巴菲特的接班人是谁？

近日，美国投资人沃伦·巴菲特（Warren Buffett）在年度股东大会上宣布，计划在年底退休，并宣布接班人。

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Which of the following statements is supported by the article?

A. Abel's appointment as CEO was a surprise to the board.

B. Abel is expected to replicate Buffett's public persona and investment strategies.

C. Buffett believes Abel might outperform him in the role.

D. Abel had no prior connection with Berkshire Hathaway before 1999.

无注释原文：

Who Is Greg Abel, the Man Preparing to Take Over for Warren Buffett?

From: The Wall Street Journal

The Greg Abel era at Berkshire Hathaway is coming.

Warren Buffett announced Saturday that he's finally ready to depart his chief executive post at year-end. As planned for several years, the legendary 94-year-old investor plans to turn over the reins to Greg Abel, a vice chairman who leads the company's noninsurance operations.

Abel's known for keeping a low profile. But, starting next year, he'll be filling some enormous shoes.

Who is he? 

Abel, 62, was a small child when Buffett first took the helm at Berkshire in 1965. Born and raised in the Canadian prairies, Abel rose through the ranks of Berkshire's energy operations and has handled several large acquisitions for the conglomerate.

He was president of Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy when Berkshire invested in the company in 1999.

Any surprises?

Only the timing, with Buffett revealing the timeline during the close of Berkshire's annual meeting on Saturday. (Abel didn't even know it was coming.) But Berkshire first revealed in 2021 that Abel would be the next CEO. 

The plan is still a recommendation, for now. Buffett said he plans to discuss the succession plan at a board meeting Sunday and said he expects they'll act on his recommendation at a subsequent meeting. 

Why Abel?

Abel already has a huge leadership role at Berkshire. In a letter to shareholders in early 2024, Buffett said Abel “in all respects is ready to be CEO of Berkshire tomorrow.” In a February letter, Buffett signaled the changeover was coming soon. 

“At 94, it won't be long before Greg Abel replaces me as CEO and will be writing the annual letters,” Buffett said. “Greg shares the Berkshire creed that a 'report' is what a Berkshire CEO annually owes to owners. And he also understands that if you start fooling your shareholders, you will soon believe your own baloney and be fooling yourself as well.”

“Greg will be more successful than I have been, and if I said otherwise, my nose would grow,” Buffett has also said.

How will Abel differ from Buffett?

He has been on stage with Buffett at annual meetings, but hasn't shared his boss's penchant for occasional cameos (including an episode of The Office and the 2015 film “Entourage.”) But he is expected to take a more hands-on management role with Berkshire's roster of companies.

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为华尔街日报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Who Is Greg Abel, the Man Preparing to Take Over for Warren Buffett?

From: The Wall Street Journal

The Greg Abel era at Berkshire Hathaway is coming.

伯克希尔哈撒韦（Berkshire Hathaway）即将迎来格雷格·阿贝尔（Greg Abel）时代。

Warren Buffett announced Saturday that he's finally ready to depart his chief executive post at year-end. As planned for several years, the legendary 94-year-old investor plans to turn over the reins to Greg Abel, a vice chairman who leads the company's noninsurance operations.

沃伦·巴菲特（Warren Buffett）上周六宣布，他终于准备在年底卸任CEO一职。按照几年前就已制定的计划，这位现年94岁的传奇投资者计划将帅印移交给负责该公司非保险业务的副董事长阿贝尔。

depart /dɪˈpɑːt/ 表示“出发，动身，启程”，英文解释为“to go away or leave, especially on a journey”举个🌰：The plane departs at 6 a.m. 那架飞机早晨6点钟起飞。

depart from sth 表示“脱离，背离，偏离”，英文解释为“to be different from the usual or expected way of doing or thinking about something”举个🌰：I see no reason for us to depart from our usual practice. 我看不出有打破惯例的必要。

legendary /ˈledʒ.ən.dri/ 1）表示“名声显赫的；津津乐道的”，英文解释为“very famous and admired or spoken about”举个🌰：The English are legendary (= well known) for their incompetence with languages. 英国人语言能力欠佳是出了名的。

2）表示“传说的，传奇的”，英文解释为“from a legend”如：a legendary Greek hero 希腊传奇英雄。

take over/up the reins 表示“控制；接管（某东西，尤指某机构或国家）”，英文解释为“to take control of something, especially an organization or a country”

Abel's known for keeping a low profile. But, starting next year, he'll be filling some enormous shoes.

