考研英語范文閱讀(三十二)

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The world is going through the biggest wave of mergers and acquisitions ever witnessed. The process sweeps from hyperactive America to Europe and reaches the emerging countries with unsurpassed might. Many in these countries are looking at this process and worrying: “Won't the wave of business concentration turn into an uncontrollable anti-competitive force?”
    There's no question that the big are getting bigger and more powerful. Multinational corporations accounted for less than 20% of international trade in 1982. Today the figure is more than 25% and growing rapidly. International affiliates account for a fast-growing segment of production in economies that open up and welcome foreign investment. In Argentina, for instance, after the reforms of the early 1990s, multinationals went from 43% to almost 70% of the industrial production of the 200 largest firms. This phenomenon has created serious concerns over the role of smaller economic firms, of national businessmen and over the ultimate stability of the world economy.
    I believe that the most important forces behind the massive MA wave are the same that underlie the globalization process: falling transportation and communication costs, lower trade and investment barriers and enlarged markets that require enlarged operations capable of meeting customers' demands. All these are beneficial, not detrimental, to consumers. As productivity grows, the world's wealth increases.
    Examples of benefits or costs of the current concentration wave are scanty. Yet it is hard to imagine that the merger of a few oil firms today could re-create the same threats to competition that were feared nearly a century ago in the US, when the Standard Oil trust was broken up. The mergers of telecom companies, such as World Com, hardly seem to bring higher prices for consumers or a reduction in the pace of technical progress. On the contrary, the price of communications is coming down fast. In cars, too, concentration is increasing—witness Daimler and Chrysler, Renault and Nissan—but it does not appear that consumers are being hurt. Yet the fact remains that the merger movement must be watched. A few weeks ago, Alan Greenspan warned against the megamergers in the banking industry. Who is going to supervise, regulate and operate as lender of last resort with the gigantic banks that are being created? Won't multinationals shift production from one place to another when a nation gets too strict about infringements to fair competition? And should one country take upon itself the role of “defending competition” on issues that affect many other nations, as in the US vs. Microsoft case?
    63. What is the typical trend of businesses today?
    (A)To take in more foreign funds.
    (B)To invest more abroad.
    (C)To combine and become bigger.
    (D)To trade with more countries.
    64. According to the author, one of the driving forces behind M&A wave is ________.
    (A)the greater customer demands
    (B)a surplus supply for the market
    (C)a growing productivity
    (D)the increase of the world's wealth
    65. From paragraph 4 we can infer that ________.
    (A)the increasing concentration is certain to hurt consumers
    (B)WorldCom serves as a good example of both benefits and costs
