Lesson Three

1. Lesson Three Michael Dell’s Two-Billion-Dollar Dream

2. Pre-class question: • What do you know about Michael Dell?

3. Warming-up expressions • oil tycoon/ business prospects/ a business order/ a competitive edge/ business license/ inventory and overhead/ custom-made computers/ surplus stock/a sales quota/ a retail price/ added value/ the opportunity of a lifetime/ direct marketing/ a law firm/ accounting basics/ on- site service/ wholly owned subsidiaries/ a civic center/ end users

4. Background Michael Dell • Michael Saul Dell (born February 23, 1965 in Houston, Texas) is an Americanbusinessman. He attended the University of Texas at Austin intending to become a physician. While in university, he started a computer company called PC's Limited in his dormitory room.

5. Dell’s Experiences • Dell began the business manufacturing personal computers with some radical ideas, including maintaining no finished-goods inventories and practically no component inventories, building only to order, and selling and delivering the completed PC units direct to customers (direct sales).

6. The company became successful enough that Dell dropped out of college at the age of 19 to run the business full-time. In 1987, PC's Limited changed its name to Dell Computer Corporation, and in 2003, Dell, Inc. The company became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world, with sales of $35 billion and profits of $2 billion in 2002. Dell’s Experiences

7. Dell’s Experiences • On March 4, 2004, Michael Dell stepped down as CEO of Dell but stayed as Chairman of the Board, while Kevin Rollins, then became President and CEO. • Chief Executive Officer 执行总裁

8. Accolades for Dell • Entrepreneur of the Year" from Inc. (Incorporated) magazine; "Man of the Year" from PC Magazine; "Top CEO in American Business" from Worth Magazine; "CEO of the Year" from Financial World and Industry Week magazines.

9. His fame and life • In the 2005 publication of the Forbes 400, Dell was listed as the 9th richest man in the United States and the 18th richest in the world with a net worth of around $16 billion. Dell resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Susan and their four children. • Forbes  <<财富(福布斯)>>杂志

10. Forbes 400 • The Forbes 400 is an annual list published by Forbes magazine of the wealthiest400 people in the United States. At the top of the list is Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, with a net worth of 48 billion dollars. The 400th wealthiest person in the United States, Norman W Waitt, Jr., co-founder of Gateway, has a net worth of 750 million dollars. Other prominent names include Warren Buffett and Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.Henry Kravis ranked #283 in 2004. • Gateway 网关;网间连接器

11. The secret of Dell’s success • A.To be the first: • He is the first one to hit upon a brilliant idea, commonsense though. Success usually belongs to the person who dares to be the first, to be creative and original.

12. The secret of Dell’s success • B.Ambitious and highly moltivated: Even when a teenager he already vows to compete with IBM. It is this goal that that gives him the strength and courage to strive so hard. • IBM (International Business Machines)商用机器公司

13. The secret of Dell’s success • CHis tenacity: • He works hard, and never gives up. His success is the result of his toil and sweat.

14. The secret of Dell’s success • D.His thirst for knowledge: • It is true that Dell did not finish school. But that does not mean that he has had no education or that he can succeed without education. He actually studies harder and with a clearer focus.

15. Text Organization Para 1-3: A childhood anecdote of Dell. Para.4—9: Introduction to Dell, his peculiarities and pre-university success in business. Para.10—28: Dell established his successful business when he was still in college. Para.29—last: Dell’s present life and his emphasis on the will to success.

16. Painstaking(P1) • Marked by or requiring great pains; very careful and diligent • 她在刻苦学习中文。 • She is making painstaking efforts to learn Chinese. • 哈里是个肯下苦功的学生。 • Harry is a painstaking student. • 辛勤地工作 • be painstaking with one's work

17. Cf. meticulous, painstaking • He had throughout been almost worryingly_____ in his business formalities. • The skillful repair of fine lace entails slow and _____ work. • “他一直对他的业务手续表现出几乎是担心一样的极度细心” meticulous • 对精致花边的熟练修补需要缓慢而极度细心的工作。 Painstaking • Meticulous stresses extreme, sometimes exaggerated care for small details: • Meticulous 强调极度的，有时是过分的对于小细节的关心： • Painstaking means extremely careful: • Painstaking 意味着极度细心：

18. Para 1 put together • ______ _____ a new bookcase; • _____ a friend _____ for the night. • _____ her views _____ during the hearing. • _____ _____ an idea. • _____ _____ a new plan. • He _____ _____ a good word for me. • _____ _____paying the bills. • _____ _____an English accent. • The operator _____ me _____ on the office line. • We had to _____ _____ _____ the inconvenience. 1.put together :to construct; create:2. Put up: to provide lodgings for 3. Put across: to state so asto be understoodclearly or accepted readily 4. Put forth:to offer for consideration 5.put forward: to propose for consideration 6.put in: to introduce, as in conversation 7. Put off :to delay; postpone 8. put on:to assume affectedly 9: put through: to make a telephone connection for 10: put up with:to endure without complaint:

19. A maze of(p1.): confusing intricate network of passages • go through a maze of narrow streets • 穿过迂回的小街 • He turned short into one of the mazes of the wood转入一座迷宫似的林中盘陀地带 • be caught up in a maze of thoughts千思万绪 • watch the mazes of the dance婆娑多姿的舞蹈 • be in a maze 不知所措 • a maze of government regulations大堆复杂的政府规章制度 • a maze of bureaucratic divisions.混乱的官僚派系

20. Para 1 pull • We pulled in at midnight. • The train pulls out at noon. • After the crash, many Wall Street investors pulled out. • The state trooper pulledthe speeding motorist over. • He helped to pullme throughthe difficulty. • The driver pulled up at the gate. • pull (someone's) leg • a. To leave or depart:. bTo play a joke on; tease or deceive.c. To come or bring successfully through trouble or illness d. To bring or come to a halt. e. to arrive at a destination f. To instruct or force (a motorist) to bring his or her vehicle to a stop at a curb or at the side of a road: g. To withdraw, as from a situation or commitment • 1e; 2a; 3g; 4f; 5c; 6d; 7b

21. To call it a day(P2): • (infml) to decide to stop working because you have done enough or because you are tired • I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired and hungry. Let’s call it a day. • At around half past five yesterday afternoon, the power suddenly went off. So we had to call it a day.

22. He ran down the steps to the pool terrace and plunged in. A soldier plunged a bayonet into his body. The government’s political and economic reforms threaten to plunge the country into chaos. His sudden plunge into the field of international diplomacy is a major surprise. Shares have plunged from $17 to $7. If you have decided to buy shares, now could be the time to take the plunge. (do sth. difficult or risky) plunge(p.2)

23. tease(p3);ridicule; mock; laugh at • tease—to laugh at sb and make jokes about them either in a friendly way or in order to annoy or embarrass them : • e.g. Don’t get upset. I’m just teasing. • Ridicule—suggests making unkind fun of sb. Or sth, not necessariy implying malice of hostility. 对某人或某事不客气地嘲弄取笑, 不一定怀有恶意或敌意.

24. Mock—implies a contemptuous ridiculing esp. by caricaturing another’s peculiarities. 意示以夸张滑稽的方式模仿某人的言行特征,以轻蔑地嘲弄. • Laugh at—suggests treating as foolish, worthless of an object of fun.指视为愚蠢,无价值,笑柄而嘲笑,取笑之.

25. Exercises: Ridiculed/mocked/laughed at • 1.When he first put forward the idea, he was ________. • 2.Galileo mounted the steps of the tower. By that time there was already a big crowd. They had come to ________ the crazy young scholar. • 3.They were just _______ you. They meant no harm. • 4.When they heard this, they all burst out ________. But this time they were not ________ at him, but ________ with him. • 5.He was very shy. We used to _______ him. • 6.He who ________ last _______ best. • 7.Many people ________the Old Foolish Man’s attempt to remove the mountains. Mock/ridicule /laugh at teasing laughing laughing laughing tease laughs laughs mocked

26. Fortune 500 (p4) • The 500 richest people in the world listed by Fortune Magazine on annual basis.

27. Be imbued with(p.5): be filled with an idea, feeling or quality • The Guards officer was imbued with a military sense of duty and loyalty. • Every single word is imbued with a breathless sense of wonder. • 一位总统应该充满对国家的责任感。 • A President should be imbued with a sense of responsibility for the nation. • 充满革命精神的工作 • work imbued with the revolutionary spirit.

28. Drive(p.5): energy and determination; a strong need or desire; a special effort made by a group of people for a particular purpose • John will be remembered for his drive and enthusiasm. • China still has a long way to go in its modernization drive.

29. other uses of “drive” • A.to operate a vehicle: • e.g. when did you learn to drive? • B.to travel or take somebody somewhere in a car: • e.g. Dad said that he would drive me to school. • C.to make someone feel of do something bad or unpleasant • e.g. They could do anything when they are driven by despair. • D.to force someone of something to go somewhere • e.g. Hitler drove millions of Jews into concentration camps.

30. Get sth. out of the way (p6): to settle or dispose • He went abroad to get the issue of marriage out of the way.

31. out of the way • 1.The house wasn’t anything out of the way. • 房子没有什么奇特的。Of an unusual character; remarkable. • 2. An out－of－the－way cottage. • 偏远的农舍 • 3. said nothing out of the way. • 不说任何不妥之辞; Improper; • 4.To leave before the guest of honor would be out of the way. • 先于贵宾离席是不礼貌的。 • 5. some details to get out of the way first. • 一些首先要处理好的细节

32. Prospect: possibility; sth going to happen; (p8.) chances to success • The prospects for peace in the country’s eight-year civil war are becoming brighter. • They now face the prospect of having to wear a helmet against the poisonous gas. • They turned in a detailed review of the company’s prospects.

