2020年经济学人 一周要闻 中国4月出口现惊人增长 三星掌门人李在镕道歉 全球死亡人数超25万

America’s Treasury¹ Department said it would auction² a new 20-year bond on May 20th. It expects to borrow almost $3trn of debt in the second quarter, a record that far exceeds its quarterly borrowing requirements during the financial crisis of 2007-09.

美国财政部表示，将在5月20日拍卖新的20年期国债。该部门预计在第二季度借款近3万亿美元，这一记录远远超过了它在2007-09年金融危机期间的季度借款要求。

China recorded a surprising increase in exports, which grew by 3.5% in April compared with the same month in 2019, the first rise this year.

中国4月份的出口出现了惊人的增长，同比增长3.5%，这是今年以来的首次增长。

Marathon, America’s biggest oil refiner, posted a $9.2bn quarterly loss, because of the pandemic and price “tensions”. Oil markets remained choppy. The price of Brent crude rose above $30 a barrel for the first time in weeks.

由于新冠疫情和价格“紧张”，美国最大的炼油商马拉松石油公司(Marathon)公布了92亿美元的季度亏损。石油市场仍然动荡不安。布伦特原油价格几周来首次升至每桶30美元以上。

In the most aggressive action it has taken so far to enforce regulations in the state that bolster³ the rights of workers in the gig economy, California filed a lawsuit⁴ against Uber and Lyft for misclassifying their drivers as independent contractors⁵. Uber, which is helping⁶ its drivers find extra work at 7-Eleven and other companies during the crisis, said it would contest the suit in court.

加州采取了迄今为止最积极的行动，旨在加强在零工经济中对工人权利的支持——该州对优步(Uber)和来福车(Lyft)提起诉讼，原因是这两家公司将司机错误地归类为独立承包商。在危机期间帮助司机在7-Eleven和其他公司就业的优步表示，将在法庭上对这起诉讼提出异议。

Lee Jae-yong, the de facto head of Samsung Group, apologised for the various corruption⁷ scandals that have beset⁸ his company. In a remarkable⁹ statement, Mr Lee, who was convicted of bribery¹⁰ in 2017, pledged that he would be the last person from his family to lead the conglomerate¹¹. He also overturned a decades-long policy at Samsung that stops workers joining a union.

三星集团(Samsung Group)的实际掌权人李在镕(Lee Jae-yong)为困扰该公司的各种腐败丑闻道歉。在一个不同寻常的声明中，在2017年被判犯有行贿罪的掌权人承诺，他将是家族中最后一个领导集团的人。他还推翻了三星长达数十年的禁止工人加入工会的政策。

Telefónica, Spain’s biggest telecoms company, announced the merger¹² of its O2 mobile brand in Britain with Virgin¹³ Media, a broadband and wireless¹⁴ provider that is owned by Liberty Global. The 31bn pounds ($38bn) deal creates a behemoth in Britain’s telecommunications industry.

西班牙最大的电信公司Telefonica宣布其旗下的O2移动品牌在英国与Liberty Global旗下的宽带和无线提供商Virgin Media合并。这笔价值310亿英镑(380亿美元)的交易将诞生出一个英国电信行业的巨头。

Peloton, which sells expensive internet-connected bikes, recorded a surge in sales in the latest quarter, as it doubled the number of subscribers to its workouts. With many people forced to exercise at home during lockdowns, the company is expanding its customer base beyond svelte¹⁵ hipsters to suburban¹⁶ mums and dads.

Peloton是一家销售昂贵的联网自行车的公司，该公司最近一个季度的销量激增，健身项目的用户数量翻了一番。由于许多人被迫在封锁期间居家健身，该公司正将其客户群从身材健美的时髦人群扩大到住在郊区的老年人。

Tesla’s share price recovered from the drubbing it took after Elon Musk¹⁷ tweeted that it was too high, which wiped $15bn off the company’s market value. Soon after, Mr Musk, a critic of lockdowns, tweeted another abstract thought: “Rage, rage against the dying of the light of consciousness.”

在埃隆·马斯克(Elon Musk)发推文称特斯拉股价过高后，该公司股价应声大跌，市值蒸发150亿美元。不久，批评封锁令的马斯克在推特上又发表了一则晦涩的推文：“愤怒，愤怒于意识之光的消逝。”

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

3 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

4 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

5 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 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》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

10 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

11 conglomerate   

n.综合商社，多元化集团公司

参考例句：

• The firm has been taken over by an American conglomerate.该公司已被美国一企业集团接管。
• An American conglomerate holds a major share in the company.一家美国的大联合企业持有该公司的大部分股份。

12 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

13 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

14 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

15 svelte   

adj.（女人）体态苗条的

参考例句：

• The countess was tall,svelte and very pale.伯爵夫人身材修长，苗条优雅，面色十分苍白。
• Her figure is svelte.她身材苗条。

16 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

17 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。