Day 1 单词作业

Phrases

1. account for

a. to form the total of sth :The former bookseller accounts for more than half of every new dollar spent online in America.

b. to explain the reason for sth or the cause of sth: He has to account to his manager for (= tell his manager and explain) all his movements.

2. cloud computing 云计算

3. cable channel 有线电视

4. work on

to spend time repairing or improving sth

Yet Amazon's shareholders are working on the premise that it is just getting started.

His dancing technique is good, but he needs to work on his fitness.

5. market capitalisation 市值 MarketCap

6. due to

because of

92% of its value is due to profits expected after 2020.

A lot of her unhappiness is due to boredom.

7. tick off 列举出

It is easy to tick off some of the pitfalls.

8. beef up

to make sth stronger or more important

Walmart already has revenues nudging $500bn and is beefing up online.

We need to find some players to beef up the team.

Your report on the new car park is fine, but why don't you beef it up with some figures?

9. achieve unprecedented goals

10. whinge about

to complain

In an era when executives routinely whinge about pressure to produce short-term results.

11. short-term results vs. distant horizon

12. virtuous circle vs. vicious circle

13. whirl around

to (cause sth to) turn around in circles

A third virtuous circle is starting to whirl around Alexa, the firm's voice-activated assistant.

14. crank out

(informal) to produce sth with no special care or effort

But the business is starting to crank out cash.

Like clock-work, he cranks out a new book every year.

15. logistics firms 物流公司；search engines 搜索引擎；social networks 社交网络

16. reminiscent of

making you remember a particular person, event, or thing

A wingspan this large is more reminiscent of a conglomerate than a retailer, which makes Amazon's share price seem even more bloated.

That song is so reminiscent of my adolescence.

17. air-freight hub 空运货物集散地

18. cash register （现金）收银台

19. drone delivery 无人机派送

20. equivalent of

A rough calculation suggests its earnings could be worth the equivalent of 25% of the combined profits of listed Western retail and media firms.

Ten thousand people a year die of the disease-- that's the equivalent of the population of this town.

21. legal liability 法律责任

22. chip away

to break a small piece off sth by accident

The comparative immunity from legal liability of digital platforms is being chipped away.

23. predatory pricing 掠夺性定价

a situation in which a company offers goods at such a low price that other companies cannot compete with it

Investors value Amazon's growth over profits; that makes predatory pricing more tempting.

The airline has reduced its prices so sharply that it has been accused of predatory pricing.

24. breadth of activities 经营范围

Words

1. activate

v. to cause sth to start 激活

a virtual voice-activated assistant

The alarm is activated by the lightest pressure.

2. premise

n. an idea or theory on which a statement or action is based

Yet Amazon's shareholders are working on the premise that it is just getting started.

They had started with the premise that all men are created equal.

3.fertile

* fertile ground for sth

a situation or place which produces good results or a lot of ideas

Ground for scepticism does not come much more fertile than this.

British politics remains very fertile ground for comedy.

4. pitfall

n. a likely mistake or problem in a situation

It is easy to tick off some of the pitfalls.

The store fell into one of the major pitfalls of small business, borrowing from suppliers by paying bills late.

5. propel

v. to push or move sth to sp, often with a lot of force

Mr Bezos emphasises continual investment to propel its two principal businesses, e-commerce and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

* propel sb into/to/towards sth

to cause sb to do an activity or be in a situation

The film propelled him to international stardom.(the quality of being famous, esp. for an actor)

6. lure

v. to persuade sb to do sth or go sp by offering them sth exciting

In e-commerce, the more shoppers Amazon lures, the more retailers and manufacturers want to sell their goods on Amazon.

She was lured into the job by the offer of a high salary.

He has lures his victim to a deserted house.

7. entice

v. to persuade sb to do sth by offering them sth pleasant

The adverts entice the customer into buying things they don't really want.

A smell of coffee in the doorway enticed people to enter the shop.

enticement (n)

One of the enticements of the job is the company car.

.8. heady

a. having a powerful effect, making you feel slightly drunk or excited

In the heady days of their youth, they thought anything was possible.

9. prophecy

n. a statement 预言

So long as shareholders retain their faith in this model, Amazon's heady valuation resembles a self-fulfilling prophecy.

These doom and gloom prophecies are doing little to help the economy.

* prophesy

v. to say that you believe sth will happen in the future

He prophesied that the present government would only stay four years in office.

I wouldn't like to prophesy what will happen to that marriage.

10. debacle

n. a complete failure, esp. because of bad planning and organization

It has had its failures-- its attempt to make a smartphone was a debacle.

The collapse of the company was described as the greatest financial debacle in US history.

11.quadruple四; triple三; double二

12. sheer

a.(complete) used to emphasize how very great, important, or powerful a quality of feeling is; nothing except

If Amazon's approach to time-frames is unusual, so too is the sheer breadth of its activities.

