Esa Promesa

The UN food agency warned on Monday that a quarter of the world’s landmass is “highly degraded,” making it difficult to meet the food needs of a booming population.
聯合國糧食與農業組織 (FAO)於週一提出警告，全球四分之一的土地正處於「高度劣化」狀態，造成糧食供應問題，難以滿足全球爆增的人口。

During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.  I know not how it was--but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit.
某個百無聊賴的隂沉秋日，天邊烏雲壓境之時，我已策馬循著荒涼的鄉間小路走了整整一天；隨著天色逐漸轉暗，亞瑟家大宅終於映入眼簾。儘管迄今我仍無法解釋，但是看到屋子的第一眼，我心旋即為一陣難以忍受的鬱悶所震懾。

BEIJING—Chinese growth data suggest a nation that has long relied on exports is getting more help from domestic demand—a potential positive for the global economy as Europe grapples with its debt crisis and U.S. growth sputters.

北京報導──中國經濟成長數據顯示，近來內需對長期依賴出口的中國經濟益發有益。在歐洲身陷歐債危機、美國經濟衰退的當下，這可能是全球經濟潛在的一線曙光。

It’s become fashionable to blame the pursuit of shareholder value for the ills besetting corporate America: managers and investors obsessed with next quarter’s results, failure to invest in long-term growth, and even the accounting scandals that have grabbed headlines.
將美國企業重重問題歸咎於追求股東價值一事上，儼然蔚為一股風潮。企業經理和投資人只執著於下一季的業績、疏於投資企業的長期發展，甚至爆發躍上頭條版面的會計醜聞。

    "Is that water cool?" Without waiting for an answer, she strode up to the rain barrel, unknotting the kerchief at her throat as she did so. She walked like a woman used to the road, weary at the end of the day, but not overly taxed by her journey. The bulging pack high on her back was a natural part of her. She damped her kerchief and wiped the dust from her face and hands. Moistening it more generously, she wiped the back of her neck and her throat. "Oh, that's better," she sighed gratefully. She turned to me with a smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes. "At the end of a long day's walk, I envy folk like you with a settled life and a place to call your own."
    "I assure you, folk like me just as often wonder if life would not be sweeter as travelers. Won't you come in and be comfortable? I was just about to start the evening meal."
     "Many thanks."

The first wave of foreign direct investment in China, in the 1980s, mostly took the form of joint ventures. A second wave followed in the 1990s in the form of greenfield wholly foreign-owned enterprises (WFOEs). Now a third wave of foreign direct investment—cross-border mergers and acquisitions—is gaining strength.
中國於1980年代所湧入的第一波海外直接投資(FDI)潮，多採取合資企業模式，而接著在90年代，第二波FDI則是以全新外商獨資企業(WFOEs)的面貌進入市場。如今，打著跨國併購名號的第三波FDI正逐漸崛起。