PART 2 长篇阅读

01　The Amazon Mystery

A）If there's a sentence that sums up Amazon, the weirdest major technology company in America, it's one that came from its own CEO, Jeff Bezos, speaking at the Aspen Institute's 2009 Annual Awards Dinner in New York City: "Invention requires a long-term willingness to be misunderstood." In other words: if you don't yet get what I'm trying to build, keep waiting.

B）Four years later, Amazon's annual revenue and stock price have both nearly tripled, but for many onlookers, the long wait for understanding continues. Bezos's company has grown from its humble Seattle beginnings to become not only the largest bookstore in the history of the world, but also the world's largest online retailer, the largest Web-hosting company in the world, the most serious competitor to Netflix in streaming video, the fourth-most-popular tablet（平板电脑）maker, and a sprawling international network of fulfillment centers for merchants around the world. It is now rumored to be close to launching its own smartphone and television set-top box. The every-bookstore has become the store for everything, with the global ambition to become the store for everywhere.

C）Seriously: What is Amazon? A retail company? A media company? A logistics（物流）machine? The mystery of its strategy is deepened by two factors. First is the company's communications department, which famously excels at not communicating. (Three requests to speak with Amazon officials for this article were delayed and, inevitably, declined.) This moves discussions of the company's intentions into the realm of mind reading, often attempted by the research departments of investment banks, where even optimistic analysts aren't really sure what Bezos is up to. "It's very difficult to define what Amazon is," says R. J. Hottovy, an analyst with Morningstar, who nonetheless champions the company's future.

D）Second, investors have developed a seemingly unconditional love for Amazon, despite the company's reticence（沉默寡言）and, more to the point, its financial performance. Some 19 years after its founding, Amazon still barely turns a profit—when it makes money at all. The company is pinched between its low margins as a discount retailer and its high capital spending as a global logistics company. Last year, it lost $39 million. By comparison, in its latest annual report, Apple announced a profit of almost $42 billion—nearly 22 times what Amazon has earned in its entire life span. And yet Amazon's market capitalization, the value investors place on the company, is more than a quarter of Apple's, placing Amazon among the largest tech companies in the United States.

E）"I think Amazon's efforts, even the seemingly eccentric ones, are centered on securing the customer relationship," says Benedict Evans, a consultant with Enders Analysis. The Kindle Fire tablet and the widely rumored phone aren't boring experiments, he told me, but rather purchasing devices that put Amazon on the coffee table so consumers can never escape the tempting glow of a shopping screen.

F）In a way, this strategy isn't new at all. It's ripped from the mildewed playbooks of the first national retail stores in American history. Amazon appears to be building nothing less than a global Sears, Roebuck of the 21st century—a large-scale operation that aims to dominate the future of shopping and shipping. The question is, can it succeed?

G）In the late 19th century, soon after a network of rail lines and telegraph wires had stitched together a rural country, mail-order companies like Sears built the first national retail corporations. Today the Sears catalog seems about as innovative as the prehistoric handsaw（手锯）, but in the 1890s, the 500-page "Consumer's Bible" popularized a truly radical shopping concept: The mail would bring stores to consumers.

H）But in the early 1900s, as families streamed off farms and into cities, chains like J. C. Penney and Woolworth sprang up to greet them. Sears followed. The company's focus on the emerging middle-class market paid off so well that by mid-century, Sears's revenue approached 1 percent of the entire U.S. economy. But its dominance had deflated by the late 1980s, after more competitors arose and as the blue-collar consumer base it had leaned on collapsed.

I）Now that Internet cables have replaced telegraph wires, American consumers are reverting to their turn-of-the-century shopping habits. Families have rediscovered the Consumer's Bible while sitting on their couches, and this time, it's in a Web browser. E-commerce has nearly doubled in the past four years, and Amazon now takes in revenue of more than $60 billion annually. The Internet means to the 21st century what the postal service meant to the late 1800s: it welcomes retailers like Amazon into every living room.

