2015考研英语阅读欢迎加入IPO俱乐部_大学英语阅读

2015考研英语阅读欢迎加入IPO俱乐部

　　高朋网的价值评估一直充满争议。该企业凭借将一个简单概念化为摇钱树的本事，被许多热心的崇拜者标榜为史上发展得最快的公司。顾客可以通过签约来获得当地商家的优惠价格。高朋网则往这个过程中添油加醋，例如，在期限前若未达到最低订购人数，本优惠将会失效，此举便能激励顾客不断地催促朋友去购买同一件衣服，或者在同一家餐馆进餐这就是高朋网所谓的团购。

　　The firm typically keeps roughly half of the money that customers fork out, with the rest goingto the businesses that actually supply the goods and services. Last year its revenues were$713m. In the first quarter of 2011 it took in a breathtaking $645m. Although Groupon is lessthan three years old, it operates in 43 countries and has no fewer than 83m subscribers.

　　高朋网通常将大约一半的消费者付款纳入囊中，将剩下的部分交给实际提供了商品或服务的商家手中。去年其岁入高达7.13亿美元，而仅2011年头三个月的进账就达到了惊人的6.45亿美元。尽管高朋网诞生才不到3年，它的业务已经涵盖43个国家，团客多达 8300万人。

　　The snag is that the company is still bleeding red ink. It lost $390m in 2010 and $103m in thefirst quarter of this year. Critics find this alarming. Groupon retorts that it is simply spendingheavily to scoop up subscribers while the market it created is in its infancy. In its IPOprospectus, it urges investors to focus on other measures, such as free cashflow , which was positive last year, and the arcane-soundingadjusted consolidated segment operating income, which excludes such things as cash spenton online marketing.