The sheer size of the country makes communications difficult. 幅员辽阔

13. conglomerate

n. a company that owns several smaller businesses whose products or services are usually different

the financial/industrial conglomerate

* corporation

n. a large company or group of companies that is controlled together as a single organization

a multinational corporation

14.presumably 大概

Such tools could presumably serve other customers, too.

15. utility

n. a service that is used by the public

utility bills

Some think that Amazon could become a new kind of utility: one that provides the infrastructure of commerce, from computing power to payments to logistics.

16.pristine

a. (approving) new or almost new , and in very good condition

Seen through this lens, Amazon appears pristine.

Washing machine for sale-- only two months old and in pristine condition.

17.well-regarded

a. used to describe sb or sth about which people have a good opinion

The airline is well-regarded by passengers.

Consumers applaud it; it is the most well-regarded company in America.

18.boon

n. sth that is very helpful and improves the quality of life

AWS is a boon to startups, too.

Guide dogs are a great boon to the partially sighted.

19. clout

n. power or influence over other people or events

In Europe, Google stands accused of using its clout as a search engine to extend its power to adjacent businesses.

The Queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.

20. inflammatory

a. intended or likely to cause anger or hate

the posting of inflammatory content/language/remarks

21. vetting 审核

the vetting of drivers on Uber

Amazon Studios is trying to disrupt this process right now through crowd sourcing the vetting process.

Terms

1. Conglomerate discount is an economic concept describing a situation when the stock market values a diversified group of businesses and assets at less than the sum of its parts. The explanation of this phenomenon comes from a conglomerate's inability to manage various and different businesses as well as do focused companies. Therefore, the market penalizes a multi-division firm and attaches a lower multiple to its earnings and cash flows, thus creating the discount. However, the opposite concept, called conglomerate premium.

集团化折价（或多元化折价）是指，集团化企业的市场价值，低于所估计出来的各个子公司的市场价值之和。

多元化经营主要优势之一应该是分散风险，可几十年前很多公司发现，投资者不喜欢这种模式。比起投资一家旗下业务众多的综合性大企业，投资者更愿意自己在各行业配置多元化投资组合，因为综合性大企业往往有着信息不对称，效率低下，结构臃肿等诸多弊病。这就是众所周知的“集团化折价”。但是这个概念似乎更适合制造业主导的20世纪，在21世纪物联网，大数据分析，机器智能兴起的时代，是略显过时的。

2. S&P 500 index 标准普尔指数500是记录美国500家上市公司的一个股票指数。

3. 掠夺性定价

掠夺性定价又称劫掠性定价、掠夺价、有时亦称掠夺性定价歧视，是指一个厂商将价格定在牺牲短期利润以消除竞争对手并在长期获得高利润的行为。

掠夺性定价是一种不公平的低价行为，实施该行为的企业占有一定的市场支配地位，他们具有资产雄厚、生产规模大、分散经营能力强等竞争优势，所以有能力承担暂时故意压低价格的利益损失，而一般的中小企业势单力薄，无力承担这种牺牲。

其次，掠夺性定价是以排挤竞争对手为目的的故意行为，实施该行为的企业以低于成本价销售，会造成短期的利益损失，但是这样做的目的是吸引消费者，以此为代价挤走竞争对手，行为人在一定时间达到目的后，会提高销售价格，独占市场。

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Day 2 逻辑导图＋神句翻译

翻译

1. The former bookseller accounts for more than half of every new dollar spent online in U.S.

曾经的图书销售商占据了美国一半以上的线上销售额。

2. Since the beginning of 2015, its share price has jumped by 173%, seven times quicker than in the two previous years. (and 12 times faster than the S&P 500 Index)

自2015年初，他的股价已暴涨了173个百分点，比前两年的增速快7倍。（比标准普尔指数增速快12倍）

3. With a market capitalization of some 400bn, it is the fifth most valuable firm in the world.

全球市值排名第五的公司的市值大概有4000亿美元。

4. Never before has a company been worth so much for so long while making so little money: 92% of its value is due to its profits expected after 2020.

此前从未有一个公司（像亚马逊一样）这么长时间盈利这么少却价值这么高：那是因为它百分之九十二的价值来源于2020年以后所预估的收益。

5. Walmart already has revenues nudging 500bn and is beefing up online.

沃尔玛的营业额已高达5000亿，而且线上发展的势头十分强劲。

6. Last year the cash-flow (before investment) was $16bn, more than quadruple the level five years ago.

去年的现金流量（投资前）达到了160亿美元，是五年前的四倍。

7. If it makes as much money as investors hope, a rough calculation suggests its earnings could be worth the equivalent of 25% of the combined profits of listed Western retail and media firms.

