1
CITIC Group to cut expenses by 10 billion
中信集团将节流降本100亿元
ChineseconglomerateCITIC Group Corp aims to cut 10 billion yuan in administrative expenses this year to counter an economy weakened by COVID-19. The group aims to reduce administrative costs across all units by more than 10%, according to a documentdated17 July outlining the initiative, which will cut expenses from business travel tohospitality. Such goals are to remind employees of the current “tough days” and “to actively deal with the internal and external change of the environment.” (Reuters)
中国中信集团公司计划，2020年度降低管理费用人民币100亿元，以应对新冠疫情导致的经济下行。一份落款日期7月17日的文件略述了这项计划。该文件显示，中信集团的目标，是全面降低各单位的管理成本达10%以上，包括差旅费、业务招待费等支出。这样的目标，是为了提醒员工过“紧日子”，并“积极应对内外部环境变化”。
【注释】
conglomerate: [k n ɡl m r t]n.a large company formed by joining together different firms（企业）集团
date: [de t]vt.to write or print the date on (sth.) 在…上写／印上日期
hospitality: [ h sp t l ti]n.food, drink or services that are provided by an organization for guests, customers, etc.（对客人／户的）款待
2
Spain’s ex-King Juan Carlos left the country
西班牙前国王胡安·卡洛斯离开西班牙
Spain’s former King Juan Carlos has left the country for an unknown destination, weeks after he was linked to an inquiry into alleged corruption. Juan Carlos, 82, announced the move last Monday in a letter to his son, Felipe, to whom he handed power six years ago. In June, Spain’s Supreme Court opened an investigation into the alleged involvement of Juan Carlos in a high-speed rail contract in Saudi Arabia. Juan Carlosabdicatedin 2014 after nearly 40 years as king following a corruption investigation involving his daughter’s husband and a controversial elephant hunting trip the monarch took during Spain’s financial crisis. (BBC)
西班牙前国王胡安·卡洛斯离开了西班牙，去向未知。几周前，他因涉嫌腐败而被卷入调查。6年前，胡安退位，儿子费利佩即位。8月3日，82岁的胡安在写给费利佩的一封信中，宣布了离境的决定。胡安涉嫌染指沙特阿拉伯的高铁合同。今年6月，西班牙最高法院对此展开调查。2014年，在位近40年的胡安·卡洛斯退位。退位前，他的女婿因涉嫌腐败而被调查，胡安本人也因为在西班牙金融危机期间外出猎象而饱受争议。
【注释】
abdicate: [ bd ke t]vi.to give up the position of being king, queen or emperor 退位
3
a massive blast in Lebanon’s capital
黎巴嫩首都大爆炸
A massive explosion rocked Lebanon’s capital Beirut last Tuesday,flatteningmuch of the city’s port, damaging buildings across the city and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. More than 100 people were killed and 4,000 injured. The blast struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake and it was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 200 kilometers across the Mediterranean. The sudden devastation overwhelmed a country already struggling with both the COVID-19 pandemic and a severe economic and financial crisis. Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi said that it appeared the blast was caused by thedetonationof more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate that had been stored in awarehouseat the dock ever since it wasconfiscatedfrom acargoship in 2014. (AP)
8月4日，黎巴嫩首都贝鲁特发生大爆炸，港口的大部分区域被夷为平地，城市内多处建筑物被毁，巨大的蘑菇云腾空而起。事故已造成百余人死亡，约4000人受伤。爆炸的威力相当于3.5级地震，在两百多公里外、与黎巴嫩隔着地中海的塞浦路斯，都能听到声音，感受到震动。黎巴嫩已经饱受新冠疫情和严重经济金融危机的双重摧残，爆炸突如其来，更是雪上加霜。黎巴嫩内政部长穆罕默德 法赫米表示，事故起因可能是有2700多吨硝酸铵被引爆。2014年，这些硝酸铵从一艘货船上被没收，此后就一直存放在码头的仓库里。
【注释】
flatten: [ fl tn]vt.to destroy or knock down (a building, tree, etc.) 夷平
detonation: [ det ne n]n.the action of making something explode 引爆
warehouse: [ we ha s]n.a building where large quantities of goods are stored, especially before they are sent to shops to be sold 仓库
confiscate: [ k nf ske t]vt.to officially take (sth.) away from sb., especially as a punishment 没收，把…充公
cargo: [ kɑ ɡ ]n.the goods carried in a ship, an aircraft or a motor vehicle（船、飞机、车辆装载的）货物
4
athrongof new penguincoloniesin Antarctica
南极洲发现多个帝企鹅新群
Satellite images have revealed 11 previously unknown emperor penguin colonies in Antarctica, boosting the number of known colonies of theimperilledbirds by 20%. The discoveries were made by spotting the distinctiveguanopatchesthe birds leave on the ice. Thefindswere made possible byhigher-resolutionimages from a new satellite. Two of the colonies were a particular surprise. They were found far from the coast, living on sea ice that isanchoredtogroundedicebergs, a location never seen before. The new colonies are thought to number a few hundred penguins each, which is smaller than average, so the discoveries increase the total population of emperor penguins by a smaller proportion of about 5–10%. All the new colonies are in areas that are at risk and researchers say these will be the “canaries in the coal mine” as global heating increasingly affects Antarctica. (The Guardian)
