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U2课文
Future of Net Economy
By Pete Dowden
As we have entered the new century, human society is beginning its move from the industrial economy into the knowledge-based economy. In more specific terms, the application of information to the economy is best exemplified in the networking of communication, or the so-called Net economy. This Net refers to the computer network of satellites, optic fibers, cables and telephone lines that connect the whole world. With the click of a mouse, information from the other end of the globe will be transported to your computer screen at the dizzying speed of seven-and-a-half times around the earth per second. Generally, there are two aspects of the Net. One is the networking between businesses and their customers. The other is the networking between individual businesses, or the regional and even global networking between industrial production and scientific research. Internet shopping belongs to the first aspect.
当我们步入新世纪的时候,人类社会正开始由工业经济向知识型经济转变。具体地说,经济中信息的应用主要是反映在通讯的网络化,也就是所谓的网络经济。该网络就是指由卫星、光纤、电缆和电话线路将世界各个角落连接在一起的电脑网络。只要用鼠标一点,在地球另一端的信息马上就会以每秒钟绕地球七周半的惊人速度传输到你的电脑屏幕上。网络化大致可分成两个方面:其一是企业与客户之间的网络化。另外一个则是企业间的网络化,或者是工业生产和科学研究之间的地区性甚至全球性的网络化。网上购物就属于第一个方面。
From a long-term perspective, Internet shopping is but a low-level aspect of the Net, and it is not likely to become the most important trend. After all, most merchandise is unsuitable for Internet shopping. Besides, if everyone shops on the Net, what will happen to the hundreds and thousands of shopping malls? Therefore, the second aspect of the Net will be more important. Its significance goes beyond that of connecting businesses. There have been reports of simultaneous consultation of doctors from all over the world on the Internet. These are early examples of high-level networking.
从长远来看,网上购物仅仅是低层次的网络化,未必会成为最主要的趋向。毕竟大多数商品并不适合于网上购物。此外,如果大家都在网上购物,那么成千上万的购物中心该怎么办呢?所以说,网络化的第二个方面将更加重要。它的重要性远远超过了商务联络。媒体曾报道过世界各地的医生利用国际互联网同时会诊。这些是高层次网络化的初期例子。
It is estimated that the new interaction between computers and Net technology will have significant influence on the industry of the future. The sheer power of electronic commerce (e-commerce) will change the face of trade dramatically. Sporting goods company Puma was on the verge of bankruptcy back in 1992. From 1993, Puma began to diffuse its production, logistics and marketing divisions to 80 Net enterprises worldwide, and the results were spectacular. Puma was transformed from a sickly feline into a magnificent beast. The reason for this transformation is that intra and inter-business electronic links greatly increase the efficiency of production, planning, the collecting of information and data exchange. As the business is rapidly being rationalized, production figures go up while costs come down.
有人预测,新的电脑和网络技术的结合将会对未来工业产生巨大的影响。电子商务的惊人威力会使贸易发生巨变。彪马体育用品公司在1992年已濒临破产。1993年起,彪马公司开始把生产、后勤和销售分散到全世界80个电脑联网企业,结果业绩斐然。彪马从一只病猫变成一头真正的猛兽。其原因就是企业内部和企业之间的电子网络极大地提高了生产、规划、信息收集以及数据交换的效率。由于业务迅速合理化,生产数量得到了提高,而同时成本也随之降低。
The development of e-commerce may well bring the world into a brand new era of "electronic currency". With the emergence of a phantom electronic currency, everyone of us would be affected. At the moment, developed areas in Europe, the United States and Asia have already started studying the possibility of an electronic currency. Electronic currency is not only about currency. It refers to an entire finance system on the Net. It includes a virtual numeric currency, an electronic system of withdrawals, transfers and loans, and Smartcards (electronic purses) of all shapes and sizes. The appearance of an electronic currency system implies the emergence of "virtual banks" and "virtual enterprises". Actually, the rudimentary beginnings of a virtual bank appeared in the US in 1995 as the Security First Network Bank, the world's first Internet bank. Although it is a small and insignificant bank, it represents the trend of the future. In time to come, we may even have to abandon the familiar paper currency.