阿贝尔以行事低调著称。但从明年开始，他将肩负起一些极其重要的责任。

profile /ˈprəʊ.faɪl/ 一词经常出现，1）表示“（有关某人的）简介，概况”，英文解释为“A profile of someone is a short article or programme in which their life and character are described.”举个🌰：A newspaper published comparative profiles of the candidates' wives. 一份报纸刊登了候选人妻子们的对比简介。

2）表示“关注度”，英文解释为“If someone has a high profile, people notice them and what they do. If you keep a low profile, you avoid doing things that will make people notice you.” 常用：a high profile 惹人注目/关注；高姿态，a low profile 不惹人注目，低姿态；如：a move that would give Egypt a much higher profile in the upcoming peace talks 会给埃及在即将到来的和平谈判中高关注度的一个行动。

📍如果你把微信语言设置成英文，你就会发现微信官方把头像处理成：Profile Photo，上面的“My Profile”对应的中文则是“个人信息”。

作动词，1）表示“扼要介绍；概述；写简介”，英文解释为“to give or write a description of sb/sth that gives the most important information”举个🌰：His career is profiled in this month's journal.这期月刊概述了他的工作生涯。

2）表示“给……画侧画像；显出……侧面轮廓”，英文解释为“represent in outline from one side”

fill sb's shoes = step into sb's shoes表示“取代（某人）；接替（某人）的工作”，英文解释为“to take someone's place, often by doing the job they have just left”举个🌰：Who do you think will step into her shoes when she goes? 她走后，你认为谁会接替她的工作？

Who is he? 他是谁？

Abel, 62, was a small child when Buffett first took the helm at Berkshire in 1965. Born and raised in the Canadian prairies, Abel rose through the ranks of Berkshire's energy operations and has handled several large acquisitions for the conglomerate.

阿贝尔现年62岁，巴菲特于1965年首次执掌伯克希尔哈撒韦时，他还是个小孩子。阿贝尔在加拿大草原地区出生长大，后来在伯克希尔哈撒韦的能源业务部门步步高升，并经手该企业集团数项大型收购。

helm /hɛlm/ 原意表示“舵柄；舵轮”，英文解释为“the handle or wheel which controls the direction in which a ship or boat travels”

📍at the helm 表示“领导位置；掌管，负责”，英文解释为“You can say that someone is at the helm when they are leading or running a country or organization.”举个🌰：After more than a decade at the helm of the university, he today announced his retirement. 在掌管大学10多年后，他于今天宣布退休。

📍 take the helm短语可以表示“开始负责，开始掌管；担任领导”（to start to officially control an organization or company）

prairie /ˈpreə.ri/ 表示“（加拿大和美国北部的）大草原”，英文解释为“a wide area of flat land without trees in Canada and the northern US”

acquisition /ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/ 名词，1）表示“获得”，英文解释为“the process of getting something”举个🌰：The acquisition of huge amounts of data has helped our research enormously. 获得的大量数据对我们的研究有莫大的帮助。

2）表示“收购”，英文解释为“If a company or business person makes an acquisition, they buy another company or part of a company.”举个🌰：They have made acquisitions in several EU countries. 他们在几个欧盟国家购买了一些产业。

🎬电影《美国队长2：冬日战士》（Captain America: The Winter Soldier）中的台词提到：The prevailing theory was that the hijacking was a cover for the acquisition and sale of classified intelligence. 大部分人的看法是劫持事件只是在掩盖机密情报的交易。

conglomerate /kənˈɡlɒm.ər.ət/ 表示“联合大企业，企业集团”，英文解释为“a company that owns several smaller businesses whose products or services are usually very different”如：a financial/industrial conglomerate 金融/工业企业集团。

