本周，由Manny為大家分析經濟學人的寫作，主要學習常見詞彙在法律英語中的用法以及一些好用短語，大家可以舊詞新學，吃透一些詞彙短語的用法。內容在精不在多，真正掌握要多做積累、多下功夫。話不多說，我們開始今天的學習內容。
9月28日，加州一法院就蘋果公司與熱門電子遊戲《堡壘之夜》（「Fortnite」）開發商Epic Games的訴訟糾紛舉行了聽證會。此前蘋果公司因對Epic Games的遊戲產品在iPhone上的使用嚴格控制被Epic發起訴訟告上了法庭，但蘋果公司也提起了反訴訟。雙方的訴訟結果尚未落定，下面我們來看看經濟學人對該事件的描述分析，並學習其中一些表達和作出引申。
學習音頻：
文字片段：
At issue is whether the tight control Apple exerts over the software that can run on its smartphones amounts to a monopolistic abuse of power. The verdict, when it comes, may determine what other digital marketplaces can and cannot do.
This violated App Store terms; 「Fortnite」 was booted from the platform. Expecting this, Epic responded with the lawsuit (and a cheeky PR campaign).
In a statement, Apple accused Epic of forcing its hand and 「putting customers in the middle of their fight」. It has countersued Epic for breaching its App Store contract.
While it battles Epic in the courts, Apple may tweak its rules to placate some developers. It has done so on occasion in the past, for instance exempting Amazon from the 30% commission on in-app purchases for the e-commerce giant’s Prime Video streaming app.
Although the company does not break out the platform’s financial results, it probably makes up the bulk of its services business, which accounts for nearly 20% of revenues—and rising (see chart), as iPhone sales slow. Seeing what a promising profit engine it has turned into, Apple’s late boss would doubtless have fought tooth and nail to hang on to it.
【原文】
At issue is whether the tight control Apple exerts over the software that can run on its smartphones amounts to a monopolistic abuse of power. The verdict, when it comes, may determine what other digital marketplaces can and cannot do.
【參考譯文】
雙方爭辯的主要內容是，蘋果對在其智慧型手機上運行的應用軟體施加嚴格控制，是否構成了權力的壟斷濫用。裁決一經確定，或許就可以確定其他數字市場的界限在何。
issue
at issue是由issue發散出來的一個短語，其中issue的意思為「（案件）爭議、爭議的問題」，at issue的意思就是「問題的焦點」，意為「爭議、問題」的issue還有幾個常用的短語，如「take issue with sb」：與某人爭論、向某人提出異議；「have issues with sth」即「在某方面有困難」，請看例句：
There's a self-help group for people who have issues with money.
有一個為經濟有問題的人而設的自助小組。
在法律中，issue作為名詞還有一個比較少見的意思「合法後嗣」，如：
He died without issue.
他死後無嗣。
除了名詞，issue作為動詞還有很常見的意思「發行、發表」。
verdict
verdict在法律英語中的意思正如所摘片段當中的意思「裁決」，我們再來看一些由verdict引申出來的法律術語短語，如：「reach / arrive at a verdict作出裁定」、「unanimous verdict一致裁定」、「open verdict死因未詳的結論」等等。
除了表示「裁定、裁決」，verdict還可以活用作「opinion」，我們來看個例句：
Trade unionists were quick to give their verdict on the proposals.
工會會員迅速對這些建議提出了自己的意見。
寫作文時經常會有表達幾部分人不同觀點的部分，這個時候我們就可以用到「sb gives /give his/her/their verdict on sth that…」來替代「opinion」短語，不用擔心落入俗套。
【原文】
This violated App Store terms; 「Fortnite」 was booted from the platform. Expecting this, Epic responded with the lawsuit (and a cheeky PR campaign).
【參考譯文】
Epic Games這種做法違反了App Store的運作條款，因此《堡壘之夜》（「Fortnite」）被蘋果公司將其應用商店中下架。預料到這一結果，Epic Games發起訴訟進行回擊（並開啟了沒皮沒臉的公關活動）。
term
term作為名詞有多個意思，「術語、條款」較為常見，這裡我們舉幾個不太常見但非常好用的用法，如in sb's terms意為「從某人的角度來說」，這個意思可以代替多個相似的短語，比如as far as I am concerned，in my opinion/view等等。我們來看個例句：
In our terms, the scheme has not been a success.
