外贸英语阅读材料.doc

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1、Lesson 14 International Transportation第十四课 国际贸易中的运输 Transportation is fundamental to the development and operation of an industrial society. It permits the specialization of work effort necessary to achieve efficiency and productivity. Geographically distant resources become accessible with transpor

2、tation. The economic growth of any society in any part of the world is directly related to the availability of transportation. A society without an advanced transportation system remains primitive. In a broad sense, transportation is defined as the movement of freight and passengers from one locatio

3、n to another. The important common element in any definition of transportation, however, is movement: changing the physical location of freight or passengers. Products must be moved to the location where they are needed and wanted, such as groceries moved to a supermarket. You, in turn, must use som

4、e form of movement to get to the supermarket to buy the groceries you want and need. In a formal sense, freight transportation is defined as the economic movement of commodities and products and the effect of such movement on the development and advancement of business. The freight system includes s

5、everal distinct forms of transportation, called modes. The modes differ in terms of operating characteristics and capabilities, giving them comparative advantages and disadvantages. The five major modes are water, rail, truck, pipeline, and air. Each mode enjoys what might be called natural product

6、provinces. For example, water transportation is usually used to move goods of low-value, and in large quantity. Low value reduces the transportation urgency, and the large quantity is especially suited for the volume loading and unloading machinery used at dockside. All the modes and their represent

7、ative carriers play important roles in the overall transportation system. Three types of carrier ownership are legal forms of transportation: 1) common carriers, 2) contract carriers, and 3) private carriers. Common carriers are privately or publicly owned companies committed to performing a movemen

8、t service of the same quality for all shippers on an equal basis and without discrimination. Individual contracts may be arranged between transportation users and carriers. With the formal agreement, the transportation company becomes a contract carrier. The contract usually covers a specific time p

9、eriod and includes a description of the products to be transported and the locations to be serviced.The past decade has seen an increasing tendency among business firms to provide their own transportation capability and become private carriers. The primary mode of private transport is truck. Peculia

10、rities in operations，desires for total distribution control, cost economies, and stringent service requirements are the major reasons for this trend.Transportation plays a major role in the production process. It allows the entrepreneur to assemble more easily the raw material and labor inputs neede

11、d to make a specific product. The same transportation system moved intermediate products to other producers for subsequent use in their production process, and moves finished products to consumers.The most important contribution that transportation has made to the production process is that, by wide

12、ning the market areas that a producer can reach, it has encouraged the introduction of more efficient, larger-scale production techniques. Substantial economies of scale have been achieved, and these have resulted in reduced unit production costs. This saving in per-unit production costs has often m

13、ore than offset the per-unit transportation cost involved in reaching more distant markets.As a society, we enjoy a richer and more leisurely life than we would if small communities had to be totally self-sufficient. Transportation has also allowed us to trade with countries throughout the world; an

14、d this commercial intercourse has helped to eliminate many barriers between nations.One thing that makes international transportation different from domestic transportation is that movements between countries are accompanied by many more documents than is the case for domestic shipments. The amount

15、of documentation required is determined by the product being shipped, its origin, and its destination.Transportation is an exciting and dynamic aspect of our economy. It has been changing at an ever-accelerating pace since the 1980s. Every indication was that this trend has continued. There are four

16、 factors that are substantially changing the transportation industry.Transportation Deregulation Before deregulation, government regulatory agencies, in effect, controlled carriers rates and the service offerings that carriers made available to the public. Innovation was not encouraged. Now that der

17、egulation has removed the shackles of control, both shippers and carriers are free to negotiate the best rate and service packages to meet the needs of both parties. Hence, both shippers and carriers are now free to innovate as much as their imagination allows. Just-in-Time Inventory Systems A secon

18、d factor that has thrust the transportation function into the limelight in recent years is the growing utilization of just-in-time inventory systems. They are based on a production approach in which the firm maintains very small quantities of production inputs. The utilization of this system has pla

