最近美股新聞最熱門的關鍵字,莫過於美國最大的電動車公司特斯拉(Telsa, TSLA),特別是執行長馬斯克 (Elon Musk) 日前在推特上宣布美國境內可用比特幣 (Bitcoin) 買特斯拉的車,進一步帶動比特幣匯率成長。一台特斯拉要用多少比特幣買到呢?比特幣又是怎樣的貨幣?趕快來閱讀底下兩篇美股新聞,了解一下內情吧!
Bitcoin paid to Tesla (TSLA) will not be converted by the electric car company into regular currency, he added in a subsequent tweet. Musk said that the option to pay by bitcoin will be available outside the United States later this year.
支付給特斯拉的比特幣，將不會被這家電動車公司轉換成一般貨幣，他在隨後的推特上附註。馬斯克說，以比特幣支付的選項今年稍晚也將於美國外適用。
convert…into 指轉換事物的功能、形式，也可指使人改變信仰。用在金融相關通常指兌換貨幣。
✓ the conversion of yens into dollars 日圓兌美元的轉換
✓ a metric conversion table 公制轉換表
✓ 注意！conversion rate 並非匯率，而是指行銷上的「轉換率」。匯率是 exchange rate。
subsequent 隨後的，相當於 following, next, later.
✓ The introduction of AirPods 3 or an iPad Pro update was rumored to be taking place Tuesday, March 23. But a subsequent report cast doubt on that rumor, pointing to an April iPad unveiling instead. (謠言盛傳周二將有AirPods 3 或iPad Pro 更新，但隨後的報導為此謠言投下陰影，反而指出四月會有iPad 揭曉)
The price of a single bitcoin climbed nearly 3% to hit $56,242 shortly after Musk’s tweet — more than enough to buy an entry level Tesla Model 3, which costs just under $40,000. Tesla’s most expensive vehicle, the Model X Plaid, starts at around $120,000 — slightly more than two bitcoin.
馬斯克發完推特後，一比特幣的價格爬升將近3%，達到56,242 美元── 買一輛不到四萬美元的特斯拉入門款Model 3 綽綽有餘。特斯拉最昂貴的車款，Model X Plaid，起價約十二萬美元──比兩比特幣稍貴。
climb / rise / soar…to hit 都是美股新聞常見的用字，表示上升到某個數值。差異在於 climb (攀爬) 速度相對較慢，soar (高飛；急升) 速度與漲幅較急遽。
✓ The price soared some 900% during the week. 價格一周狂飆900%。
✓ Temperatures will slowly climb to near 32°C this morning. 今天早上溫度會緩慢上升至32°C。
entry level 指初階、入門等級的。
✓ The business of selling low-profit, entry-level coffee machines is growing rapidly. 低利潤、入門款咖啡機的銷售業務快速增長。
然而為何馬斯克要特別強調支付給特斯拉的比特幣，將不會轉為任何貨幣？作為一種加密貨幣，有什麼特色？我們再來看CNN Business 另一篇報導：
CNN Business: Everything you need to know about bitcoin
Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency created in 2009 by an unknown person using the alias Satoshi Nakamoto. Transactions are anonymous and are made with no brokers or intermediaries.
比特幣是2009年某位假名為中本聰所創的加密貨幣。所有交易都是匿名的，且無須證券商或任何中介。
You can’t physically use bitcoin — it’s a digital currency. And it’s decentralized, meaning that it isn’t controlled by a bank or government.
你無法使用實體比特幣──這是數位貨幣。且是「去中心化」﹐意即不受任何單一銀行或政府掌控。
crypto- 字首，表示秘密的，加密的，currency 為貨幣。
✓ 加密貨幣大多使用區塊鏈 (blockchain) 技術，以文中提到的去中心化、透過網路分散方式加密，使人無法輕易偽造或重複使用。除了最廣為人知的比特幣外，截至2021年一月為止，共有四千多種加密貨幣。
transaction 交易，可數名詞。常用搭配動詞為 make/ do/ carry out/ complete/ cancel等。
✓ an online transaction 線上交易
✓ Please complete your transaction within 10 minutes. 請在十分鐘內完成您的交易。
A lot of people also see bitcoin as a good investment. And that’s certainly been true this week, considering that bitcoin surpassed $60,000 this week. In January, the cryptocurrency hit records of over $40,000.
許多人將比特幣看成一筆好投資，在本周的確如此，考慮到比特幣本周超過六萬美元。一月時，此加密貨幣才創下超過四萬美元的紀錄。
surpass 超越，常見代換字有 exceed, go beyond等。
✓ His performance surpassed our expectation. 他的表現超乎我們預期。
✓ The price of a Tesla, even the entry level, exceeds my budget. 一台特斯拉的價格，就算是入門款，也超過我的預算
hit/ make/ set/ break the record 達成或破紀錄。hold the record 則是保持紀錄，record-holder紀錄保持人。
✓ Michael Phelps is the all-time record-holder for Olympics gold medals. 菲利浦斯是奧運金牌最多得主的紀錄保持者。
雪薇英文溫馨提醒您：投資美股有賺有賠，投資自己英文實力，穩賺不賠。
〈引用新聞出處〉
1.You can now use bitcoin to buy a Tesla
By Hanna Ziady, CNN Business March 24, 2021
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/24/tech/tesla-bitcoin-elon-musk/index.html
2.Everything you need to know about bitcoin
By Ramishah Maruf, CNN Business March 17, 2021
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/17/investing/bitcoin-what-to-know/index.html
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