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82岁的伯尼·麦道夫死了。
他曾担任纳斯达克董事会主席，是与巴菲特齐名的“投资专家”。
他也曾策划了史上最大的“庞氏骗局”，骗了半个世界650亿美元(≈4200亿人民币)，最终被儿子揭发，获刑150年，始于狱中……
“庞氏骗局”英文是ponzi scheme/?p?nzi ski?m/?，本质上是一种高明的资金流管理技术。
scheme这个词源自希腊语 skhema（计划，方案），后引申为“图表，简表”，以及贬义词义“密谋、诡计”。
ponzi 则来自该金融骗局的首创者——美国意大利裔金融骗子 charles ponzi，他于1919年实施了这一骗局。
简单来说，ponzi?scheme就是以投资为名义，承诺给你很高的回报，但是公司本身不是正当的投资盈利，而是拆东墙补西墙，通过不断吸引投资者加入，以支付前期投资者的利息。
关于“拆东墙补西墙”，英语中有个类似的有趣表达，叫rob peter to pay paul。
rob peter to pay paul字面上的意思就是“抢彼得的东西给保罗”，实际上表达的是“借新债还旧账”，有我们中文“剜肉补疮”、“拆东墙补西墙”的意思。
这个表达来源不详，但有一个说法是：1550年时，伦敦西部威斯敏斯特的圣彼得大教堂给并入伦敦主教区，大教堂的物资不少被挪用来修葺伦敦主教区的圣保罗大教堂，于是有了“rob peter to pay paul”这个表达。
1938年，麦道夫出生于美国纽约皇后区一个中下层的犹太人家庭。
1960年，麦道夫从霍夫斯特拉大学法学院毕业。22的岁的他，利用暑假打工当救生员和安装花园喷水装置赚来的5000美元，加上岳父支援的办公室和人脉，他创立了伯纳德·麦道夫投资证券公司。
到1980年，他的公司就成功占据了曼哈顿一栋高层建筑中的三层楼。
1991年，麦道夫成为当今世上第二大证券交易所——纳斯达克的董事会主席，在这个职位上，每年光收入就有数亿美元。
凭借自身的聪明才智和声望地位，麦道夫开启了更为快速的捞钱之路：策划一场十几年的ponzi?scheme。
直到2008年。美国次贷危机，使投资者集中赎回资金，麦道夫在短时间内面临70亿美金的赎回，而新的投
资人又迟迟“不上钩”。
于是，走投无路的他，向两个儿子和妻子坦白自己已“一无所有”，亏损至少500亿美元。
结果两个儿子当晚就告发了他，让这场史上最大金融诈骗案大白于天下。
无数投资人一夜之间，从富庶变成赤贫。其中不少人承受不住选择自杀。
比如，法国金融家rene-thierry magon de la villehuchet损失超过10亿美元后，于2008年在曼哈顿自杀；纽约对冲基金高管charles murphy在这一骗局中损失了5,000万美元，从酒店24楼跳下。
麦道夫入狱以后，他的妻子再也没和他说过一句话；大儿子因长时间被死亡威胁，在他入狱2周年时在家中上吊自杀；2014年，小儿子因癌去世。
惶惶一生，妻离子散、家破人亡，只因自己的“贪”并利用他人的“贪”……
今天的最后，老规矩一起读一篇四六级/考研难度的文章：
bernie madoff, financier behind largest ponzi scheme in history, dies in prison
bernard madoff, the?one-time?wall street titan who?orchestrated?one of the largest frauds in history, has died in prison aged 82.
伯纳德·麦道夫（bernard madoff），这位一度叱咤华尔街的金融巨头，因策划了史上最大规模之一的诈骗案而坐牢，最近在狱中去世，终年82岁。?
one-time除了有“一次性”的意思，还指“一度的，以前的?”，相当于former?【例句】?zuijie’s best fried, a one-time singer, is a writer.最姐的好朋友，曾经是个歌手，现在是个作家。?
or·ches·trate?/???k?stre?t/ v.
①编配（或创作）管弦乐曲to arrange a piece of music in parts so that it can be played by an orchestra
②精心安排；策划；密谋to organize a complicated plan or event very carefully or secretly?【例句】zuijie’s victory was largely a result of her brilliantly orchestrated campaign. 最姐的胜利主要归功于她的活动策划得非常成功。【近义表达】organize, arrange, coordinate, put together, set up, stage-manage
madoff, was a former chairman of the nasdaq stock exchange, and was regarded for years as an investment sage. but?unbeknown?to his thousands of victims, he was running a?ponzi scheme?that?wiped out?at least $17.5bn in savings.
