It is easy to talk about having high moral standards but, in practice, what would one really do in such a situation
高尚的道德标准说起来容易，但实际上人们在这种情况下究竟会怎么做呢
Some time ago a British car manufacturer was accused of operating a fund to pay bribes, and of other questionable practices such as paying agents and purchasers an exaggerated commission, offering additional discounts, and making payments to numbered bank accounts in Switzerland.
早些时候，一家英国汽车制造商被指控利用一笔基金行贿，并进行其他一些可疑运作，如给代理商和客户高额回扣、提供额外折扣、向一些在瑞士银行开的匿名账户汇款等。
The company rejected these charges and they were later withdrawn.
这家汽车公司否认了这些指控，后来指控也被撤销了。
Nevertheless, at that time, there were people in the motor industry in Britain who were prepared to say in private: \
然而，当时英国汽车业里就有人准备私下里说：“瞧，我们这一行竞争激烈，
Every year we're selling more than a ￡1billion worth of cars abroad.
每年我们汽车的海外销售额超过10亿英镑。
If we spend a few million pounds to keep some of the buyers happy, who's hurt
如果花几百万英镑能让一些客户高兴，谁会有损失呢
If we didn't do it, someone else would.\
我们不这样干，别人也会这样干的。” It is difficult to resist the impression that bribery and other questionable payments are on the increase.
很容易产生这样的印象：贿赂以及其他可疑开支正日渐增多。
Indeed, they seem to have become a fact of commercial life.
的确，这似乎已成为商界的一个事实。
To take just one example, the Chrysler Corporation, the third largest of the US car manufacturers, revealed that it made questionable payments of more than $ million between 1971 and 1976.
仅举一例：美国第三大汽车制造企业克莱斯勒汽车公司透露，它在1971至1976年间共发生了250万美元的可疑开支。
By announcing this, it joined more than 300 other US companies that had admitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that they had made payments of one kind or another—bribes, extra discounts, etc.—in recent years.
这一事实的披露，使克莱斯勒与其他300多家美国公司一样，向美国证券交易委员会承认自己近年曾有过某种形式的支出，像贿赂、额外打折等。
For discussion purposes, we can divide these payments into three broad categories.
为方便讨论起见，我们可将这些支出分为三大类。
The first category consists of substantial payments made for political purposes or to secure major contracts.
第一大类是那些为政治目的或为获得大宗合同所付出的大笔款项。
For example, one US corporation offered a large sum of money in support of a US presidential candidate at a time when the company was under investigation for possible violations of US business laws.
比如，有一家美国企业曾因可能违反美国商业法规而受调查，当时它捐出一大笔款项支持一位总统候选人。
This same company, it was revealed, was ready to finance secret US efforts to throw out the government of Chile.
后来发现，这家公司也打算资助美国推翻智利政府的秘密行动。 In this category, we may also include large payments made to ruling families or their close advisers in order to secure arms sales or major petroleum or construction contracts.
这一大类也包括为得到武器销售或重大的石油、建筑等项目的合同而向权势家族及其身边的顾问所付出的大笔款项。
In a court case involving an arms deal with Iran, a witness claimed that ￡1 million had been paid by a British company to a \the supply of tanks and other military equipment to that country.
在一桩涉及对伊朗武器销售的案子中，一位证人声称一家英国公司曾付给某“洽谈人”100万英镑。此人帮忙做成了一笔向伊朗提供坦克和其他军事装备的交易。
Other countries have also been known to put pressure on foreign companies to make donations to party bank accounts.
据闻其他国家也是如此，向外国公司施压，要他们向党派组织的账户捐款。
The second category covers payments made to obtain quicker official approval of some project, to speed up the wheels of government.
第二大类包括旨在促使政府加快对某些工程项目的正式批准而作的支出。
An interesting example of this kind of payment is provided by the story of a sales manager who had been trying for some months to sell road machinery to the Minister of Works of a Caribbean country.
关于这一点有个有趣的例子：有个销售经理几个月来一直试图向加勒比地区一个国家的建工部长推销道路工程机械。
Finally, he hit upon the answer.
后来，他想到了办法。
Discovering that the minister collected rare books, he bought a rare edition of a book, slipped $20,000 within its pages, then presented it to the minister.
了解到建工部长收藏珍本书，他买了一本书的珍藏版，在书里夹了两万美元，将其送给部长。
This man examined its contents, then said, \edition of this work.\
部长看了书的内容后说：“我知道这书有两卷本的。”
The sales manager, who was <4>quick-witted, replied, \company cannot afford a two-volume edition, sir, but we could offer you a copy with a preface!\
机敏的销售经理答道：“先生，我们公司买不起两卷本，不过可以给你弄一本带‘前言’的！”