电子商务的发展很可能会把世界带进一个"电子货币"的崭新时代。幽灵般的电子货币的出现会影响我们每一个人。目前欧美和亚洲的发达地区都已经开始了对电子货币可行性的研究。电子货币不单指钱币,而是泛指网上一个完整的金融系统。它包括一种虚拟的数字钱币、一套电子出纳转帐借贷系统以及各种形状和大小的智能卡(电子钱包)。电子货币系统的出现意味着"虚拟银行"和"虚拟企业"的出现。其实,这种虚拟银行的雏形早在1995年就已经在美国出现。它的名称是"安全第一网络银行",堪称世界第一家国际互联网银行。虽然它只是一家微不足道的银行,但是它却代表了未来的趋势。到了那个时候,我们也许真的不得不告别我们已经习惯了的纸币。
As the Net pushes the economy ahead rapidly, the economy is also bringing the Net market forward, resulting in the Internet itself becoming the world's largest emerging market. Of course, this is just the beginning. Although there are many companies which made huge profits investing in the Internet market, they tend to be small companies, like Yahoo. To date, most companies are making losses. The Net and e-commerce will foster a large number of free-lancers, and this will affect social structure in a big way. The competition for technological superiority in the era of the knowledge-based economy will also be more intense. This will definitely promote greater (even global) and more efficient cooperation to maintain competitiveness. The highly efficient research and development work conducted on the worldwide Net are best suited for small and medium enterprises to band together and break the monopolies of the "giants".
当网络化高速地推动经济的时候,经济也反过来促进网络市场的发展。其结果是国际互联网本身将成为全球最大的新兴市场。当然这还仅仅是个开始。尽管在国际互联网市场上投资的许多公司都赚了大钱,但它们通常是小公司,比如雅虎。迄今为止,多数公司还是赔钱的。网络化和电子商务的发展将会造就大批的自由职业者,从而将对社会结构产生深远影响。在知识型经济的时代,科技领先的竞争也会变得更激烈。这必定会促进更大(甚至是全球范围内)更卓有成效的合作,以保持竞争力。全球网络化的高效率研究及开发工作对中小型企业联合起来打破"巨人"的垄断是最适合不过的了。
U4课文
A Time for Apologies
[1] Throughout history, saying sorry is not something political and religious leaders have felt comfortable about. Some see it as a sign of weakness; for others it's an admission that they are liable to make errors-something religious institutions are particularly careful to avoid.
[1]在整个历史上,说对不起并不是让政治和宗教领袖感觉舒服的一件事。一些人把说对不起看作是软弱的象征;另一些人认为说对不起意味着承认自己是容易犯错误的-——这一点是宗教机构特别小心加以回避的。
[2] But as political systems have become more sophisticated, the idea that governments or churches are faultless has become increasingly difficult to defend. The response of some people in positions of authority has been to stand up and apologize for past wrongs. [Chinese]
[2]但随着政治体制变得更加精密复杂,政府和教会是无懈可击的观点已越来越难以站得住脚跟。一些身居要职的人对此的反应是站起来为过去的错误道歉。
[3] The trend began in earnest in 1995, when the Queen of England admitted that the Maori people of New Zealand had been shamefully treated, when the country was a British colony. Since then, what started as trickle of apologies has turned into something of a flood. Last year alone, apologies were issued by three of the world's most powerful nations. The US President, Bill Clinton, apologized for medical experiments which his government carried out on black American men in the 1930s; the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, apologized for Britain's failure to help victims of the Irish potato famine, which killed over a million people last century; and French Catholic Bishops apologized for the role of their predecessors during World War II. [Chinese]
[3]这个潮流是从1995年才真正开始的。当时英国女王承认在新西兰还是英国的殖民地时,新西兰的土著毛利人曾遭到英国人的羞辱。从这以后,以涓涓细流开始的道歉就变成了道歉的滔滔洪水。仅去年一年,就有三个世界最权威的国家道了歉。美国总统比尔?克林顿为本世纪30年代美国政府在美国黑人身上进行医学实验而道歉:英国首相托里?布莱尔为上一世纪英国在爱尔兰因土豆枯萎而引发的饥荒中没有帮助受灾的饥民而道歉,这次饥荒使一百多万人丧生;法国天主教的主教们为他们的前任在二战中的表现而道歉。