麦道夫是纳斯达克证券交易所的前任董事会主席，多年来一直被视为投资圣手。但成千上万受害者不知道的是，他正在实施一场庞氏骗局，让受害者们至少175亿美元的积蓄化为乌有。?
un·be·known/??n.b??n??n $ -?no?n/【unbeknown to sb】在（某人）不知道的情况下without a particular person knowing【例句】?unbeknown to zuijie they had organized a surprise party.他们瞒着最姐筹备了一个给她意外惊喜的聚会。?
?wipe sb/sth?out彻底消灭；全部摧毁to destroy or remove sb/sth completely【例句】last year’s profits were virtually wiped out.去年的利润几乎全都赔光了。
?wipe sb?out使疲惫不堪(informal) to make sb extremely tired【例句】all that travelling has wiped zuijie out.一路舟车劳顿让最姐疲惫不堪。
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imposing a 150-year sentence in 2009, judge denny chin called madoff’s crimes “extraordinarily evil”. his criminal behavior devastated the lives of his victims, leading to suicides, bankruptcies and home losses.
2009年，丹尼·钦（denny chin）法官判处了麦道夫150年的监禁，称他的罪行“极其恶劣”。他的骗局给受害者带来灭顶之灾，无数受害者倾家荡产，家破人亡。
in 2008, madoff pleaded guilty to orchestrating a massive?ponzi scheme, in which instead of investing cash, he paid off older investors with funds from new investors. a court-appointed?trustee?recovered more than $13bn of an estimated $17.5bn that investors put into madoff’s business.
2008年，对于策划这张大规模庞氏骗局的事实，麦道夫供认不讳。在这场骗局中，他没有投入资金，而是挪用新投资者的资金向老投资者支付回报。投资者给他的公司投了约175亿美元，法院任命的受托人追回了130亿美元。?
ponzi scheme：“庞氏骗局”，来自该金融骗局的首创者美国意大利裔金融骗子 charles ponzi， 用后来投资者的钱来给予早先投资者以快速回报，以此培养对一个并不存在的企业成功的信心，他于1919-1920年实施了这一骗局。?
the recovered sum fell far short of the sums madoff told?duped?clients he was managing. at the time of his arrest, fake account statements were telling clients they had holdings worth $60bn.
但追回的款项，远远少于麦道夫欺骗客户时说他管理的资产数额。在他被捕时，客户拿到的假账显示，他们公司持有的股份价值为600亿美元。?
①v.诈骗；哄骗；欺骗to trick or cheat sb?【be duped into doing sth】zuijie was being duped into buying faulty electronic goods.最姐受骗买了有问题的电子产品。
②n.?受骗者，上当者[c] (formal) a person who is tricked or cheated【例句】zuijie ?becomes an innocent dupe in this scandal.最姐在这起丑闻中成了一名无辜的受骗者。
【词源】南欧有一种鸟，因为叫起来的声音像‘up up’ ，所以罗马人给它命名为 upupa 或 upup ，法语作 huppe ，英语作 hoopoe 或 hoop 。法国人认为此鸟很笨，到处下蛋，也很容易捕捉，所以把蠢人的脑子比作 tete d’ huppe ，相当于英语 head of the hoopoe 。后来这个短语慢慢演变为 duppe，并在17世纪末进入英语，写作dupe ，用以指“易受骗的人”或“易被愚弄的人”，在作动词用时表示“欺骗”或“诈骗”。
the global financial crisis of 2008 prompted the scheme to unravel, leaving thousands of victims?bereft of?their savings and madoff as an?avatar?for the failure of regulators and financial corruption.
2008年的全球金融危机使这个骗局无法再进行下去，成千上万的受害者失去了积蓄，麦道夫也因此成为了监管失灵和金融腐败的化身。?
①?完全没有，丧失，失去（某物）[not before noun] (formal)【bereft of sth 】?completely lacking sth; having lost sth【比如】 bereft of ideas/hope无计可施；失去希望
②感到失落(of a person 人) sad and lonely because you have lost sth?【例句】zuijie was utterly bereft when her mom died.最姐的妈妈去世时，她十分凄凉。?
in december 2008, as investors worried about the?impending?crisis started asked for their money back, madoff called a family meeting at his manhattan apartment, and confessed to his sons that the family business they worked in was based on “one big lie”.
