银行业过去几个世纪的历史而骄傲，因银行业的这次耻辱而生气。我生气还因为他们必须要求助于纳税人大笔的钱，而这笔钱本来是可以花在别的事情上的。

ignominy ['ign?mini] n. 羞耻,屈辱

derivative [di'riv?tiv] dj. 引出的,系出的n. 引出之物,系出物,衍生字n. 导数, 微商

1 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

4 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

5 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

6 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

7 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

10 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

11 derivative   

n.派(衍)生物；adj.非独创性的，模仿他人的

参考例句：

• His paintings are really quite derivative.他的画实在没有创意。
• Derivative works are far more complicated.派生作品更加复杂。

12 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

13 constituent   

n.选民；成分，组分；adj.组成的，构成的

参考例句：

• Sugar is the main constituent of candy.食糖是糖果的主要成分。
• Fibre is a natural constituent of a healthy diet.纤维是健康饮食的天然组成部分。

14 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

16 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

17 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

18 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。