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。
今天選的這篇材料主要講的是律師、檢察官、和阿片類藥物公司的之間的博弈，在阿片類藥物危機上升的關頭，這些美國藥物公司多多少少的都惹上了一些官司訴訟，也隨之引來了律師從中撈油水、公司不得不交錢來幫助自己度過難關諸如此類的事件。經濟學人在文章中提到某些當地法官還提出了「協商解決」概念，但一系列事實證明這一概念的實施與阿片類藥物危機一樣，它們的終結還早著呢。下面我們來看看文中的第一個案例，並學習其中一些表達和作出引申。
學習音頻：
文字片段：
It is a pre-emptive strike against the Feds, who are preparing to hammer the giant retailer for allegedly fuelling the opioid crisis. Opioids Inc is under legal assault on several fronts.
Drugmakers were first in the firing line. Last year a judge in Oklahoma ruled that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) had created a 「public nuisance」 by contributing to opioid abuse and ordered it to pay some $500m; J&J is appealing the verdict.
The company also stands accused of wrongdoing, along with other firms, in lawsuits filed in federal courts by thousands of local governments. While insisting it did nothing wrong, J&J signalled this month that it is willing to cough up $5bn if a comprehensive settlement can be agreed.
For the world’s largest drug firm, with annual revenues of $56bn, such a hit would be a publicity nightmare but financially manageable. For smaller fry, litigation can prove fatal.
【原文】
It is a pre-emptive strike against the Feds, who are preparing to hammer the giant retailer for allegedly fuelling the opioid crisis. Opioids Inc is under legal assault on several fronts.
【參考譯文】
這是對美聯儲先發制人的罷工，美聯儲正準備打擊據稱助長阿片類藥物危機的零售商巨頭。阿片類藥物公司在多個方面遭到了起訴。
hammer
hammer的名詞意思是錘子、木槌，動詞意思則是和敲打有關的意思。文中hammer意為「打擊、衝擊」，其實也是由「敲打」一意引申出來的。Hammer可以和我們上周講到的buffet進行替代，如上周的這個句子：
China’s economy, buffeted by the trade war with America, is growing at its slowest pace in nearly 30 years.
就可以改成：
China’s economy, hammered by the trade war with America, is growing at its slowest pace in nearly 30 years.
除了「打擊、衝擊」，hammer還可以用作「猛烈批評、抨擊」，如PBS英語訊息中的例句：
Democrat Joe Biden hammered away at President Trump today, saying schools are facing a "national emergency."
民主黨人拜登今天猛烈抨擊川普總統，稱學校正面臨「國家緊急狀況」。
Hammer還有「拍賣會上的木槌」 一意，引申意為「拍賣」，詞組come/go under the hammer就是被拍賣或是進行拍賣的意思。而法律中的法槌應為gavel。
Fuel
Fuel的名詞意思是燃料，相應的動詞意思則為「添加燃料、加油」。文中的fuel意為「助長」，其實也是「添加燃料」的引申含義。Fuel還有「使（局勢、情況）惡化、使（情緒）更強烈」之意等。我們來看個例句：
His words fuelled her anger still more.
他的話火上澆油，使她更憤怒了。
我們再看個經濟學人的例子：
The fossils of past actions fuel future economic and social outcomes.
過去行動如化石燃料般點燃未來的經濟社會結果。
這裡fuel的用法其實和inflame是一致的，我們在上一篇文章中提到了inflame，其時意為鼓動，類似的詞（詞本來的意思為點燃、添加燃料等）引申一下都可以用作「加劇（情感、局勢等）；使火上澆油」。我們來看個NPR音訊的例子：
And that's just likely to inflame tensions even more.
這很可能進一步加劇緊張局勢。
紐約時報描寫中美之間緊張局勢時也用到了inflame，請看例句（截取）：
tensions inflamed by the coronavirus pandemic and President Trump’s continuing derision of China.
冠狀病毒大流行和川普總統繼續嘲弄中國而引發的緊張局勢。
此處也可以用fuel代替inflame，大家下來可以模仿例句造句練習。
【原文】
Drugmakers were first in the firing line. Last year a judge in Oklahoma ruled that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) had created a 「public nuisance」 by contributing to opioid abuse and ordered it to pay some $500m; J&J is appealing the verdict.
【參考譯文】
製藥商首當其衝。去年，俄克拉荷馬州的一名法官裁定強生（Johnson＆Johnson）（J＆J）因濫自生產阿片類藥物造成「公害」，並責令其支付約5億美元。強生正對判決提起上訴。
in the firing line
我們都知道fire是火的意思，動詞也有解僱、炒魷魚之意。由「火」一意發散的fire作為動詞的另一個意思則為「開槍、開炮、發射」，也可以引申為「找麻煩」，文中正是此意。In the firing line相當於in the line of fire，都是在某人的槍口之下，當然文中側重點為強生公司「身處火線、首當其衝（惹上官司）」。
我們來看下《唐頓莊園》中的例句：
Don't worry, Daisy. You're not in the line of fire here.
