1
the US Senate confirmed Barrett to the Supreme Court
美国参议院批准巴雷特就任最高法院大法官
Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative appeals court judge and protégée① of former Justice Antonin Scalia, was confirmed② last Monday to the Supreme Court, capping a lightning-fast Senate approval that handed Trump a victory ahead of the general election and promised to tip③ the court to the right for years to come. Republicans overcame unanimous④ Democratic opposition to make Judge Barrett the 115th justice of the Supreme Court and the fifth woman. The vote was 52 to 48, with all but one Republican supporting her. It was the first time in 151 years that a justice was confirmed without the support of a single member of the minority party. The vote concluded a brazen⑤ drive by Republicans to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just six weeks before the election. (The New York Times)
10月26日，埃米·科尼·巴雷特获批出任美国最高法院大法官，参议院闪电般的批准程序就此落幕。对特朗普来说，这是大选前的一次胜利。未来几年，最高法院很可能会向右倾斜。巴雷特是保守派上诉法院法官，也是前大法官安东宁·斯卡利亚的女助理。参议院投票中，民主党全体反对，共和党议员中仅有一人投反对票。最终，她以52票赞成、48票反对，成为最高法院第115位大法官，第五位女性大法官。这是151年来首次没有任何少数党参议员支持，就任命了一名大法官。大法官露丝·巴德·金斯伯格谢世后，最高法院出现空位。共和党人在大选前仅六周的情况下公然推动补位，至此告一段落。院批准巴雷特就任最高法院大法官
【注释】
① protégée: [ˈprɒtɪʒeɪ] n. a female who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence 女门生／徒／客
② confirm: [kənˈfɜːm] vt. to vote approval of (the appointment of a person to an office); to ratify the appointment of (sb.) 表决通过｛某人的任命｝；同意任命｛某人｝
③ tip: [tɪp] vt. to put (sth.) into a position that is at an angle rather than upright 使倾斜
④ unanimous: [juˈnænɪməs] adj. if a decision or an opinion is unanimous, it is agreed or shared by everyone in a group 全体一致的
⑤ brazen: [ˈbreɪzn] adj. open and without shame, usually about sth. that shocks people 肆无忌惮的，无耻的，恬不知耻的
2
Ant Group’s mega-IPO
蚂蚁集团超大规模IPO
Ant Group’s initial public offering has prompted a scramble① among investors to secure a piece of the world’s biggest ever stock sale, helping to push the fundraising total to almost $37bn. The Chinese payments group’s dual IPO across Shanghai and Hong Kong has generated huge demand among institutional funds eager to participate in one of the global market’s hottest deals, as well as retail traders willing to take on huge amounts of leverage②. The Shanghai side of the book-build was completed last Thursday, with banks triggering a so-called greenshoe option to increase the offering after record retail bids③ of Rmb19.1tn exceeded the share offer by more than 870 times. The expanded deal valued the company at about $316bn. The Hong Kong institutional book-build was completed last Wednesday, a day earlier than planned due to bumper④ demand. (The Financial Times)
蚂蚁集团的首次公开募股，创下全球有史以来股票销售规模之最。投资者争相抢购，募资总额已近370亿美元。这家中国支付集团将在上海和香港同步上市，基金公司和散户都有意认购大量股票。蚂蚁上市，是全球市场中最热门的交易之一。基金公司渴望参与其中，散户也愿意承担巨额杠杆。10月29日，上海完成询价圈购工作。此前，散户申购额达到了19.05万亿元，是蚂蚁集团股票的发行量的870倍，创下历史纪录。随后，银行行使所谓“绿鞋机制”（超额配售选择权），增加发行量。扩大交易后，蚂蚁集团估值约为3160亿美元。由于需求异常旺盛，蚂蚁集团在港股的机构发行部分已于10月28日完成询价，比计划提前一天。
【注释】
① scramble: [ˈskræmbl] n. a situation in which people push, fight or compete with each other in order to get or do something 争夺，抢夺
