投資顧問Jerry跟客戶Frank見面,建議他投資電動汽車電池技術(shù)的開發(fā),F(xiàn)rank似乎有顧慮。
F: I don't know....sounds like a gamble to me.
J: All investing is a gamble! But sometimes gambling pays off big time!
F: That's true...but sometimes you lose your shirt.
J: I'd recommend we take it step by step. The first step is to do lots of research. We really have to do our homework.
F: And then? What's step two?
J: I'm recommending buying a small Chinese company called WinTron Power. They hold several key patents and they have a good R&D department.
Frank覺得投資電池技術(shù)的開發(fā)聽上去有些象gamble,賭博,可是話說回來,投資就要有風(fēng)險,堵注下對了就會賺一大筆錢,pay off big time, 全軍覆沒則會,lose your shirt,傾家蕩產(chǎn)。Jerry已經(jīng)做好了全盤規(guī)劃,第一步是要做一下市場調(diào)查,do our homework,意思是先做好準(zhǔn)備工作。第二步是收購一家叫WinTron Power的小公司。這家公司掌握著好幾項關(guān)鍵專利,而且有優(yōu)秀的R&D Department,研究和開發(fā)部。
F: How much is this going to cost me?
J: The initial investment is about five million.
F: Five million U.S. dollars? That's steep!
J: Yes...but you could end up becoming a major supplier to the auto companies of the future. Invest millions for a chance to make billions.
F: It's a tempting idea. It could be huge.
Jerry說,首期投資the initial investment估計要500萬美元,F(xiàn)rank 說,that's steep. 這么多錢, steep is spelled s-t-e-e-p, steep,意思是傾斜度大,坡陡,也有過份的意思,比如說 The price is steep,意思是價錢太貴。 Jerry 勸他說,如果成功,投個幾百萬,就有機會賺回幾十億,是個上算的買賣。Frank說,It's a tempting idea,他好象動心了。
J: China has the potential to be the leader in the field. This is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I think it would be foolish to let it slip away.
F: Jerry...you sold me. I'll get working on this project right away. This could be my big break! Thanks for the info!
J: Just doing my job.
Jerry說,This is an once-in-a lifetime opportunity,這可是千載難逢的好機會,過了這個村就沒這個店了;這樣的機會千萬不能錯過。Frank終于被說動了。他說,you sold me,意思是你把我說服了。This could be my big break,這回沒準(zhǔn)我的機會來了。 Big break,往往用來指突如其來的好運氣。Jerry,回答說,Just doing my job. 這是我份內(nèi)的工作,這是我應(yīng)該做的。