BEC剑桥商务英语阅读材料

若水1147由分享时间：2020-08-30 05:29:37

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BEC商务英语阅读材料：马云称未来5年中国三成零售在网上

Jack Ma, the Chinese e-commerce tycoon, has predicted that almost a third of China’s retail will be online in five years, suggesting an unprecedented transformation of consumption in the world’s most populous country.

“People always ask me what is the difference between ecommerce in the US and ecommerce in China,” Mr Ma said at an investor conference held by Credit Suisse in Hong Kong.

“In the US, ecommerce is just a dessert – it is supplementary. The infrastructure of commerce is already so good. In China, ecommerce is the main course. We are building China’s infrastructure,” said Mr Ma, who will step down as chief executive of Alibaba Group in May but will stay on as its executive chairman.

Online retail sales now account for slightly less than 6 per cent of China’s total retail sales, according to McKinsey, the consultants. In the US, ecommerce sales accounted for 5.2 per cent of total retail sales last year, according to the US department of commerce.

A much larger role for online commerce could help raise the role of private consumption in the Chinese economy but force foreign companies to adapt their strategies for penetrating this market.

“Today, Alibaba is 5 per cent of the whole retail market in China . . . I think 30 per cent of all retail in China will be online in five years,” said Mr Ma.

But the industry has been growing at an average 120 per cent a year for the past decade and there are indications that online retail websites have triggered new consumption, giving Mr Ma’s prediction credibility.

Online retail in China “is not just a replacement channel for purchases that would otherwise have taken place offline – it actually spurs incremental consumption”, McKinsey says in a new report to be published on Thursday.

Richard Dobbs, a director of the McKinsey Global Institute, the consultancy’s research arm, said data from 266 Chinese cities suggest that only about 60 per cent of online consumption is replacing sales in brick-and-mortar stores.

学习指南：

1.Word of the day

tycoon: A tycoon is a person who is successful in business and so has become rich and powerful.大亨;巨头;大实业家。

ex:a self-made Irish property tycoon

例句：白手起家的以色列房地产巨头

小编注：这个词来自日语，意思是“大君”。最早日本人使用这个词是为了让幕府将军，日本军队的总指挥官给美国人留下深刻的印象(他的官方头衔shogun的意思仅仅为将军)。事实上，幕府将军是当时日本真正的领导人，而天皇并没有实权。1854年马修·C·佩里迫使日本向西方开放时，他以为幕府将军就是天皇。将军的头衔是taikun，当佩里回到美国时，把这个称呼也带回了美国。亚伯拉罕·林肯把tycoon用作了总统的充满感情的称号。这个词也很快被用于工商界的领导人。或许人们觉得他们的权利也能像幕府将军和林肯总统一样给人留下深刻的印象吧。

推荐阅读：寡头英文怎么说>>

2.Phrase of the day

brick and mortar: You can use brick and mortar to refer to houses and other buildings, especially when they are considered as an investment. (尤指视为投资的)房产

ex:Paying rent simply helps to line the pockets of landlords. It's far better to put your money into bricks and mortar of your own.

例句：租房子只会鼓了房东的腰包，自己投资买房合算得多。

小编注：在这里brick-and-mortar stores解释为实体店。

3.Sentence of the day

但在过去10年里，这个领域平均每年以120%的速度在增长。有迹象显示，网络零售网站引导了新的消费，这使得马云的预期具有可信度。

小编注：trigger最初的意思是扳机，从此引申出了“引发”这个意思。

4.Cultural point of the day

电子商务。电子商务(e-commerce)是近几年随着网络的发展而壮大起来的新购物方式。电子商务的全称是electronic commerce，一般简称为e-commerce。电商的主要形式有B2C(如京东)、B2B(如阿里巴巴)和C2C(如淘宝)(B for business, C for costomer)。这里尤为要提醒的是B2C的读法为B-to-C，千万别学央视主播那样读成B二C，这可就真的“二”了啊。

5.Translation of the day

“在美国，电商只是一个饭后甜点，是补充。美国的商业基础设施已经非常完善。而在中国，电商则是主菜。我们正在建造中国的基础设施。”马云将于5月份卸任阿里巴巴集团(Alibaba Group)CEO职位，但仍将担任董事局执行主席。