② leverage: [ˈliːvərɪdʒ] n. borrowed money or its use to supplement capital or to increase the earning power of a relatively small investment 杠杆
③ bid: [bɪd] n. an amount offered to pay for sth. 出价的金额
④ bumper: [ˈbʌmpə(r)] adj. unusually large 特大的
3
France imposed a four-week national lockdown
法国全境封锁，为期四周
France entered a new month-long national lockdown from midnight last Thursday to apply a “brutal① brake” on coronavirus infections. Macron said that if the virus continued at the current rate, all of France’s intensive care beds would be filled with COVID-19 cases by mid-November, causing the cancellation of other essential and sometimes life-saving operations. The aim of the new restrictions was to reduce new infections from the current 40-50,000 a day to a treatable② 5,000 a day. Non-essential businesses, such as restaurants and bars, have been closed, but schools and factories remain open. Meanwhile, Germany will impose an emergency lockdown that is less severe but includes the closure of restaurants, gyms and theatres. Infections are rising sharply across Europe, including the UK which announced 310 new deaths and 24,701 new officially-recorded cases last Wednesday. (The Guardian and BBC)
10月30日零时起，法国开始实施全境封锁，为期一个月，以期“紧急遏制”新冠传染。法国总统马克龙表示，如果病毒继续以目前的感染速度传播，到11月中旬，法国所有重症监护病床将躺满新冠患者，这将令其他必要的、甚至是救命的手术无法开展。这次封锁的目的，是将新增病例从目前的每天四到五万例减少到每天五千例，这样患者才能得到有效治疗。餐馆和酒吧等非必要商业场所已经关闭，但学校和工厂仍然开放。同时，德国也将实施紧急封锁。德国的封锁措施虽不如法国严格，但仍将关闭餐馆、健身房和剧院。欧洲各地的感染人数正在急剧上升。10月28日，英国报告的新增死亡病例为310例，官方报告的新增确诊病例为24,701例。
【注释】
① brutal: [ˈbruːtl] adj. harsh and severe 严酷的，苛刻的
② treatable: [ˈtriːtəbl] adj. easily handled or dealt with 易处理的
4
the FBI investigated Hunter Biden over money-laundering allegations
FBI调查亨特·拜登的洗钱指控
The FBI has reportedly been investigating Hunter Biden, the son of Joe Biden, and his business associates① over allegations of money-laundering since 2019. An official with the Department of Justice confirmed the existence of the federal investigation, which remains active. Meanwhile, Hunter Biden’s former business partner Tony Bobulinski told Sinclair Broadcasting he has provided the FBI with digital evidence that he has indicated ties former Vice President Joe Biden to his son’s overseas business dealings. Two weeks ago, Bobulinski came forward with his claims that Joe Biden has been lying about his involvement in Hunter Biden’s foreign business ventures. The issue has resurfaced② following a New York Post article about an alleged email in which an adviser from a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, thanked Hunter, for inviting him to meet his father. (The New York Post and BBC)
据爆料，美国联邦调查局（下简称“FBI”）自2019年一直在调查针对乔·拜登之子亨特及其商业伙伴的洗钱指控。美国司法部的一名官员证实确有其事，且联邦政府的这项调查仍在继续。与此同时，亨特·拜登的前商业伙伴托尼·博布林斯基对辛克莱广播公司表示，他已经向FBI提供了电子版证据，表明前副总统乔·拜登与其子的海外商业往来有关。两周前，博布林斯基主动表示，在参与亨特海外商业投资一事上，乔·拜登一直在撒谎。此前，《纽约邮报》的一篇文章提到，乌克兰能源公司布里斯马（Burisma）的一名顾问感谢亨特邀请他与其父亲拜登见面。这篇文章让事件再次受到关注。
【注释】
① associate: [əˈsəʊsiət] n. a person that you work with, do business with or spend a lot of time with 同事，商业伙伴，朋友，同志
② resurface: [ˌriːˈsɜːfɪs] vi. to reappear 再次出现
5
UK Labour suspends① ex-leader Corbyn
