劍橋商務英語考試的高階練習題
Business News Reading
One of the most important features of Western business news writing is the usage of simple and lively English. Since of most these writings cover not stories but trends of the market or development of policies, it is essential to make the writing right to the point and accessible to reader of various education levels. Therefore, conciseness and clarity are the keys (語言簡練通俗):
“The company expects to incur a loss, excluding special items, of between (11) cents and (14) cents per share in the first quarter.”
除特殊專案，公司第一季度預計會出現每股11至14分的虧損。
“Capital Spending by industry just pokes along. Ditto residential building.”
工業資本開支緩慢增加，住房建築亦如此。
The collapse of copper price has come just as demand for it from the industrialized world has dropped 8% on last year and as production, after two years of high prices, is starting to increase.
銅價的猛跌正好是在工業國家的對銅的需求比去年下降8%和經過兩年的'高價後銅生產量正開始上升的時候發生的。
Much information has been covered, yet using only one sentence.
A long and boring day at work tires your eyes and mind. Wouldn’t it be even worse if you have to read on to some drab writings in news? So don’t be surprised to see such lively expressions (用詞生動形象):
“Italy is one country where it is really good-bye to the boom, at least until the chronic weakness in the balance of payments is cured, and the 17%inflation is reduced.”
義大利是一個真正與經濟繁榮告別了的國家，至少在國際收支方面的長期困境得以改善， 以及每年17%的通貨膨脹有所一直之前，情況難以好轉。
“When it came to a perennial Clinton bugaboo-personnel-things began on a promising note. Prodded by the White House, Seven Cabinet Chiefs announced their departures soon after Nov.5. The shakeup gave Clinton a chance to revitalize his weary team. So have any of those jobs been filled? Nope.”
克林頓剛剛看到即將擺脫困擾他多時的私人瑣事的希望。在白宮的催促下，7位內閣要員宣佈將於11月5日後卸任。此次內閣改組給克林頓以機會使其疲憊的內閣恢復活力。內閣成員的人選是否已經確定了呢?沒有。
The usage of ellipsises makes eye-catching titles and subtitles: (巧用省略)
“Who is afraid of global markets? Not U.S. investors.”
“Time for a reality check in Asia. Time for a fire brigade.”
“Hubris? Perhaps. But Dobson isn’t the only putting up his chest these days.”
傲慢嗎?也許。但DOBSON可不是近來唯一一位趾高氣昂的人。
The frequent use of quotes