J）"Sears took advantage of the U.S. postal system and railways in the early 20th century just as transportation costs were falling," says Richard White, a historian at Stanford, "and Amazon has done the same with the Web." Its national logistics machine imitates Sears's pneumatic-tube-powered（气动管驱动的）Chicago warehouse, but is more powerful, and much faster.

K）Like the mail-order giants did a century ago, Amazon is moving to the city. In the past few years, the company has added warehouses in the most-populous metros to cut shipping times to urban customers. People subscribing to Amazon Prime or AmazonFresh (which, in exchange for an annual payment, provides fast delivery of most goods or groceries you'd like to order) commit themselves financially, with Prime members spending twice as much as other buyers. If those subscriptions grow numerous enough, Amazon's search bar could become the preferred retail-shopping engine.

L）At least, that's the vision. Defenders say Amazon is trading the present for the future, spending all its revenue on a global scatter plot of warehouses that will make the company indomitable. Eventually, the theory goes, investors expect Amazon to complete its construction project and, having swayed enough customers and destroyed enough rivals, to "flip the switch", raising prices and profits greatly. In the meantime, they're happy to keep buying stock, offering an unqualified thumbs-up for heavy spending.

M）But this theory assumes a practically infinite life span for Amazon. The modern history of retail innovation suggests that even the giants can be overtaken suddenly. Sears was still America's largest retailer in 1982, but just nine years later, its annual revenues were barely half those of Walmart.

N）Amazon is not as insulated from its rivals as some think it is. Walmart, eBay, and lots of upstarts（新贵）are all in the race to dominate online retail. Amazon's furious spending on new buildings and equipment isn't an elective measure; it's a survival plan. The truth is Amazon has won investors' trust with a reputation for spending everybody to death, and it can spend everybody to death because it has won investors' trust. For now.

O）"Amazon, as best I can tell, is a charitable organization being run by elements of the investment community for the benefit of consumers," Slate's Matthew Yglesias joked earlier this year. Of course, Amazon is not a charity, and its investors are not philanthropists（慈善家）. Today, they are funding an effort to fulfill the dreams of the turn-of-the-century retail kings: to build the perfect personalized shopping experience for the modern urban household. For once, families are reaping the dividends of Wall Street's generosity. The longer investors wait for Amazon to fulfill their orders, the less we have to wait for Amazon to fulfill ours.

1.The fact that Walmart surpassed Sears and became America's largest retailer in 9 years' time proves that today even the giants can be overtaken suddenly.

2.It is well-known that Amazon's communications department is not good at communicating.

3.According to Benedict Evans, Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet is a kind of purchasing device that may stimulate consumers to shop online.

4.The first national retail corporations were built by mail-order companies like Sears in the late 19th century.

5.Apple's latest annual report shows that Apple's profit is about 22 times all what Amazon has earned since it had been started.

6.Sears's dominance decreased in the 1980s as a result of increasing competitors and the collapse of its blue-collar consumer base.

7.Amazon is the largest bookstore in the history of the world and also the largest online retailer in the world.

8.Defenders think Amazon's large spending on its warehouses will benefit the company in the future.

9.As an online retailer, Amazon has various rivals, such as Walmart, eBay, and lots of new companies.

10.Amazon is building warehouses in those densely populated cities to cut shipping times to urban customers.

重难点词汇

onlooker[ˈɒnlʊkə(r)] n.旁观者

pinch[pɪntʃ] v.使不舒服；使困苦

mildewed[ˈmɪldjuːd] a.陈腐的，发霉的

pay off 有报偿，取得成功

deflate[ˌdiːˈfleɪt] v. 紧缩；泄气

warehouse[ˈweəhaʊs] n.仓库

indomitable[ɪnˈdɒmɪtəbl] a.不屈不挠的

overtake[ˌəʊvəˈteɪk] v. 超越

insulate[ˈɪnsjuleɪt] v. 隔离，孤立

长难句点睛

1.This moves discussions of the company's intentions into the realm of mind reading, often attempted by the research departments of investment banks, where even optimistic analysts aren't really sure what Bezos is up to. (Line 5, Para. C)

［解析］句子的主干为This moves discussions into the realm of mind reading。often attempted的逻辑主语是mind reading。where引导非限制性定语从句。be up to为固定用法，此处意为“从事，忙于”。

