【BEC阅读|BEC剑桥商务英语阅读材料】丹麦玩具积木制造商乐高(Lego)将在亚洲兴建第一家工厂，以满足亚洲市场的需求，延续该公司在低成本国家建厂的战略 。
The Danish maker of toy bricks will start building a factory in Jiaxing,China, next year. When the factory opens in 2017 it will only supply parts toAsia, which is set to become the world’s biggest market for toys. The plant isexpected to meet 70-80 per cent of total regional demand for Lego.
乐高明年起将在中国嘉兴建立一家工厂，计划于2017年完工，届时它将只向亚洲地区供货 。亚洲将成为全球最大的玩具市场 。预计新工厂可以满足亚洲对乐高产品需求的70%到80% 。
Lego’s sales have almost tripled since 2007, making it the world’ssecond-largest toymaker by revenues behind Mattel. Asia has played a big part inits success, as its annual sales increase by more than 50 per cent in recentyears. It is also highly profitable, with net profits last year of about $1bnand a gross profit margin of 71 per cent.
乐高销售额自2007年以来增长了近两倍，成为按营收额计算的全球第二大玩具制造商，仅次于美泰(Mattel) 。最近几年，乐高在亚洲的销售额每年增长逾50%，这一市场对该公司的成功贡献很大 。乐高的盈利水平也很高，去年实现净利润约10亿美元，毛利率达到71% 。
Jiaxing is located around 100km from Shanghai, where Lego is planning tobuild a regional distribution centre for Asia. Its Chinese factory will followplants in Hungary, the Czech Republic and Mexico as the group diversifies awayfrom its roots in central Denmark in the countryside town of Billund.
乐高还计划在距嘉兴约100公里的上海设立亚洲地区分销中心 。乐高总部位于丹麦中部的比隆镇(Billund)，此前已在匈牙利、捷克共和国和墨西哥开设了工厂 。
The plant will employ about 2,000 workers once it is fully operational in2017 and Lego will invest more than ?100m to build it.
到2017年全面投入运营时，嘉兴工厂员工数量将达2000名左右，投资额将超过1亿欧元 。
“It is our strategy to have production close to our core markets in order tosecure short lead-time and world class service to our customers and consumers,and it has proven a successful strategy. Asia – including China – is a futurecore market for the Lego Group,” said Bali Padda, Lego’s chief operatingofficer.
乐高首席营运官巴利?帕达(BaliPadda)表示：“我们的战略是在靠近核心市场的地方生产，以便缩短交货期，为我们的客户和消费者提供世界级的服务 。事实证明这是一个成功的战略 。包括中国在内的亚洲地区是乐高集团未来的核心市场 。”
He added that the new factory would be more environmentally friendly byreducing the need to transport Lego pieces between Europe and Asia.
他补充称，新工厂将降低从欧洲运至亚洲的乐高玩具数量，更有利于保护环境 。
The privately owned Danish toymaker has enjoyed a renaissance after itexpanded too quickly at the end of the last century and started to run uplosses. An outside chief executive, J?rgen Vig Knudstorp who came from McKinsey,cut jobs and product lines and boosted production outside Denmark.
乐高是一家丹麦私营玩具制造企业 。上世纪末，乐高曾由于过快扩张而出现亏损，但近年又重返增长 。曾在麦肯锡(McKinsey)工作的首席执行官J?rgenVig Knudstorp，先后裁员并削减了生产线，还推动公司在丹麦以外的地方建厂 。
Recent success has come from building sets linked to films such as Stars Warsand The Hobbit as well as Lego Friends, a new line aimed at girls.
乐高最近的成功源于该公司推出了以《星球大战》(Stars Wars)和《霍比特人》(The Hobbit)等影片为主题的积木，以及新为女孩设计的LegoFriends系列 。
BEC商务英语阅读材料：出路何寻
The story: By the late-1990s fast-food chain McDonald’s had enjoyed 40 yearsof exceptional performance. In 1997, for example, the company had registered 10years of 20 per cent per annum growth.
The challenge: That year, Jack Greenberg became the company’s fourth chiefexecutive. His main concern was how to lead the business in less favourablemarket conditions. McDonald’s was facing concerns about fatty foods and aboutbeef; competition was squeezing margins; and growth from international marketswas slowing.
The strategy: Mr Greenberg did what the textbooks suggest. First, he focusedon improving the core business, announcing it as his top priority. Then, he alsoset a second priority: to find a new platform for growth. With this audaciousgoal in mind, he supported five acquisitions of related restaurant businesses –including Chipotle, a Mexican food restaurant, and 50 per cent of Pret A Manger,the UK sandwich chain – and he set up the Partner Brands Division, to beresponsible for these new businesses. Mr Greenberg also opened the door to anumber of other, more organic initiatives led by his head of strategy, MatsLederhausen.

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