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90岁高龄的沃伦·巴菲特仍然掌控着伯克希尔·哈撒韦公司，他身兼首席实施官、董事长和首席出资官三职。多年来，董事会里私下谈论最多的论题就是这位备受赞誉的出资者将会指定谁来替代他掌控这家巨大的公司集团。
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◆双语阅览
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the world now knows the answer, though only because of a slip of the tongue by mr buffett’s 97-year-old right-hand man, charlie munger, at the annual shareholders’ meeting on may 1st. that forced mr buffett to confirm that his heir apparent as chief executive is greg abel, 58, a trusted lieutenant who runs berkshire’s non-insurance businesses.
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如今，答案人尽皆知，尽管只是因为巴菲特97岁的火伴查理·芒格在5月1日的年度股东大会上说漏了嘴。这使巴菲特不得不招认，首席实施官的接班人选就是深受其信赖的副手格雷格·阿贝尔， 他当前掌管着伯克希尔的非稳妥事务。
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the cack-handed way in which the succession plan became public fits a bigger pattern. berkshire is a huge public company, with a stockmarket value of $645bn and an army of devoted retail investors. it is, though, structured and run in much the way it was when mr buffett took it over in the 1960s. he has never hidden his reluctance to retire. he once joked that he’ll step down five years after he dies. however, berkshire needs to make changes if it is to keep up with the times—and that includes having a new person at the top.
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继任人方案以这种笨拙的方法公之于众，契合这家公司的一个全体方法。伯克希尔是
一家巨型上市公司，股市市值达6450亿美元，有一大批忠诚的散户出资者。但它的规划和运作方法大体上仍是上世纪60年代巴菲特接收时的姿势。巴菲特也从不点缀不愿退休的情绪，他曾开玩笑说会在自个离世五年后卸职。可是，伯克希尔若要跟上年代的脚步就有必要做出改动，包括替换最高担任人。?
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for all the autonomy its divisions enjoy, mr buffett still has to sign off on the big decisions. he has special shares with greatly enhanced voting power. the board is stacked with friends of warren; five of its 14 members are 89 or over. berkshire’s failure to write or disclose its policies on investor priorities such as climate risk and diversity irks some shareholders, including big institutions like blackrock. when investors called buffett-style governance “unique” they used to mean it as a compliment. no longer.
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尽管公司各部分各司其职，但严峻抉择计划仍是需要巴菲特决定。他持有的特别股份极大地加强了他的投票权。董事会里尽是“巴菲特的兄弟”，14名董事中五人在89岁或以上。伯克希尔没有就气候风险和多样性等出资者重视的议题拟定或宣告有关方针，致使了一些股东不满，包括贝莱德等大型机构。出资者称巴菲特式的打点“独出机杼”，以往这是赞许，如今不是了。
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the company’s lousy disclosure looks out of step with the times, too. berkshire offers little beyond mandatory filings and the occasional press release. it does not hold analyst meetings or investor days; it does not even have a functioning investor-relations department. the closest thing to outside scrutiny it tolerates is the three hours of friendly shareholders’ questions, teed up by a genial reporter from cnbc, at the annual conclave.
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伯克希尔的信息宣告缺乏，也显得与年代方枘圆凿。除了有必要提交的文件和偶尔发布的新闻稿之外，它很少揭露其他信息。它不举办分析师会议，没有出资者日，甚至没有一个正常运作的出资者联络部分。在外部监督上，这家公司能承受的就是年度股东大会上一位和蔼可亲的cnbc记者掌管的三小时气氛友爱的问答。
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the company needs to start dealing with these deficiencies now, or face the increased risk of a drama—such as an attempt by activist investors to break up berkshire, or a regulatory rumble—when mr buffett does eventually leave. there is no need to stoop to the box-ticking corporate conformity that he so loathes, an aversion reflected in his public criticism of the metrics and questionnaires wielded by esg campaigners.
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伯克希尔如今就要着手补足这些短板，否则等到巴菲特究竟离任时，公司面临戏曲性改变的风险将加大，比方急进出资者需求拆分伯克希尔，或许引来监管部分不满。但也没必要屈从那种条条框框式的公司打点方法，巴菲特对此疾恶如仇，曾揭露批判环境、社会和公司打点活悦耳士常运用的各类方针和问卷。
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这篇文章节选自：the economist（经济学人）
发布时刻：2021.06.06
作者：business review
原文标题：warren buffett should step aside for his chosen successor
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◆词汇堆集
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1.lieutenant
英/lef’ten?nt/美/lu’t?n?nt/
n. 陆军中尉；水兵上尉；副职官员
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2.cack-handed
英/’k?k’h?ndid/美/?k?k?h?nd?d/
adj. 笨拙的 左撇子的?
3.lousy
英/’la?z?/美/’la?zi/
adj. 多虱的；极坏的,极不适的；许多的,多
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4.conclave
英/’k??kle?v/美/’kɑ?klev/
n. 隐秘会议,教皇推举会议,红衣主教团
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5.rumble
英/’r?mb(?)l/美/’r?mbl/
n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声
vi. 宣告隆隆声, 宣告辘辘声
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6.loathe
英/l??e/美/loe/
vt. 憎恶, 厌烦；极不喜爱
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7.averse
英/?’v??s/美/?’v?s/
adj. 不愿意的；对立的?
◆词组分配
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1.step down ??走下；辞去职务；逐步减低
2.tee up ??球放在较高球座；把置于球座上；放在秋座上
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◆写作句总结
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the company’s lousy disclosure looks out of step with the times, too.
规划:sth. looks out of step with the times.
sth.显得与年代方枘圆凿
例句:his clothes look out of step with the times.????