(2008-6-16144815)鞍钢国贸公司听力翻译辅导讲义.doc

Unit 1. First Trans-Atlantic Stock Market Aims for Early 07 Launch The planned NYSE-Euronext merger is a good example of how financial markets have grown increasingly international and competitive. The NYSE Group and Euronext hope to create the worlds largest financial exchange group by the end of March. Their shareholders voted last month to approve a plan to combine the two exchange operators. The proposed fourteen billion dollar deal will create the first trans-Atlantic stock exchange. American and European government officials must still approve the merger plan. The new group, to be called NYSE Euronext, will have a combined market value of about twenty-seven billion dollars. The deal has been developing since June. The New York Stock Exchange is the worlds biggest stock market. Euronext is Europes leading international exchange. It operates the stock markets in Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris. Notes: trans-: merger: NYSE-Euronext: shareholder: exchange operator: market value: Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon and Paris: Unit 2. Backdated Stock Options: How Deal for Apple Chief Turned Sour An explanation of a payment practice that has brought attention to the company formerly known as Apple Computer and many others. Apple Computer had a big week. Steve Jobs, the chief executive officer, announced the company would now just be called Apple. And, at its MacWorld conference, he also presented the iPhone. It combines a wireless phone, music and video player, and Internet communications device in one handheld product. The next day, Cisco Systems brought a civil case. That company owns trademark rights to the name iPhone. Apple was negotiating for permission to use it. Apple called the legal action silly. It said there were already several companies using that name. Recently, Apple has had to deal with another issue: backdated stock options. A stock option is an agreement to trade a stock by a set date. Companies use options as a form of pay, often for their top pe