[4] But why do heads of state feel the need to apologize, and why now? One answer has to do with the recent 50th-anniversary of the end of World War II. Three years ago, governments around the world wanted to mark this historic event with some acts. But those countries which had been on the winning side found that simple celebrations of victory were no longer appropriate. Many political leaders, like most of their citizens, belong to post-war generations, who now look on the conflict as more than simply the victory of good over evil. Also, the passing of time has erased much of the propaganda of the period. In its place, recently declassified documents reveal that many of the victors either profited, or turned a blind eye to the sufferings of the war. [Chinese]
[4]但为什么政府首脑感觉有道歉的必要,并且为什么现在才有这种感觉呢?原因之一是与最近的二战结束50周年纪念有关。3年前,世界各国政府想以行动来纪念这个有历史意义的事件。但二战的战胜国发现简单地庆贺胜利已不再合适。许多政治领袖,和他们的国民一样,属于战后的一代,他们现在认为那次战争并不是简单的正义战胜邪恶的战争。并且,时间的流逝抹去了很多当时的宣传色彩。与宣传相反,近期被销密的文件显示战胜方的许多人不是获得了利益,就是对战争所造成的灾难视而不见。
[5] In the event, the 50th-anniversary celebrations emphasized the recreation of harmony
and the desire never to repeat the cruelties and suffering of World War II. But amid the general goodwill, the few remaining survivors of cruelties like the Holocaust, and military occupation, called for their personal suffering to be admitted, and for compensation to be paid. [Chinese] [5]结果,二战50周年的庆祝活动强调了重铸和解以及永远不使二战中的暴行和苦难重演的愿望。但在这些普遍的良好愿望中,还有在二战中经受过如大屠杀暴行和军事占领暴行的极少数幸存者要求承认他们的个人伤害,并要求加以赔偿;
[6] Two groups-Jewish survivors of the Holocaust and Korean women who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese army-have both received apologies. However, neither group is entirely satisfied with the result. [Chinese]
[6]有两部分人——大屠杀中幸存的犹太人和被日本军队强征为军妓的朝鲜妇女都被致歉了。然而,对这一结果他们都不完全满意。
[7] But the renewed investigation of crimes committed during World War II is only one reason for the apology phenomenon. Other governments, notably the US, have also realized that if they want to demand high standards of moral behaviour from other nations, they can only do so if they admit their own past wrongs. President Clinton has responded by making public apologies to US citizens, who, as recently as the 1950s, were used as guinea-pigs in secret experiments involving radiation and sexually transmitted diseases. He is also expected to make a formal apology to the descendants of slaves in the US. [Chinese]
[7]重新审视二战期间犯下的罪行只是道歉现象的原因之一。其他一些政府,尤其是美国,也已意识到如果他们想要求其他国家有高标准的道德行为,他们只有承认自己过去的错误,才能做到这一点。克林顿总统对此已作出了反应,他对近在本世纪50年代进行的一次涉及辐射和性病传染的秘密实验中被用做实验对象的美国公民公开致歉。人们也期望他对美国奴隶的后裔作出正式的道歉。
[8] But it's not just a sense of conscience, nor demands from pressure groups, which lies behind these apologies. A well-timed apology can do a lot to promote a head of state's public image-in the 90s, caring and sympathetic leaders are better vote winners than proud and determined ones. [Chinese]
[8]支撑这些道歉的并不仅仅是良心的发现,也不仅仅是压力群体的要求。一个恰逢时候的道歉对抬高首脑人物的公众形象是很有帮助的。在90年代,体贴和富于情感的领袖人物要比骄傲和武断的领袖人物赢得更多的选票。
[9] However, playing the public-relations game with apologies is dangerous, as some politicians have found to their cost. The Swiss government is still trying to put right the public-relations disaster that resulted from their partial apology for Switzerland's dealings with the Nazis in the 1930s and 40s. [Chinese]
