Unit One

Text A   Is Volvo Swedish, American or Chinese?  

Part I. New words:

1. Swedish   adj.    瑞典的

e.g. (1) The Swedish company blamed the decline in US orders on the macroeconomic outlook. 

           这家瑞典公司把美国订单下滑归咎于宏观经济前景黯淡。

       (2)The Swedish paper also notes that the scientific community is still divided in its opinion of the toxicity of coffee. 

           这家瑞典报纸还提到，科学界对咖啡的毒性仍是有争论的。

2. rough   adj.   高低不平的，粗糙的

e.g. (1) The car bumped along the rough road. 汽车在高低不平的路上颠簸而行。

      (2) The edges of the stripes are rough. 这些条带的边缘是粗糙的。

3. severe   adj.    严峻的，剧烈的

e.g. (1) The NWS predicts severe weather beginning Friday afternoon for an area extending from eastern Texas up through the Midwest and into Michigan. 

           据国家气象局预测，从星期五下午开始，从德克萨斯东部往北，经过中西部直到密歇根的广大地区将面临严峻天气。

      (2) Steve passed out on the floor and woke up blinded and in severe pain. 

           史蒂夫晕倒在地板上，醒来后眼睛看不见了，还感到剧烈的疼痛。

4. manufacture     v.      生产，制造

e.g.  (1) We manufacture cars of all makes in large quantities. 我们大量生产各种式样的车辆。

        (2) Our interest is not to manufacture there for export. Our interest is to harness the local market. 

             我们的兴趣不是在当地加工制造以备出口，而是控制当地市场。

5. well-known    adj.    著名的

e.g. (1) The well-known professor sees the smallest slip I make.

            我犯的哪怕最小的差错那位著名的教授都能看出来。

       (2) And this is a well-known equation. 这是一个很著名的等式。

6. construction   n.     建筑

e.g. (1) The local government raised large sums for highway construction. 

            地方政府为建设公路筹措了巨额款项。

       (2)They bulldozed trees and rubbles from the area and started construction. 

            他们用推土机清除掉这个地区的树木和瓦砾，然后开始建设。

7. profit     n.    利润

e.g.  The hotel was launched in January, low season of a year, but we managed to make the profit. 

       酒店开业的时候是在一月，那是一年中的淡季，但我们还是做到了盈利。

8. deal    n.    交易

e.g. (1) It was no small achievement getting her to agree to the deal. 

           能让她同意那笔交易可是个不小的成就。

      (2) At least the deal was done, he said, and the money was in. 

           他说，至少交易已经达成了，钱也赚到了。

9. essential     adj.    必要的

e.g. (1) It is essential to keep the two groups separate. 将两组分开是必要的。

      (2)Water is essential to maintain life, but only one percent of the water on the whole planet can be used for drinking.    

         水对维持生命是必不可少的，但全球只有百分之一的水可以饮用。

10. global    adj.     全球的

e.g. (1) AIDS is a global problem which needs a global response. 

           艾滋病是个全球性的问题，需要全世界来应对。

      (2) China might be an engine for the global economy. 中国可能成为全球经济的引擎。

11. regulation    n.      规章制度

e.g. (1) The company is very strict on enforcing health and safety regulations. 

            公司严格执行健康和安全规定。

      (2) There are too many rules and regulations governing small businesses. 

            约束小企业的规章制度太多。

12. jointly      adv.     联合地，共同地

e.g. (1) The channel was jointly funded by the French and the British. 

            这条隧道是由法国人和英国人共同出资的。

      (2) The event was organised jointly by students and staff. 

            这次活动是由学生和老师共同组织的。

13. base    v.    把（总部等）设在

e.g. (1) The paper had intended to base itself in London. 这家报社原来打算把总部设在伦敦。

      (2) The new organisation will be based in Dallas. 这个新的机构总部将设在达拉斯。

14. invest      v.    投资

e.g.  常用搭配：invest in 投资于，买进

  (1) Many people don't like to invest in stocks.许多人不喜欢投资股票。

  (2) He invested his life savings in his daughter's business.他把毕生的积蓄投资在女儿的生意上。

15. production      n.        生产

e.g.   (1) The company is trying to minimise the cost of production. 该公司在努力使生产成本最低化。

        (2) He said the production plan is in line with Beijing's efforts to promote clean energy use in its recent five-year plan. 

            他说，这个生产计划符合北京在最新五年规划中推广清洁能源使用的努力。

16. know-how      n.        实际知识，技能

e.g. (1) He hasn't got the know-how to run a farm. 他没有经营农场的专门知识。

      (2) He needs more technical know-how to do his new job. 

            要做好这项新的工作，他需要更多的技术知识。

17. turnover        n.     营业额

e.g. (1) The company had a turnover of $3.8 million. 这个公司的营业额达380万美元。

      (2) If you can sign a sole agency agreement with us, your turnover will double. 

