【雅思精读】阿里巴巴面临反垄断调查
【雅思精读】阿里巴巴面临反垄断调查，*注：本文选自12月24日CNN News。小编提醒各位雅思考生在备考的时候，一定要多多阅读外刊内容，及时的了解最新的海外动态，积累更丰富的表达以及素材！
China launches antitrust investigation into Alibaba中国对阿里巴巴展开反垄断调查China has launched an antitrust investigation into Alibaba (BABA) as it steps up scrutiny of the country's rapidly growing internet firms.互联网企业发展迅速，中国加大对互联网公司的审查力度，阿里巴巴面临发垄断调查
1. The State Administration for Market Regulation, China's top market regulator, said Thursday that it would probe alleged monopolistic behavior by Alibaba, Jack Ma's online shopping and cloud computing giant. It gave few details but said it would investigate the company's practice of requiring merchants to sign agreements that prevent them selling products on rival platforms, known as "choosing one from two."
中国最高市场监管机构国家市场监督管理总局周四表示，将对阿里巴巴涉嫌的垄断行为展开调查。市场监督管理局没有透露更多细节，但表示将审查阿里巴巴同商家签署的协议，为防止商家在其他平台出售产品，阿里巴巴强迫他们“二选一。”
2. Separately, the People's Bank of China announced that the country's four financial regulators will summon Ant Group, Alibaba's financial affiliate, to a meeting in the coming days. The meeting would "guide Ant Group" to implement financial supervision and regulate its services, the central bank said in a statement.
另外，中国人民银行宣布，中国四家金融监管机构将在未来几天召集阿里巴巴的金融子公司蚂蚁金服开会。央行在一份声明中表示，此次会议将对“蚂蚁集团”实施金融监管，规范服务。
3. The intense scrutiny comes just weeks after Chinese officials forced Ma to cancel Ant Group's planned initial public offering at the last minute. It would have been the world's biggest stock market listing.
几周前，当局迫使马云取消蚂蚁金服的首次公开发行。如果成功上市，蚂蚁金服将是世界上最大IPO。
4. Shares in Alibaba slumped in Hong Kong, closing down 8% in a shortened trading session on Thursday. The stock has now plunged 26% — wiping more than $240 billion from Alibaba's market value — since its late October peak, hit shortly before the Ant Group IPO was pulled. (On Wall Street, Alibaba fell nearly 7% in premarket trading.)
阿里巴巴在香港的股价暴跌，周四，其股价短短一天就下跌了8%。自去年10月下旬蚂蚁金服取消IPO前不久达到峰值以来，该股目前已暴跌26%，使阿里巴巴的市值蒸发了2400亿美元。(在华尔街，阿里巴巴股价在盘前交易中下跌近7%。)
5. The regulatory moves are the latest in a string of actions taken by Beijing to tighten the screws on its national tech champions.
这些监管举措仅仅只是中国政府收紧对互联网巨头监管中的一次小行动。
6. Alibaba, which was founded in 1999, has quickly transformed into a sprawling tech empire touching every aspect of Chinese life. Its e-commerce platforms boast hundreds of millions of users and dominate China's online retail sector. Ant Group is also the country's biggest online payments platform, offering everything from investment accounts and micro savings products to insurance, credit scores and even dating profiles.
阿里巴巴成立于1999年，发展迅速，现在已经是国内科技巨头，已影响到中国人生活的方方面面。其电子商务平台拥有数亿用户，主导着中国的在线零售领域。蚂蚁金服还是中国最大的在线支付平台，提供从投资账户、微储蓄产品到保险、信用评分，甚至约会资料等一切服务。
7. Days after the Ant Group IPO was pulled in early November following public criticism by Ma of Chinese regulators, the SAMR revealed new guidelines that it says are intended to prevent internet monopolies. That move spooked investors and immediately wiped hundreds of billions of dollars off Chinese tech stocks.
11月初，由于马云公开批评中国监管机构，蚂蚁金服的IPO被叫停。几天后，国家市场监管总局公布了新的指导方针，称其旨在防止互联网垄断。此举吓坏了投资者，数千亿元投资从中国科技市场撤回。
8. Pressure has been building since. On Wednesday, the SAMR summoned six internet giants — Alibaba, Tencent (TCEHY), JD.com (JD), Meituan, Pinduoduo (PDD) and Didi Chuxing — to a meeting, telling them it was increasing regulation of a business practice that allow groups of people in the same community to buy bulk goods at extremely low prices.
自那以后，政府一直在施压。周三, 国家市场监管总局召集六互联网巨头包括阿里巴巴,腾讯, 京东，美团，拼多多和滴滴召开会议，称此举旨在加强监管，以保证人们能在同一平台能够低价购买散装货物。
9. The group buying model has gained in popularity in China in recent years, especially during the coronavirus pandemic as people relied increasingly on online shopping for goods or services. The SAMR said Wednesday it was concerned that the model enabled dumping of goods at unreasonably low prices, hurting employment in other sectors of the economy.
近年来，人们越来越依赖网购，而团购模式也发展壮大，更是在新冠期间大受欢迎。国家市场监管总局周三表示，这种模式可能会导致以不合理的低价倾销商品，损害其他经济领域的就业。
10. Alibaba said Thursday that it had received notification from the regulator that an "anti-monopoly" investigation has been initiated. "Alibaba will actively cooperate with the regulators on the investigation," it said in a statement. Ant Group also said that it will "seriously study and strictly comply with all regulatory requirements."
阿里巴巴周四表示，已收到监管机构的通知，称已启动“反垄断”调查。“阿里巴巴将积极配合调查，”该公司在一份声明中表示。蚂蚁金服还表示，将“认真研究并严格遵守所有监管要求”。
11. Other Chinese tech shares trading in Hong Kong were also under pressure on Thursday. Tencent (TCEHY), JD.com (JD) and Meituan all fell more than 2%.
周四，在香港上市的其他中国科技股也面临压力。腾讯、京东和美团网的跌幅均超过2%。