    (C)the costs of the globalization process are enormous
    (D)the Standard Oil trust might have threatened competition
    66. Toward the new business wave, the writer's attitude can be said to be ________.
    (A)optimistic
    (B)objective
    (C)pessimistic
    (D)biased
    答案及試題解析
    CADB
    63.(C)意為:合并并變得龐大。
    第一段就指出,世界正在經歷有史以來的合并和兼并熱潮,這一熱潮以前所未有的態(tài)勢席卷了異?;钴S的美國和歐洲,并延伸到新興經濟國家。
    A意為:吸收更多的外資。
    B意為:更多地向海外投資。
    D意為:與更多的國家做買賣。
    64.(A)意為:顧客更大的需要。
    第三段剖析了造成合并和兼并熱潮(M&A wave)的重要原因。在作者看來,這些因素和導致(經濟)日趨全球化的過程是一樣的,如:交通運輸成本的日趨下降,貿易和投資障礙的減少,以及擴大的市場:擴大的市場需要市場業(yè)務的擴大,以滿足顧客的需要。作者又總結說,所有這些因素都對顧客有益,而不會有害。在以上提到的三個因素中,包括了根據(jù)顧客的需要擴大市場這個因素。
    B意為:對市場的額外供給。
    C意為:日益增長的生產率。
    D意為:世界財富的增長。
    以上提到的三個原因不包括B、C、D提到的內容。
    65.(D)意為:標準石油聯(lián)合公司可能曾對競爭形成過威脅。
    第四段第一、二句提到,要找出目前合并熱潮帶來的利益和降低成本的例子還很困難,但是,如果現(xiàn)在有幾個石油公司合并,很難想像會再次產生近乎100年前所引起人們恐慌的對(公平)競爭的威脅,這一情況當時是由于美國的標準石油聯(lián)合公司解體而造成的。
    A意為:日益增長的合并熱潮肯定會損害顧客的利益。第四段第三、四、五句提到,像WorldCom這樣的電信公司合并幾乎沒有給消費者帶來更高的價格,或減緩技術進步的步伐,相反,通信業(yè)務的價格迅速降低;汽車工業(yè)也在合并,但也沒有跡象表明消費者的利益受到傷害。
    B意為:WorldCom是一個(合并)帶來利益和降低成本的好例子。參閱第四段第三句,這句強調的是價格沒有隨著合并而提高,并沒有提到價格降低問題,因此,合并雖然沒有傷害消費者,也沒有給他們帶來利益。
    C意為:全球化過程成本巨大。本段沒有涉及這方面的問題。
    66.(B)意為:客觀的。
    本文描述了目前的合并熱潮,第二段用數(shù)據(jù)證明了目前這種情況的現(xiàn)實存在,第三段解釋了造成這一現(xiàn)象的原因,第四段具體分析了合并熱潮的影響,認為人們沒有必要擔心,但是在最后一段,作者也提醒人們注意合并活動的動向??梢?,作者沒有對合并熱潮過
    于悲觀或樂觀,而是提到了它可能產生的正反兩方面的影響,對這一現(xiàn)象的產生采取了審慎理智的客觀態(tài)度。
    A意為:樂觀的。
    C意為:悲觀的。
    D意為:有偏見的。
    翻譯句子
    1、The world is going through the biggest wave of mergers and acquisitions ever witnessed.
    [參考譯文]世界正在經歷一場前所未有的巨大的并購浪潮。
    2、 Examples of benefits or costs of the current concentration wave are scanty. Yet it is hard to imagine that the merger of a few oil firms today could re-create the same threats to competition that were feared nearly a century ago in the US, when the Standard Oil trust was broken up.
    [參考譯文]目前證明這股合并浪潮是帶來利還是弊的實例并不多。但是很難想像當今的幾個石油公司的合并是否會重新造成約100年前美國標準石油公司對競爭造成的同樣的威脅,那時由于人們對該公司的這種擔心而導致了它最終的解散。
    補充難句翻譯
    ①International affiliates account for a fast- growing segment of production in economies that open up and welcome foreign investment. [參考譯文]跨國公司在世界各地建立分公司正是為什么各國對外開放引進外資后生產力能得以迅猛發(fā)展的原因。
    [結構剖析]本句的主干是International affiliates account for a fast- growing segment of production in economies,后面的 that open up and welcome foreign investment是economies的定語從句。
    [閱讀重點]注意一些詞匯的含義:affiliate名詞,意為“分支機構”,此處是指在世界各地都有分支的多國公司,并且是全句的主語;account for是……的原因;economies在此處指經濟領域的國家概念,因此用復數(shù)。
    ②This phenomenon has created serious concerns over the role of smaller economic firms, of national businessmen and over the ultimate stability of the world economy.[參考譯文]這種現(xiàn)象引起了對小型公司和民族商業(yè)家的角色地位以及世界經濟的最終穩(wěn)定的嚴重關切。
    [結構剖析]of smaller economic firms與of national businessmen都是the role的補語;而over the role of smaller economic firms,of national businessmen與 over the ultimate stability of the world economy都與concern相關連,是其補語。
    [閱讀重點]本句的重點在于看好concerns后面的結構,注意over the role與over the ultimate stability并列,而the role的后面有兩個并列的of結構。
    ③I believe that the most important forces behind the massive M&A wave are the same that underlie the globalization process: falling transportation and communication costs, lower trade and investment barriers and enlarged markets that require enlarged operations capable of meeting customers' demands.
