Hurun launches Global Rich List, 5 Chinese listed

 　　BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Eighty-three individuals worldwide with personal fortunes totaling 10 billion U.S. dollars or more have been listed on the Hurun Global Rich List 2012, which was released Tuesday in Beijing.

　　Carlos Slim, 73, tops the list with a personal fortune of 55 billion U.S. dollars, according to the report launched by the Shanghai-based Hurun Research Institute, which is known for its annual China Rich List.

　　According to Hurun's first global rich list, Bill Gates, 57, ranks as the world's second-richest individual with a 50-billion-U.S.-dollar fortune, and Warren Buffet¹, 82, comes in third with 48 billion U.S. dollars.

　　The 83 multibillionaires have a staggering combined wealth of 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars, an amount equivalent to the total national debt of the UK, said the report, with the wealth calculations as a snapshot of Feb. 24, 2012.

　　"While the U.S. and Europe still boast the lion's share of the Ten Billion Dollar Club, with 27 and 17 members, respectively, Russia, South America and the emerging giants of China and India are snapping at their heels," said Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of the Hurun Report.

　　China has five people on the list, including four from Hong Kong and one from the Chinese mainland. Li Ka-Shing, 84, shares the 13th spot on the list with four others, making him the richest Chinese individual on the list with a personal fortune of 24 billion U.S. dollars.

　　Chinese beverage² magnate Zong Qinghou of soft drink maker³ Wahaha,China's largest beverage producer, ranks 78th with a personal fortune of 10.5 billion U.S. dollars.

　　Zong is also the richest person in the Chinese mainland, said the report.

　　"It won't be long before entrepreneurs from countries like China and India become more dominant⁴. It is why Hurun Report, best-known for the Hurun China Rich List, has decided⁵ to put out a Global Rich List," said Hoogewerf.

　　Hoogewerf began compiling the China Rich List in 1999 and has been releasing it for 14 years.

　　The Hurun Rich List is not only an indicator⁶ of China's economic might, but also demonstrates the evolution of China's social and political system, said Hoogewerf.

　　Chinese entrepreneurs are becoming more and more mature and confident. They are daring to join the global market competition, and emerging in the "global wealth Olympics," he added.

　　The average age of those on the Ten Billion Dollar Club is 66. And 56 of the 83 people listed, or almost two-thirds, are self-made multibillionaires with an average wealth of 18.3 billion U.S. dollars.

　　Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, 28, is the youngest self-made man on the list, as well as the 8th richest, with a personal fortune of 26 billion U.S. dollars, followed by the next-youngest men, Google's Sergey Brin, 39, and Larry Page, 39, with 17.5 billion U.S. dollars each.

　　"Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin and Larry Page are inspiring a whole generation of new entrepreneurs," according to Hoogewerf.

　　Ten women also made it to the list, and all of their fortunes were inherited.

1 buffet   

n.自助餐；饮食柜台；餐台

参考例句：

• Are you having a sit-down meal or a buffet at the wedding?你想在婚礼中摆桌宴还是搞自助餐？
• Could you tell me what specialties you have for the buffet?你能告诉我你们的自助餐有什么特色菜吗？

2 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

5 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。

6 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。