原文赏析

Unsure how to prevent a complete collapse,

由于不知道如何避免一场完全的崩塌

the stock exchange shuts down

股票交易所一度关闭

and stays closed for ten straight days.

而且一关就是十天

The Panic of 1873 triggered

1873年的大恐慌

the first full-blown national depression,

引发了第一次全国性的严重经济萧条

and nobody quite knew what to do about it.

没人知道怎么办

For the first time,

这是历史上第一次

large-- very large-- numbers of American workers were without jobs.

有如此巨大数量的美国工人失去工作

Workers got laid off, but the owners,

工人被解雇 但是所有者

they still lived in the style that they were accustomed to.

仍然生活在他们所习惯的方式之中

But no one was shedding any tears for John D. Rockefeller.

没人为约翰·D·洛克菲勒流泪

People were saving their tears for themselves,

大家的眼泪都留给了自己

when they found themselves out of work,

他们失去了工作

out of their homes, out of food, out of hope.

失去了居所 失去了食物 失去了希望

While many of the biggest companies

就在国内很多大公司

in the country struggle to survive,

为生存挣扎的时候

Rockefeller sees opportunity,

洛克菲勒看到了机会

his belief in the survival of the fittest kicking in.

他相信适者生存的原则

As his competition collapses,

在对手崩溃之后

Rockefeller picks them off,

洛克菲勒出手

buying out bankrupt oil companies for next to nothing.

用几乎零成本收购了破产的石油公司

I find that I do better in bad markets.

我发现我在市场不景气时做得更好

I buy things in bad markets.

不景气时 我可以买很多东西

And, you can't do that in a great economy.

在经济形势好时 这是做不到的

You can't buy it.

你买不了

Either you're gonna buy it very expensively

就算要买也是非常高昂的价格

or not be able to buy it at all.

你可能根本负担不起

So there's a lot of opportunity, I find, in the bad times.

在不景气的时候 我能找到很多机会

By the time the depression is through,

萧条过后

Rockefeller has created the largest corporate empire in America.

洛克菲勒造就了美国最大的公司帝国

He was playing the game of industry,

他是在进行行业的博弈

and he was simply better at it than everybody else.

他比其他任何人都更出色

He saw the industrial marketplace

他将行业市场

as a place for the survival of the fittest,

看成是适者生存的领域

and he was fitter than anybody else,

他比其他人都更适应

therefore he survived.

因此他能生存

Not only that, therefore he deserved to survive,

而且生存是他应得的

and they didn't.

他的对手则并非如此

视频资料

视频资料

洛克菲勒、范德比尔特、卡内基、阿斯托、福特和摩根，他们的名字几乎是美国梦的近义词，也代表着美国梦的历史。他们转变了他们所接触的每个行业：石油、铁路、钢铁、船运、汽车，还有金融。他们的付出改变了一个国家。出身贫寒，他们却多次涉足总统选举，设立经济政策，影响他们那个年代——内战到大萧条时期。他们，被称为造就美国的人。

重点讲解

1.prevent sb/sth (from doing sth) 阻止阻碍

例句：The desire to travel is there, but fears and excuses usually prevent people from doing it.

这其实就是想要旅行的欲望，但恐惧和借口总是阻止他们去做。

2.ten straight days 连续不断地；一连

例句：They had been working for 16 hours straight.

他们已经一连工作了 16 个小时。

3.laid off 解雇某人（因为其工作不多）

例句：Because of the financial crisis, she was laid off 11 months into her first job.

由于受到金融危机的影响，她在开始工作11个月后被解雇了。

4.shed tears 落泪

shed no tears 不流泪

例句：Kitty was the only one who shed tears; but she did weep from vexation and envy.

只有吉蒂流了眼泪，可是她这一场哭泣却是为了烦恼和嫉妒。

5.through (with sth/sb) 完成；结束

be through (使用)完成,结束；(关系)了结,断绝

例句：Are you through with that newspaper?

你看完那份报纸了吗？

Todd and I are through.

托德和我吹了。