    [參考譯文]我認為巨大的并購浪潮背后的最重要的推動力同時也就是促成全球化進程的那方基石:即降低交通運輸成本,逐漸減少貿易投資壁壘,以及大幅度拓展市場,這些都要求更大規(guī)模的經營管理以滿足消費者需求。
    [結構剖析]本句主語為I,謂語為believe,that引導了believe的賓語從句,其中的又一個that可替換為 as the ones that,是一個定語從句。冒號后面的部分是the most important forces的同位語,其中markets 后面的that從句是markets的定語,capable of meeting customers' demands是operations的補語。
    [閱讀重點]underlie在下面,作基礎;barriers障礙物,壁壘;operations經營運作;meet sb's demands滿足某人需求。
    ④And should one country take upon itself the role of “defending competition” on issues that affect many other nations, as in the US vs. Microsoft case?
    [參考譯文]還有,當所處理的間題牽涉其他許多國家時,比如像在美國政府訴微軟一案中,一個國家應不應該扮演“自由競爭保衛(wèi)者”的角色?[結構剖析]此句的主干是should one country take upon itself the role,而 that affect many other nations是issues的定語從句。 as in the US vs. Microsoft case是issues的補語。on issues是 take upon itself the role的狀語。
    [閱讀重點]注意本句在閱讀的時候要抓住它本身是一個文句,另外,vs.的意思對正確理解也很重要,它是指“對壘,對陣”,在法律的情景中就是“起訴,對簿公堂”的意思。
    語言點詳解
    1.merger合并[大綱詞匯]merge v.使(企業(yè)、團體)合并;使融合merger n.合并[經典例句]One solution might be a merger with another large electronics firm.
    2.witness.發(fā)生[大綱詞匯]witness n.目擊者,證人;證據(jù),證明; v.目擊,目睹;作證[經典例句]The years have witnessed great changes in the city.
    3.hyperactive極度活躍的[大綱詞匯]hyperactive a.活動過強的;極度活躍的[構詞方法]hyper-.前綴,表示“超出”,“在…之上”[聯(lián)想記憶]hypercritical a.吹毛求疵的hypersensitive a.極度敏感的
    4.unsurpassed無與倫比的[大綱詞匯]surpass v.勝過,超過[經典例句]unsurpassed a.未被超越的,無與倫比的;卓越的[經典例句]Her unsurpassed beauty bewitched everybody.
    5.might力量[大綱詞匯]might n.力量,威力,能力mighty a.強有力的[經典例句] He works with all his might.
    6.uncontrollable不可控制的[大綱詞匯]control n.(over)控制,支配; v.控制,支配[衍生詞匯] controllable a.可控制的uncontrollable a.不可控制的[經典例句]You should do something, lest the situation will become uncontrollable.
    7.multinational多國的[擴充詞匯] multinational a.多國的;在多國經營的[構詞方法] multi-前綴,表示“多的”[聯(lián)想記憶]multilateral a.多邊的multicenter n.多個中心
    8.account for占(比例)[大綱詞匯]account for說明(原因等)[擴充詞義]account for占(比例)[經典例句]It accounts for 30 per cent of all railway accidents.
    9.affiliate分公司[大綱詞匯]affiliate v.使隸屬(或附屬)于; n.附屬機構,分公司[經典例句]Affiliates and nonmembers attended the public ceremony.
    10.segment部分[大綱詞匯]segment n.段,片,節(jié),部分[經典例句]The runner went faster on the middle segment of the course.
    11.ultimate根本的[大綱詞匯]ultimate a.最后的,最終的;根本的[經典例句]The panel of economists are looking for the ultimate solution of the problem.
    12.massive大規(guī)模的[大綱詞匯]massive a.大而重的,厚實的,粗大的;大規(guī)模的,大量的[經典例句]The company has made massive effort to obtain the project.
    13.underlie潛存于…之下[擴充詞匯]underlie v.在…之下;潛存于…之下[經典例句]Many facts underlie my decision.
