新视野大学英语视听说教程 3 Unit 10-14

Task 2: Stockbroker¹ as Liquidator
In the midst of the shaky market of last week, many brokers³ got calls from their clients requesting they sell their shares. One broker² told such a story:
One of my clients called me on Thursday. He was anxious and out of breath, and spoke⁴ with great urgency.
He said to me, “Jone, sell it all. Sell everything, fast, right away.”
I tried to explain to him that the market was cyclical, and that in the long term stocks would return to normal.
He said, “John, let me tell you a secret. You know I’ve been married for sixty years now, and I’ve been your client for five.”
“Yes, go on.” I said encouragingly.
“Well, my wife Lucie has a sort of phobia about the market. When we got married, I promised her that I would follow in her parents’ footsteps and never venture into the stock market and always leave all our money under the mattress⁵. Her great grandparents once lost everything in a great crash, and ever since then her family found investing in the market similar to crime.”
“Wow, Howard, I didn’t know that. I guess you want the money because the market is going down.”
“No, John, I want the money because she ordered a new mattress, and it is being delivered in two days.”

1 stockbroker   

n.股票（或证券），经纪人（或机构）

参考例句：

• The main business of stockbroker is to help clients buy and sell shares.股票经纪人的主要业务是帮客户买卖股票。
• My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me.我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合。

2 broker   

n.中间人，经纪人；v.作为中间人来安排

参考例句：

• He baited the broker by promises of higher commissions.他答应给更高的佣金来引诱那位经纪人。
• I'm a real estate broker.我是不动产经纪人。

3 brokers   

n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排…

参考例句：

• The firm in question was Alsbery & Co., whiskey brokers. 那家公司叫阿尔斯伯里公司，经销威士忌。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• From time to time a telephone would ring in the brokers' offices. 那两排经纪人房间里不时响着叮令的电话。 来自子夜部分

4 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。

5 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。