今天要看一的文章是來自經濟學人的文章,他在評論一本書叫做 The Founders: The Story of Paypal and the Entrepreneurs Who Shaped Silicon Valley ,順便介紹了 PayPal 這間公司的起起落落!
“The Founders” examines the rise and legend of PayPal from TheEconomist
連結:https://www.economist.com/culture/2022/02/19/the-founders-examines-the-rise-and-legend-of-paypal
單字:
- capitalisation /ˌkæpɪtəlaɪˈzeɪʃn/ noun – the total value of a company’s shares on a stock exchange
(公司在股票市場上的)資本總額,股本
- honcho /ˈhɒntʃəʊ/ noun – the person in charge
負責人,主事者
例句:Who’s the head honcho around here?
- chronicle /ˈkrɒnɪkl/ noun – a written record of historical events
編年史;年代記;大事記
例句:Her latest novel is a chronicle of life in a Devon village.
- brass /brɑːs/ noun – a bright yellow metal made from copper and zinc
黃銅
例句:The door handles were made of brass.
- improvise /ˈɪmprəvaɪz/ verb – to invent or make something, such as a speech or a device, at the time when it is needed without already having planned it
臨時做;即興做
例句:I hadn’t prepared a speech so I suddenly had to improvise.
- insinuate /ɪnˈsɪnjueɪt/ verb – to suggest, without being direct, that something unpleasant is true
含沙射影地說,影射
例句:Are you insinuating (that) I’m losing my nerve?
- mafia /ˈmæfiə/ noun – a criminal organisation that began in Sicily and is active in Italy and the US
黑手黨(起源於義大利西西里的犯罪組織,現活躍於義大利和美國)
- on the fly – If you do something on the fly, you do it quickly, often while you are doing something else, without preparing and without thinking too much about how it should be done.
為經準備或較多考慮就開始匆忙做…(往往與其他事情一起進行)
例句:This new rule seems to have been created on the fly.
文章脈絡:
第一段:介紹 PayPal
這段在簡單的介紹 PayPal 的背景。
第二段:PayPal 的創辦人們
開始介紹 PayPal 的這些創辦人們之後都也是創辦別的公司,或是自己本身就是在創造別的公司(這種創業成功的人通常很多都是連鎖創業家!)
第三段:PayPal 的成長和對手
這段介紹了 PayPal 的初期階段有兩個對手,而最後 PayPal 儼然成為最大贏家!
第四段:PayPal 初期的困難
這段講一開始在成長階段的時候, PayPal 還被以為是詐騙,甚至 Elon Musk 還認為這是一場賭博。
第五段:創始時期的混亂
在準備時期的商業模式都還是很臨時的,所以創辦人在跟媒體說什麼,員工就馬上做,就馬上變成一種物可挽回的錯誤。
第六段:PayPal 為什麼成功?
這段在討論為什抹 PayPal 會成功,可能是因為:「很多創辦人都是來自別的公司或是別的公司的共同創辦人」,但是其實這個原因一點都不說服人。
第七段:結論
現在很多創辦人都還是被認為是 PayPal 黑手黨,但是有人說黑手黨的組織能力都比他們強。
實用佳句:
The top job at the firm was held by both Elon Musk, boss of Tesla and one of the world’s richest men, and Peter Thiel, a veteran venture capitalist and co-founder of Palantir Technologies, a data-analytics firm.
這句話的原話其實很簡單,我把它關係代名詞(補充說明)的部分拿掉給大家看。
The top job at the firm was held by both Elon Musk and Peter Thiel.
他就是在講說,高階位子是 Elon Musk 和 Peter Thiel 兩個人
但是怕大家不知道這兩個人是誰,所以他在後面放了補充說明。
The top job at the firm was held by both Elon Musk, boss of Tesla and one of the world’s richest men, and Peter Thiel, a veteran venture capitalist and co-founder of Palantir Technologies, a data-analytics firm.
前面的 boss of Tesla and one of the world’s richest men 是在說明 Elon Musk
後面的 a veteran venture capitalist and co-founder of Palantir Technologies 是在說明 Peter Thiel ,但是為了怕大家不知道 Palantir Technologies 是什麼公司,所以說明是 a data-analytics firm
這類型的句子在這種經濟學人難度的文章會非常常看到,因為可能有人名或是學科是需要被大量補充說明才能知道的。