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《富比士》雜誌曾以封面標題《The Fastest Growing Company Ever--史上增長最快的公司》形容Groupon驚人的發展歷程。這家由美國西北大學音樂系學生安德魯•梅森（Andrew Mason）創立的團購網站，7個月實現獲利，在不到一年半時間內估值就高達13.5億美元，成為了網路界最新的“一夜致富”成功典型 (overnight success story) 。
Groupon將公開發行(IPO)的消息從去年底延燒至今，成為今年最受矚目的IPO。Bloomberg報導Groupon將以250億美元的市值IPO，超越Google在2004年IPO時的246億美元。一起來讀這篇新聞。
Groupon Inc. is expected to pick Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley as its two lead underwriters for a planned initial public offering later this year, people familiar with the matter said. 
美國團購網站Groupon Inc.計畫今年晚些時候進行首次公開募股IPO，將選高盛集團和摩根史丹利作為兩個主承銷商。 
The IPO is expected to value the Chicago company at between $15 billion and $20 billion. The valuation could change depending on market conditions at the time of the IPO.
這家芝加哥公司在IPO中的估值為150億美元至200億美元。估值可能會隨IPO時的市場狀況而改變。 
Groupon hasn't decided exactly how much it plans to raise from the initial offering of its stock to investors, but it could be as much as $1 billion, according to the people familiar with the matter. The IPO is currently planned for the second half of 2011, and will potentially be in the third quarter, one of these people said.
Groupon尚未決定IPO籌資規模，不過最高可達10億美元。據說，IPO目前定於2011年下半年進行，有可能會在第三季。 
A public offering of Groupon, one of a small cluster of fast-growing web companies, would be among this year's most high-profile IPOs, and probably one of the largest.
Groupon的IPO將是今年受矚目的IPO，規模也最大。這家公司是一小批迅速發展的網路公司之一。 
Founded in November 2008, Groupon has investments from venture capital firms such as Lightbank, Andreessen Horowitz and Battery Ventures, as well as Russian Internet investment firm Digital Sky Technologies.
Groupon成立於2008年11月，獲得了Lightbank、Andreessen Horowitz和Battery Ventures等創投公司和俄羅斯網路投資公司Digital Sky Technologies的投資。 
Last year, Groupon turned down a $6 billion offer from Google Inc. and soon after raised $950 million in funding. The company, which employs around 6,000 people worldwide, sells discounted goods and services to its 60 million subscribers in some 500 local markets.
去年，Groupon拒絕了Google 60億美元的收購邀約，隨即籌集了9.5億美元的資金。該公司在全球約有員工6,000人，約500個當地市場的6,000萬個用戶出售折扣商品和服務。 
Its sales teams fan out across cities in search of tie-ups with local merchants, and those deals are then offered to subscribers through their website, emails and smartphone apps.
該公司的銷售團隊在城市各處尋求與當地商家建立合作關係，然後通過其網站、電子郵件和手機應用程式把這些商品和服務提供給註冊使用者。 
But even as the innovative idea has caught on among deal-hungry consumers, Groupon faces growing competition from rivals such as LivingSocial. That could dampen investor enthusiasm for the stock's growth story.
這個有創意的想法吸引了熱衷於折扣商品和服務的消費者，但Groupon面臨著來自LivingSocial等對手日益激烈的競爭。也可能會影響投資者買進該公司股票的熱情。 
Investment bankers have been making proposals to Groupon about a potential IPO since January. At least five major banks, including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, pitched to the company in an informal 'bake-off.'
自1月以來，投資銀行一直在就可能的IPO向Groupon提供建議。至少有包括美國銀行美林(Bank of America Merrill Lynch)在內的五家。 
關鍵口語字

fan out: 往四面八方奔赴、大規模搜索
“Fan”是"扇子"，fan out顧名思義是"成扇形展開"的意思，引申意為"奔赴四面八方"。 

 

例句：
l He fanned out the cards in his hand. 他把手中的紙牌呈扇形展開。
l Police with tracer dogs were fanning out over the moor. 員警帶著警犬在荒野呈扇形展開。 

 

 

 

 

 

About Groupon Inc.
Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website that is localized to major markets in the United States and Canada. The first market for Groupon was Chicago, followed soon thereafter by Boston and New York City and Toronto. As of January 2010, Groupon serves more than 40 markets. Groupon launched in November 2008. The idea for Groupon was created by now-CEO Andrew Mason. The idea subsequently gained the attention of his former employer, Eric Lefkofsky, who provided $1 million in "seed money" to develop the idea.

