财富精英励志演讲55：信息技术的力量(10)

 　　The leader in this online race is "amazon.com".If you have not heard of them, do not feel bad. Three years ago, nobody heard of them. They did not exist. Their customers do not aware they exist physically¹, and they do not care. Amazon.com exists only in cyberspace². But with 2.5 million titles, it is nearly 15 times larger than the world's largest physical bookstore. It is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. And they recently serve their one million of customer in Japan, one of 160 countries in which amazon ships books. Until recently they had the market to themselves. Now the traditional book sellers like Barns&Noble in the US, and medium firms like Burtlesman in Europe are jumping in. Can virtual companies like "amazon.com" battle against and beat these entrenched³ brands? Stay tuned⁴. We do not know yet. The same kind of transformation⁵ is happening in retail⁶ banking⁷, in car sales, in music entertainment, in insurance. And it is not just limited to the commercial world. Public sector⁸ institutions are being buffeted⁹ by the same powerful forces.

　　这场竞赛现在的领先者是 amazon.com。如果你还没听说过它，不要紧。三年前没有人听说过它们，那时候它们还不存在。它们的顾客并未意识到它们在实际上的存在，它们也不在乎这些。amazon.com 仅仅在网上存在。但是它拥有 250 万种图书，几乎比世界上最大的传统书店大 15 倍。它每天 24 小时、全年每天都营业。不久前，它们在日本接待了它的第 100 万名顾客，日本只是 amazon 销售书籍的 160 个国家中的一个。现在传统的书籍销售商如美国的......媒体高速如欧洲的......也跳进了这个市场。象 amazon.com 这样的虚拟公司能否击败这些根深蒂固老牌号？等着瞧吧，我们也不知道。类似的变革同时还发生在零售银行业、汽车销售、音乐娱乐、保险业中，而且还不仅仅限于商业领域。公众机构也遭受了同一种强大力量的冲击。

1 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

2 cyberspace   

n.虚拟信息空间，网络空间，计算机化世界

参考例句：

• She travels in cyberspace by sending messages to friends around the world.她利用电子空间给世界各地的朋友们发送信件。
• The teens spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.青少年花费在电脑上的时间比他们和真正的朋友及家人在一起的时间要多。

3 entrenched   

adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯)

参考例句：

• Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
• If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地，我们就消灭他们。

4 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

6 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

7 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

8 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

9 buffeted   

反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去

参考例句：

• to be buffeted by the wind 被风吹得左右摇摆
• We were buffeted by the wind and the rain. 我们遭到风雨的袭击。