2019年经济学人 一周要闻 阿里巴巴香港二次上市 华为效应席卷全球 中国拟对美限制稀土出口

 

The world this week

本周要闻

Business

商业

Fiat¹ Chrysler Automobiles² confirmed that it was seeking a merger³ with Renault, a combination that would create the world’s third-largest car company behind Volkswagen and Toyota. FCA and Renault hope the merger will save cash to bolster⁴ investments in electric vehicles and self-driving cars. But Renault is also in a close partnership⁵ with Japan’s Nissan and Mitsubishi. That alliance has been strained since the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, its former boss, on charges of financial misconduct at Nissan (which he denies) and its future is now in question.

菲亚特克莱斯勒汽车证实，正寻求与雷诺合并，这一合并将缔造出仅次于大众和丰田的全球第三大汽车公司。菲亚特克莱斯勒和雷诺希望这项合并能节省资金，以支持对电动汽车和自动驾驶汽车的投资。而雷诺还与日本的日产和三菱建立了密切的合作关系。自从上一任老板卡洛斯·戈恩因被控在日产存在财务不端行为(当事人否认了这一指控)被捕以来，雷诺与日产的联盟关系一直处于紧张状态，现在日产的未来也受到了质疑。

The Huawei effect

华为效应

Alibaba was reportedly considering a second listing of its shares, but in Hong Kong rather than New York, where its $25bn stockmarket debut⁶ in 2014 remains⁷ the world’s biggest IPO. This time it is seeking to raise $20bn. Its decision to list in Hong Kong comes amid uncertainties⁸ over the future treatment of Chinese companies by the American authorities. Alibaba is using its profits from e-commerce to invest in artificial intelligence, quantum computing⁹ and other sensitive tech areas where America and China are competing aggressively.

据报道，阿里巴巴正考虑在香港二次上市，而不是在纽约。2014年，阿里巴巴在纽约进行了规模达250亿美元的IPO,这至今仍是全球最大规模IPO。这一次，该公司拟融资200亿美元。该公司决定在香港上市之际，美国当局未来对待中国企业的态度尚不明朗。阿里巴巴正利用从电子商务中获得的利润，正在对人工智能、量子计算和其他中美两国正积极竞争的敏感技术领域进行投资。

The latest skirmish in the trade war saw China threaten to limit supplies to America of rare earths, a group of 17 metals vital to fast-growing businesses such as electric cars but also widely used in the defence industry. China accounts for the vast bulk of rare-earth production; for some of the metals it is the sole producer. In 2010 it cut exports to Japan during a maritime¹⁰ dispute.

在最新的贸易战冲突中，中国威胁要限制对美国的稀土供应。稀土由17种金属组成，不仅对电动汽车等快速增长的企业至关重要，而且也广泛用于国防工业。中国稀土产量占全球总量的绝大比重;中国是某些金属的唯一生产国。2010年，中国因一次海上争端削减了对日本的稀土出口。

Maersk, the world’s biggest shipping¹¹ company, gave a downbeat assessment¹² of the effect of global-trade tensions on its industry. It estimates that container trade grew by 1.7% in the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. That is less than half the average for 2018.

全球最大的航运公司马士基对全球贸易紧张对其行业的影响给出了悲观的评估。据该公司估计，其第一季度集装箱贸易同比增长1.7%。还不到2018年平均水平的一半。

Boeing’s 737 max aircraft is unlikely to return to service until at least August, according to the International Air Transport Association. A recent meeting of global safety-regulators avoided putting a date on a return for the max, which has been grounded following two crashes. iata stressed that it will be regulators who make the final decision.

据国际航空运输协会称，波音737 max飞机至少要到8月份才能复飞。在最近召开的一次全球安全监管会议上，监管机构没有给出因两起空难事故被停飞的max飞机具体复飞日期。国际航空运输协会强调，最终决定权在于监管机构。

The Food and Drug Administration approved a gene¹³ therapy developed by Novartis for treating spinal¹⁴ muscular atrophy¹⁵ in children. Priced at $2.1m, Zolgensma is the world’s most expensive drug, though it costs half the current treatment for SMA over the first ten years of a child’s life.

美国食品和药物管理局批准了诺华(Novartis)开发的一种基因疗法，用于治疗儿童脊髓性肌萎缩症（SMA）。售价210万美元的Zolgensma是全球最昂贵的药物，尽管其成本只有目前儿童前十年治疗脊髓性肌肉萎缩症费用的一半。

1 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

2 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 merger   

n.企业合并，并吞

参考例句：

• Acceptance of the offer is the first step to a merger.对这项提议的赞同是合并的第一步。
• Shareholders will be voting on the merger of the companies.股东们将投票表决公司合并问题。

4 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 uncertainties   

无把握( uncertainty的名词复数 )； 不确定； 变化不定； 无把握、不确定的事物

参考例句：

• One of the uncertainties of military duty is that you never know when you might suddenly get posted away. 任军职不稳定的因素之一是你永远不知道什么时候会突然被派往它处。
• Uncertainties affecting peace and development are on the rise. 影响和平与发展的不确定因素在增加。 来自汉英非文学 - 十六大报告

9 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

10 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

11 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

12 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

13 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

14 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

15 atrophy   

n./v.萎缩，虚脱，衰退

参考例句：

• Patients exercised their atrophied limbs in the swimming pool.病人们在泳池里锻炼萎缩的四肢。
• Many hoped he would renew the country's atrophied political system.很多人都期望他能使该国萎靡的政治体系振作起来。