放心，黛西，沒人會責怪你什麼。
Appeal
Appeal有幾個常用意思，如：呼籲、對……有吸引力，還有一個意思為「上訴」。Appeal the verdict即「對此裁決提出上訴/申訴」。我們再來看幾個例句：
Appealing to the referee does not often result in a decision being changed.
向裁判提出申訴往往並不能改變判罰。
Both men intend to appeal against their convictions.
兩名男子都打算對判決提出上訴。
短語「on appeal」也是上訴的意思，如：
The sentence was reduced to three years on appeal.
通過上訴，刑期減為三年。
我們再來看看幾個法律英語中有關appeal的術語短語：lodge an appeal提出上訴、appeal cases上訴案件、appeal petition上訴狀、appeals disallowed駁回上訴。
【原文】
The company also stands accused of wrongdoing, along with other firms, in lawsuits filed in federal courts by thousands of local governments. While insisting it did nothing wrong, J&J signalled this month that it is willing to cough up $5bn if a comprehensive settlement can be agreed.
【參考譯文】
在數千個地方政府向聯邦法院提起的訴訟中，強生還有其他公司被指控犯有不當行為。強生堅持認為它沒有做錯任何事情，但該公司本月表示，如果能夠達成全面和解，它願意掏出50億美元。
Signal
Signal 名詞意思是信號、標誌、表示，如：
When she got up from the table, it was obviously the signal for us to leave.
她從桌邊站起來，這顯然是要我們離開。
而signal作為動詞自然就有「示意、表明、標誌、預示」之意，我們來看看幾個例句：
The Prime Minister's speech today signals that there will be a shake-up in the cabinet.首相今天的講話表明內閣將進行改組。
其中signal作為「表明」一意常在新聞報導中出現。
A bear market doesn't always signal a severe economic downturn.
熊市並不總是預示著嚴重的經濟衰退。
此外，signal還作為形容詞使用，意為「重要的」，常與achievement、success、failure等使用。在法律英語中，signal還指（法律依據印證中的）符號，也稱citation signal.
cough up
cough是咳嗽的意思，文中cough up指的是勉強或不得已給錢（來擺平麻煩）。其實這個短語還是很形象的，中文也有類似的說法，「把錢吐出來」。我們看個例句：
Insurance companies had to cough up ￡10 million in storm damage claims.
保險公司只得掏出 1千萬英鎊賠償暴風雨造成的損失。
再來看個經濟學人的例子：
Convincing politicians to cough up more funds will be tough.
說服政客們擠出更多的資金是艱難的。
除了錢，Cough up還可以是（逼人）說出信息、交出檔案等，如：
Plus, I'll get the Port Authority to cough up their files on high-end smugglers.
而且，我會聯繫港務局讓他們給出高級走私犯的文件。
【原文】
For the world’s largest drug firm, with annual revenues of $56bn, such a hit would be a publicity nightmare but financially manageable. For smaller fry, litigation can prove fatal.
【參考譯文】
對於年收入達560億美元的全球最大製藥公司來說，這樣的打擊看上去是一場噩夢，但還可以通過財務解決。而對於規模較小的公司來說，訴訟可能會是致命的一擊。
small fry
fry動詞為油煎、油炸，或是（被）以電刑處死；作為名詞是炸薯條、魚苗。由「魚苗」可引申出small fry即為「小人物、小事情」之意。文中small fry指的是規模較小的醫藥公司。我們來看幾個例子：
There's no point in arresting the small fry.
逮捕這些小卒子是毫無意義的。
They owed ₤92,897 to the Inland Revenue. But that is small fry compared to the overall ₤1.2 million debt...
他們欠國稅局92,897英鎊。但這與120萬英鎊的總債務相比簡直是小菜一碟。
我們在寫作的時候，有對比公司、組織、人物、事件等等都可以用到small fry/smaller fry，能夠形象地體現所描寫對象的渺小。
我們試試造個句子：
The trade war has already deteriorated the relationship between China and the U.S. But it is a small fry compared to the accusations from Trump on China during the pandemic.
這篇節選講的是阿片類藥物巨頭強生公司對訴訟結果提起上訴想要反駁，但仍表示願意用錢擺平麻煩，並對比了強生與其他小公司面對訴訟的不同境況。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。
It is a pre-emptive strike against the Feds, who are preparing to hammer the giant retailer for allegedly fuelling the opioid crisis. Opioids Inc is under legal assault on several fronts.
Drugmakers were first in the firing line. Last year a judge in Oklahoma ruled that Johnson & Johnson (J&J) had created a 「public nuisance」 by contributing to opioid abuse and ordered it to pay some $500m; J&J is appealing the verdict.
The company also stands accused of wrongdoing, along with other firms, in lawsuits filed in federal courts by thousands of local governments. While insisting it did nothing wrong, J&J signalled this month that it is willing to cough up $5bn if a comprehensive settlement can be agreed.
For the world’s largest drug firm, with annual revenues of $56bn, such a hit would be a publicity nightmare but financially manageable. For smaller fry, litigation can prove fatal.
往期更新：
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
經濟學人寫作：蘋果公司與Epic的「訴訟戰」
經濟學人寫作：美國司法部正式對谷歌提起反壟斷訴訟