33. hefty (P10) • Infml. Of considerable size or amount: • a hefty serving of mashed potatoes • 堆得满满的一份土豆泥 • received a hefty bonus. • 得到大量奖金

34. markup (P10) • An amount added to a cost price in calculating a selling price, especially an amount that takes into account overhead and profit. • 加值：在计算某种出售物的价格时计入成本价的一个数额，尤指计入了管理费用和利润的数额 • They have marked up the price since the cost is increased. • The new tax made it necessary to mark up all the goods in the shop. • All our stock has been marked down for the sales.

35. soup up (P 11) • To modify (something) so as to increase its capacity to perform or satisfy, especially to add horsepower or greater speed potential to (an engine or a vehicle): • 改进1959年产的福特汽车； • souped up the 1959 Ford; • 提高旧的声音系统的效果 • souping up old sound systems.

36. Surplus(p.11): extra, more than is needed • Japan’s annual trade surplus is in the region of 100 billion dollars. • Germany suffers from a surplus of teachers. • Trade surplus vs. deficit • 贸易顺差 vs. 逆差

37. take on (P 11) • 1.To acquire (an appearance, for example) as or as if one's own: • The insect can take on the color of itssurroundings. • 这种昆虫能随环境而变色。 • 2. To undertake or begin to handle: • He is unwilling to take on heavy responsibilities. • 他不愿承担重任。

38. With a vengeance(p.13): to a much greater extent than was expected • Once George had left the office, her doubts would return with a vengeance. • December has turned cold with a vengeance. • 十二月已经是透骨寒冷了 • Vengeance: the act of killing, injuring, or harming sb because they have harmed you • He swore vengeance on everyone involved in the murder. • Heaven's vengeance is slow but sure. • 天网恢恢, 疏而不漏。 • inflict/take/wreak vengeance (up) on sb. • 对... 报仇[雪恨]

39. Come to /get /be at grips with (P14) • 1 To attack; to be in close combat 肉搏；猛攻 • At the end of the quarrel, they come to grips with each other. • 2To confront squarely and attempt to deal decisively with: • 他需要认真对待此建议. • He had to come to grips with the proposition.

40. magnitude (P14) • 1.Greatness in size or extent: • The magnitude of the flood was impossible to comprehend. • 这场水灾的危害性是无法了解的 • The auditorium is a building of great ~. • 礼堂是一座巨大的建筑。 • 2. Greatness in significance or influence: • To be shocked by the magnitude of the crisis. • 被这场危机的严重程度震惊了

41. Gross(p.14):毛利 total; top; net; • So far the films have grossed more than 100 million dollars. • The oil tank is said to have a gross weight of 90,000 tons. • net weight vs. gross weight

42. Gross: (speech or behavior) rude or unacceptable; (sth) ugly and and lack good taste; • The manager was guilty of gross negligence. • He abused the major in the grossest terms. • They wear really gross holiday outfits.

43. Launch(p.19): send into the air, space or water • NASA’s launch of the space shuttle Discovery has been triumphant. • Coastguards launched three lifeboats off the Gulf coast.(试水) • The police launched an investigation at the wake of the scandal. (开始) • Ferrari launched its new models for this year.（发布） • He launched himself into fatherhood with great enthusiasm.(积极投身于)

44. Grammar: come September(p.19) subjunctive mood, inverted sentence. Come you may, things would not change. Cf. there,here,out,now,then,thus等副词放在句首时，句子全部倒装。 ---Thus began my second life. --- Now comes your turn. 如果句中的主语是代词，句子要用陈述句 --- Here she comes. ---Out he rushed.

45. Fast (P19) • 1.Don't drive so fast. • 2.Hold fastto this rope, and I will pull you up. • 3.fast asleep.

46. frantic (P 21)emotionally uncontrolled or in disordered, anxious activity • made a frantic last-minute search for the lost key. • 对丢失的钥匙做最后的紧张万分的寻找 • He had a franticrush to get his work done. • 他急急忙忙把工作做完。 • Highly excited with strong emotion or frustration; frenzied:(+with) • The mother was frantic with grief at the loss of her child. • 母親因失去孩子悲痛欲絕。 • frantic with worry.焦急得发狂

47. Frantic vs Panic • Panic: a sudden overpowering fright • An earthquake hit the capital, causing damage to buildings and _____ among the population. • A busy night in the restaurant can be _____ in the kitchen.

48. lease (P21) • A contract granting use or occupation of property during a specified period in exchange for a specified rent. • The lease on this house expires at the end of the year. • 这房子的租约年底到期。 • (Take/Hold)by [on] lease租用[借] • put out to lease出租

49. Sketch(p.21):a rough drawing or outline • draft: a preliminary sketch， the first version 起草 • design 设计 • outline 梗概 • portray 肖像 painting 水彩画 • delineation 描述 describe or define in detail • depiction: show in drawing,painting or writing • graffiti 涂鸦

50. Keep pace(p.23)with: keep up with • Farmers are angry because the rise in sale fails to keep pace with inflation. • The computer will give students the opportunity to learn at their own pace. • 按照自己的进度 • A group of the world’s best waterskiers will be going through their paces. • 展示技艺