外刊精读 | 马斯克血洗推特的故事...

今天是小芳老师陪你精读外刊的第18天

难度指数7级（共8级）

读前想想，下面内容用英语怎么说？

1. 提出异议 2. 元宇宙 3. 市值 4. 通货膨胀

第一步：泛读原文（盲听1遍，泛读1遍，对照文本听1遍）

After months of prevarication and legal limbo, Elon Musk completed his takeover of Twitter and promptly ousted the chief executive, the chief financial officer, the head of policy and the entire board of directors. Mr Musk had taken issue with senior management, blaming them for misleading him over the number of fake accounts on the platform. As interim CEO he plans big changes, such as to the “current lords and peasants system” for verifying blue-tick marks. Marking a sharp deviation from the company’s platitude of enabling “healthy conversation”, Mr Musk tweeted: “Twitter speaks to the inner masochist in all of us.”

Meta’s share price was battered for several days after the company revealed another big loss at the division developing the “metaverse” and warned of further losses to come. With its share price now down by 75% since the start of the year, some big investors are reportedly furious at Meta’s emphasis on building worlds of virtual reality, but, as Mark Zuckerberg has majority control, there is little they can do.

Another casualty of the rout in tech stocks, Amazon, saw its market capitalisation fall below $1trn for the first time since 2020 after it issued a disappointing sales forecast. The company’s share price is back to where it was around the start of the pandemic.

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point for the fourth consecutive time, taking it to a range of between 3.75% and 4%. Markets looked for signals from the central bank about when it might ease the pace of increases. Jerome Powell, the Fed’s chairman, hinted that the next rate rise may not be so large, but warned that the “ultimate level of interest rates will be higher than expected”. Stockmarkets swooned.

Annual inflation in the euro zone hit another record in October, of 10.7%. In Germany consumer prices were up by 11.6%, year on year. Although the country unexpectedly avoided an economic contraction in the second quarter (GDP rose by 0.3% on the previous quarter) its economy is expected to shrink in the final three months of 2022. The European Central Bank recently raised its key interest rate by another three-quarters of a percentage point, to 1.5%, but it softened its guidance on further increases, a nod to concerns over the economic impact of the fast pace of tightening.

第二步：精读原文（精读1遍，对照文本听1遍，精读1遍）

读原文（精读1遍，对照文本听1遍）

01

After months ofprevaricationand legallimbo, Elon Musk completed histakeoverof Twitter and promptlyoustedthe chief executive, the chief financial officer, the head of policy and the entireboard of directors. Mr Musk hadtaken issue withsenior management, blaming them for misleading him over the number of fake accounts on the platform. AsinterimCEO he plans big changes, such as to the “current lords and peasants system” forverifyingblue-tick marks. Marking a sharpdeviationfrom the company’splatitudeof enabling “healthy conversation”, Mr Musk tweeted: “Twitter speaks to the innermasochistin all of us.”

1.prevarication: 搪塞，支吾, e.g. The report was full of lies and prevarications.

Prevaricate (formal) 支吾搪塞，等同于beat about the bush. E.g., Stop prevaricating and come to the point. 别吞吞吐吐的，有话快说吧。

2.limbo: n. in an uncertain or undecided condition处于中间或不定的状态

3.takeover:n.收购；接收.E.g., May I take over the driving? 我可以替换一下你吗？

4.oust: to force sb out of a job or position of power,剥夺；罢免. E.g. He was ousted as chairman.

他的主席职务被革除了。

5.board of directors: 董事会

6.taken issue with:to disagree with sb/sth 提出异议, e.g. She took issue with the conclusions reached by the study.

7.interim: 暂时的, e.g. an interim government 过渡政府

8.verify: to check that sth is true or accurate核实；核准, E.g. We have no way of verifying his story. 我们无法核实他所说的情况。

9.deviation: a difference from what is expected or acceptable背离；偏离. E.g. deviation from the previously accepted norms违背事先接受的准则

10.platitude: 陈词滥调

11.masochist: 受虐狂者

翻译:经过数月的搪塞推诿和法律上的模棱两可，埃隆·马斯克完成了对推特的收购，并迅速撤除了首席执行官、首席财务官、政策主管和整个董事会成员的职务。马斯克曾与高级管理层发生争论，指责他们在平台虚假账户的数量上误导了他。作为临时首席执行官，他计划进行重大改革，比如，对现在为认证“蓝V”标识而实施的“地主和农民制度”进行改革。马斯克在推特上写道:“推特会与我们所有人内心中的那个受虐狂对话。”这与该公司实现“健康对话”的陈词滥调大相径庭。

02

Meta’s share price wasbatteredfor several days after the company revealed another big loss at thedivisiondeveloping the “metaverse” and warned of further losses to come. With its share price now down by 75% since the start of the year, some big investors are reportedlyfuriousat Meta’s emphasis on building worlds of virtual reality, but, as Mark Zuckerberg has majority control, there is little they can do.

