金融英语复习指导:美国十大特许经营巨头

 　　While these are all iconic institutions in America， they are not all American owned any longer （as you can see in our Top 10 American Icons¹ that are not American）。 This is a list of the ten top mega-franchises - the biggest of the big！

　　10

　　Costco

　　Costco is the largest membership warehouse² club chain in the world based on sales volume， headquartered in Issaquah， Washington， United States and founded in Kirkland， Washington， with its flagship warehouse in nearby Seattle. Costco’s Canadian operations are based in Ottawa， Ontario. It is the fourth biggest general retailer⁴ in the United States.

　　9

　　K Mart

　　As of January 28， 2006， Kmart operated a total of 1，416 Kmart stores across 49 states， Guam， Puerto Rico， and the U.S. Virgin⁵ Islands. This store count included 1，361 discount stores， averaging 92，000 square feet， and 55 Super Centers， averaging 165，000 square feet. Kmart’s world headquarters was located in Troy， Michigan， in a sprawling⁶ complex which， since Kmart’s relocation to Illinois， has been slated⁷ for demolition⁸. Kmart became known for its “Blue Light Specials.” They occurred at surprise moments when a store worker would light up a mobile police light and offer a discount in a specific department of the store.

　　8

　　Target

　　Target is an American retailing⁹ company that was founded in Minneapolis， Minnesota in 1902 under the name of Dayton Dry Goods Company. In 1962， the first Target store opened in Roseville， Minnesota， and in 2000 the company changed its name from Dayton Hudson to Target. It is the fifth largest retailer by sales revenue in the United States.

　　7

　　Kroger

　　Kroger is an American retail³ supermarket chain and parent company， founded by Bernard Henry Kroger in 1883 in Cincinnati， Ohio. It reported over US$70 billion in sales during fiscal¹⁰ year 2008 and is currently the second-largest grocery retailer in the country by volume and third-place general retailer in the country.

　　6

　　Lowe’s

　　Lowe’s is a US-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro， North Carolina， the chain now serves over 14+ million customers a week in its 1，555 stores in every state and Canada. With the opening of the South Burlington， Vermont location， Lowe’s now operates stores in all 50 states. Expansion into Canada began in 2007， with the opening of a store in Hamilton， Ontario. Lowe’s Companies， Inc. is 48 on the Fortune 500 list. As of 2008， the chain is based in Mooresville， North Carolina， about 30 minutes north of uptown Charlotte. Lowe’s is the second-largest hardware chain in the U.S. behind The Home Depot¹¹ and ahead of Menards.

　　5

　　Best Buy

　　Best Buy is the largest specialty¹² retailer of consumer electronics in the United States and Canada， accounting¹³ for 21% of the market. The company’s subsidiaries include Geek Squad¹⁴， Magnolia Audio Video， Pacific Sales， and， in Canada the Best Buy Canada subsidiary operates most stores under the Future Shop label. Together these operate more than 1，150 stores in the United States， Puerto Rico， Canada， China， Mexico and Turkey. The company’s corporate¹⁵ headquarters are located in Richfield， Minnesota， USA. On June 26， 2007， Best Buy announced a 40% increase in its operations， with plans to operate more than 1，800 stores worldwide， including 1，400 Best Buy stores in the U.S.

　　4

　　Coca-Cola Company

　　The Coca-Cola company is the world’s largest beverage¹⁶ company， largest manufacturer， distributor and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups¹⁸ in the world， and one of the largest corporations in the United States. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola， invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in 1886. The Coca-Cola formula and brand was bought in 1889 by Asa Candler who incorporated The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. Besides its namesake Coca-Cola beverage， Coca-Cola currently offers nearly 400 brands in over 200 countries or territories and serves 1.5 billion servings each day. The company operates a franchised¹⁹ distribution system dating back to 1889 where The Coca-Cola Company only produces syrup¹⁷ concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold an exclusive territory.

　　The Coca-Cola Company is headquartered in Atlanta， Georgia. Its stock is listed on the NYSE and is part of DJIA and S&P 500. Its current president and CEO is Muhtar Kent.

