原文赏析

The United States of America is changing like never before.

美利坚合众国发生着前所未有的改变

In just a decade,

仅仅花了十年时间

the country has become one of the most advanced on earth,

美国就成为了全球最进步的国家之一

and darkness no longer means the end of the day.

黑暗降临不再意味着一天的结束

Two men have driven this remaking of the country.

两个男人推动了整个国家的改造

John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt

约翰·D·洛克菲勒和科尼利厄斯·范德比尔特

are locked in a battle of wills.

陷入了一场意志力的战争

Commodore.

船长

Mr. Rockefeller.

洛克菲勒先生

Vanderbilt and his competitors are in drastic

范德比尔特和他的竞争对手们

search of passengers and cargo to fill the trains running on their lines.

正四处寻找乘客和货物来装满各自线路上的火车

In the 1870s, the country needed to be connected via railroads,

1870年代 整个国家需要铁路来连接

and what happens then is everybody who thinks they have an edge

当时所有认为自己在铁路行业拥有优势的人

in the railroad business goes out and raises money

都开始四处筹集资金

and they start their own railroad.

开始自己的铁路生意

And what happened then is we've seen happen many of times

这同之后很多时候一样

since then, is it created a huge bubble.

创造出了巨大的泡沫

John D. Rockefeller's oil

约翰·D·洛克菲勒的油

makes up nearly forty percent of the cargo shipped on the rails.

占据了铁路运输40%的货运量

But when Vanderbilt teams with

不过就在范德比尔特

his biggest rival to push for a rate increase,

联合最大对手 试图推高运输价格时

Rockefeller takes it as a declaration of war.

洛克菲勒将这看成了对他的宣战

He builds a pipeline in response,

作为回应 他建立起了管道

and begins to pull his shipments.

并停止使用铁路进行运输

And since the railroads have been drastically overbuilt,

而这时的铁路明显建造过度

losing cargo means losing money.

失去货物就意味着损失金钱

Stocks plummet as investors run scared.

投资者胆战心惊 股价垂直下落

When prices get out of control,

价格失去控制时

and smart people decide,

聪明人心想

"Wow, this thing is a bubble, I want out",

这是泡沫，我要出去

then you can get a collapse very quickly.

这时崩盘很快就会发生

By the time the Panic is through,

大恐慌过后

one-third of the country's 360 railroad companies have gone bankrupt.

全国360家铁路公司有1/3都宣告破产

Every crisis of this type,

这类危机中的任何一次

whether it's 2008,

无论是2008年

or 1873,

还是1873年

has got the same roots.

根源都一样

Namely, that it was unanticipated.

也就是 谁都不曾预料到

So a necessary condition for a crisis is nobody expects it.

没人预料到是危机暴发的必要条件

The crash is the worst America has seen in its short history.

这次崩溃是美国短暂历史中最为糟糕的一次

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.advanced technology 先进技术

advanced industrial societies 先进的工业社会

例句：We want to import advanced technology from you in order to compete successfully on the international market.

为了能在国际市场上成功地参与竞争，我方想向贵方进口先进技术。

2.drastic measures/changes 严厉的措施；剧烈的变化

例句：The government is threatening to take drastic action.

政府警告说要采取断然措施。

a drastic shortage of food 食物的极度短缺

Talk to me before you do anything drastic.

你采取任何重大行动之前要跟我谈谈。

Output has been drastically reduced.

产量已急剧下降。

Things have started to go drastically wrong.

情况变得完全失控。

3.control of/over 控制……，支配，征服

例句：The party is expecting to gain control of the council in the next election.

该党期待着在下次选举中获得对地方议会的控制权。

The Democrats will probably lose control of Congress.

民主党很可能失去对国会的控制。

A military junta took control of the country.

政变上台的军政府接管了这个国家。

The city is in the control of enemy forces.

那座城市现处于敌军的控制之下。

The city is under enemy control.

那座城市现处于敌人的控制之下。

4.raise money 筹集资金

例句：So I'm going to explain what we're seeing, and what that will mean for you if you try to raise money.

因此我将解释那些我们现在所正看到的，以及这些对你意味着什么如果你正试图筹集资金。