投资顾问Jerry跟客户Frank见面，建议他投资电动汽车电池技术的开发，Frank似乎有顾虑。
F: I don't know....sounds like a gamble to me.
J: All investing is a gamble! But sometimes gambling pays off big time!
F: That's true...but sometimes you lose your shirt.
J: I'd recommend we take it step by step. The first step is to do lots of research. We really have to do our homework.
F: And then? What's step two?
J: I'm recommending buying a small Chinese company called WinTron Power. They hold several key patents and they have a good R&D department.
Frank觉得投资电池技术的开发听上去有些象gamble,赌博，可是话说回来，投资就要有风险，堵注下对了就会赚一大笔钱，pay off big time, 全军覆没则会,lose your shirt,倾家荡产。Jerry已经做好了全盘规划，第一步是要做一下市场调查，do our homework,意思是先做好准备工作。第二步是收购一家叫WinTron Power的小公司。这家公司掌握着好几项关键专利，而且有优秀的R&D Department，研究和开发部。
F: How much is this going to cost me?
J: The initial investment is about five million.
F: Five million U.S. dollars? That's steep!
J: Yes...but you could end up becoming a major supplier to the auto companies of the future. Invest millions for a chance to make billions.
F: It's a tempting idea. It could be huge.
Jerry说，首期投资the initial investment估计要500万美元，Frank 说，that's steep. 这么多钱， steep is spelled s-t-e-e-p, steep，意思是倾斜度大，坡陡，也有过份的意思，比如说 The price is steep，意思是价钱太贵。 Jerry 劝他说，如果成功，投个几百万，就有机会赚回几十亿，是个上算的买卖。Frank说，It's a tempting idea，他好象动心了。
J: China has the potential to be the leader in the field. This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I think it would be foolish to let it slip away.
F: Jerry...you sold me. I'll get working on this project right away. This could be my big break! Thanks for the info!
J: Just doing my job.
Jerry说，This is an once-in-a lifetime opportunity，这可是千载难逢的好机会，过了这个村就没这个店了；这样的机会千万不能错过。Frank终于被说动了。他说，you sold me，意思是你把我说服了。This could be my big break，这回没准我的机会来了。 Big break，往往用来指突如其来的好运气。Jerry，回答说，Just doing my job. 这是我份内的工作，这是我应该做的。 |