19、ced great pressure on the suppliers transportation system because the supplier must be able to deliver products exactly when the customer requires them.Competition Based on High Levels of Customer Service Many areas of business are mature, which means that product innovations do not take place frequ

20、ently. Therefore, from a marketing point of view, competition often shifts to price considerations. Another alternative is to compete on the level of customer service that is provided to each customer. This service involves ensuring that the product will arrive when wanted, in the right quantities,

21、and in undamaged condition. Globalization of Business A final factor that has had a positive impact on the transportation function is the globalization of business. More and more companies purchase their production inputs anywhere in the world where the best quality for the price can be found. The e

22、ntire world is a potential market for their products. In this worldwide environment, the transportation of both production inputs and finished products presents a special challenge to distribution managers, and for all the companies the need to competitively serve world markets will require a more s

23、ophisticated logistics system. Words and Expressionsfundamental a.极其重要的efficiency n.效率primitive a.原始的in a broad sense 从广义上讲grocery n.食品，杂货distinct a.与其他明显不同的；独特的natural product provinces 产品自然领域urgency n.紧迫，急迫perform v.执行，完成carrier n.承运人，运载工具common carrier 公共承运人contract carrier 契约承运人private carrier 自

24、有承运人administer v.掌管，料理的事discrimination n.区别对待；歧视location n.地点tendency n.趋势，趋向peculiarities n.独特性，特色stringent a.严格的entrepreneur n.企业家，业主intermediate product 中间产品finished product 制成品introduction n.引进，传入per-unit 每一单位offset v.抵消community n社区.self-sufficient a.自给自足intercourse n.交流eliminate v.排除，根除shipper

25、 n.托运人，发货人，货主dynamic a.有力的；能动的；不断增长/扩大的deregulation n.撤销管制规定；解除控制shackle n.束缚，桎梏inventory n.存货，库存just-in-time inventory 零库存thrust v.猛力推动globalization n.全球化limelight n.舞台照明灯光；注意的中心mature a.成熟的；（票据）到期impact n.影响，作用potential a.潜在的，有潜力的logistic n.物流Exercises1. Answer the following questions：1. Do you ag

26、ree that a society without an advanced transportation system would remain primitive? Can you give one example? 2. What are the major modes of the modern freight transportation system? 3. What is “contract carriers”? 4. What is the most important contribution of transportation to the3 society? 5. Wha

27、t is the difference between domestic transportation and international transportation mentioned in the text? 6. What are the factors that determine the amount of documentation required? 7. What are the major reasons for the trend among business firms to provide their own transportation capability? 8.

28、 Can you summarize briefly the factors that have caused the changes in the transportation industry? 9. What is the meaning of transportation deregulation? Give one of the results of the deregulation. 10. The globalization of business has not only made transportation more important but also promoted

29、the development of this industry. Do you agree to the above statement? Could you give some examples to illustrate the viewpoint? 2. Fill in each of the following blanks with an appropriate word: (Some words are given the first letter or letters.) In spite _ a shrinking share of total transportation,

30、 railroads re_ the nations largest transportation carrier, accounting f_ 30 percent of the nations total cargo ton-miles. Rail-roads are one of the _ cost-effective modes for shipping carload quantities of bulk products such as coal, sand, minerals, farm and forest products o_ long land distance. Th

31、e rate costs for shipping merchandise are quite complex. The lowest r_ comes from shipping carload rather t_ less-than-carload quantities. Manufacturers will attempt to combine shipments _ common destinations to take adv_ of lower carload rates. Railroads have recently begun to increase customer-ori

32、ente3d services. They have designed new equipment to ha_ special categories of merchandise more efficiently, provided flatcars for carrying truck trailers by rail, and provided in-transit services s_ as diversion of shipped goods to other destinations en rout and processing goods en route.3. Transla

33、te the following passage into Chinese: In choosing a transportation mode for a particular product, shippers consider as many as six criteria: speed, frequency, dependability, capability, availability and cost. Thus if a shipper seeks speed, air and truck are the prime contenders. If the goal is low

