Report 2 亚洲商业崛起之路
Wors Tips
topdog 优胜者 hone v.磨炼，精通，营造
brawn n.强壮的肌肉 savvy n.悟性，理解能力
smelt v.熔炼 incumbent n.现有企业
chummy adj.亲密的 beproneto易于……，有……的倾向
telecom n.电信 venture-capital n.风险资本
host v.掌控 punchbelowone’sweight差强人意，不尽如人意
boom n.繁荣，兴旺cronyism n.任用亲信，裙带关系
Listen to the following recording and answer questions 1-3.
1）A.Business power can bring about cultural revolutions.
B.Business power is the only cause for cultural revolutions.
C.Cultural revolutions are the most important driving force for the growth of business power.
D.Cultural revolutions and business power are not related.
2）A.3% B.17% C.44% D.76%
3）A.It lacks brains and global savvy.
B.Asian capitalism has been too cozy.
C.Little importance has been attached to innovation.
D.Asian firms are globalizing to challenge their foreign rivals.
听力原文
BUSINESS power follows economic power.In the 1920s British firms owned 40% of the global stock of foreign direct investment.By 1967 America was top dog，with a 50% share.Behind those figures lie cultural revolutions.The British spread the telegraph and trains in Latin America.American firms sold a vision of the good life，honed by Hollywood and advertising.Kellogg’s changed what the rich world ate for breakfast，and Kodak how it remembered holidays.The next corporate revolution，as we describe in our special report this week，is happening in Asia.This too will change how the world lives.
Asian capitalism has brawn.The continent’s share of global GDP has risen from a fifth to 28% since 1984.It is the world’s factory，a diverse region of rivals bound together by supply chains.But it lacks brains and global savvy.Asia smelts 76% of the world’s iron and emits 44% of its pollution，but hosts only a tenth of its most valuable brands and venture-capital activity.Its multinationals punch below their weight，owning 17% of the world’s foreign direct investment.Wealthy Japan and South Korea have a cast of superstars，such as Toyota and Samsung.But few other firms command the world stage.
That is because Asian capitalism has been too cozy.In the boom between 2002 and 2010 easy profits were made at home—growth was fast and labor and credit cheap.Two-thirds of big Asian firms are state-controlled or“business houses”（often family-run）.These incumbents tend to be chummy with the government and get cheap land and loans.Half of all billionaire wealth in Asia has been made in sectors，such as property，that are prone to cronyism，versus 15% in the West.Outside Japan，Taiwan and South Korea，innovation has been neglected.Mahindra & Mahindra and Great Wall，car champions from India and China，have a combined research-and-development（R&D） budget that is 3% of Volkswagen’s.
For Western firms，Asia’s shortcomings have been a relief.
In order to challenge foreign rivals，Asian firms are globalizing，following the example of Samsung and Toyota.Lenovo，a thriving Chinese computer firm，has Western-style governance and many foreign staff.Huawei has overtaken Ericsson in telecoms equipment.India’s Sun Pharma is now one of the world’s biggest generic-drugs firms.Tencent，China’s Facebook，has hired the footballer Lionel Messi to advertise its services abroad.Sprawling business houses are evolving into focused multinationals.
Questions：
1.According to the report，what is the relation between business power and cultural revolutions？
2.What percentage of the world’s pollution is from Asia？
3.Which of the following is NOT Asia’s shortcoming mentioned in the report？
参考译文
商业能力紧随经济实力。20世纪20年代，英国公司拥有40%的全球海外直接投资股票。截至1967年，美国以50%的市场份额雄霸世界。这些数字的背后是文化的变革。英国将电报机和铁路传至拉丁美洲。美国公司则通过好莱坞和广告营造了一副美好生活的憧憬。家乐氏公司改变了发达国家人们桌上的早餐。柯达则定格了人们对于假期的美好回忆。下一场公司革命，就如同我们在本周的特别报道中描述的一样，将发生在亚洲。这也同样会改变我们生活的世界。
亚洲资本强劲有力。自1984年以来，亚洲大陆占全球GDP的份额已经从五分之一，增长至28%。这里是世界工厂，由供应链联结起来的竞争多元化的地区。但是它“力大无脑”，缺乏对全球市场的领悟能力。亚洲熔炼了76%的世界钢铁并排放了44%的污染物，但是只掌握了十分之一最有价值的品牌和风险资本活动。这里，跨国公司的实力与其规模并不相称，只拥有世界17%的外国直接投资。富裕的日本和韩国有众多的明星企业，例如丰田和三星。但是，其他能够在世界舞台上占领一席之地的公司却是屈指可数。
这是因为亚洲的资本主义是“温室里的花朵。从2002到2010年，唾手可得的利润在家里就能轻松赚到——快速的增长以及廉价劳动力和信贷。三分之二的亚洲大公司都是国有的或者家族式经营的商号。它们都与政府有着密切的关系，能够得到廉价的土地和贷款。亚洲近半数的亿万富豪都是从政府有关部门发家的，例如极易产生裙带关系的房地产业，相比之下在西方只占15%。除了日本、中国台湾和韩国之外，创新都遭到了忽视。马恒达和长城这两个印度和中国的汽车业龙头，其研究开发经费加起来也不过是大众汽车的3%。
对于西方公司来说，亚洲的短板令他们从中得利。
为了应对国外竞争对手，亚洲公司（例如三星和丰田）正在全球化。作为一家繁荣兴旺的中国计算机企业，联想拥有西式的管理和众多外籍员工。华为在电信设备方面也超越了爱立信公司。印度的太阳药业现在已经跻身为全球最大的非注册商标类药品公司之一。腾讯是中国版的facebook，聘任足球明星莱昂内尔·梅西为其服务进行海外宣传。粗放式发展的商业模式已经进化成集中而专业的跨国企业。
参考答案
1.A 2.C 3.D