小编注：这里说说西餐的常识，以便理解马云所说的“甜点”和“主菜”的地位差别。一般西餐的步骤：starter，开胃菜，也叫appetizer，常见品种有鱼子酱(caviar)、鹅肝酱(foie gras)、奶油鸡酥盒(Creamy Chicken in Puff Pastry)等;接着是soup;再然后就是主菜(main course)了，肉的话分为全熟(well done)、五分熟(medium)和三分熟(rare);最后就是dessert和drink了，要注意的是“红茶”的说法是“black tea”，千万不要想当然地说成“red tea”哦。

中国电商大亨马云预计，未来5年中国近三分之一的零售业务将在网上完成，暗示世界人口最多的国家将实现史无前例的消费转型。

“People always ask me what is the difference between ecommerce in the US and ecommerce in China,” Mr Ma said at an investor conference held by Credit Suisse in Hong Kong.

在瑞士信贷(Credit Suisse)在中国香港举办的一个投资者会议上，马云说：“人们始终在问我，美国电商和中国电商的区别在哪里。”

咨询公司麦肯锡(McKinsey)表示，目前在中国整个零售业务中，网络销售不到6%。美国商务部(department of commerce)数据显示，去年美国电商销售占整个零售业务的5.2%。

A much larger role for online commerce could help raise the role of private consumption in the Chinese economy but force foreign companies to adapt their strategies for penetrating this market.

网络销售扮演更大角色，可以促进中国经济中私人消费的作用，但也会迫使外国公司调整战略，以渗透这个市场。

“Today, Alibaba is 5 per cent of the whole retail market in China . . . I think 30 per cent of all retail in China will be online in five years,” said Mr Ma.

马云说：“目前，阿里巴巴占整个中国零售市场的5%。我认为，未来5年中国30%的零售业务将在网上完成。”

但在过去10年里，这个领域平均每年以120%的速度在增长。有迹象显示，网络零售网站引导了新的消费，这使得马云的预期具有可信度。

麦肯锡在今天将发布的一份新报告中指出，中国网络零售“不仅是商店购物的一个替代渠道，实际上它还刺激了增量消费。”

麦肯锡调研机构——麦肯锡全球研究院(McKinsey Global Institute)主管理查德•多布斯(Richard Dobbs)表示，来自中国266个城市的数据显示，网络消费中大约只有60%是实体店消费的替代。

BEC商务英语阅读材料：乐高亚洲首家工厂将落户中国嘉兴

Lego is to build its first factory in Asia as the toymaker taps into surging demand in the region and continues its push to add production in low-cost countries.

The Danish maker of toy bricks will start building a factory in Jiaxing, China, next year. When the factory opens in 2017 it will only supply parts to Asia, which is set to become the world’s biggest market for toys. The plant is expected to meet 70-80 per cent of total regional demand for Lego.

Lego’s sales have almost tripled since 2007, making it the world’s second-largest toymaker by revenues behind Mattel. Asia has played a big part in its success, as its annual sales increase by more than 50 per cent in recent years. It is also highly profitable, with net profits last year of about $1bn and a gross profit margin of 71 per cent.

Jiaxing is located around 100km from Shanghai, where Lego is planning to build a regional distribution centre for Asia. Its Chinese factory will follow plants in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Mexico as the group diversifies away from its roots in central Denmark in the countryside town of Billund.

The plant will employ about 2,000 workers once it is fully operational in 2017 and Lego will invest more than €100m to build it.

“It is our strategy to have production close to our core markets in order to secure short lead-time and world class service to our customers and consumers, and it has proven a successful strategy. Asia – including China – is a future core market for the Lego Group,” said Bali Padda, Lego’s chief operating officer.

He added that the new factory would be more environmentally friendly by reducing the need to transport Lego pieces between Europe and Asia.

The privately owned Danish toymaker has enjoyed a renaissance after it expanded too quickly at the end of the last century and started to run up losses. An outside chief executive, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp who came from McKinsey, cut jobs and product lines and boosted production outside Denmark.

Recent success has come from building sets linked to films such as Stars Wars and The Hobbit as well as Lego Friends, a new line aimed at girls.

学习指南：

1.Word of the day

plant : A plant is a factory or a place where power is produced 工厂;发电厂。

ex:Ford's British car assembly plants.