英国工党暂停前党魁科尔宾的职务
Britain’s Labour opposition suspended its former leader Jeremy Corbyn last Thursday after he downplayed② a report that detailed serious failings in the party’s handling of persistent anti-Semitism③ complaints during his 2015–2019 leadership. The Equality and Human Rights Commission said it had found evidence of failure to adequately train people investigating alleged anti-Semitism, political interference in the processing of complaints, and harassment of individuals. Corbyn reacted to the EHRC report by saying the scale of Labour’s anti-Semitism problem had been overstated by the media and his political opponents, and his attempts to deal with the issue had been blocked by “obstructive party bureaucracy”. Corbyn’s successor, Keir Starmer, said he accepted the findings in full. Corbyn’s suspension is likely to complicate Starmer’s job as leader by reigniting factionalism④ in the party. (Reuters)
10月29日，英国反对党工党前党魁杰里米·科尔宾被暂停职务。此前，有报告指出，在2015年至2019年科尔宾任党魁期间，针对工党反犹主义的投诉始终存在，而工党对投诉的处理十分不力。英国平等与人权委员会（下简称“EHRC”）表示，有证据显示，在处理有关党内反犹主义投诉的问题上，工党未能充分培训有关人员展开调查，并且对投诉人存在政治干预和骚扰。针对EHRC的报告，科尔宾回应称，工党反犹主义的严重程度被媒体和政治对手夸大了，他曾试图解决问题，但受到“党内官僚之风”的阻挠。科尔宾的继任者基尔·斯塔默表示，他完全接受调查结果。科尔宾遭停职，党内的派系主义重燃，斯塔默的党魁工作很可能因此更加复杂。
【注释】
① suspend: [səˈspend] vt. to officially prevent (sb.) from doing their job, going to school, etc. for a time, as a punishment or while a complaint against them is investigated 暂令｛某人｝停止参加活动
② downplay: [ˌdaʊnˈpleɪ] vt. to try to make sth. seem less important than it really is 对…轻描淡写，贬低，低估
③ anti-Semitism: [ˌænti ˈsemətɪzəm] n. hate that is felt towards Jewish people; unfair treatment of Jews 反犹主义
④ factionalism: [ˈfækʃənəlɪzəm] n. the fact of tending to split into factions 派系分裂
6
Sean Connery, who embodied① James Bond, died at 90
曾扮演詹姆斯·邦德的肖恩·康纳利逝世，享年90岁
Sean Connery, the irascible② Scot from the slums of Edinburgh who found international fame as Hollywood’s original③ James Bond, dismayed④ his fans by walking away from the Bond franchise⑤ and went on to have a long and fruitful career as a respected actor and an always bankable⑥ star, died last Saturday. He was 90. His many awards included an Oscar, two Bafta awards and three Golden Globes. He was knighted⑦ by the Queen at Holyrood Palace in 2000. (The New York Times and BBC)
10月31日，演员肖恩·康纳利与世长辞，享年90岁。康纳利是苏格兰人，出生在爱丁堡的贫民窟，性情暴躁。他是好莱坞首位饰演詹姆斯·邦德的男演员，也因此在全世界声名鹊起。后来，他辞演邦德系列，令粉丝大为失望。在漫长的演艺生涯中，康纳利又出演了很多作品。他是一名受人尊敬的演员，商业上也一直非常成功。他曾获许多奖项，包括一次奥斯卡、两次贝夫塔和三次金球奖。2000年，康纳利在荷里路德宫被女王封为爵士。
【注释】
① embody: [ɪmˈbɒdi] vt. to give a concrete form to (what is abstract or ideal) 使具体化，扮演
② irascible: [ɪˈræsəbl] adj. becoming angry very easily 易暴怒的
③ original: [əˈrɪdʒənl] adj. existing at the beginning of a particular period, process or activity 原先的，最早的
④ dismay: [dɪsˈmeɪ] vt. to make (sb.) feel shocked and disappointed 使惊愕
⑤ franchise: [ˈfræntʃaɪz] n. a set of films in which the same characters appear in related stories 系列电影
⑥ bankable: [ˈbæŋkəbl] adj. likely to make money for sb.（尤指娱乐业中）有利可图的
⑦ knight: [naɪt] vt. to give (sb.) the rank and title of a knight 封｛某人｝为骑士
（复旦大学江默柔编译，复旦大学章逍然、重光会王暖流审订）