 

本文同步刊於2011.4.30(六)工商時報”世界公民weekly”專欄。 

 

先不要往下看答案，一定要先講講看自己會不會這句辦公室常用英文，之後再核對答案進步才會快：
"這星期我們人手不夠。我想將您排入行程，但恐怕沒有時間。"
 

 

 

這六句話都很簡單，它們的作用是，講了這句話，自然就有會有源源不絕的話跟著流出來。所以怎麼用這六句話呢？記得很牢，時不時就出現在口語中，就不怕找不到話聊了。

 
1. That reminds me. 那倒提醒了我。

A：May I borrow 100 dollars from you? 我可以跟你借100元嗎？
B: That reminds me. I must get some cash. 哦，對了。我得去領錢。
2. By the way, ... 順帶一提。 

A: By the way, my boss told me that she knew you. 順帶一提，我的老闆說認識你。
B: I'm glad she still remembers me. We worked together a few years ago. How is she doing now? 我很高興她還記得我，我們幾年前是同事。她現在過得好嗎？
3. You know what? 你知道嗎？ 

A: You know what? I don't really like that new guy. I think he is sneaky. 你知道嗎？我不是很喜歡新來那個傢伙，我覺得他鬼鬼祟祟。
B: How come? I think he's a great guy. What makes you think so? 為什麼？我覺得他還挺不錯的，你為什麼會有那樣的想法呢？
4. I'm not finished. 我還沒說完！ 

A: OK, that's enough. I understand. 好了，夠了，我明白了。
B: I'm not finished. You're going to listen to me for once! I have a lot more to say. 我還沒說完呢，你總得聽我說一次吧！我還有很多話要說呢。
5. Wait a minute. 等等。 

A : That will be $150 please. 總共是150元。謝謝。
B : Wait a minute! The price on the menu is only $120. 　等一下！菜單寫120元。 
6. I have an idea. 我有個好主意。 

A: We ran out of coffee. 我們的咖啡喝光了。 
B: I have an idea. Let's have tea instead! 我有辦法，我們以茶代替吧。

有一個英文名字，和中文的偷工減料完全符合，叫Jerry-built。簡陋的矮小的偷工減料的房子，英文用：A mean little jerry-built house。
 

• 例句：That jerry-built cabin will blow apart in a strong wind. (那間草草建起的小屋一陣強風就會被吹走的。) 
  

Jerry這個本來就有草率的意思，如果和Tom在一起，叫Tom and Jerry意思就是整天吃喝玩樂的浪蕩子。Jerry-built不只是講建築物，電視節目拼拼湊湊，草率得不得了，也用得上。

• 例句：When the regular television program didn't come on, a jerry-built program was substituted at the last minute. (原來節目被取消之後，最後一刻臨時拼湊了一個節目作為替代。)

偷工減料，除了jerry built之外，也還有一個片語，是cut corners。Cut corners原意是抄近路，找更方便的辦法，或更便宜的辦法來做一件事，如：Cut corners to make a cheaper product.

• 例句：They were criticized to cut corners in building the house. (他們因蓋房子偷工減料而遭受批評。)
  

訂閱世界公民weekly電子報

有些英文字看起來很簡單，其實很難用，因為中文裡找不到「對應字」（counterpart）。這些字夾在整個句子裡，聽得懂，但你從來不會這麼說。
It was a hard job, he took it though.（這工作很難，但他還是接受了）放在句尾，這個字的發音必須上揚。或是：Somehow I don't like him.（不知怎麼地我就是不喜歡他。）
Though、somehow、anyway、 nevertheless，這些字經常發生在口語上，看上去好像沒什麼意思，因為這關乎的比較是「口氣」的問題。
構成英文溝通的不只是文法、發音，還有一些是很微妙的轉折，這些轉折，會構成一種氣氛，文法寫作上稱它作語氣，假如側重在口語，我習慣稱它為「口氣」。
語氣比文法還複雜，因為它沒有很明確的規則，感受它比記憶它來得更有效。請把以下的句子唸三遍，不必刻意記，感覺它比記憶它重要！
Somehow（讀中文時先看看自己能不能用英文造句） 