　　3

　　7/11

　　The company has its origins in 1927 in Dallas， Texas， USA， when an employee of Southland Ice Company， Joe C. Thompson started selling milk， eggs and bread from an ice dock. The original location was an improvised²⁰ storefront at Southland Ice Company， an ice-manufacturing plant owned by John Jefferson Green. Although small grocery stores and general merchandisers were present in the immediate²¹ area， the manager of the ice plant， Joe C. Thompson discovered that selling “convenience items” such as bread and milk was popular due to the ice’s natural ability to preserve the items. This significantly cut back on people’s need to travel long distances to the grocery stores for basic items. Joe C. Thompson eventually bought the Southland Ice Company and turned it into the Southland Corporation which oversaw²² several locations which opened up in the Dallas area. Initially²³， these stores were open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.， hours unprecedented²⁴ in their length， hence the name. The company began to use the 7-Eleven name in 1946. By 1952， 7-Eleven opened its 100th store. It was incorporated as the The Southland Corporation in 1961.

　　2

　　Microsoft

　　Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational²⁵ computer technology corporation， which rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s， followed by the Windows line of operating systems. It develops， manufactures， licenses²⁶， and supports a wide range of software products for computing²⁷ devices. Microsoft’s best-selling products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite²⁸ of productivity software.

　　1

　　Walmart

　　Walmart is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large， discount department stores. It is the world’s largest public corporation by revenue， according to the 2008 Fortune Global 500. Founded by Sam Walton in 1962， it was incorporated on October 31， 1969， and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is the largest private employer in the world and the fourth largest utility or commercial employer， trailing the British National Health Service， and the Indian Railways. Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States， with an estimated 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business. It also owns and operates the North American company， Sam’s Club.

　　It operates in Mexico as Walmex， in the UK as ASDA， and in Japan as Seiyu. It has wholly-owned operations in Argentina， Brazil， Canada， and Puerto Rico. Wal-Mart’s investments outside North America have had mixed results： its operations in South America and China are highly successful， while it was forced to pull out of Germany and South Korea when ventures there were unsuccessful.

1 icons   

n.偶像( icon的名词复数 )；（计算机屏幕上表示命令、程序的）符号，图像

参考例句：

• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons. 用图标来区分重要的文本项。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Daemonic icons should only be employed persistently if they provide continuous, useful status information. 只有会连续地提供有用状态信息的情况下，后台应用程序才应该一直使用图标。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

5 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。

6 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

7 slated   

用石板瓦盖( slate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Yuki is working up an in-home phonics program slated for Thursdays, and I'm drilling her on English conversation at dinnertime. Yuki每周四还有一次家庭语音课。我在晚餐时训练她的英语口语。
• Bromfield was slated to become U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. 布罗姆菲尔德被提名为美国农业部长。

8 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

9 retailing   

n.零售业v.零售(retail的现在分词)

参考例句：

• career opportunities in retailing 零售业的职业机会
• He is fond of retailing the news. 他喜欢传播消息。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

11 depot   

n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站

参考例句：

• The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
• They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。

12 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

13 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

14 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

15 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

16 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。

17 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

18 syrups   

n.糖浆，糖汁( syrup的名词复数 )；糖浆类药品

参考例句：

• A variety of cocktails were created all using Monin syrups and purees. 我们用莫林糖浆和果泥创作了许多鸡尾酒。 来自互联网
• Other applications include fruit juices, flavors, and sugar syrups. 其它的应用包括水果汁、香精和糖浆。 来自互联网

19 franchised   

v.给…以特许权，出售特许权( franchise的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He is starting the first school himself,but subsequent ones will be franchised to use the Fujita method. 他已经自己开办了第一所学校，但是以后的学校将被特许使用富士达方法。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Driving tests for franchised bus are held on request by bus companies. 专营巴士的驾驶考试只在巴士公司要求下才举行。 来自互联网

20 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

21 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

22 oversaw   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He will go down as the president who oversaw two historic transitions. 他将作为见证了巴西两次历史性转变的总统，安然引退。 来自互联网
• Dixon oversaw the project as creative director of Design Research Studio. 狄克逊监督项目的创意总监设计研究工作室。 来自互联网

23 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

24 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

25 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

26 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

27 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

28 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。