如果它的营业额达到投资商的预期，那么粗略的估计它所获得的利润可能相当于西方上市的零售与传媒公司的利润总和的百分之二十五。

8. Grounds for skepticism does not come more fertile than this: Amazon will have to grow faster than almost any big company in modern history to justify its valuation.

最充分的质疑的理由莫过于亚马逊不得不拼命的发展，超过现代史上几乎所有的大公司的发展速度，以此来为它的价值正言。

9. In an era when executives routinely whinge about pressure to produce short-term results, Amazon is resolutely focused on the distant horizon.

在这个管理者们千篇一律地抱怨着为了创造短期效益而带来的压力的时代，亚马逊坚定不移地将眼光放在长远利益上。

10. Mr. Bezos emphasizes continual investment to propel its principal businesses.

贝佐斯重点强调利用持续投资来推动亚马逊的两个主要业务的发展。

11. A third virtuous circle is starting to whirl around Alexa, the firm's voice-activated assistant.

第三个良性循环是关于Alexa, 亚马逊公司推出的语音助手。

12. So long as shareholders retain their faith in this model, Amazon's heady valuation resembles a self-fulfilling prophecy.

只要股东们对这种运营模式有信心，那么亚马逊目前激动人心的市值就会成为自我应验的预言。

13. Their faith is sustained by Amazon's record.

他们能拥有这种信心的背后是亚马逊领先世界的不败纪录的支持。

14. It has had it failures-- its attempt to make a smart-phone was a debacle. But the business is starting to crank out cash.

它固然有自己失误-- 涉足智能手机领域就是一个最大的败笔。但好在开始大把大把的赚钱了。

15. If Amazon's approach to time-frames is unusual, so too is the sheer breadth of its activities.

如果说亚马逊在“时间模式”上的策略是不走寻常路的话，那它旗下所涉足的领域之宽也是非同一般啊。

16. A wingspan this large is more reminiscent of a conglomerate than a retailer, which makes Amazon's share price seem even more bloated: stock markets typically apply a "conglomerate discount" to reflect their in-efficiencies.

正因为它所涉足的领域如此之广，使得它更像是一个多元化的企业集团，而不单单是零售商。这让亚马逊的股价愈发言过其实了：股票市场最愿意拿“多元化折让”来反映这种大型的企业集团的低效率了。

17. Seen through this lens, Amazon appears pristine.

从这个角度来看，亚马逊还算是一片净土。

18. Consumers applaud it; it is the most well-regarded company in America, according to a Harris poll.

顾客们对它称赞有加；根据哈里斯的一项民意调查显示它算是美国最受欢迎的公司了。

19. If it gets anywhere close to fulfilling it, it will attract the attention of regulators.

如果它步步为营，想尽办法的实现它的目标，那么与此同时也会引起监管人员的注意。

20. But as it grows, so will concerns about its power.

但是随着它的扩张，人们对它的势力范围的担忧也随之增加。

21. Investors value Amazon's growth over profits; that makes predatory pricing more tempting.

投资商们看重的是亚马逊的发展空间而非目前的企业利润，因此这种掠夺性的定价就更吸引人了。

思维导图

笃学奖-Topic 1- A11054-甘比精读

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Day 3 总结反思

翻译对比

1. The former bookseller accounts for more than half of every new dollar spent online in U.S.

曾经的图书销售商占据了美国一半以上的线上销售额。

美国新增线上交易中，书商起家的亚马逊占到一半以上份额。

2. Since the beginning of 2015, its share price has jumped by 173%, seven times quicker than in the two previous years. (and 12 times faster than the S&P 500 Index)

自2015年初，它的股价已暴涨了173个百分点，比前两年的增速快7倍。（比标准普尔指数增速快12倍）

自2015年初起，亚马逊公司股价飙升173%，增速是前两年的七倍。（为标准普尔500指数的12倍）

倍数翻译的不准确，是...的七倍 VS. 比...快七倍

3. With a market capitalization of some 400bn, it is the fifth most valuable firm in the world.

全球市值排名第五的公司的市值大概有4000亿美元。

亚马逊以约4000亿美元的市值排名全球第五。

句子成分的主次颠倒，没有突出主要内容（市值排名全球第五）

4. Never before has a company been worth so much for so long while making so little money: 92% of its value is due to its profits expected after 2020.

此前从未有一个公司（像亚马逊一样）这么长时间盈利这么少却价值这么高：那是因为它百分之九十二的价值来源于2020年以后所预估的收益。

从未有过一家公司能在盈利如此有限的情况下，长久维持如此之高的估值：其中92%来自2020年以后的盈利预期。

之前纠结于making so little money该怎么表达，翻译成盈利这么少不符合事实情况，自己又找不到更好的译法。“有限”这个表达恰到好处。

5. Walmart already has revenues nudging 500bn and is beefing up online.

沃尔玛的营业额已高达5000亿，而且线上发展的势头十分强劲。

沃尔玛的营收已接近5000亿，并且还在增强线上业务。

6. Last year the cash-flow (before investment) was $16bn, more than quadruple the level five years ago.

去年的现金流量（投资前）达到了160亿美元，是五年前的四倍。

去年现金流（投资之前）为160亿美元，是五年前的四倍。

7. If it makes as much money as investors hope, a rough calculation suggests its earnings could be worth the equivalent of 25% of the combined profits of listed Western retail and media firms.

