2019-08-26 TE段落阅读

In America and Europe consolidation is now afoot. Private-equity firms think they can cut costs, acquire more patient data and build brands, as they have done with dental clinics. Last month Impilo, a Nordic investment firm which already owned the Fertility Partnership, a big British provider, agreed to buy VivaNeo, which has clinics in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. China, where between 2006 and 2016 the number of fertility clinics ballooned from 88 to 451, could be next. Everywhere, clinics are bolting on pricey new services, from testing embryos for genetic problems to surgically wounding the womb to encourage the embryo to implant itself.

balloon：动词，激增。用来描述数字的时候，是一个很形象的表达。城市里坐地铁的人激增，The ride on the subway has ballooned. 用来描述人的时候，指身材变胖，比如Paul结婚之后体型就像气球一样膨胀起来了，Paul ballooned after he got married.

Consolidation is now afoot. afoot指的是正在计划或者正在发生，比如第二次改革的计划正在计划中，There were plans afoot for the second reform. 可以积累这个句型XX is afoot.

段落大意：在美国和欧洲，合并正在各地发生。为了削减成本，获得患者数据，建立品牌，各个公司开始合并。此外，诊所提供的服务也更加广泛、更加高端。