The economist --- July 30th 2020 edition --- Leaders
Words
| EN | CN |
|---|---|
| grill | n.烤架；烤肉；烧烤店；v. 炙烤；（非正式）严厉盘问 |
| strain | n. 张力；拉紧；负担；扭伤；vi. 拉紧；尽力 |
| restrain | vt. 抑制，控制；约束；制止 |
| constraint | n. [数] 约束；局促，态度不自然；强制 |
| haul | n. 拖，拉；vt. 拖，拉；费力前进；强迫（某人）接受申斥； |
| on the face of it | adv. 从表面判断；乍看起来 |
| onset | n. 开始，着手；发作；攻击，进攻 |
| agility | n. 敏捷；灵活；机敏 |
| Built to Last | 基业常青；持久的 |
| perk | n. （工资外的）补贴；v. 振作起来；adj. 活跃的，活泼的 |
| startup | n. 初创企业；n. 启动；开办 |
| wrinkle | n. 皱纹；vi. 起皱；vt. 使起皱纹 |
| twine | n. （两股或多股的）线，绳；v. 使缠绕；盘绕；交织 |
| entwine | v. 缠住，盘绕；使缠绕；与……密切相关 |
| monopoly | n. 垄断；垄断者；专卖权 |
| unearth | vt. 发掘；揭露，发现；从洞中赶出 |
| gold mine | 金矿，金山 |
| drone | n. 雄蜂；嗡嗡的声音；懒惰者；无人机（非正式） |
| muscle in on | 强行挤入，侵入 |
| turf | n. 草皮；泥炭；跑马场；vt. 覆草皮于；驱逐；强制赶走 |
| fuzzy | adj. 模糊的；失真的；有绒毛的 |
| freewheeling | adj. 随心所欲的；惯性滑行的；无拘无束的 |
| ethos | n. 民族精神；气质；社会思潮 |
| liable | adj. 有责任的，有义务的；应受罚的；有…倾向的；易…的 |
| liability | n. 责任；债务；倾向；可能性；不利因素；负担 |
| contractor | n. 承包人；立契约者 |
| from the bottom up | adv. 从下到上 |
| like-minded | adj. 志趣相投的；具有相似意向或目的的 |
| squabble | n. 争吵，口角；v. （为琐事）发生口角，大声争吵 |
| cafeteria | n. 自助餐厅； 小餐厅；快餐厅 |
| trustbuster | n. （主美）反托拉斯法的执行人（或机构） |
| antitrust | adj. [经] 反垄断的；[经] 反托拉斯的 |
| pore | n. （皮肤）毛孔；（植物）孔隙；v.审视；凝视；审阅；深思熟虑 |
| pore over | 集中精神地阅读；注视 |
| file a suit | 提起诉讼 |
| pull off | 赢得；脱下；努力实现 |
| give it a go | 试一试 |
| a strong dose of | 大量的 |
| conglomerate | n. 企业集团；聚合物；砾岩；v. （使）聚结，凝聚成团 |
| archetype | n. 原型 |
| heyday | n. 全盛期 |
| sprawl | n. 四肢摊开；随意扩展；蔓延物；v. 伸开四肢；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展 |
| disguise | n. 伪装；假装；用作伪装的东西；vt. 掩饰；假装；隐瞒 |
| lean on | 依赖；靠在…上 |
| peril | n. 危险；冒险；vt. 危及；置…于险境 |
| division | n. 部门；分配；分割；[数] 除法；师（军队）；赛区 |
| double down | 双倍下注；做某事更顽强，更坚定 |
| handy | adj. 有用的；便利的；手边的；手巧的，灵活的 |
| sop | n. 面包片；湿透的东西；懦夫；小贿赂；vt. 吸水；浸湿；贿赂 |
| pay for content | 内容付费 |
| downsize | vt. 以较小尺寸设计；缩小尺寸；裁减人数 |
| hollow | n. 洞；山谷；窟窿；adj. 中空的，凹的；虚伪的；adv. 彻底地；无用地 |
| hollow out | vt. 挖空（挖洞；开凿） |
| whittle | n. 屠刀；vt. 削；削减；切；削弱；vi. 削；削木头；弄坏身体 |
| outfit | n. 机构；用具；全套装备；vi. 得到装备；vt. 配备；供应 |
| hubris | n. 傲慢；狂妄自大 |
| wilderness | n. 荒地；大量，茫茫一片 |
| reinvent | vt. 重新使用；彻底改造；重复发明（在不知他人已发明的情况下） |
| portable device | 便携式设备 |
| bounce back | 反弹；迅速恢复活力 |
| mint | n. 薄荷；[金融] 造币厂，巨款；vt. 铸造，铸币；adj. 完美的 |
| mint money | 赚大钱，发大财 |
| gadget | n. 小玩意；小器具；小配件；诡计 |
| sap | n. （植物）汁；精力，元气；坑道；v. 使衰竭，使伤元气；挖坑道； |
| vital | adj. 有活力的；至关重要的；生死攸关的 |
| vitality | n. 活力，生气；生命力，生动性 |
Sentences
This is a problem as old as business itself. How do companies sustain the creativity and agility that made them great, even as they forge a culture and corporate machine that is built to last?
The appearance of wrinkles on the corporate forehead is an admission of failure.
Unearthing other gold mines has proved difficult. None of the ambitious “moonshot” projects into which Alphabet has poured billions, such as delivery drones and robots, has been a breakout success.
Doing things from the bottom up has become harder as the workforce has grown larger and less like-minded, with squabbles breaking out over everything from gender politics and the serving of meat in cafeterias to Google’s sale of technology to police forces.
America’s Justice Department is poring over Google’s online-ads businesses and may soon file an antitrust suit. Scrutiny is unlikely to wane as the tech titans break out of their silos and compete more.
History is littered with failed attempts. In giving it a go, the firm has to decide whom it puts its faith in: managers, investors or geeks?
The archetype for this approach is GE in its heyday under Jack Welch, who persuaded shareholders that sprawling businesses could work well, provided they were run by expert managers.
But the experiences of firms like at&t and ibm highlight the danger that downsizing hollows out innovation. And while Google might hope to retain its distinctive culture in whittled-down form, the truth is that no matter how much it wants to be as youthful and free-spirited as Peter Pan, it is no longer a startup.
Becoming a glorified venture-capital outfit has appeal, but the woes of SoftBank’s Vision Fund warn of hubris.
Microsoft, nearly broken up by antitrust regulators, and Apple, which spent years in the wilderness before Steve Jobs returned to reinvent it as a maker of portable devices. Both bounced back by rediscovering their core purpose and applying it in a new way. Under Satya Nadella, Microsoft has reinvented itself as a provider of cloud-based software tools and services, rather than its Windows operating system. And Apple, previously known for its elegant, easy-to-use computers, has minted money by applying its genius to smartphones.
Indiscipline can lead to unexpected innovations, but more often saps vitality. Google’s best way forward is to follow the advice often given to victims of a mid-life crisis: slim down, decide what matters and follow the dream.