    14.globalization全球一體化[大綱詞匯]global a.全球的,世界的[衍生詞匯]globalization n.全球一體化
    15.barrier障礙[大綱詞匯]barrier n.柵欄,屏障;障礙(物)[經典例句] They had a discussion on how to break down the barriers of race……16.detrimental 有害的[大綱詞匯]detriment n.損害,不利,傷害detrimental a.有害的,不利的[經典例句] A poor diet is detrimental to one's health……17.scanty少的[大綱詞匯] scanty a.貧乏的,少的[經典例句] In the end they came to the conclusion that evidence is scanty.
    18.trust托拉斯[擴充詞義]trust n.托拉斯,壟斷企業(yè)
    19. break up[大綱詞匯]break up中止,結束;打碎,拆散[經典例句]Their love affair was broken up by their parents.
    20.megamerger大規(guī)模的合并[構詞方法]mega-前綴,表示“巨大的”,“強有力的”[聯(lián)想記憶]megaphone n.擴音器megastructure n.巨廈
    21.supervise管理[大綱詞匯]supervise v.管理,監(jiān)督[經典例句]Two teachers will supervise the examination.
    22.gigantic巨大的[大綱詞匯]gigantic a.巨大的,龐大的[經典例句]Titanic was a gigantic ship.
    23.infringement侵害[擴充詞匯] infringement n.違反,違背;侵犯,侵害[經典例句] We regarded their actions as infringement on the rights of the citizens.
    24.teke upon承擔[擴充詞匯] take upon承擔[經典例句]She took upon the responsibility of educating his brother's children.
    全文翻譯
    世界正在經歷一場前所未有的巨大的并購浪潮。這個浪潮從異?;钴S的美國席卷到歐洲,并以不可比擬的威力影響到正在崛起的國家。這些國家的許多人面對這個浪潮開始憂慮:“企業(yè)合并的浪潮會不會變成一股不可控制的反競爭的力量?”
    無疑,大企業(yè)正在變得更大、更強。跨國公司在1982年只占有國際貿易不到20%的份額。而現(xiàn)在,這個數(shù)字上升到25%強,并且還在迅速上升。在那些對外開放并鼓勵外資的國家的經濟中國際分公司在國民生產中成為一個快速增長的部門。比如,在阿根廷,經過90年代初的改革之后,跨國公司在 200家大型企業(yè)的工業(yè)生產中從43%增加到幾乎70%。這個現(xiàn)象造成了人們對小型企業(yè)和民族資本的作用以及世界經濟的最終穩(wěn)定的嚴重憂慮。
    我認為,推動這股巨大的并購浪潮的最主要的力量,也是推動全球化進程的力量,包括日趨下降的運輸與通訊費用,較低的貿易與投資壁壘,以及市場的擴大和為滿足市場需求而進行的擴大生產。所有這些對消費者來說都有益而無害的。隨著生產力的提高,世界的財富也在增長。
    目前證明這股合并浪潮是帶來利還是弊的實例并不多。但是很難想像當今的幾個石油公司的合并是否會重新造成約100年前美國標準石油公司對競爭造成的同樣的威脅,那時由于人們對該公司的這種擔心而導致了它最終的解散。像世界通訊這樣的通訊公司合并似乎沒有給消費者帶來更高的價格,或者降低技術進步的速度。相反,通信的價格在迅速下降。在汽車行業(yè),合并也同樣在增加——比如戴姆勒與克萊斯勒,雷諾與尼桑的合并——但消費者看起來并未受到傷害。
    但是合并運動必須受到嚴密監(jiān)視這個事實仍然存在。就在幾星期以前,格林斯潘對銀行業(yè)的巨大合并發(fā)出了警告。如果合并后如此巨大的銀行出現(xiàn),誰來充當最終的借貸者,發(fā)揮監(jiān)督、規(guī)范和運作的作用呢?當一個國家對破壞公平競爭的行為的處理過于嚴厲時,跨國公司會不會把它們的生產從一地轉到另一地呢?在那些將會影響許多其他國家的事情中,如美國政府與微軟公司的訴訟案,一個國家是否應該擔負起“保護競爭”的責任呢?