1.batter:to hit sb sth hard many times连续猛击. E.g. She battered at the door with her fists. 她用双拳不断地擂门。

2.division: 部门, E.g. the company's sales division 公司销售部

3.metaverse: 元宇宙，人类运用数字技术构建的，由现实世界映射或超越现实世界，可与现实世界交互的虚拟世界，具备新型社会体系的数字生活空间。

5.furious: very angry狂怒的, e.g. She was absolutely furious at having been deceived. 她受了骗，怒不可遏

翻译:

Meta公司的股价在几天内受到重创，此前该公司披露，开发“元宇宙”的部门再次出现巨额亏损，并警告称，未来还将出现进一步亏损。据报道，自今年年初以来，Meta公司的股价下跌了75%，一些大的投资者对该公司以构建虚拟现实世界为重点感到愤怒，但由于马克·扎克伯格拥有多数控制权，他们几乎无能为力。

03

Another casualty of theroutin tech stocks, Amazon,sawitsmarket capitalisationfall below $1trn for the first time since 2020 after it issued a disappointing salesforecast.The company’s share price is back to where it was around the start of thepandemic.

1.rout: 溃退, 短语：put sb to rout (literary): to defeat sb easily and completely彻底打败；使溃败

2.saw: witness event见证事件. 如我是1982年出生，那就是1982 saw my birth.

明年是威尔地逝世一百周年。

3.market capitalisation: 市值

4.forecast: 预测, e.g. sales forecasts销售预测

5.pandemic: a disease that spreads over a whole country or the whole world (全国或全球性)流行病

翻译:

亚马逊(科技股暴跌的另一个受害者)发布了令人失望的销售预测报告，市值自2020年以来首次跌破1万亿美元。该公司的股价回到了疫情开始时的水平。

04

TheFederal Reserveraised itsbenchmarkinterest rate bythree-quarters of a percentage pointfor the fourthconsecutivetime, taking it to a range of between 3.75% and 4%. Markets looked for signals from the central bank about when it mighteasethe pace of increases. Jerome Powell, the Fed’s chairman,hintedthat the next rate rise may not be so large, but warned that the “ultimate level of interest rates will be higher than expected”. Stockmarketsswooned.

1.Federal Reserve: 联邦储备系统（简称Fed、美联储、联准会）是美国的中央银行体系。

2.benchmark: a level of quality which can be used as a standard when comparing other things 基准（点）e.g. Her outstanding performancesset a new benchmarkfor singers throughout the world. 她的精彩表演为全世界歌手树立了新典范。

3.three-quarters of a percentage point: 0.75个百分点

4.consecutive: following one after another in a series, without interruption连续不断的, E.g. She was absent for nine consecutive days. 她一连缺席了九天。

5.ease: to make sth or to become less tight and more relaxed缓和

6.hint: to suggest sth in an indirect way暗示, e.g, They hinted (that) there might be more job losses. 　他们暗示说可能会有更多人失业。

7.swoon: 下跌, e.g. That sudden realization, of course, is what's causing the economy to swoon.当然，这种突然意识是导致经济低迷的原因。

翻译:

美国联邦储备委员会连续第四次将基准利率上调0.75个百分点，至3.75%至4%的区间。市场在寻找美国央行何时可能放缓加息步伐的信号。美联储主席杰罗姆·鲍威尔暗示，下一次加息幅度可能不会那么大，不过，他警告称，“最终利率水平将高于预期”。股市应声暴跌。

05

Annualinflationin the euro zonehit another recordin October, of 10.7%. In Germany consumer prices were up by 11.6%, year on year. Although the country unexpectedly avoided aneconomic contractionin the second quarter (GDP rose by 0.3% on the previous quarter), its economy is expected toshrinkin the final three months of 2022. The European Central Bank recently raised its key interest rate by another three-quarters of a percentage point, to 1.5%, but it softened its guidance on further increases, anodto concerns over the economic impact of the fast pace of tightening.

1.inflation: 通货膨胀, e.g. the fight against rising inflation 对抗不断升高的通货膨胀

2.hit another record: 再次创下新高

3.economic contraction: 经济衰退在经济学中，经济衰退是指一个商业萎缩的时期周期，（那时）经济活动普遍放缓。宏观经济指标（表现为），如GDP，就业，投资支出，产能利用率，家庭收入，企业利润和通胀下降，而破产失业率上升。

4.shrink: 减少. E.g. The market for their products is shrinking. 市场对他们产品的需求在减少。

5.nod: 同意, e.g. That is absolutelya nodto the United States. 这绝对是对美国的肯定。

翻译:

欧元区10月份的年通胀率再创新高，达到10.7%。在德国，消费者价格同比上涨11.6%。尽管该国在第二季度意外地避免了经济萎缩(国内生产总值比上一季度增长0.3%)，但预计其经济将在2022年最后三个月出现萎缩。欧洲央行最近将基准利率再上调0.75个百分点，至1.5%，但该行削弱了对进一步加息的指导，承认了对快速收紧政策对经济影响的担忧。

第三步：回答问题（评论区回答问题）

Reading Questions：

1. What did Elon Musk blame the senior management for?

2. What was the Amazon’s market capitalization now?

3. When did the annual inflation hit another record high?

滑动查看答案

Q1

Elon Musk blamed them for misleading him over the number of fake accounts on the platform.

Q2

It falls below $1trn.

Q3

In October.

今天是小芳老师陪你精读外刊的第18天

难度指数7级（共8级）

检查一下，你学到了吗？

1. 提出异议 take issue with 2. 元宇宙metaverse 3. 市值 market capitalisation 4. 通货膨胀inflation

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