34、cost, then water and pipeline are the prime contenders. Shippers are increasingly combining two or more transportation modes, thanks to containerization. Containerization consists of putting the goods in boxes or trailers that are easy to transfer between two transportation modes. Each coordinated m

35、ode of transportation offers specific advantages to the shipper. For example, piggyback is cheaper then trucking alone and yet provides flexibility and convenience. Transportation decisions must consider the advantages and drawbacks of the various transportation modes and their implications for othe

36、r distribution elements such as warehousing and inventory. As the relative costs of different transportation modes change over time, companies need to reanalyze their options in the search for optimal arrangement.4. Translate the following sentences into English: 1.毫无疑问，一个没有先进的运输系统的社会仍然是一个原始落后的社会。 2

37、.这些方式在运作特点和性能方面不同，从而使他们各有比较优势和劣势，五种运输方式分别是 ：水路、铁路、公路、管道及航空。 3.过去10年,公司自己提供运输能力的倾向越来越大。4.作为一个社会,我们现在的生活比完全自给足时更富裕、更消闲。 5.最近几年运输功能引人注目的另一个因素就是越来越多地使用零库存系统。这种系统是以公司保持很少数量的生产投入的生产方式为基础的。Lesson 15 Insurance (1)第十五课 保险（1） A brief survey of insurance literature reveals differences of opinion concerning how

38、 the term should be defined. In whatever way the term is defined, insurance is a social device in which a group of individuals transfer risk and provides for payment of losses from funds contributed by all members who transferred risk. Those who transfer risk are called insureds. Those who assume ri

39、sk are called insurers. Insurance is a risk transfer mechanism, whereby the individual or the business enterprise can shift some of the uncertainty of life onto the shoulders of others. In return for a known premium, usually a very small amount compared with the potential loss, the cost of that loss

40、 can be transferred to an insurer. Without insurance, there would be a great deal of uncertainty experienced by an individual or an enterprise, not only as to whether a loss would occur, but also as to what size it would be if it did occur. For example, a house-owner will realize that each year seve

41、ral hundred houses are damaged by fire. His uncertainty is whether in the coming year his house will be one of those damaged, and he is also uncertain whether, given that he will be one of the unlucky ones, his loss will amount to a hundred dollars or so for the redecoration of his kitchen or whethe

42、r the house will be gutted and cost him thousands of dollars to repair. Even though the probability of his house becoming one of the loss statistics is extremely low, the average house-owner will nevertheless select to spend, say $ 50 to $ 60 on house insurance, rather than face the extremely remote

43、 possibility of losing a house worth $ 200,000.In the case of business enterprises, the values exposed to loss are usually much higher, and the premium charged is likely to be substantially higher than that for a house. Even in these circumstances the majority of firms prefer to pay a known cost or

44、premium for the transfer of risk, rather than face the uncertainty of carrying the risk of loss.The insureds premium is received by the insurer into a fund or pool for that type of risk, and the claims of those suffering losses are paid out of the common pool. Because of the large number of clients

45、in any particular fund or pool the insurance company can predict, with reasonable accuracy, the amount of claims likely to be incurred in the coming year. There will be some variation in claims costs from year to year and the premiums include a small margin to build up a reserve upon which the compa

46、ny can draw in bad years. The main stimulus to enterprise is the release of funds, now available for investment in the productive side of a business, which would otherwise need to be held in easily accessible reserves if the firm had not transferred the risk to an insurer. Medium and large firms wou

47、ld probably create reserve funds for emergencies which might put their whole future viability in jeopardy. The premium payable to an insurer, however, would only be a small proportion of the fund required because of the pooling arrangements, and so most of this money could be invested in new plants,

48、 building or stock.In overseas trade the geographical gaps are great, and the transport multi-modal-that is to say, we must combine road, rail, sea and air in almost all cargo movements to some extent. Similarly the time lag is great between production and consumption. In bridging both the geographical gap and the time gap serious risks have to be run. And it is in this framework that the insurance underwriters operate to carry the risks which otherwise would have to be borne