第一段
①When Microsoft bought task management app Wunderlist and mobile calendar Sunrise in 2015, it picked up two newcomers that were attracting considerable buzz in Silicon Valley.②Microsoft’s own Office dominates the market for “productivity” software, but the start-ups represented a new wave of technology designed from the ground up for the smartphone world.
单词&词组
considerable a.相当大的
dominate v.占支配地位
from the ground up从头开始
本段翻译
2015年，微软收购任务管理应用Wunderlist和移动日历Sunrise时， 挑选的是当时在硅谷名声大噪的两家新科技公司。微软自创的Office在“生产效率”软件市场独占鳌头，而这两家初创企业则代表了智能手机领域全新科技的一股新潮。
第二段
①Both apps, however, were later scrapped, after Microsoft said it had used their best features in its own products.②Their teams of engineers stayed on, making them two of the many “acqui-hires” that the biggest companies have used to feed their insatiable hunger for tech talent.
单词&词组
scrap v.取消；报废
feature n.特色；特征；特点
stay on保持；继续留下
acqui-hire人才收购；人才并购
feed v.满足
talent n.人才
本段翻译
然而，这两款应用后来都被下架了，微软表示已将其最佳性能融入到了自身产品中。两款应用的工程师团队留了下来，使之成为大型科技公司为弥补科技人才紧缺而进行的众多“人才并购”的两例。
第三段
①To Microsoft’s critics, the fates of Wunderlist and Sunrise are examples of a remorseless drive by Big Tech to chew up any innovative companies that lie in their path.②“They bought the seedlings and closed them down,” complained Paul Arnold, a partner at San Francisco-based Switch Ventures, putting an end to businesses that might one day turn into competitors.③Microsoft declined to comment.
单词&词组
remorseless a.残酷的；无情的
chew up嚼碎；毁坏
complain v.抱怨；埋怨；发牢骚
partner n.合伙人
venture n.风险项目；投机活动
decline v.谢绝；婉言拒绝
comment v.表达意见
本段翻译
在微软的批评者看来， Wunderlist和Sunrise的命运表明：科技巨头会无情地蚕食一切阻碍其发展的创新公司。总部位于旧金山的Switch风险投资公司合伙人保罗·阿诺德抱怨道，“他们买下这些初创企业然后将其关闭”，将那些有朝一日可能会成长为竞争对手的企业扼杀于摇篮。微软拒绝对此置评。
第四段
①Like other start-up investors, Mr Arnold’s own business often depends on selling start-ups to larger tech companies, though he admits to mixed feelings about the result: ②"I think these things are good for me, if I put my selfish hat on.③But are they good for the American economy?④ I don’t know.”
单词&词组
admit v.承认
本段翻译
和其他初创企业投资者一样，阿诺德的公司也常常依赖于将初创企业出售给大型科技公司，不过对于收购结局他内心五味杂陈：“自私一点说，我认为这些收购对我有利。但它们对美国经济有利吗?我不知道。”
第五段
①The US Federal Trade Commission says it wants to find the answer to that question.②This week, it asked the five most valuable US tech companies for information about their many small acquisitions over the past decade.③Although only a research project at this stage, the request has raised the prospect of regulators wading into early-stage tech markets that until now have been beyond their reach.
单词&词组
acquisition n.收购；购置
stage n.阶段
prospect n.前景；展望
regulator n.监管者/机构
wade into sth介入；插手
beyond one's reach鞭长莫及；力所不能及
本段翻译
美国联邦贸易委员会表示希望找到这个问题的答案。本周，委员会要求美国市值最高的五家科技公司提供过去十年内进行的诸多小型收购的相关信息。尽管在现阶段这项要求只是一个研究项目，却让人们燃起了希望：监管机构开始介入此前不曾涉足的早期科技市场。
第六段
①Given their combined market value of more than $5.5tn, rifling through such small deals—many of them much less prominent than Wunderlist and Sunrise—might seem beside the point.②Between them, the five biggest tech companies have spent an average of only $3.4billion a year on sub-$1bn acquisitions over the past five years—a drop in the ocean compared with their massive financial reserves, and the more than $130bn of venture capital that was invested in the US last year.
单词&词组
prominent a.显眼的；突出的
beside the point不是重点；无关紧要
venture capital风险资本
本段翻译
鉴于这五家科技公司的总市值超过5.5万亿美元，匆忙审查这些小额收购(其中许多远没有Wunder list、Sunrise收购案引人注目)似乎有些避重就轻的味道。过去的五年中，这五大科技公司加起来平均每年只花34亿美元用于10亿美元以下的收购。这个数额同他们庞大的资金储备以及去年在美国完成的1300多亿美元的风险投资相比，无异于沧海一粟。
第七段
①However, critics say that the big companies use such deals to buy their most threatening potential competitors before their businesses have a chance to gain momentum, in some cases as part of a“buy and kill”tactic to simply close them down.
单词&词组
momentum n.动力；势头
本段翻译
但批评人士认为，这些大公司利用这样的交易，在最具危险性的潜在竞争对手有机会形成势头之前将他们买下，有些时候就是“买了即杀”策略中的一步，就是要让他们关门。
五道题
31.What is true about Wuderlist and sunrise after their acquisitions_______
A.Their market values declined
B.Their tech features improved
C. Their engineers were retained
D.Their products were re-priced
32.Microsoft’s critics believe that the big tech companies tend to________
A.ignore public opinions
B.treat new tech talent unfairly
C.exaggerate their product quality
D. eliminate their potentialcompetitors
33.Paul Arnold is concerned that small acquisitions might_______
A. harm the national economy
B.worsen market competition
C.discourage start-up investors
D.weaken big tech companies
34.The US Federal Trade Commission intend to______
A. examine small acquisitions
B.limit Big Tech' s expansion
C.supervise start-ups' operations
D.encourage research collaboration
35.For the five biggest tech companies, their small acquisition have_______
A. brought little financial pressure
B.raised few management challenges
C.set an example for future deals
D. generated considerable profits
参考答案
ABCCA
答案解析
31、由after their acquisitions定位至第二段首句中later。该段指出Wunderlist、Sunrise被收购后的情况：软件被下架(①句)，工程师被留用(②句)，故[A]正确。
32、由题干Microsoft's critics、big tech companies直接定位至第三段。该段①句点明批评者的总观点：科技巨头会蚕食挡道的创新公司。②句具体阐释①句：他们(科技巨头)将那些有朝一日可能会成长为竞争对手的企业扼杀于摇篮。可见[B]正确。
33、首先由题干中Paul Arnold定位至第三、四段， 再由试题命制顺序(上题已针对第三段设题)可进一步定位至第四段。该段首先指出，对于“科技巨头收购初创企业”，阿诺德内心五味杂陈。随后点明其担忧的原因：这种小额收购可能会危害美国经济。可见，[C]正确。
34、根据题干关键词Federal Trade Commission定位至第五段。该段①②句指出， FTC为了找到“科技巨头收购初创企业是否对美国经济不利”的答案，要求“五大科技公司提供其过去十年所进行的所有小额收购的相关信息”。可见， FTC意欲审查科技巨头小额收购行为， 以防对美国经济不利，[C]正确。
35、根据题目关键词the five biggest tech companies可定位至第六段②句。该句表明， 五大公司加起来每年用于小额收购的资金仅有34亿美元，同它们的金融储备相比，这笔钱无异于沧海一粟。再加上具体数字(3.4bilion vs130 billion) 的对比可知， 五大公司财力雄厚， 这些小额收购并未对公司财政造成多少压力，故[A]正确。