📍词根“-glomer-”来自拉丁语“glomerare”，表示“聚集”。近义词：corporation（公司），常用短语：global conglomerate（全球企业集团）

类似的还有：

📍giant表示“巨头，大公司”，英文解释为“Giant is often used to refer to any large, successful business organization or country.”如：Japanese electronics giant, Sony 日本的电子业巨头——索尼公司。

📍mogul /ˈməʊɡəl/表示“（尤指新闻、影视界的）大人物；大亨”，英文解释为“A mogul is an important, rich, and powerful businessman, especially one in the news, film, or television industry.”如：an international media mogul一位国际传媒大亨。

📍magnate /ˈmæɡneɪt, -nɪt/ 表示“大亨，巨头”，英文解释为“a rich and powerful person in industry or business”

📍tycoon /taɪˈkuːn/ 表示“巨头，大亨（工商界）”，英文解释为“someone who is successful in business or industry and has a lot of money and power”如：property tycoon 房地产大亨。

📍behemoth /ˈbiːhɪmɒθ/ 表示“巨头（指规模庞大、实力雄厚的公司或机构）”，英文解释为“a very big and powerful company or organization”

📍titan表示“巨人；巨头”，英文解释为“If you describe someone as a titan of a particular field, you mean that they are very important and powerful or successful in that field.”

He was president of Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy when Berkshire invested in the company in 1999.

1999年，当伯克希尔哈撒韦投资总部位于艾奥瓦州的MidAmerican Energy时，阿贝尔是该公司的总裁。

Any surprises? 有何意外之处？

Only the timing, with Buffett revealing the timeline during the close of Berkshire's annual meeting on Saturday. (Abel didn't even know it was coming.) But Berkshire first revealed in 2021 that Abel would be the next CEO. 

只有时间点令人意外，巴菲特是在上周六伯克希尔哈撒韦年度会议结束时透露这一时间表的。阿贝尔甚至都不知道此事。但伯克希尔哈撒韦在2021年就首次透露，阿贝尔将是下一任CEO。

The plan is still a recommendation, for now. Buffett said he plans to discuss the succession plan at a board meeting Sunday and said he expects they'll act on his recommendation at a subsequent meeting. 

目前，该计划只构成推荐。巴菲特表示，他计划在周日的董事会会议上讨论该继任计划，并说他预计董事会将在随后的会议上根据他的建议采取行动。

succession /səkˈseʃ.ən/ 表示“继任，接任；继承”，英文解释为“a process in which someone automatically takes an official position or job after someone else”举个🌰：His divorce will not prevent the Prince of Wales's succession to the throne. 离婚不会影响威尔士亲王继承王位。

📍in succession表示“接连地，连续地”，英文解释为“happening one after another”举个🌰：This is the seventh year in succession that they've won the tournament. 这是他们连续第7年捧杯。

subsequent /ˈsʌb.sɪ.kwənt/ 表示“随后的，接着的；后来的；之后的；接后的”，英文解释为“happening after something else”举个🌰：The book discusses his illness and subsequent resignation from politics. 书中讲述了他患病及随后隐退政坛的事。

Why Abel? 为什么是阿贝尔？

Abel already has a huge leadership role at Berkshire. In a letter to shareholders in early 2024, Buffett said Abel “in all respects is ready to be CEO of Berkshire tomorrow.” In a February letter, Buffett signaled the changeover was coming soon. 

阿贝尔已在伯克希尔哈撒韦担任重要的领导职务。巴菲特在2024年初致股东的一封信中表示，阿贝尔“在各方面都已准备好明天就出任伯克希尔哈撒韦的CEO”。在2月份的一封信中，巴菲特暗示交接即将到来。

changeover /ˈtʃeɪndʒˌəʊ.vər/ 表示“（体制或方法的）完全改变，大转变，更改”，英文解释为“a complete change from one system or method to another”举个🌰：The changeover to the new taxation system has created a lot of problems. 彻底改用新的税收制度产生了许多问题。

“At 94, it won't be long before Greg Abel replaces me as CEO and will be writing the annual letters,” Buffett said. “Greg shares the Berkshire creed that a 'report' is what a Berkshire CEO annually owes to owners. And he also understands that if you start fooling your shareholders, you will soon believe your own baloney and be fooling yourself as well.”