卫星图像显示，南极洲有11个此前未知的帝企鹅群，使这一濒危鸟类已知的集群数量增加了20%。这次的发现仰赖一颗新卫星，它拍摄图像的分辨率更高。科学家根据图像中显现的企鹅留在冰面上的粪便污渍找到了这些帝企鹅群。这些集群中，有两个尤其令人吃惊。它们远离海岸，生活在与搁浅的冰山相连的海冰上。此前从未见过有帝企鹅生活在这样的地方。科学家认为新的集群每个都只有几百只帝企鹅，低于早前集群的平均数，因此，这次发现仅会使已知的帝企鹅总数增加约5%至10%。新集群所生活的地区都面临危险。研究人员表示，随着全球变暖对南极洲的影响越来越大，这些帝企鹅将成为“煤矿里的金丝雀”。
【注释】
throng: [θr ]n. a large number 大量
colony: [ k l ni]n.a group of plants or animals that live together or grow in the same place 生物集群
imperil: [ m per l]vt.to put (sth./sb.) in danger 危及，使陷于危险
guano: [ ɡwɑ n ]n.the waste substance passed from the bodies of birds that live near the sea, used esp. to make plants and crops grow well 海鸟的粪便
patch: [p t ]n.a small area of sth., esp. one which is different from the area around it 斑
find: [fa nd]n.a thing or person that has been found, esp. one that is interesting, valuable or useful（尤指有趣、有价值的）发现
resolution: [ rez lu n]n. the power of a computer screen, printer, etc. to give a clear image, depending on the size of the dots that make up the image 分辨率
anchor: [ k (r)]vt.to connect (sth.) to a solid base 使与某固体相连
ground: [ɡra nd]vt.to cause (sth.) to run aground 使搁浅
5
Trump banned TikTok and WeChat
特朗普封禁抖音海外版和微信
The Trump administration has announced sweeping restrictions on two popular Chinese social media networks, TikTok and WeChat, a sharp escalation of its confrontation with China. Two executive orders, released last Thursday and taking effect in 45 days, cited national security concerns tobarany transactions with TikTok owner ByteDance, or that is related to WeChat with its parent company Tencent Holdings, “by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to thejurisdictionof the United States.” The orderessentiallysets a 45-day deadline for anacquisitionof TikTok, which is in talks to be acquired by Microsoft. Much remains unclear about the scope of the ban, including precisely which transactions would be covered. The restrictions would represent a furtherbalkanizationof the global Internet, as nations continue to cut off foreign technology companies from one another’s markets. (The New York TimesandSouth China Morning Post)
【注释】
bar: [bɑ (r)]vt.to ban or prevent sb. from doing (sth.) 禁止
jurisdiction: [ d r s d k n]n. an area or a country in which a particular system of laws has authority 司法管辖权
essentially: [ sen li]adv.used to identify or stress the basic or essential character or nature of a person or thing 事实上
acquisition: [ kw z n]n.the act of buying a company, piece of land, etc. 收购
balkanization: [ b lk n ze n]n.the process of dividing a country, region, etc. into smaller areas where the different groups of people all dislike or fight each other 巴尔干化
6
China exports rose sharply
中国出口飙升
Chinese exports rose sharply in July in a sign ofresiliencein the country’s trade activity despite thelingeringimpact of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. Exports rose 7.2 per cent in dollar terms compared with the same month a year earlier. The sharp rise compares to a 0.5 per cent increase in June, when Chinese trade data began to improve after a severecontraction. Higher demand for China’s goods comes after the economy returned to growth in the second quarter. It suggests that other economies are also beginning to emerge from the early stages of the crisis even as global trade levels remain depressed. Economists suggested that Chinese exports were benefiting from global demand for medical equipment and products related to remote working. (The Financial Times)
尽管全球新冠疫情的影响仍在持续，中国七月份的出口额激增，显示出中国外贸的韧性。中国七月的出口额，按美元计算同比增长7.2%。相比七月的飙升，六月同比增长0.5%。当时，中国贸易数据在严重的经济萎缩后，刚刚开始恢复。中国经济在第二季度恢复增长后，世界对中国商品的需求也在攀升。这表明，尽管全球贸易水平依然低迷，但其它经济体开始从危机的早期阶段复苏。经济学者认为，中国的出口受益于全球对医疗设备和远程工作相关产品的需求。
【注释】
resilience: [r z li ns]n.the ability of people or things to recover quickly after sth. unpleasant, such as shock, injury, etc. 适应力，恢复力
lingering: [ l ɡ r ]adj. slow to end or disappear 逗留的，仍在继续的，死而不僵的
contraction: [k n tr k n]n.a reduction in business activity or growth〖经〗收缩
（复旦大学江默柔编译，复旦大学章逍然、重光会王暖流审订）
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