时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:VOA标准英语2011年(十二月)


英语课

Want to Buy the Empire State Building?


Selling the Brooklyn Bridge in New York refers to an American expression about gullible 1 individuals who would buy it from scam artists offering bogus shares in the publicly-owned landmark 2. But shares in another of the city’s iconic structures, the Empire State Building, might become a reality.



The Empire State Building stood as the world’s tallest structure for more than 40 years after its construction in 1931. The Malkin family has owned it since a decade ago, paying more than $57 million for the iconic landmark. But this week, the Malkins filed papers with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, indicating that they might turn the property into a publicly-traded real estate company.



The details are sketchy 3. But Teresa Martin, founder 4 of the Real Estate Investment Association in New York, welcomes the opportunity, even as she wonders why the Malkins might be going public.



“It may be that they’re in trouble and need to raise some funds," she said. "But it may just mean that they want to expand and need investment dollars to actually do what they foresee in their vision to do.”



People with offices in the Empire State Building declined to comment on camera about the possible stock offering. But off camera, several complained about poor elevator service, inadequate 5 restroom facilities and other services in the 80-year-old building. The Malkin family have spent about $500 million on renovations, including replacement 6 of more than 6,500 windows for improved energy efficiency.



Teresa Martin sees the Empire State Building as an opportunity for people to diversify 7 their investment portfolios 8.



“If you’re telling me I can get it at $10 a share, let’s say, would I get 100 shares? Yes. Would I get like 200,000? Probably not," she said. "But I would get a piece.”



The building is often bathed in colored lights at night to commemorate 9 various events or causes. The New York Times newspaper quotes a person familiar with the deal as saying that most people expect the building to be illuminated 10 in green, the color of U.S. currency, if stocks in the Empire State Building are sold to the public.



1 gullible
adj.易受骗的;轻信的
  • The swindlers had roped into a number of gullible persons.骗子们已使一些轻信的人上了当。
  • The advertisement is aimed at gullible young women worried about their weight.这则广告专门针对担心自己肥胖而易受骗的年轻女士。
2 landmark
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
3 sketchy
adj.写生的,写生风格的,概略的
  • The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
  • Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。
4 Founder
n.创始者,缔造者
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
5 inadequate
adj.(for,to)不充足的,不适当的
  • The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
  • She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。
6 replacement
n.取代,替换,交换;替代品,代用品
  • We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
  • They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。
7 diversify
v.(使)不同,(使)变得多样化
  • Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
  • Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。
8 portfolios
n.投资组合( portfolio的名词复数 );(保险)业务量;(公司或机构提供的)系列产品;纸夹
  • Price risk arises in non-trading portfolios, as well as in trading portfolios. 价格风险中出现的非贸易投资,以及在贸易投资组合。 来自互联网
  • How do we fatten our portfolios and stay financially healthy? 我们怎样育肥我们的投资结构和维持财政健康呢? 来自互联网
9 commemorate
vt.纪念,庆祝
  • This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
  • We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。
10 illuminated
adj.被照明的;受启迪的
  • Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
  • the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市
学英语单词
a coming man
acetum mylabridis
acidiella rectangularis
anticigarette
back-cross
Beggar my Neighbour
biomagnetism
blank-verses
blood debt
Blytonian
Breidhafjördur
brokeup
carpet binding
central pedestal
Cerro Largo, Dep.de
cfc-free
Come on Top
conform to the standard
continuous change
count without one's host
cresyl blue
cystadenoma of hepatic duct
dialeuropora decempuncta
disappointingness
docious
electronic liquid density instrument
fellowable
formation work
frequency cap
front cut
g-o-d
GlobalSource
gnathophyllum americanum
grate side frame
Gschwend
hairdos
haplostemony
have more than one string to one's bow
Hepatogastroenterology
indirect selling cost
inlet
interstitial cell of leydig
kiss-offs
laryngostrob
live within your means
mal vu
Marlingford
matrix effects
microbial methane
minor-key
Moramide-Intermediate
mouse-colour
MRAT
mucinous degeneration
nature of a drug
occlusion water
Octidon
order card
Oskuya
Pagrosomus major
passers
peribronchiolar
phase belt
placic podzols
poor thing
preconvulsive
prickly lettuce
projected area ratio
raptus hystericus
re-marriage
Riebeek-Oos(Riebeek East)
Rinco process
sanhotoxin
sea cook
Seumas
shares worth
shikkers
sneads
spatial division of labour
sphere of activity
stationary cable crane
structural part
student promotion
success ratio
Systema limbicum
tarn
the Monkey
the text
the Yellowstone National Park
travel(l)ing winch
troutman
two-phase sysem
underyear
usnea undulata perspinigera
warm - up match
web girder
well-formedness rules
West Jersey
wheel in
wooden strut
Zamenhof
Zatoka