2008年12月，因为担心即将到来的金融危机使得投资者开始要求取回资金，麦道夫在他曼哈顿的公寓里开了一次家庭会议，并向他的儿子们坦白他们的家族企业是建立在“一个庞大的骗局”之上的。?
im·pend·ing?/?m?pend??/adj.即将发生的；迫在眉睫的（仅放名词前）[only before noun](usually of an unpleasant event 通常指不愉快的事) that is going to happen very soon【例句】zuijie’s worried about an impending business trip.快要出差了，最姐正在发愁。【近义表达】looming, approaching, coming, forthcoming, gathering, imminent, in the pipeline, near, upcoming
after the meeting, a lawyer for the family contacted regulators, who alerted federal prosecutors and the federal bureau of investigation. madoff was in a bathrobe when two fbi agents arrived at his door unannounced on a december morning.
家庭会议结束后，他的家庭律师联系了监管机构，监管机构又将向联邦检察官和联邦调查局举报了此事。12月的某个早晨，当两名联邦调查局特工找上门时，未接到通知的麦道夫，还穿着浴袍。
madoff pleaded guilty in march 2009 to securities fraud and other charges, saying he was “deeply sorry and ashamed”. after spending several months under house arrest at his $7m penthouse apartment, he was led off to jail in handcuffs, to?scattered?applause from angry investors in the courtroom.
2009年3月，面对金融诈骗和其他指控，麦道夫认罪，并表示“感到非常抱歉和羞愧”。麦道夫先被软禁在他价值700万美元的顶层公寓中，几个月后，他带着手铐锒铛入狱。法庭上愤怒的投资者发出阵阵掌声。?
scat·tered?/?sk?t?d/ adj.
①分散的；零散的；疏落的spread far apart over a wide area or over a long period of time【例句】the toys were scattered all over the house.屋子里到处都是玩具。
②遍布着…的；到处都是…的if something is scattered with a lot of small things, they are spread all over it.?【例句】every surface is scattered with photographs.每面都贴满了照片。
the madoff family took a severe financial hit: a judge issued a $171bn?forfeiture?order in june 2009, stripping madoff of all his personal property, including real estate, investments, and $80m in assets his wife, ruth, had claimed were hers. the order left her with $2.5m.
麦道夫家族在经济上遭受了严重的打击：2009年6月，法官下发了没收麦道夫1710亿美元的没收令，剥夺了麦道夫所有的个人财产，包括房地产、投资额，以及麦道夫的妻子露丝（ruth）声称属于她个人财产的8000万美元，最终她保住了250万美元。
but it also?took a toll?in more personal terms. in december 2010, madoff’s eldest son, mark, was found hanged in his new york apartment on the second anniversary of the billionaire investment manager’s arrest for what was then described the biggest?swindle?in wall street history.
至于麦道夫个人，也付出了更惨痛的代价。2010年12月，在这位身价亿万的投资经理因策划华尔街史上最大骗局而被捕入狱后的两周年之时，他的长子马克（mark），被发现在纽约的公寓中上吊自杀。?
take its/their/a toll造成损失（或伤亡、破坏）if something takes its/their/a toll, it causes suffering, deaths or damage【例句】the problems of the past few months have taken their toll on zuijie’s health and there are shadows beneath her eyes. 过去几个月里的问题影响了最姐的健康，她眼睛出现了黑眼圈。
his brother, peter, who helped run the business, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2012, despite claims he was in the dark about his brother’s misdeeds. another son, andrew, died from cancer at age 48. madoff’s wife, ruth,?survives him.
麦道夫的兄弟彼得（peter），曾 助他经营公司，虽然声称自己对兄弟的违法行为毫不知情，但在2012年时还是被判处了10年监禁。麦道夫另一个儿子安德鲁（andrew），则死于癌症，终年48岁。只有麦道夫的妻子露丝，目前还健在。?
survive/s??va?v/除了有“幸存”的意思，还表示“比某人活得长”to continue to live after someone, especially a member of your family, has died【例句】she survived her husband by ten years.丈夫死后她又活了十年。?
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