從我們的角度來說，計劃沒有成功。
come to terms with sth與某事妥協，對某事讓步; 接受〔不愉快的事〕:
George and Elizabeth have come to terms with the fact that they will never have children.喬治和伊莉莎白已經接受了他們不能有孩子的事實。
term在法律中最常用的意思還有「時期、期限；任期」的意思，短語「term in office」意為任期，再看一個例句：
The men each received a 30-year prison term.
這些男子每人獲刑 30 年。
Prison term則為「刑期」的意思。
boot
看到boot我們第一時間想到的意思就是「靴子」，由「靴子」引申的動詞含義可以是「踢」，由「踢」再做引申boot的意思就成了「趕走；開除、炒魷魚」。讓我們看看下面幾個句子：
His fellow students booted him out of the class.
他的同學把他趕出了所屬的班級。
The chairman denied that he had been given the boot .
主席否認他是被炒魷魚的。
文中用到了短語「be booted from the platform」表達某種產品從平臺上下架，表示「下架」還有幾種表達，如VOA新聞中的一個表達「remove sth from store/platform」：
Last week, United States government announced plans to remove flavored e-cigarettes from stores.
上周，美國政府宣布計劃將電子菸從超市下架。
CNN新聞中也有一個非常形象的短語「pull sth (down from store/shelf/platform…)：
The latest news is that Nestle is pulling some of its product in Italy, Spain and France.
最新的消息是雀巢也將一些義大利、西班牙和法國的產品下架。
【原文】
In a statement, Apple accused Epic of forcing its hand and 「putting customers in the middle of their fight」. It has countersued Epic for breaching its App Store contract.
【參考譯文】
在一份聲明中，蘋果指責Epic強迫其採取行動，「將消費者置於雙方交鋒之中」。蘋果已就Epic違反其應用商店合同對其提起反訴訟。
force sb’s hand
該短語意為「迫使某人採取行動」，如：
They're reluctant to sell the house yet but the right offer could force their hand.
他們目前還不是很願意出售房子，不過價格合理的話也許能讓他們出手。
force作為「強迫」也有不少常用的短語，比如「force sth back/down; force sth on/upon sb」，我們來看兩個例句：
Janet forced back her tears .
珍妮特強忍住淚水。
The hijacked plane was forced down by military jets.
遭劫持的飛機被軍用飛機攔截了下來。
在法律英語中，force多做「效力、強制力」用，如「force of state」，意為「國家權力，國家強制力」；「have the force and effect and of a formal acceptance」，意為「具有正式承諾的法律效力」。
middle
關於middle的用法有很多，我們來逐個擊破。先來看個例句：
He gets killed in the middle of the film.
在影片的中間部分他被殺死了。
在這個句子中middle表示「〔事件或一段時間的〕中間部分」。我們再來看一個例子：
In tests, I always seem to finish around the middle of the class.
測驗的時候，我好像總是考個中等左右。
這個句子中middle表程度，「中等」的意思。
in the middle of sth還表示「在進行某事; 處於某事過程中」，看看例句：
At that time Britain was in the middle of a recession.
那時英國正處於經濟衰退時期。
divide / split sth down the middle意為「平分某事物」，來看看下面這個句子：
The voters are split down the middle on this issue.
選民在這一問題上支持和反對各半。
【原文】
While it battles Epic in the courts, Apple may tweak its rules to placate some developers. It has done so on occasion in the past, for instance exempting Amazon from the 30% commission on in-app purchases for the e-commerce giant’s Prime Video streaming app.
【參考譯文】
儘管蘋果在法庭上與Epic你爭我鬥，但是蘋果可能也會對其應用商店規則進行微調，以安撫一些應用開發商。過去蘋果公司時而也會採取類似舉措，比如，免除電子商務巨頭亞馬遜（Amazon）旗下流媒體視頻應用Prime Video應用內購買的30%回扣。
tweak
tweak的本意是扭、擰，或是對機器、汽車或系統作出小小的改進，這裡活用tweak的引申義「微調」，形象地表現了蘋果公司調整規則的無奈之舉。短語tweak its rule也可以延伸出多個短語，如tweak its formula，來看看經濟學人的例子：
It may have to tweak its formula, which could be risky, says Takahiro Saito, a fashion-retail analyst and author of a book comparing UNIQLO and Zara.