例句：福特公司在英国的汽车装配厂。

小编注：这个单词从小就学，再熟悉不过了。我们都知道plant有“植物”的意思，但同时，这个词也有“工厂”的意思。正如植物的成长需要适宜的环境，制造一样产品也需要合适的环境才行哦。值得注意的是，plant解释为工厂时更倾向于重工厂，factory的含义则更为普通。

2.Phrase of the day

net profit: gross profit minus all operating costs not included in the calculation of gross profit, esp wages, overheads, and depreciation 净利润; 总利润减去所有不包括在计算总利润中的营运花费，特别是工资、企业经费和资产折旧

3.Sentence of the day

The privately owned Danish toymaker has enjoyed a renaissance after it expanded too quickly at the end of the last century and started to run up losses.

乐高是一家丹麦私营玩具制造企业。上世纪末，乐高曾由于过快扩张而出现亏损，但近年又重返增长。

小编注：renaissance这个词来自意大利语rinascimento，是由ri(重新)和nascere(出生)两个词合并构成。我们都知道文艺复兴就叫做Renaissance，这里用了这个词的原意——“重生”。形象地描述了乐高在上世纪经历的销售起伏。

4.Cultural point of the day

Lego小背景：不知道你是否也像小编一样，每次去反斗城都会去玩一玩乐高积木，然后感叹是哪位天才想出了这种简单而又复杂的小玩意儿。乐高积木正如其所宣传的，并不只是孩子的玩具，成年人也会对它爱不释手。Lego最初发源于二战前的欧洲小国丹麦，Lego这个名称来自丹麦语“leg godt”，意思是“play well”。乐高为什么成功?我想乐高的成功正在于其丰富多彩的变化性，你可以用那些简单的小方块搭出房屋、城市、火车、飞船等种.种事物，正所谓“没有做不到，只有想不到”。这里给家长们一个忠告，其实与其给孩子买ipad当玩具，不如给他买一套乐高吧，既没辐射又开发智力还能增加家庭互动，何乐不为呢?

5.Translation of the day

An outside chief executive, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp who came from McKinsey, cut jobs and product lines and boosted production outside Denmark.

曾在麦肯锡(McKinsey)工作的首席执行官Jørgen Vig Knudstorp，先后裁员并削减了生产线，还推动公司在丹麦以外的地方建厂。

小编注：很多中国学生在翻译新闻的时候“想太多”，总是希望用高级的词汇来造句子。但是，这在native speaker的眼中会显得有些造作。比如这里，原文中用了非常简单的两个词：削减——cut;推动——boost。如果经常阅读英文报刊，会发现英语新闻中经常使用的正是那些在我们看来极其简单的词。记住，好的英语往往不是把一堆GRE单词堆起来就能堆得出来的，好的英语在于simple and beautiful，这是需要很长时间的积累和学习才能达到的。

Lego is to build its first factory in Asia as the toymaker taps into surging demand in the region and continues its push to add production in low-cost countries.

丹麦玩具积木制造商乐高(Lego)将在亚洲兴建第一家工厂，以满足亚洲市场的需求，延续该公司在低成本国家建厂的战略。

乐高明年起将在中国嘉兴建立一家工厂，计划于2017年完工，届时它将只向亚洲地区供货。亚洲将成为全球最大的玩具市场。预计新工厂可以满足亚洲对乐高产品需求的70%到80%。

乐高销售额自2007年以来增长了近两倍，成为按营收额计算的全球第二大玩具制造商，仅次于美泰(Mattel)。最近几年，乐高在亚洲的销售额每年增长逾50%，这一市场对该公司的成功贡献很大。乐高的盈利水平也很高，去年实现净利润约10亿美元，毛利率达到71%。

乐高还计划在距嘉兴约100公里的上海设立亚洲地区分销中心。乐高总部位于丹麦中部的比隆镇(Billund)，此前已在匈牙利、捷克共和国和墨西哥开设了工厂。

The plant will employ about 2,000 workers once it is fully operational in 2017 and Lego will invest more than €100m to build it.

到2017年全面投入运营时，嘉兴工厂员工数量将达2000名左右，投资额将超过1亿欧元。

乐高首席营运官巴利•帕达(Bali Padda)表示：“我们的战略是在靠近核心市场的地方生产，以便缩短交货期，为我们的客户和消费者提供世界级的服务。事实证明这是一个成功的战略。包括中国在内的亚洲地区是乐高集团未来的核心市场。”

He added that the new factory would be more environmentally friendly by reducing the need to transport Lego pieces between Europe and Asia.

