WORDS AND THEIR STORIES(26)

WORDS AND THEIR STORIES
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Broadcast: Sunday, October 24, 2004

Now the VOA Special English program-- Words and Their Stories.

There are many special terms in the world of business. The following story is about a sweetheart deal which I made last week. I made the deal with a friend. And we both made a profit.

I had started a small company several years ago. I worked hard to make it successful. It was a sign-making business. It was a small company, not a blue chip company. It was not known¹ nationally for the quality of its signs. It did not make millions of dollars in profits. And it was private. It was not a public company with shares traded on the stock² market. Still, I worked hard building up my business. I did not work only a few hours each day, no bagger's hours for me. Instead, I spent many hours each day, seven days a week, trying to grow the company. I never cut corners or try to save on expenses. I made many cold calls. I called on possible buyers from a list of people I had never seen. Such calls were often hard sales. I had to be very firm.

Sometimes, I sold my signs at a loss³. I did not make money on my product. When this happened, there were cutbacks. I had to use fewer supplies and reduce the number of workers. But after several years, the company broke even. Profits were equal to expenses, and soon after I began to gain ground. My signs were selling very quickly. They were selling like hot cakes. I was happy. The company was moving forward and making real progress. It was in the black, not in the red. The company was making money, not losing it .

My friend knew about my business. He is a leader in the sign-making industry, a real big gun if you know what I mean. He offered to buy my company. My friend wanted to take it public. He wanted to sell shares in the company to the general public.

My friend believed it was best to strike while the iron⁴ is hot. He wanted to take action at the best time possible and not wait. He offered me a ballpark estimate⁵ of the amount he would pay to buy my company. But I knew his uneducated guess was low. My company was worth much more. He asked his bean counter⁶ to crunch⁷ the numbers. That is, he asked his accountant⁸ to take a close look at the finances⁹ of my company and decide how much it was worth. Then my friend increased his offer.

My friend's official offer was finally given to me in black and white. It was written on paper and more than I ever dreamed. I was finally able to get a break. I made a huge profit on my company. And my friend also got a bang¹⁰ for the buck¹¹. He got a successful business for the money he spent.

1 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

2 stock   

n.存货，储备；树干；血统；股份；家畜；adj.存货的；平凡的，惯用的；股票的；畜牧的；vt.进货，采购；储存；供给；vi.出新芽；进货

参考例句：

• The shop takes stock every week on Friday mornings.这家商店每星期五早晨盘点存货。
• Experts have forecast an upturn in the stock market.专家已预测股票市场价格有上升趋势。

3 loss   

n.损失，遗失，失败，输，浪费，错过，[军]伤亡，降低

参考例句：

• His death was a great loss to the country.他的逝世对这个国家是一大损失。
• Because of the continued loss,the factory closed down.由于连续亏损，工厂关闭了。

4 iron   

n.铁，熨斗，坚强，烙铁，镣铐；vt.烫平，熨，用铁包；vi. 烫衣服

参考例句：

• The iron has lost its magnetic force.这块铁已失去了磁力。
• We need an electrician to mend the iron.我们要请电工修理熨斗。

5 estimate   

n.估计，估量；评价，看法；vt.估计，估量

参考例句：

• We estimate the cost to be five thousand dollars.我们估计费用为5000美元。
• The lowest estimate would put the worth of the jewel at ＄200.按最低的评估这块宝石也值200美元。

6 counter   

n.柜台；计数器；adj.相反的；adv.与…相反地；vt.反对，反击；vi.反对，反击

参考例句：

• This counter is closed now.这个柜台现在已停止营业。
• Set the counter to zero and you'll know where the recording starts.把计数器拨到零，你就会知道录音从哪儿开始。

7 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

8 accountant   

n.会计员，会计师

参考例句：

• I'm an accountant at a foreign bank.我在一家外资银行做会计。
• He was satisfied with his earnings as an accountant.他对自己会计师的收入很满意。

9 finances   

n.(pl.)财源，资产

参考例句：

• I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
• The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。

10 bang   

n.巨响，猛击；vi.砰砰作响；vt.砰地敲，猛击

参考例句：

• Pack it up, you kids;or I'll bang your heads together!住手，你们这些小孩，再弄就揍你们！
• She fell and got a nasty bang on the knee.她摔倒了，膝盖猛撞在地上。

11 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。