McDonald’s buys all 225 of Israeli franchise restaurants after boycotts
McDonald’s 是个名字，它买～
遭遇抵制后，麦当劳回购了以色列全部 225 家特许经营餐厅
Israeli ɪzˈreɪli 以色列的，以色列人的 以色列人
boycotts 抵制
franchise /ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/ n. 特许经销权，特许权；特许经营品牌

McDonald’s has said it will buy its 30-year-old Israel franchise from Alonyal, taking back ownership of 225 outlets that employ more than 5,000 people.
outlets ˈaʊtlets 出路；销售点；排水口；电源插座；批发商点；（表达情感，发挥天赋的）方法，途径（outlet 的复数）
n.（Outlets）奥特莱斯
麦当劳表示，将从以色列经销商 Alonyal 手中回购已有 30 年经营历史的以色列麦当劳餐厅，收回 225 家门店的所有权，其雇员共计超过 5000 人。

The US fast-food chain has been subject to boycotts and protests since Alonyal announced that it would be donating free meals to the Israeli military.
subject to 经历，遭受
protests ˈproʊtests; prəˈtests 抗议
自从经销商 Alonyal 宣布向以色列军方提供免费餐食以来，麦当劳一直遭到抵制和抗议。

While Chicago-based McDonald’s is known as one of the United States’ most iconic brands, most of its restaurants worldwide are locally owned and operated.
iconic /aɪˈkɑː.nɪk/ adj. 受欢迎的，标志性的
icon（n. 偶像）
虽然麦当劳总部位于芝加哥，是美国最具标志性的品牌之一，但它在全球的大多数餐厅都由当地特许经销商拥有和经营。

In February, its CEO Chris Kempczinski said that the war had had a “disheartening” effect on sales in Middle Eastern countries and other Muslim-majority nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
disheartening /dɪsˈhɑːr.tən.ɪŋ/ adj. 令人沮丧的
hearten（v. 鼓励）
heartening（adj. 令人振奋的）
Indonesia ˌɪndəˈniːʒə; ˌɪndəˈniːziə
今年 2 月，麦当劳的首席执行官克里斯·肯普钦斯基表示，巴以冲突对中东国家和诸如马来西亚和印尼等穆斯林国家的销售产生了“令人沮丧”的影响。

“It’s a human tragedy, what’s going on, and I think that does weigh on brands like ours.”
tragedy ˈtrædʒədi
悲惨事件，惨剧；悲剧（作品）；不幸，遗憾；令人非常烦
weigh on 使……有压力，使担忧
“这些冲突简直是一场人间悲剧，我认为确实给我们这样的品牌带来了压力。”

Sales growth for the fast-food chain’s division for the Middle East, China and India during October-December was just 0.7 percent — far below market expectations of 5.5 percent.
division dɪˈvɪʒ(ə) n 分开，分配；除法；部门；分歧，不和；分界线
去年 10 月至 12 月，这家快餐连锁店在中东、中国和印度的分部销售增长仅为 0.7% ，远低于市场预期的 5.5% 。

The slump comes after customers in Muslim-majority countries called for a boycott of McDonald’s in response to Alonyal’s announcement, which led franchisees in countries including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to distance themselves from the donations and collectively pledge millions of dollars in aid to Palestinians in Gaza.***
slump /slʌmp/ n. 暴跌；萧条期
在 Alonyal 宣布向以色列军队免费提供餐食后，穆斯林国家的消费者们呼吁抵制麦当劳，导致麦当劳的销售额大幅下降。此外，也导致埃及、约旦和沙特阿拉伯等国的特许经销商与 Alonyal 的做法撇清关系，他们共同承诺向加沙的巴勒斯坦人捐赠数百万美元的援助金。

Another major Western fast-food chain Starbucks has also seen boycott campaigns over its perceived pro-Israeli stance and alleged financial ties to Israel
campaigns kæmˈpeɪnz
n.（有计划的）活动，运动；战役，战斗（campaign 的复数）
v. 领导（参加）运动，从事竞选活动（campaign 的第三人称单数）
perceived pəˈsiːvd 感知到的；感观的
pro-Israeli stance 亲以色列的立场
另一家知名西方快餐连锁店——星巴克也因其亲以色列的立场和被指控与以色列有经济联系而遭到抵制。

CEO Laxman Narasimhan told journalists in February that Starbucks saw a “significant impact on traffic and sales” in the Middle East but also in the US, where protesters campaigned against the Seattle-based company, calling for it to take a stand against Israel.
今年 2 月，星巴克的首席执行官拉克斯曼·纳拉辛汉向记者表示，星巴克在中东地区以及美国的“客流和销售受到了重大影响”。在美国，抗议者们抵制这家总部位于西雅图的公司，呼吁该公司对以色列采取对立立场。
journalists 记者