［译文］这使得关于该公司意图的讨论进入读心范畴，投资银行的研究部门经常这么做，但是即使是乐观的分析师也不确定贝佐斯到底要做什么。

2.The Kindle Fire tablet and the widely rumored phone aren't boring experiments, he told me, but rather purchasing devices that put Amazon on the coffee table so consumers can never escape the tempting glow of a shopping screen. (Line 3, Para. E)

［解析］句子的主干为The...tablet and the...phone aren't boring experiments...but rather purchasing devices。he told me为插入语。that put Amazon...shopping screen为定语从句，修饰的是purchasing devices。tempting意为“诱人的”。

［译文］他告诉我说，其Kindle Fire平板电脑和广遭诟病的手机并不是无聊的试验，而是能够将亚马逊放到咖啡桌上的购买工具，从而使得消费者永远也逃脱不了购物屏幕的诱人光芒。

答案精解

1.M

题干意为，沃尔玛在九年的时间内超过西尔斯成为美国最大的零售商这一事实证明，现如今即使是行业巨头也可能突然被赶超。根据题干中的关键词Walmart，Sears和even the giants can be overtaken suddenly可定位到M段。该段最后两句提到，现代零售创新的历史表明，即使是行业巨头也可能突然被赶超。1982年时，西尔斯还是美国最大的零售商，但是仅仅9年以后，它的年收入就只有沃尔玛的一半了。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选M。

2.C

题干意为，众所周知，亚马逊的公关部门不擅长公关。根据题干中的关键词well-known和Amazon's communications department可定位到C段。该段第五句和第六句提到，有两个因素让其（亚马逊）策略更加神秘。首先是该公司的公关部门，它以不擅长沟通而知名。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选C。

3.E

题干意为，根据本尼迪克特·埃文斯所言，亚马逊的Kindle Fire平板电脑是一种可能会刺激消费者网上购物的购物工具。根据题干中的关键词Benedict Evans和Kindle Fire tablet可定位到E段。该段末句提到，本尼迪克特·埃文斯告诉作者说，亚马逊的Kindle Fire平板电脑和广遭诟病的手机并不是无聊的试验，而是能够将亚马逊放到咖啡桌上的购物工具。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选E。

4.G

题干意为，第一批全国性的零售公司是在19世纪末期，由像西尔斯这样的邮购公司创建的。根据题干中的关键词the first national retail corporations和mail-order companies可定位到G段。该段首句提到，在19世纪晚期，铁路网和电报网将一个农业国家串联在一起之后不久，西尔斯等邮购公司建立起了第一批全国性的零售公司。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选G。

5.D

题干意为，苹果公司最近的年度报告表明：苹果的利润约是亚马逊从创建开始所获利润的22倍。根据题干中的关键词Apple's latest annual report和22 times可定位到D段。该段倒数第二句提到，相比之下，在苹果公司的最新年度报告中，苹果公布其利润几乎达到了420亿美元——这几乎等同于亚马逊从创建以来全部利润的22倍。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选D。

6.H

题干意为，在20世纪80年代，由于竞争者的不断增加和其所依赖的蓝领消费群的瓦解，西尔斯的优势地位削弱了。根据题干中的关键词Sears's dominance和blue-collar consumer base可定位到H段。该段末句提到，但是在20世纪80年代末，更多的竞争者的出现和其所依赖的蓝领消费群的瓦解之后，西尔斯的优势地位削弱了。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选H。

7.B

题干意为，亚马逊是世界史上最大的书店，也是世界上最大的在线零售商。根据题干中的关键词the largest bookstore和the largest online retailer可定位到B段。该段第二句提到，贝佐斯的公司已从一个始于西雅图的不起眼的小公司发展成为历史上全世界最大的书店，不仅如此，它也是世界上最大的在线零售商……。此处“贝佐斯的公司”即亚马逊。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选B。

8.L

题干意为，拥护者认为亚马逊在其仓库上的大量花费将会使该公司在未来获益。根据题干中的关键词Defenders和warehouses可定位到L段。该段第二句提到，拥护者说，亚马逊是在用现在交换未来，将其全部的收入都投入到全球散布的仓库会使得该公司坚不可摧。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选L。

