VOA慢速英语:A Quick Lesson in Ways Businesses Are Organized

Businesses are structured in different ways to meet different needs.
企业为了满足不同的需求，按照不同的方式组织起来。

The simplest form of business is called an individual or sole proprietorship. The proprietor owns all of the property of the business and is responsible for everything.
企业最简单的形式是个人企业或独资企业。经营者拥有企业的所有财产，并为企业的一切行为负责。

For legal purposes, with this kind of business, the owner and the company are the same. This means the proprietor gets to keep all of the profits of the business, but must also pay any debts.
在法律目的方面，个人企业的业主和公司是一致的。也就是说，经营者可以拥有这个企业的所有赢利，也必须偿还该企业的所有债务。

Another kind of business is the partnership. Two or more people go into business together. An agreement is usually needed to decide how much of the partnership each person controls.
另外一种企业是合伙企业。两个或两个以上的人共同组建公司。通常需要签订合伙协议，规定每个合伙人应该控制的部分。

One kind of partnership is called a limited liability partnership. These have full partners and limited partners. Limited partners may not share as much in the profits, but they also have less responsibility for the business.
其中一种合伙制企业叫做有限责任合伙企业，包含全面的合伙人和有限的合伙人。有限合伙人不能分享那么多收益，但是也无需承担那么多责任。

Doctors, lawyers and accountants often form partnerships to share their risks and profits. A husband and wife can form a business partnership together.
医生，律师和会计通常组成合伙企业来分享风险和收益。丈夫和妻子可以一起组建合伙企业。

Partnerships exist only for as long as the owners remain alive. The same is true of individual proprietorships.
只有经营者在世的情况下，合伙企业才合法存在。个人企业也是如此。

But corporations are designed to have an unlimited lifetime. A corporation is the most complex kind of business organization.
但是公司是有无限的生命期限的。公司是最复杂的企业组织。

Corporations can sell stock as a way to raise money. Stock represents shares of ownership in a company. Investors who buy stock can trade their shares or keep them as long as the company is in business.
公司可以通过出售股票来筹集资金。股票代表对该公司的所有权。购买股票的投资者可以对股票进行交易，或者一直持有股票，只要该公司仍然正常运营。

A company might use some of its earnings to pay dividends as a reward to shareholders. Or the company might reinvest the money back into the business.
公司可能使用其中一些赢利来支付该红利，作为对股东的奖励。或者，公司还可以将浙西资金再次投资到生意中。

If shares lose value, investors can lose all of the money they paid for their stock. But shareholders are not responsible for the debts of the corporation.
如果股价下跌，投资者可能会损失购买股票所花的所有钱。但是股东通常不为公司的债务负责。

A corporation is recognized as an entity -- its own legal being, separate from its owners.
公司是按照一个实体组织起来的——是一个合法的存在，与经营者是分离开的。

A board of directors controls corporate policies. The directors appoint top company officers. The directors might or might not hold shares in the corporation.
董事会控制公司的政策。董事们委任公司最高官员。董事或许持有，也可能不持有公司的股票。

Corporations can have a few major shareholders. Or ownership can be spread among the general public.
公司可以拥有几个主要的股东。所有权也可以遍布至普通大众。

But not all corporations are traditional businesses that sell stock. Some noNPRofit groups are also organized as corporations.
但是并不是所有的公司都是出售股票的传统企业。一些非营利组织也以公司的形式组织起来。