经济学人:一周商业要闻

 　　The World This Week Business

　　America's big banks reported earnings¹ for the second quarter. 美国的各大银行发布了第二季度的营收。

　　The headline figures looked buoyant, partly because of lower operational and litigation costs. 数据显示营收有所上涨，部分原因是运营和诉讼费用的减少。

　　Net income at JPMorgan Chase rose by 31% to $6.5 billion; Bank of America's profit was up by 63% to $ 4 billion; and Citigroup's quarterly profit of $4.2 billion was its best since 2007. 摩根大通公司的净收入增长了31%，达到65亿美元；美国银行的利润增加了63%之多，达到了40亿美元；花旗银行的季度利润达到了42亿美元，是自从2007年至今的最好业绩。

　　Goldman Sachs saw income double to $1.9 billion. 高盛的收入翻番，达到了19亿美元。

　　But with the outlook for growth subdued² in the banking³ industry, margins⁴ down and more costly⁵ regulations coming in, investors⁶ were unimpressed. 但是随着对银行业未来增长前景的看衰，利润减少以及管理费用的增加，投资者并没有为之所动。

　　America's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission fined Barclays $453m for allegedly manipulating electricity prices in four states in the American West to benefit the bank's derivatives⁸ positions. 美国联邦能源管理委员会给巴克莱银行开出了4亿5300万美元的罚单，原因是后者据称为了使其银行衍生产品卖得更好，在美国西部的四个州操纵电价。

　　Barclays is fighting the claim and will take the matter to court. 巴克莱银行予以反击，并将在法庭上解决此事。

　　JPMorgan Chase was said to be in talks to settle with the FERC in a similar case. 摩根大通也卷入类似风波。

　　The trial got under way in Manhattan of Fabrice Tourre, a former banker at Goldman Sachs, on civil charges of securities fraud. 在曼哈顿对于前高盛银行家法布里·托雷尔的审讯正在进行中，其涉嫌进行证券欺诈。

　　Mr Tourre allegedly did not tell investors that a hedge fund had helped him select the assets in a portfolio⁹ of mortgage bonds, which it then bet against. 据称，托雷尔先生未告知其产品投资者一家做空这些抵押贷款的对冲基金参与了产品的设计。

　　The investors lost $ 1 billion. 导致投资者蒙受10亿美元的损失。

　　A judge allowed a $ 5 billion lawsuit¹⁰, brought by the Justice Department and claiming that Standard & Poor's intentionally¹¹ misled investors, to proceed. 一位法官接受了一起涉案金额50亿的案件，原告是司法部，指控标准普尔蓄意误导投资者。该案件正在接受审理。

　　The government alleges¹² that S & P produced inflated¹³ ratings between 2004 and 2007 to please its clients in the financial industry. 政府控诉标准普尔在2004年到2007年期间为了取悦其金融业的客户，在评级中作假。

　　A Chinese executive at GlaxoSmithKline appeared on state television giving details of what the government alleges to be graft¹⁴ at the drugmaker's operations in the country. 葛兰素史克公司的一位中国主管出现在中国国家电视台解释中国政府所说的运营中行贿的细节。

　　Four executives are accused of paying bribes¹⁷ to medical staff to entice¹⁸ them to sell GSK's products. 四个主管被指控贿赂医药人员怂恿其销售葛兰素史克的产品。

　　GSK said its Chinese staff are expected to abide¹⁹ by the law and it had" zero tolerance²⁰" for bribery²¹. 葛兰素史克表示其中国员工应该遵守法律，并且其对贿赂持零容忍态度。

　　China's economy slowed again, growing by 7.5% in the second quarter. 中国经济再次放缓，第二季度增幅仅为7.5%。

　　The finance minister, Lou Jiwei, caused a stir when he reportedly said he expected GDP for the year to rise by 7%, 财政部长楼继伟在其报告中表示他预期今年GDP的增长为7%，

　　which is below the government's 7.5% target( Mr Lou's figure was rewritten by the state press to reflect the party line). 低于政府7.5%的目标，这引起了不小的震动。（为了跟党的方针相呼应，楼的数据被重新更正）。

　　With industrial production also slowing, some economists²² wonder whether it is time for them, too, to rewrite their forecasts. 随着工业生产的放缓，一些经济学家开始思考：对他们来说，是不是也应该重新预测经济走势了？

　　Google's effort to end an antitrust inquiry²³ into its search business in Europe appeared to be in trouble when Joaquín Almunia, 谷歌试图结束欧洲对其搜索业务的反信任调查的努力再次陷入麻烦，

　　the EU's competition chief, declared that it had so far not done enough" to overcome our concerns". 欧盟竞争委员会主席Joaquín Almunia称谷歌到目前为止尚未做出足够措施来解除我们的担忧。

　　In April Google submitted several remedies to the EU to address complaints that it promotes its own services over those of its rivals in search results. 四月，谷歌向欧盟递交了几项改进措施，并投诉其只是在竞争对手的搜索结果上推广其自身服务。

　　Yahoo's earnings were mixed. 雅虎公司的营收账目混乱不堪。

　　The internet company's net income grew by half compared with the same quarter last year, to $331m, but revenue was down, as was the price it charges per ad. 与去年同一季度相比，这家互联网公司的净收入增长了50%，达到3.31亿美元，然而收益却由于每支广告的收费下降而下降了。

　　Investors expressed confidence, however, in Marissa Mayer's strategy( she took over as chief executive a year ago), pushing the share price to a five year high. 但是，投资者们都对玛丽莎·梅耶尔（于一年前接任雅虎首席执行官）的战略计划信心十足，雅虎股票已被推高至五年来的最高值。