9.N

题干意为，作为一个在线零售商，亚马逊有很多的竞争对手，比如：沃尔玛、易趣以及很多新兴公司。根据题干中的关键词Amazon，rivals和Walmart, eBay, and lots of new companies可定位到N段。该段前两句提到，亚马逊并不像一些人所认为的那样没有竞争对手。沃尔玛、易趣以及很多新兴公司都在竞相抢占在线零售。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选N。

10.K

题干意为，亚马逊正在那些人口密集的城市建造仓库以减少给市区消费者送货的时间。根据题干中的关键词warehouses，densely populated cities和cut shipping times可定位到K段。该段第二句提到，在过去的几年里，该公司在人口最为稠密的大都市增设了仓库，以减少给市区消费者送货的时间。由此可知，题干是对原文的同义转述，故选K。

全文译文

亚马逊谜团

A）如果有一句话可以概括亚马逊这个美国最为奇怪的主流科技公司的话，那就是亚马逊自己的首席执行官杰夫·贝佐斯2009年在纽约市举办的艾斯本研究所年度颁奖晚宴上说的一句话：“创新需要愿意长期承受误解。”换句话说：如果你还不理解我要建立什么，那就继续等待。

B）四年后，亚马逊的年收入和股票价格几乎都翻了３倍，但是对于许多旁观者来说，理解亚马逊还需继续等待。贝佐斯的公司已从一个始于西雅图的不起眼的小公司发展成为历史上全世界最大的书店，不仅如此，它也是世界上最大的在线零售商、世界上最大的网络托管公司、网飞公司在流媒体视频方面最大的竞争对手、第四大受欢迎的平板电脑制造商和一个正在扩张的、面向全球商人的订单执行中心国际网络。现在有传言说它即将推出自己的智能手机和电视机顶盒。每家（亚马逊）书店已经成为无所不有的商店，现在正野心勃勃地想要成为在全球无处不在的商店。

C）说真的：亚马逊是什么？零售公司吗？媒体公司吗？物流机器吗？有两个因素让其策略更加神秘。首先是该公司的公关部门，它以不擅长沟通而知名。（三次与亚马逊官员就本文进行对话的请求都被延期，不可避免地，被拒绝了。）这使得关于该公司意图的讨论进入读心范畴，投资银行的研究部门经常这么做，但是即使是乐观的分析师也不确定贝佐斯到底要做什么。“很难定义亚马逊是什么。”晨星公司的分析师R. J. 霍特维说道，但是他仍然看好亚马逊的未来。

D）其次，投资者似乎已经对亚马逊产生了一种无条件的爱，而不顾该公司的沉默寡言，说得更确切一点，还有它的财务业绩。在成立大约19年之后，亚马逊还几乎没有盈利——而不管怎么说它是赚到钱了。作为折扣零售商的低利润率和作为全球性的物流公司的高资本支出让亚马逊苦不堪言。去年，亚马逊损失了3900万美元。相比之下，在苹果公司的最新年度报告中，苹果公布其利润几乎达到了420亿美元——这几乎等同于亚马逊从创建以来全部利润的22倍。但亚马逊的市值，即投资者投放在该公司的价值，却比苹果的四分之一还多，这使得亚马逊得以跻身于美国最大的科技公司之列。

E）恩德斯分析公司的咨询师本尼迪克特·埃文斯说：“我觉得亚马逊的精力，甚至是那些看似古怪的精力，都集中在维稳其客户关系上。”他告诉我说，其Kindle Fire平板电脑和广遭诟病的手机并不是无聊的试验，而是能够将亚马逊放到咖啡桌上的购物工具，从而使得消费者永远也逃脱不了购物屏幕的诱人光芒。

F）在某种程度上，这种策略并不新鲜。它摘自那些美国历史上最初的全国性的零售商店早已发霉的剧本。亚马逊所正在建立的不折不扣就是一家21世纪的全球西尔斯和罗巴克公司——一家大规模、旨在主宰未来购物和航运的公司。问题是，它能成功吗？