“我已94岁，不久之后，阿贝尔将接替我担任首席执行官，并将撰写年度信函，”巴菲特说。“Greg和伯克希尔秉持着同样的信条，即伯克希尔CEO每年应向所有者提交一份‘报告’。而且他也明白，如果你开始愚弄股东，你很快就会相信自己的胡言乱语，也会愚弄自己。”

creed /kriːd/ 表示“信条；信念；教义”，英文解释为“a set of beliefs that influences the way you live”

baloney /bəˈləʊ.ni/ 表示“胡说八道”，英文解释为“nonsense”举个🌰：That's a bunch of baloney if you ask me. 如果你问我，我会说那是一派胡言。

“Greg will be more successful than I have been, and if I said otherwise, my nose would grow,” Buffett has also said.

巴菲特此前还表示：“Greg会比我更成功，如果我说不是这样，我的鼻子会变长。”

How will Abel differ from Buffett? 阿贝尔与巴菲特会有什么不同？

He has been on stage with Buffett at annual meetings, but hasn't shared his boss's penchant for occasional cameos (including an episode of The Office and the 2015 film “Entourage.”) But he is expected to take a more hands-on management role with Berkshire's roster of companies.

他曾与巴菲特一同在年度大会上亮相，但并不像他的老板那样有偶尔客串演出的爱好（包括在电视剧《办公室》（The Office）和2015年的电影《明星伙伴》（Entourage）中客串）。但外界认为，阿贝尔将以更亲力亲为的方式管理伯克希尔哈撒韦旗下的众多公司。

penchant /ˈpen.tʃənt/ 表示“偏好，倾向，嗜好”，英文解释为“If someone has a penchant for something, they have a special liking for it or a tendency to do it.”如：a stylish woman with a penchant for dark glasses. 一位对墨镜有特别喜好的时髦女子。

cameo /ˈkæm.i.əʊ/ 表示“（名演员在电影或剧目中的）客串角色，小配角”，英文解释为“a small but noticeable part in a film or play, performed by a famous actor”举个🌰：He appears briefly towards the end of the film in a cameo role as a priest. 影片接近尾声时，他露面客串了一下牧师。

在电视/电影节目中，episode /ˈep.ɪ.səʊd/ 表示“一集，一节，片断”（one of the single parts into which a story is divided, especially when it is broadcast on the television or radio），也可以指“事件；（相关的）一连串事件；一段经历”，英文解释为“a single event or group of related events”举个🌰：This latest episode in the fraud scandal has shocked a lot of people. 诈骗丑闻最新爆出的这一事件让很多人瞠目结舌。

还可以指「疾病的发作，发病」，英文解释为：a finite period in which someone is affected by a specified illness.

补充：

📍第几集用的是Episode，第几季则为Season. 你下载美剧时可能就会看到S01E02，就是指的第1季第2集。最后一集 finale：the last part of a piece of music or of a show, event etc （演出的）终场，最后一幕；（音乐的）终曲；（事件等的）结尾。

🎬还有，看剧时新一集开头通常会有的一个说法：previously on ...，...的前情提要，前情回顾。

entourage /ˈɒn.tu.rɑːʒ/ 表示“（要人或名人的）随行人员，随从”，英文解释为“the group of people who travel with and work for an important or famous person”举个🌰：The star arrived in London with her usual entourage of dancers and backing singers. 这位歌星到达了伦敦，随行的还有她惯用的伴舞和伴唱人员。

hands-on /ˌhændˈzɒn/ 表示“事事过问的，事必躬亲的”，英文解释为“Someone with a hands-on way of doing things becomes closely involved in managing and organizing things and in making decisions.”举个🌰：She's very much a hands-on manager. 她是一位事必躬亲的经理。

roster /ˈrɒs.tər/ 表示“花名册；名单；候选名单；值勤表，勤务簿”，英文解释为“A roster is a list, especially of the people who work for a particular organization or are available to do a particular job. It can also be a list of the athletes who are available for a particular team；A list of people's names, often with the jobs they have been given to do”

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