 

我們還是撐過來了。We made it through somehow.
不知怎的,他就是怕他的老闆。Somehow he was afraid of his boss.
他們以乎從來沒有適當計劃 ,但也總還做得出成績。They never seem to have a proper plan but manage to muddle through somehow.
他總算把這個概念硬灌了進去，並希望員工們記住它。He drove the idea in somehow, and hoped that his staff would retain it.
反正事情在穩步地進行。Matters jog along somehow.
Though

不過，也許今天下午行嗎？Perhaps this afternoon, though?
知心朋友不必多，交遊可以滿天下。Have but few friends, though many acquaintances.
嗯，還不太好。不過比以前好點了。Well, not too well yet. Better than I was though.

 

  

 

更多內容和Debug測驗請點此連結　
熟到老外都覺得你英文好，加入量身訂做的1on1 progarm

 

 

They may still be in the prime of their lives - but for many young adults, their 20s and 30s are now a time of panic and self-doubt as they suffer a "quarter-life crisis". Faced with too much choice, they are experiencing the traditional symptoms of a mid-life crisis earlier, research suggests. 
20和30歲還在人生的黃金時期，但許多年輕人卻遭遇"青年危機"，處在恐慌和自我懷疑中掙扎。人生有太多選擇，年輕人提早經歷中年危機的一些傳統症狀。一項研究指出。
Today's young adults often struggle with the multitude of options available, driving them to feel anxiety, depression and a sense of being trapped or "locked into" a marriage or a job that doesn't feel right. And the phenomenon appears to be more common than in the past, according to Greenwich University researcher Oliver Robinson.
當下的年輕人時常要在眾多可能性中作出艱難的選擇，這讓他們感到焦慮和抑鬱。他們感覺自己陷入或被錯誤的婚姻或工作鎖住了。格林威治大學的研究人員奧利佛羅賓森說，和過去相比較，現在"青年危機"的現象更普遍。

每種語言都一樣，有「實」也有「虛」，「虛」指的是有些句子或片語沒太大意思，不說也沒什麼大不了，但只要是native speaker的溝通，就會不斷地出現這些元素，中文不也是這樣？「我就說吧...」「信不信...」「恕我冒昩」這些虛話不是傳達訊息，而是製造情境，以下美語也有異曲同工之妙，各位看看吧！
1. At the end of the day 最終；總的來說
Sure we missed our best player but at the end of the day, John, we just didn't play well enough to win the game.
我們最好的選手不能上場，但是最終來說，還是因為我們發揮得不好，所以無法贏得比賽。
2. Fairly unique 相當獨特 (其實很含糊，怎麼個獨特法）
I am looking for a fairly unique piece of technology.
我在尋找一種獨特的技術。
3. I personally 我個人(這個片語其實不用也可以，因為大部份想法都是個人意見)
I personally don't like her.
我不喜歡她。
4. With all due respect 恕我直言；冒昧的說；我並不想冒犯
With all due respect, I think there are some facts you have not considered.
恕我直言，我想你忽略了一些事實。
5. Absolutely 絕對
It is absolutely impossible.
絕對不可能。
6. Shouldn't of 這個片語等於shouldn't have，意為“不應該”，語法不正確，但是在口頭表達中經常使用。
I shouldn't of had the beer!
我不該喝啤酒。
7. It's not rocket science 顯而易見的；常見的；另一種說法是it doesn't take a rocket scientist.
We're talking basic common sense here - it isn't rocket science.
我們說的是常識，又不是什麼了不起的學問。

熟到老外都覺得你英文好，加入量身訂做的1on1 progarm

先不要往下看答案，一定要先講講看自己會不會這句辦公室常用英文，之後再核對答案進步才會快：
"能不能先給一個大概的數字?"