G）在19世纪晚期，铁路网和电报网将一个农业国家串联在一起之后不久，西尔斯等邮购公司建立起了第一批全国性的零售公司。或许在今天看来，西尔斯产品目录的创新程度就和史前的手锯差不多，但是在19世纪90年代，这个500页的“消费者圣经”使得一个真正根深蒂固的消费观念广为流行：邮递能把商店送到消费者家中。

H）但是在20世纪早期，随着大量家庭离开农场前往城市，诸如J. C. Penney和Woolworth等连锁公司迅速涌现以迎合消费者。西尔斯紧随其后。该公司将重点放在新兴的中产阶级市场上，这取得了很大的成功，以至于在20世纪中期的时候，西尔斯的收入近乎占全美经济的百分之一。但是在20世纪80年代末，更多竞争者的出现和其所依赖的蓝领消费群瓦解之后，西尔斯的优势地位削弱了。

I）由于互联网电缆取代了电报线，美国消费者正在回归他们在世纪之交的购物习惯。家人们坐在沙发上重新找到了“消费者圣经”，而这一次，它在浏览器中。电子商务在过去的四年里几乎翻了一番，而亚马逊现在的年收益超过600亿美元。互联网之于21世纪的意义就和邮政服务之于19世纪一样：它欢迎像亚马逊这样的零售商进入到千家万户。

J）“西尔斯在20世纪初期运输价格下降的时候利用了美国的邮政系统和铁路，”斯坦福大学的历史学家理查德·怀特说，“而亚马逊对万维网也做了同样的事情。”亚马逊的全国物流机器效仿了西尔斯的芝加哥气动管驱动仓库，只是它更加强大和迅速。

K）就像邮购巨头们在一个世纪之前做的那样，亚马逊也在搬往城市。在过去的几年里，该公司在人口最为稠密的大都市增设了仓库，以减少给市区消费者送货的时间。订阅亚马逊尊享会员计划或者亚马逊生鲜（以年度支付作为交换，它提供你想要预订的大多数商品和生活用品的快速送货服务）的人承认自己消费能力很强，其尊享会员的花费会是其他买家的两倍。如果订阅这些服务的人数增加得足够多，那么亚马逊的搜索栏就会成为更受青睐的零售购物搜索引擎。

L）至少，那是一种愿景。拥护者说，亚马逊是在用现在交换未来，将其全部的收入都投入到全球散布的仓库会使得该公司坚不可摧。最终的理论是：投资者预计亚马逊完成其建设项目，并且撼动足够的消费者和打败足够多的竞争对手后，就会“旋转开关”，大幅提高价格和利润。同时，投资者们将乐于继续购买股票，也会对（亚马逊的）巨额花费无条件地竖起大拇指。

M）但是这一理论假设了亚马逊拥有无限的生命。现代零售创新的历史表明，即使是行业巨头也可能突然被赶超。1982年时，西尔斯还是美国最大的零售商，但是仅仅9年以后，它的年收入就只有沃尔玛的一半了。

N）亚马逊并不像一些人所认为的那样没有竞争对手。沃尔玛、易趣以及很多新兴公司都在竞相抢占在线零售。亚马逊在新建筑和设备方面的疯狂投入不是一个选择性举措，而是一项生存计划。事实是，因其“将每个人用到极致”的声誉，亚马逊已经赢得了投资者的信任，而这一信任能继续使亚马逊“将每个人用到极致”。暂时是这样的。

O）斯莱特的马修·伊格莱西亚斯在今年早些时候开玩笑地说道：“在我看来，亚马逊是一个由多元素投资团体经营的、为消费者谋福利的慈善组织。”当然，亚马逊并不是慈善组织，其投资者也不是慈善家。现今，他们投资帮助这个世纪之交的零售大王实现其梦想：为现代城市家庭打造完美的个性化的购物体验。这一次，各成员们可以享受到华尔街红利的慷慨。投资者们等待亚马逊实现他们的要求的时间越长，我们等待亚马逊实现我们的需求的时间就越短。