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英语听力—环球英语 1076 Earning Money?

时间:2012-10-29 06:29来源:互联网 提供网友:jpstudy   字体: [ ]
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   Voice 1

 
  Welcome to Spotlight1. I'm Liz Waid.
 
  Voice 2
 
  And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
 
  Voice 1
 
  Bernard Madoff stood in court. He listened as his victims spoke2 about his crimes. They described how he had stolen their money. They described how he had hurt them.
 
  Voice 2
 
  He listened to the judge's decision – one hundred and fifty years in jail3. Why was the sentence so long? Bernard Madoff had not stolen money from a few people. And he had not stolen one hundred dollars, or even one thousand dollars. He had stolen more than eighteen thousand million [18,000,000,000] dollars, from thousands of people!
 
  Voice 2
 
  Today's Spotlight is on Bernard Madoff, and his financial crime – a Ponzi scheme. A Ponzi scheme is a particular kind of financial crime. It takes its name from Charles Ponzi, a criminal who used this method many years ago to steal money from people. A Ponzi scheme is a type of fraud4. Fraud is common around the world - anywhere that people use money! Fraud is a kind of lie - lying to people so that they freely5 give money to the liar6.
 
  Voice 1
 
  Madoff's Ponzi scheme was an investment8 fraud. He was a well known investment manager. People gave him control of their saved money. The idea was that he would invest7 the money in global financial markets. They would earn money through these investments9 – sometimes a lot of money!
 
  Voice 2
 
  Madoff began his investment business in 1960. His company grew to be one of the largest investment companies in the United States. Madoff also served as the leader of the NASDAQ stock10 exchange - one of the most important financial markets. With his brother, he worked to make this market more responsible, and honest. They used computer networks to help this happen.
 
  Voice 1
 
  This is one reason that so many people trusted Madoff. He was very successful - and he worked for openness and honesty in financial markets. However, at the same time, for twenty years, he stole a lot of money from investors11.
 
  Voice 2
 
  So how did he do it? Madoff's financial organisation12 was divided into two parts. One part was an honest share-dealing business. It provided13 a service for people wanting to buy and sell company shares. But in the same building, a separate business was operating in other offices. This business promised to invest people's money and make good profits for them. Many people and organisations gave Madoff control of their money. They hoped they would make big gains - but they did not know this business was in fact a Ponzi scheme.
 
  Voice 1
 
  Madoff's Ponzi scheme worked like this: The investors expected to earn interest on their money. They believed that their money was growing. But Madoff did not actually invest the money that people gave him. Instead, he used money from new investors to pay old investors. Madoff continued to attract new investors, to continue the scheme. And some people did gain from their investments - when they closed their investments, Madoff did give them their money. However, he used the money from new investors to pay them.
 
  Voice 2
 
  Madoff continued this scheme for more than twenty years. He offered a high interest rate - he promised that people could make a lot of money with his investments. And many important people invested14 with him, including the Hollywood director Steven Spielberg. Some critics questioned Madoff's success, but there was no evidence that his investments were a fraud.
 
  Voice 1
 
  A Ponzi scheme can continue for a long time. But finally, it cannot continue to pay the investors. And this is what happened with Madoff. He told his family about the fraud in December 2008. They immediately called the police, and Madoff was arrested. There are many estimates15 about the size of the fraud. But over the years, he had hundreds of thousands of investors. They had invested more than sixty five thousand million dollars. Most of the money was gone. It had gone in payments16 to other people. And Madoff had also used the money himself.
 
  Voice 2
 
  At his trial, Madoff spoke to his victims. He said that he had not planned such a large financial fraud. He said,
 
  Voice 3
 
  "I am thankful for this chance to speak about my crimes. I am very sorry, and I feel great shame."
 
  "I know I have deeply hurt many, many people."
 
  Voice 2
 
  Most of Madoff's victims did not believe these words. Some had lost all of their saved money - the money they needed as they got older. Some had lost more than a million dollars. At the court, some victims were satisfied with the judgement. But others were not. They just wanted their money back - the judgement would not return their money.
 
  Voice 1
 
  It is likely that Madoff will spend the rest of his life in prison. And he has also paid a larger price. His brother and sons worked as investment managers too. They are not accused of the same crimes - it seems that they did not know about the fraud. But the pressure was too high for Madoff's older son. In December 2010, he killed himself.
 
  Voice 2
 
  Madoff's Ponzi scheme was very large. It affected17 many people, in many different countries. But financial crimes like Ponzi schemes are not always large. Much smaller financial crimes are common in many countries.
 
  Voice 1
 
  So how can you protect yourself? There is one simple rule for avoiding financial fraud: "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!" When someone gives you a financial offer, are they promising18 something much better than anyone else? Does it seem TOO good? Then it may be false - a fraud. In that situation, ask a lot of questions. Investigate before you give any money. Make sure that you can trust the offer.
 