可能還需要調整它的方案，這樣很冒險，時尚零售分析師、優衣庫和Zara比較書籍作者Takahiro Saito說到。
【原文】
Although the company does not break out the platform’s financial results, it probably makes up the bulk of its services business, which accounts for nearly 20% of revenues—and rising (see chart), as iPhone sales slow. Seeing what a promising profit engine it has turned into, Apple’s late boss would doubtless have fought tooth and nail to hang on to it.
【參考譯文】
雖然蘋果公司從不公布其應用商店的財務狀況，但它可能在蘋果服務業務中佔主要部分，而蘋果服務業務佔其總收入近20%，而且隨著iPhone手機銷售緩慢，其佔比還在不斷上升（見上表）。看到如今前景大好、收益頗豐的應用商店，已故的蘋果老闆（賈伯斯）必定會竭盡全力抱住這棵搖錢樹。
bulk
我們先來看一下第一句話，「Although the company does not break out XX’s financial results, it probably makes up the bulk of its XX」， 「the bulk of sth」即「佔了大頭、是……的主要組成部分」，這句話的句式可以套在類似的場景中，我們在突出某個公司或某個組織機構的某部分利潤佔比很大時可以套用， 比如下面這個經濟學人的句子：
Contributions from members based on national income have long made up the bulk of the EU's budget.
長久以來，成員國基於國民收入的貢獻一直是歐盟預算的主要組成部分。
bulk還可以用作動詞，bulk large 的意思就是to be the main or most important part of something凸顯重要，構成重要部分。可以用動詞bulk替換下上面的句子：
Contributions from members based on national income have long bulked large in the EU's budget.
Fight tooth and nail
大家都知道tooth是牙齒，nail是指甲，打架的時候又咬又抓的，即為使盡渾身解數要爭取贏得對抗，所以這個短語的意思就是「竭盡全力、堅決」，我們一起看下經濟學人之前的例句：
Liberals have fought tooth and nail to persuade their compatriots otherwise.
開明人士一直努力奮鬥，勸說同胞事實並非如此。
再看一個BBC新聞的例句：
After fighting tooth and nail, I finally managed to get the pay rise I felt I deserved.
在盡我所能之後，我終於拿到了自認為值得的薪酬。
這篇節選展現了蘋果公司和Epic Games之間的交鋒，經濟學人對此訴訟進行了分析，認為蘋果公司可能會為了安撫Epic Games對App Store（蘋果應用商店）管理應用的規則進行微調，作出讓步，指出這種做法是為了維護其應用商店的良好運作，因為這是其公司的一棵大搖錢樹。同學們可以再通讀一下無解析版本，回憶剛才所講到的表達和用法。
At issue is whether the tight control Apple exerts over the software that can run on its smartphones amounts to a monopolistic abuse of power. The verdict, when it comes, may determine what other digital marketplaces can and cannot do.
This violated App Store terms; 「Fortnite」 was booted from the platform. Expecting this, Epic responded with the lawsuit (and a cheeky PR campaign).
In a statement, Apple accused Epic of forcing its hand and 「putting customers in the middle of their fight」. It has countersued Epic for breaching its App Store contract.
While it battles Epic in the courts, Apple may tweak its rules to placate some developers. It has done so on occasion in the past, for instance exempting Amazon from the 30% commission on in-app purchases for the e-commerce giant’s Prime Video streaming app.
Although the company does not break out the platform’s financial results, it probably makes up the bulk of its services business, which accounts for nearly 20% of revenues—and rising (see chart), as iPhone sales slow. Seeing what a promising profit engine it has turned into, Apple’s late boss would doubtless have fought tooth and nail to hang on to it.
經濟學人寫作：美國大選和最高法院
經濟學人寫作：螞蟻集團IPO上市
經濟學人寫作：美最高法院大法官金斯伯格
經濟學人寫作：黎巴嫩爆炸案