The history of glass
site: The history of glass
The glass made during this time was highly coloured due to the impurities of the raw material.
impurity /ɪmˈpjʊr.ə.t̬i/ noun. 杂质
The new glass he created was softer and easier to decorate, and had a higher refractive index, adding to its brilliance and beauty, and it proved invaluable to the optical industry. It is thanks to Ravenscroft’s invention that optical lenses, astronomical telescopes, microscopes and the like became possible.
optical /ˈɑːp.tɪ.kəl/ adjective. 视觉的
lens /lenz/ noun. 透镜
Before that time, heavy taxes had been placed on the amount of glass melted in a glasshouse, and were levied continuously from 1745 to 1845.
levied /ˈlev.i/ verb. 征收
This revolutionary new building encouraged the use of glass in public, domestic and horticultural architecture.
horticultural /ˌhɔːr.t̬əˈkʌl.tʃɚ.əl/ adjective. 园艺的
It has become a modem, hi-tech industry operating in a fiercely competitive global market where quality, design and service levels are critical to maintaining market share.
fiercely /ˈfɪrs.li/ adverb. 凶狠地
It saves used glass containers being sent to landfill.
landfill /ˈlænd.fɪl/ noun. 垃圾填埋
Bring back the big cats
site: Bring back the big cats
But the 2006 find, together with three others in Yorkshire and Scotland, is compelling evidence that the lynx and the mysterious llewyn were in fact one and the same animal.
compelling /kəmˈpel.ɪŋ/ adjective. 引人入胜的；令人信服的
Were it not for the animal’s backside having worn away with time, we could have been certain, as the lynx’s stubby tail is unmistakable.
stubby /ˈstʌb.i/ adjective. 粗短的
Rewilding means the mass restoration of damaged ecosystems. It involves letting trees return to places that have been denuded, allowing parts of the seabed to recover from trawling and dredging, permitting rivers to flow freely again.
denuded /dɪˈnuːd/ verb. 被剥夺了; 使….光秃
Such findings present a big challenge to British conservation, which has often selected arbitrary assemblages of plants and animals and sought, at great effort and expense, to prevent them from changing.
arbitrary /ˈɑːr.bə.trer.i/ adjective. 武断的
It will also winkle out sika deer: an exotic species that is almost impossible for human beings to control, as it hides in impenetrable plantations of young trees.
impenetrable /ɪmˈpen.ə.trə.bəl/ adjective. 无法穿透的
UK companies need more effective boards of directors
site: UK companies need more effective boards of directors
Governments, regulators, central banks and auditors have all been in the frame.
regulator /ˈreɡ.jə.leɪ.t̬ɚ/ noun. 校准器; 监管者
auditor /ˈɑː.də.t̬ɚ/ noun. 审计者
Often, board business is devolved to committees in order to cope with the workload, which may be more efficient but can mean that the board as a whole is less involved in fully addressing some of the most important issues.
cope /koʊp/ verb. 应付；承受
Process may take the place of discussion and be at the expense of real collaboration, so that boxes are ticked rather than issues tackled.
tackled /ˈtæk.əl/ verb. 已解决
Problems of recruitment, remuneration and independence could also arise and this structure would not be appropriate for all companies.
remuneration /rɪˌmjuː.nəˈreɪ.ʃən/ noun. 报酬
The tyranny of quarterly reporting can distort board decision-making, as directors have to ‘make the numbers’ every four months to meet the insatiable appetite of the market for more data.
tyranny /ˈtɪr.ən.i/ noun. 专制政治
insatiable /ɪnˈseɪ.ʃə.bəl/ adjective. 贪得无厌的
appetite /ˈæp.ə.taɪt/ noun. 食欲
Compensation for chief executives has become a combat zone where pitched battles between investors, management and board members are fought, often behind closed doors but increasingly frequently in the full glare of press attention.
compensation /ˌkɑːm.penˈseɪ.ʃən/ noun. 补偿
executive /ɪɡˈzek.jə.t̬ɪv/ noun. 执行官
The chair of the remuneration committee can be an exposed and lonely role, as Alison Carnwath, chair of Barclays Bank’s remuneration committee, found when she had to resign, having been roundly criticised for trying to defend the enormous bonus to be paid to the chief executive; the irony being that she was widely understood to have spoken out against it in the privacy of the committee.
roundly /ˈraʊnd.li/ adverb. 坦率地
enormous /əˈnɔːr.məs/ adjective. 庞大的
irony /ˈaɪ.rə.ni/ noun. 讽刺
The financial crisis stimulated a debate about the role and purpose of the company and a heightened awareness of corporate ethics.
ethics /ˈeθ·ɪks/ phrase. 道德
Trust in the corporation has been eroded and academics such as Michael Sandel, in his thoughtful and bestselling book What Money Can’t Buy, are questioning the morality of capitalism and the market economy.
eroded /ɪˈroʊd/ verb. 被侵蚀
morality /məˈræl.ə.t̬i/ noun. 道德
capitalism /ˈkæp.ə.t̬əl.ɪ.zəm/ noun. 资本主义
Boards of companies in all sectors will need to widen their perspective to encompass these issues and this may involve a realignment of corporate goals.
realignment /ˌriː.əˈlaɪn.mənt/ noun. 调整位置