　　Investigators²⁴ looking at the cause of a fire on a parked Boeing Dreamliner at Heathrow airport found no initial evidence that the jet's batteries were the source. 对停在英国希斯罗机场的波音梦幻客机的起火原因，调查员表示，目前初步发现没有证据表明电池是飞机起火的原因。

　　Several charred²⁵ components²⁶ have come under scrutiny²⁷, including the plane's emergency transmitter. 包括飞机应急发射器在内的几个被烧焦的部件已经受到了严格的审查。

　　All Dreamliners were grounded worldwide for three months earlier this year because of overheating batteries. 今年早些时候，所有的梦幻客机由于电池组过热在全球范围内停飞三个月。

　　In Argentina a joint²⁸ venture was announced between Chevron²⁹ and YPF, the state run energy company, to develop the Vaca Muerta shale³⁰ formation, one of the biggest outside North America. 在阿根廷，由雪弗兰公司和一家阿根廷国营企业YPF组成的合资企业，宣称将开发瓦卡姆尔塔这个除北美外最大的页岩潜油层

　　Vaca Muerta was discovered in 2010 when YPF was majority owned by's Spain Repsol. 瓦卡姆尔塔在2010年被发现，当时YPF的大部分股份由西班牙雷普索尔石油公司持有。

　　The venture with Chevron is YPF's first big deal since it was expropriated by the Argentine government last year. 这次与雪佛龙组成的合资公司是YPF自去年被阿根廷政府国有化以来首次大规模的交易。

　　Bernie Ecclestone, the chief executive of the Formula One Group, was charged by a German court in a case over an alleged⁷ $44m bribe¹⁶ to a banker who was involved in the sale of the car racing³¹ championship to CVC Capital in 2005. 一级方程式赛车的首席执行官伯尼·埃克莱斯顿因向一位银行家行贿4400万美元被德国一家法庭起诉。这位银行家曾在2005年参与私募股权基金公司对赛车锦标赛的收购案。

　　Mr Ecclestone has acknowledged the payment but insists he was being blackmailed³² and rejects the charge. 埃克莱斯顿先生承认支付了费用，然而坚持声称他遭到勒索并对控告表示抗议。

　　Rossignol, a French ski maker¹⁵, was bought by Altor, a Swedish private equity³³ firm. 法国滑雪板制造商金鸡被瑞典一家私营公司Altor收购。

　　The global ski market has gone downhill from its peak in the 1980s partly because more people are renting skis rather than buying them. 全球滑雪板市场在20世纪80年代经历高峰期，此后不断走下坡路。部分原因是越来越多的人选择租用滑雪板而不是自己购买。

　　The Nordic firm hopes to make Rossignol more profitable by expanding into outdoor wear, a strategy it tried with Helly Hansen, a Norwegian sports apparel firm that had struggled before Altor bought it in 2006. 这家北欧公司试图通过拓展户外装备业务让金鸡盈利增加，其曾在挪威运动服饰公司哈里汉森实施过这项战略，哈里汉森于2006年被Altor公司收购。

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 subdued   

adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He seemed a bit subdued to me. 我觉得他当时有点闷闷不乐。
• I felt strangely subdued when it was all over. 一切都结束的时候，我却有一种奇怪的压抑感。

3 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。

4 margins   

边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数

参考例句：

• They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
• To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙，加左或者右的margins来定义链接。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 investors   

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

7 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

8 derivatives   

n.衍生性金融商品；派生物，引出物( derivative的名词复数 )；导数

参考例句：

• Many English words are derivatives of Latin words. 许多英语词来自拉丁语。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These compounds are nitrosohydroxylamine derivatives. 这类合成物是亚硝基羟胺衍生物。 来自辞典例句

9 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

10 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。

11 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

12 alleges   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The newspaper article alleges that the mayor is corrupt. 报纸上断言该市长腐败。
• Steven was tardy this morning and alleges that his bus was late. 史提芬今天早上迟到的说词是公车误点了。

13 inflated   

adj.（价格）飞涨的；（通货）膨胀的；言过其实的；充了气的v.使充气（于轮胎、气球等）( inflate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）膨胀；（使）通货膨胀；物价上涨

参考例句：

• He has an inflated sense of his own importance. 他自视过高。
• They all seem to take an inflated view of their collective identity. 他们对自己的集体身份似乎都持有一种夸大的看法。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 graft   

n.移植，嫁接，艰苦工作，贪污；v.移植，嫁接

参考例句：

• I am having a skin graft on my arm soon.我马上就要接受手臂的皮肤移植手术。
• The minister became rich through graft.这位部长透过贪污受贿致富。

15 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。

16 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

17 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

18 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

19 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

20 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

21 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。

22 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

24 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

27 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

28 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

29 chevron   

n.V形臂章；V形图案

参考例句：

• He wore shoulderstrap rank slides with sergeant's chevrons.他佩戴标示级别的肩章，上面有中士的V形标志。
• The chevron or arrow road sign indicates a sharp bend to the left or right.V形或箭头路标表示有向左或向右的急转弯。

30 shale   

n.页岩，泥板岩

参考例句：

• We can extract oil from shale.我们可以从页岩中提取石油。
• Most of the rock in this mountain is shale.这座山上大部分的岩石都是页岩。

31 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

32 blackmailed   

胁迫，尤指以透露他人不体面行为相威胁以勒索钱财( blackmail的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He was blackmailed by an enemy agent (into passing on state secrets). 敌特威胁他（要他交出国家机密）。
• The strikers refused to be blackmailed into returning to work. 罢工者拒绝了要挟复工的条件。

33 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。