他补充称，新工厂将降低从欧洲运至亚洲的乐高玩具数量，更有利于保护环境。

乐高是一家丹麦私营玩具制造企业。上世纪末，乐高曾由于过快扩张而出现亏损，但近年又重返增长。曾在麦肯锡(McKinsey)工作的首席执行官Jørgen Vig Knudstorp，先后裁员并削减了生产线，还推动公司在丹麦以外的地方建厂。

Recent success has come from building sets linked to films such as Stars Wars and The Hobbit as well as Lego Friends, a new line aimed at girls.

乐高最近的成功源于该公司推出了以《星球大战》(Stars Wars)和《霍比特人》(The Hobbit)等影片为主题的积木，以及新为女孩设计的Lego Friends系列。

BEC商务英语阅读材料：出路何寻

The story: By the late-1990s fast-food chain McDonald’s had enjoyed 40 years of exceptional performance. In 1997, for example, the company had registered 10 years of 20 per cent per annum growth.

The challenge: That year, Jack Greenberg became the company’s fourth chief executive. His main concern was how to lead the business in less favourable market conditions. McDonald’s was facing concerns about fatty foods and about beef; competition was squeezing margins; and growth from international markets was slowing.

The strategy: Mr Greenberg did what the textbooks suggest. First, he focused on improving the core business, announcing it as his top priority. Then, he also set a second priority: to find a new platform for growth. With this audacious goal in mind, he supported five acquisitions of related restaurant businesses – including Chipotle, a Mexican food restaurant, and 50 per cent of Pret A Manger, the UK sandwich chain – and he set up the Partner Brands Division, to be responsible for these new businesses. Mr Greenberg also opened the door to a number of other, more organic initiatives led by his head of strategy, Mats Lederhausen.

What happened: Mr Greenberg found it difficult to dedicate enough attention to both priorities. The core business continued to deteriorate and in 2001 McDonald’s announced its first quarterly loss and the resignation of Mr Greenberg.

Jim Cantalupo, a retired McDonald’s executive, was asked to return as CEO. His first announcement was that McDonald’s had been trying to do too many things. He shut down many of the organic initiatives and housed all the new businesses into a structure called McDonald’s Ventures.

Mr Cantalupo instructed Mr Lederhausen to identify those businesses that could become significant for McDonald’s without distracting management from its core business and to sell or close the rest. The result was that over the course of the next few years, almost all of them were either sold or closed.

The lessons: First, this story is common. A company forecasts reduced growth in its core business, looks for new sources of revenue, launches initiatives, and makes acquisitions – only to find a few years later, that it is back where it started, having sold or closed its new ventures.

Second, the textbook advice – set a growth ambition, try a portfolio of related ventures and invest heavily in the few successes at the same time as attending to the core – does not always work, in spite of its continuing popularity.

So, what is the alternative? When the core business starts to mature, leaders should be patient rather than energetic. The main risk is that attention is distracted from the core. Therefore, avoid launching a portfolio of initiatives; don’t set targets for growth outside the core; and don’t set up a new business division or venturing unit.

Do scan opportunities, but with a tough screening process and the expectation that none will be suitable. Expect to use spare cash to buy back shares, until a really good opportunity comes along.

Above all, look for people rather than projects – successful new growth outside the core nearly always comes from individuals or teams who happen to have a rare combination of both grassroots knowledge of a particular area and an understanding of how your company’s strengths can be used to succeed.

What happened next: The company’s leaders have stuck to and revived the core. In fact, as is often the case with a strong core, the hamburger business is growing again, partly because of the fast growth of emerging markets such as China.

McDonald’s is still looking for other opportunities – but in a patient way.

Oral topic:

Which is more important to a company’s success?tradition or reform?

Learning to learn:

文章最后一段点题，写出了德国面临的挑战也存在机遇。这种内涵，作者是通过两层转折成功实现的，学习这种写作手法，为以后高阶写作打好基础。

Language Points:

1. initiative 新计划，新措施 2. acquisition 收购

Exam Focus:

1 Which one is not one of Jack Greenberg’s concerns in 1997 when he became McDonald’s fourth executive?

A Profit was on a drop because of fierce competition

B Fatty foods and beef became less popular among people

C How to improve core business.