  Voice 2
 
  Financial fraud is serious. But it would not be successful without greed19. People need money, but it is possible to love money too much. Earning money takes hard work. It takes attention to the details. It is not possible to earn a lot of money with no effort. Bernard Madoff used his investors' desire for money, and he stole from them.
 
  Voice 1
 
  What do you think? Have you seen any financial crimes where you live? Share your comments on our website: http://www.radio.english.net.  Or you can write to us at [email protected].
 
  Voice 2
 
  The writer of today's program was Christy VanArragon. The producer was Joshua Leo. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. This program is called "Earning Money?"
 
  Voice 1
 
  You can also find Spotlight on Facebook. Just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 spotlight 6hBzmk     
n.公众注意的中心,聚光灯,探照灯,视听,注意,醒目
参考例句:
  • This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
  • The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。
2 spoke XryyC     
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。
3 jail F31xo     
n.监狱,看守所;vt.监禁,拘留
参考例句:
  • The castle had been used as a jail.这城堡曾用作监狱。
  • If she carries on shoplifting,she'll end up in jail.她如果还在店铺里偷东西,最终会被抓进监狱的。
4 fraud mf5zq     
n.骗子,欺骗,欺诈,诡计
参考例句:
  • We will introduce legal safeguards against fraud.我们将推行防止欺诈的法律条款。
  • The prosecutor accused the defendant of fraud.原告控告被告犯有欺诈罪。
5 freely LiexN     
adv.自由地,随便地,无拘无束地
参考例句:
  • She was unable to keep back her tears,and wept freely.她抑制不住泪水,痛痛快快地哭了起来。
  • A liquid flows freely and has no fixed shape.液体能自由流动,无固定形态。
6 liar V1ixD     
n.说谎的人
参考例句:
  • I know you for a thief and a liar!我算认识你了,一个又偷又骗的家伙!
  • She was wrongly labelled a liar.她被错误地扣上说谎者的帽子。
7 invest Yaizt     
v.投资;投入(时间等);授予,赋予
参考例句:
  • I have decided to invest in a new car.我已经决定买一辆新汽车。
  • The best time to invest is now.现在是投资的最佳时机。
8 investment xajzr     
n.投资,投资额;(时间、精力等的)投入
参考例句:
  • It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
  • The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。
9 investments a6dba6e72f1adaf693af15720bcbf55a     
n.投资( investment的名词复数 );投资额;(时间、精力的)投入;值得买的东西
参考例句:
  • With the markets being so volatile, investments are at great risk. 由于市场那么变化不定,投资冒着很大的风险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • All their money was tied up in long-term investments. 他们所有的钱都搁死在长线投资上了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
10 stock luiwR     
n.存货,储备;树干;血统;股份;家畜;adj.存货的;平凡的,惯用的;股票的;畜牧的;vt.进货,采购;储存;供给;vi.出新芽;进货
参考例句:
  • The shop takes stock every week on Friday mornings.这家商店每星期五早晨盘点存货。
  • Experts have forecast an upturn in the stock market.专家已预测股票市场价格有上升趋势。
11 investors dffc64354445b947454450e472276b99     
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
12 organisation organisation     
n.组织,安排,团体,有机休
参考例句:
  • The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
  • His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。
13 provided PkNzng     
conj.假如,若是;adj.预备好的,由...供给的
参考例句:
  • Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好,我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
  • I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨,我就来。
14 invested 9a25ac4ea8d8a9b7bac3a3ed96702a06     
v.投资,花费( invest的过去式和过去分词 );授予;(把资金)投入;投入(时间、精力等)
参考例句:
  • The money will be invested in managed funds. 这笔钱将投资于管理基金。
  • He invested his lawyer with complete power to act for him. 他让律师全权代办。 来自《简明英汉词典》
15 estimates d72749910e71e75279b310239e18f36f     
估计
参考例句:
  • Unofficial estimates put the figure at over two million. 非官方的估计数字为200万以上。
  • We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后,接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
16 payments 84d5eaf713c96eecb3d2c4a83e64dc9a     
n.支付,付款,缴纳,报酬( payment的名词复数 );付出的[要付出的]款项;报答,报偿
参考例句:
  • Welfare payments cease as soon as an individual starts a job. 一旦就业,即停发福利救济。
  • The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children. 这项法律可强制父亲定期支付子女的费用。
17 affected TzUzg0     
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。
18 promising BkQzsk     
adj.有希望的,有前途的
参考例句:
  • The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
  • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
19 greed 0r2zrH     
n.贪食,贪心,贪婪
参考例句:
  • His greed knows no limits.他的贪心永无止境。
  • Greed was his only motive for stealing.贪婪是他盗窃的唯一动机。
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