如果它的营业额达到投资商的预期，那么粗略的估计它所获得的利润可能相当于西方上市的零售与传媒公司的利润总和的百分之二十五。

如果该公司实际业绩与投资者预期一致，据初步统计，其利润等同于所有西方零售和媒体上市公司利润总和的25%。

rough calculation 翻译腔严重

8. Grounds for skepticism does not come much more fertile than this: Amazon will have to grow faster than almost any big company in modern history to justify its valuation.

最充分的质疑的理由莫过于亚马逊不得不拼命的发展，超过现代史上几乎所有的大公司的发展速度，以此来为它的价值正言。

最强有力的质疑根据是：亚马逊的增长速度必须超过近代史上几乎任意一家大公司才能支撑其估值。

9. In an era when executives routinely whinge about pressure to produce short-term results, Amazon is resolutely focused on the distant horizon.

在这个管理者们千篇一律地抱怨着为了创造短期效益而带来的压力的时代，亚马逊坚定不移地将眼光放在长远利益上。

当今时代，主管们常常抱怨实现短期目标压力太大，而亚马逊则坚定不移的聚焦长远目标。

翻译的一个长句都把自己绕进去了，拆分成小句，短小精悍。

10. Mr. Bezos emphasizes continual investment to propel its principal businesses.

贝佐斯重点强调利用持续投资来推动亚马逊的两个主要业务的发展。

贝索斯先生重视两大核心业务的持续投资以促进发展。

11. A third virtuous circle is starting to whirl around Alexa, the firm's voice-activated assistant.

第三个良性循环是关于Alexa, 亚马逊公司推出的语音助手。

第三个良性循环是围绕Alexa的，即该公司声控助手。

12. So long as shareholders retain their faith in this model, Amazon's heady valuation resembles a self-fulfilling prophecy.

只要股东们对这种运营模式有信心，那么亚马逊目前激动人心的市值就会成为自我应验的预言。

只要股东们对这一模式保持信念，那么亚马逊的超高估值就类似于自我实现预言。

扩展积累

1. 表示上升的动词：jump; increase; go up; rise; soar

 表示下降的动词：plummet; diminish; decrease; decline

 表示消除的动词：eliminate; eradicate

2. revenue: 收入，营业额，营收

 profit= earning 利润 earnings per share 每股收益；export earnings 出口利润

3. quadruple (triple; double)

adj. Last year cash-flow was $16bn, more than quadruple the level five years ago.

v. Sales have quadrupled in the last five years.

4. justify

to give or to be a good reason for “证明正确”

I can't really justify taking another day off work.

Are you sure that these measures are justified?

Her success has justified the faith her teacher had put in her.

They have been asked to justify the decision to Parliament.

How can they justify paying such huge salaries?

* justify yourself

If you justify yourself, you give a good reason for what you have done

It was the only thing that I could do-- I don't have to justify myself to anyone.

5. 吸引: lure; entice; attract

In e-commerce, the more shoppers Amazon lures, the more retailers and manufacturers want to sell their goods on Amazon.

That gives Amazon more cash for new services- such as two-hour shipping and streaming video and music-- which entice more shoppers.

Similarly, the more customers use AWS, the more Amazon can invest in new services, which attract more customers.

6. 比喻句

Seen through this lens, Amazon appears pristine.

透过棱镜，好似洁白无瑕。（从这方面来看，似乎亚马逊并无过失。）

Ground for skepticism does not come much more fertile than this.

ground 衍生为“根据，理由”，土壤很肥沃，很有底气

A wingspan this large is more reminiscent of a conglomerate than a retailer.

wingspan 翼幅 衍生为“经营范围”

7. Most well-regarded company/ Most admired company/ Most highly-regarded company/ Best Perceived Brand

8. get anywhere close to 几乎实现

If it gets anywhere close to fulfilling them, it will attract the attention of regulators.

9. As..., so... 随着... 也就...

10. Value A over B 更看重A而非B

  Choose A over B 选择A而非B

心得小结

以前对亚马逊的了解仅限于书商，后来使用kindle，也还是了解它的图书经营领域。读完此篇文章对亚马逊公司了解得更多了些。

我对文中提到的self-fulfilling prophecy感触很大，自己现在正在准备复习考研，给自己设定了目标。对自己有着高期待，也希望能如愿以偿。