           如果你方能与我方签订独家代理协议，你方营业额会翻一番。

18. whereas       conj.      然而，但是

e.g. (1) The old system was fairly complicated whereas the new system is really very simple.

           旧系统相当复杂，但是新的系统确实非常简捷。

      (2) He had never done anything for them, whereas they had done everything for him. 

           他从未为他们做过任何事，反之他们却为他做了一切。

19. export     v.       出口

e.g. (1) The nation also exports rice. 该国还出口大米。

      (2) They expect the antibiotic products to be exported to Southeast Asia and Africa. 

           他们希望将抗生素产品出口到东南亚和非洲。

20. automobile      n.      汽车

e.g. (1) He treated his automobile almost as tenderly as he did his wife. 

           他对待他的汽车几乎就像对待妻子一般温柔。

      (2) Critics of the US automobile industry say years of mismanagement have been responsible for a decline in sales and plant closures. 

           美国汽车业的批评者说，多年来的管理失当是销量下降和工厂关闭的原因。

Part II Text：

1. Text:

Is Volvo Swedish, American or Chinese?

    In 1924, Assar Gabrielsson, a sales manager and Gustav Larson, an engineer, had the idea to build cars that people could drive on Sweden’s rough roads and during Sweden’s severe winters. Three years later, the first Volvo car was manufactured. This Swedish company quickly became a well-known producer of cars and commercial vehicles, including buses, trucks and heavy construction machinery.

By 1945 Volvo had become well-known outside Sweden, but they were too expensive for most people. 54 years later, in 1999, Volvo sold the car manufacturing part of its company to Ford Motor Company, America, for $6.45 billion. Ford thought it would make a big profit from this deal, but it did not. So only 11 years later it sold Volvo Cars to the Chinese motor manufacturer, Geely Automobile. 

For Volvo, manufacturing cars in China seemed essential as it wanted to increase its global yearly sales to 800,000 cars by 2020. However, under China’s regulations, foreign car manufacturers can only produce cars in China when the company is jointly owned and run by a Chinese company. Thus the deal was made with Geely.

The Hangzhou-based company not only paid Ford $1.8 billion, but also invested another $900 million in the production of Volvo. It promised to change Volvo from a company that was making a loss to a company that would make a profit.

According to their plan, Geely will use Volvo’s technology in its vehicles and build a factory that can produce 300,000 cars per year. However, there are some difficulties. Firstly, Geely does not have the know-how to manage a large company like Volvo. Last year Geely only had a turnover of $2.4 billion, whereas Volvo’s turnover was $12.4 billion.

Secondly, Geely only exports a small number of cars to other developing countries, so it is not known as a global player. Thirdly, reducing costs and keeping the standards will not be easy.

China is the world’s largest automobile market with sales of 16 million in 2010. Geely plans to sell between 200,000 and 300,000 Volvo cars per year. This is a very optimistic plan as only 30,000 Volvos were sold in China in 2009.

2. Background information:

Volvo: Volvo Company is a Swedish multinational manufacturing company headquartered in Gothenburg,                      Sweden. Its principal activity is the production, distribution and sale of trucks, buses, and construction                equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, and provides financial services. In                1999, Volvo sold its car division Volvo Cars to Ford Motor Company for $6.45 billion. In August 2010,            Ford completed its sale of Volvo Cars to the parent of Chinese motor manufacturer Geely Automobile                for $1.8 billion.

Geely: Geely (officially Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd) is a Chinese automotive manufacturing                         company headquartered in Binjiang District, Hangzhou, China. Its principal products are automobiles,                 motorcycles, engines, and transmissions. It sells passengers cars under five brand names: Emgrand,                     Englon, Geely, Gleagle, and Volvo. Some Geely models have received criticism for closely resembling                 those of other manufacturers.

3.  Language points: 

1. 54 years later, in 1999, Volvo sold the car manufacturing part of its company to Ford Motor Company, America, for $6.45 billion.

After 54 years, in 1999, Volvo sold the car manufacturing part of its company to Ford Motor Company at the price of $6.45 billion.

sell (…) for: 以……的价钱出售

e.g. (1) Free apps have become the norm, and very few can be sold for more than 99 cents. 免费应用成为常规，只有很少一部分能卖到 99美分以上。

       (2) Buying a phone, even some of the cheap, refurbished ones that sell for about $25 each, is way outside the means of most poor families. 对于大多数贫困的家庭而言，购买一部手机，即便是最便宜的、25美元一部的翻新手机，也是遥不可及的事。

2. However, under China’s regulations, foreign car manufacturers can only produce cars in China when the company is jointly owned and run by a Chinese company.

However, according to China’s rules, a foreign car manufacturer must set up a joint venture with a Chinese company before they can produce cars in China.

can only … when …: 只有在……的情况下才可以……

e.g.(1) We can only achieve that when we work together. 我们只有一起努力才能做到。

      (2) In fact, we can only love others authentically when we love ourselves. 事实上，只有当我们爱自己时，我们才能真正地爱他人。