2020年经济学人 一周要闻 航空业大规模裁员 巴菲特大规模抛售美企股票

The world this week

世界国际要闻

Business

经济

More swingeing job cuts were announced in the aviation business, an industry that has been hammered by the restrictions¹ on travel. General Electric said 13,000 jobs would go in its aviation division; Rolls-Royce, which makes engines for Boeing and Airbus, was reportedly considering 8,000 lay-offs; Virgin² Atlantic announced plans to reduce its workforce³ by a third and close its operations at London Gatwick; and Ryanair said it would reduce its headcount by 15%. Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s abrasive⁴ boss, criticised the recent government rescues of Air France-KLM and other carriers as “state-aid doping” for weak airlines.

航空业宣布了更大规模的裁员，该行业一直受到旅行限制的冲击。通用电气表示，其航空部门将裁员1.3万人；据报道，为波音和空客生产发动机的劳斯莱斯公司正在考虑裁员8000人;维珍大西洋航空公司宣布计划裁员三分之一，并关闭其在伦敦盖特威克机场的运营；瑞安航空表示将裁员15%。瑞安航空老板迈克尔·奥利里(Michael O’leary)批评政府最近对法航荷航(Air France-klm)和其他航空公司的救助，称其为“国家资助的兴奋剂”，针对的是实力较弱的航空公司。

Bailing⁵ out

救助

Adding to the gloom, Warren Buffett’s investment company dumped the stock it held in America’s four biggest airlines. Berkshire Hathaway recorded an almost $50bn net loss in the first quarter, as its portfolio⁶ of shares took a pounding during the stockmarket rout⁷.

雪上加霜的是，沃伦·巴菲特的投资公司抛售了其持有的美国四大航空公司的股票。今年第一季度，伯克希尔哈撒韦公司(Berkshire Hathaway)录得近500亿美元的净亏损，原因是其股票投资组合在股市暴跌期间遭受重挫。

Boeing, meanwhile, successfully closed a $25bn bond offering. Because of the “robust demand” in markets for its debt, the aerospace⁸ company does not anticipate having to turn to the government for aid. It is cutting 10% of its workforce and curbing⁹ production.

与此同时，波音成功完成了250亿美元的债券发行。由于市场对其债务的“强劲需求”，这家航空公司预计不会向政府求助。它将裁员10%并限制生产。

Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Qantas, said that it will take years for international travel to recover from the crisis. The Australian airline has shelved plans for non-stop flights from Australia to New York and London that were due to begin in 2022.

澳航首席执行官艾伦·乔伊斯(Alan Joyce)表示，国际旅行业务需要多年时间才能从危机中恢复过来。这家澳大利亚航空公司已经搁置了原定于2022年开始的从澳大利亚直飞纽约和伦敦的航班计划。

Airbnb forecast a 50% slump¹⁰ in annual revenue and said it would cut its workforce by a quarter. The online home-rental firm thinks coronavirus will forever change its market because people will want to travel to places that are closer to home and relatively¹¹ safe. Airbnb had been expected to float its shares on the stockmarket this year.

Airbnb预计年收入将下降50%，并表示将裁员四分之一。这家在线房屋租赁公司认为，冠状病毒将永远改变其市场，因为人们将希望去离家更近、相对安全的地方旅游。Airbnb原本预计今年将在股票市场上市。

Just 4,321 new cars were registered in Britain last month, a drop of 97% compared with April 2019, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. The Italian and Spanish markets saw similar declines; in Germany registrations¹² were down by 61% and in France sales fell by 89%. That stands in stark¹³ contrast to China, where, according to a Volkswagen official, the car market has rebounded¹⁴.

英国汽车制造商和贸易商协会(SMMT)的数据显示，上个月英国新登记注册的汽车只有4321辆，比2019年4月下降了97%。意大利和西班牙市场也出现了类似的下跌;德国的新车注册量下降了61%，法国的销量下降了89%。这与中国形成了鲜明对比。据大众汽车一位管理人士表示，中国的汽车市场已经开始回暖。

Hertz was granted a reprieve¹⁵ from bankruptcy¹⁶ when a group of creditors¹⁷ extended the deadline for a missed debt payment. The car-rental company has seen its business collapse¹⁸ as airports shut shop.

当一群债权人延长了拖欠债务的最后期限时，赫兹从破产中获得了喘息的机会。随着机场纷纷关闭，这家汽车租赁公司的业务已经崩溃。

1 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

2 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

3 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

4 abrasive   

adj.使表面磨损的；粗糙的；恼人的

参考例句：

• His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety.他生硬粗暴的态度让他声名狼藉。
• She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her.她的手腕有多出磨伤，那是被粗糙的绳子擦伤的。

5 bailing   

（凿井时用吊桶）排水

参考例句：

• Both fountains were going furiously and both pumps bailing with might and main. 两个人的口水只管喷泉似地朝外涌，两个抽水机全力以赴往外抽水。
• The mechanical sand-bailing technology makes sand-washing operation more efficient. 介绍了机械捞砂的结构装置及工作原理，提出了现场操作注意事项。

6 portfolio   

n.公事包；文件夹；大臣及部长职位

参考例句：

• He remembered her because she was carrying a large portfolio.他因为她带着一个大公文包而记住了她。
• He resigned his portfolio.他辞去了大臣职务。

7 rout   

n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮

参考例句：

• The enemy was put to rout all along the line.敌人已全线崩溃。
• The people's army put all to rout wherever they went.人民军队所向披靡。

8 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

9 curbing   

n.边石，边石的材料v.限制，克制，抑制( curb的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Progress has been made in curbing inflation. 在控制通货膨胀方面已取得了进展。
• A range of policies have been introduced aimed at curbing inflation. 为了抑制通货膨胀实施了一系列的政策。

10 slump   

n.暴跌，意气消沉，（土地）下沉；vi.猛然掉落，坍塌，大幅度下跌

参考例句：

• She is in a slump in her career.她处在事业的低谷。
• Economists are forecasting a slump.经济学家们预言将发生经济衰退。

11 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

12 registrations   

n.登记( registration的名词复数 )；登记项目；登记（或注册、挂号）人数；（管风琴）音栓配合（法）

参考例句：

• In addition to the check-in procedures, the room clerks are customarily responsible for recording advance registrations. 除了办理住宿手续外，客房登记员按惯例还负责预约登记。 来自辞典例句
• Be the Elekta expert for products registrations in China. 成为在中国注册产品的医科达公司专家。 来自互联网

13 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

14 rebounded   

弹回( rebound的过去式和过去分词 )； 反弹； 产生反作用； 未能奏效

参考例句：

• The ball rebounded from the goalpost and Owen headed it in. 球从门柱弹回，欧文头球将球攻进。
• The ball rebounded from his racket into the net. 球从他的球拍上弹回网中。

15 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。

16 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

17 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。