[9]然而,玩用道歉来赢得公众关系的游戏是危险的,这一点一些政治家已亲身体会到了。瑞士政府仍然还在试图摆平一场公共关系的灾难,灾难发生的原因在于他们对他们国家在本世纪30和40年代与纳粹分子的交往所作的道歉是不公平的。
[10] But, in Britain, Tony Blair has gained a different kind of political advantage through his apology for the Irish potato famine. His statement has helped improve relations between the parties involved in the difficult peace negotiations over Northern Ireland. He is now thought to be considering an official apology for the 1972 killing of Northern Irish Catholics by the British Army on what has become known as "Bloody Sunday". [Chinese]
[10]但在英国,托里?布莱尔通过对爱尔兰土豆饥荒的道歉却获得了另一种政治上的利益。他的道歉有助于改善在北爱尔兰问题和平谈判中陷于僵局的双方关系。人们认为他现在正考
虑对1972年英国军队在所谓“血腥星期日’’那天对北爱尔兰天主教徒进行的屠杀作正式的道歉。
[11] Before he issues an apology, however, Tony Blair will have to consider the possibility that victim's families might issue claims for compensation. The cost of fulfilling or fighting such claims could outweigh any political advantages. Also, because this event happened relatively recently, relations between the different sides in Northern Ireland could suffer. [Chinese] [11]然而,在托里?布莱尔宣布道歉以前,他将不得不考虑受害者家属要求赔偿的可能性。接受或拒绝类似的索赔要求的代价可能会大大超过任何政治上所获取的好处。并且,由于这次事件发生的时间比较近,有关北爱尔兰问题双方的关系可能会受到损害。
[12] These points illustrate some of the risks that leaders take when saying sorry for past wrongs. But, for most leaders, these risks have been purely academic. So academic, in fact, that there is a concern that "sorry" might turn out to be the easiest word after all. [Chinese] [12]这几点说明了首脑人物在为过去的错误作道歉时所承担的风险。但对大多数领袖人物来说,这样的风险是没有实质
内容
财务内部控制制度的内容财务内部控制制度的内容人员招聘与配置的内容项目成本控制的内容消防安全演练内容
的。事实上,这些风险是如此的空泛,以至于有一种担心,认为“对不起”这个词竟然将成为最容易说的词。
U10课文
How the Rich Got Rich - and You Could Too
Every year Forbes magazine prints The Forbes Four Hundred, a list of the richest individuals in the United States. This issue makes for interesting reading because it tells how these people made their money and, indirectly, how the country has changed over the years.
每年《福布斯》杂志都要公布美国最富有的400人排行榜。该杂志颇能激发人们的阅读兴趣,因为它不仅告诉你这些富翁是如何赚到钱的,而且还间接地显示了美国这些年来所发生的种种变化。
When Forbes published its first list in 1982, five of the top ten were in the Hunt family that drilled Texas full of holes and hit a lot of gushers, which reminds us of advice attributed to billionaire J. Paul Getty on how to get ahead in the world: rise early, work hard, strike oil. Getty got his big start the old-fashioned way - from father's money.
当《福布斯》1982年首次公布排行榜时,榜中前10名大富豪中有5名属于亨特家族。这个家族是靠在得克萨斯州从事大范围的油井钻探业,打出了许多自喷井而致富的。这就使人想起亿万富翁J·保罗·盖蒂所提出的关于怎样出人头地的忠告;勤奋早起,埋头苦干,打井找油。但盖蒂本人最初却是以古老的方式—继承父辈的遗产起家的。
The original list 14 years ago was crawling with Rockefellers, and Du Ponts, a Frick, a Whitney, Mellon or two - all great family fortunes that stretched back to the 19th century. The word "inheritance" appeared in the biographies 75 times.
14年前跻身于最初排行榜的富豪中有相当一部分属于洛克菲勒家族、杜邦家族,有一个来自弗里克家族,一个来自惠特尼家族,梅隆家族也有一两个—而所有这些大家族的财富均可追溯到19世纪。“遗产”这个词在传记中出现了75次。
These weren't as many old-money fortunes on last year's list - which leads to some conclusions about wealth in America. First, it's not easy to hold on to money, even for billionaires. Taxes put a big dent in family fortunes, and unless the heirs are careful and invest wisely, they can lose their millions as fast as their ancestors made them.
去年的排行榜上依靠遗产取得财富的已经没有原来那么多了—由此可以得出一些有关美国
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