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Pop quiz: What’s the most profitable company in the world? Apple? Google? 小测验：世界上最赚钱的公司是什么公司？是苹果？还是谷歌？ Nope. Those two don’t even come close. The answer is Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, Aramco. In 2018, Saudi Aramco made $111 billion dollars in profit. The second-most profitable company, Apple, made $60 billion that year. 都不是，这两家公司都差远了。最赚钱的公司是沙特阿拉伯的国家石油公司——沙特阿美石油公司。2018年沙特阿美纯利润为1110亿美元，同年第二大盈利公司苹果公司的利润为600亿美元。 On November 3, Aramco officially announced its plan to go public for the first time in the company’s 86-year history. And on November 17, the oil giant announced the company could be valued at $1.7 trillion. Energy historian Ellen R. Wald joined Today, Explained to explain why Aramco’s initial public offering (IPO) is such a big deal. 11月3日，成立86年的阿美公司首次正式宣布上市计划。11月17日这家石油巨头公司宣布估值为1.7万亿美元。能源历史学家Ellen R. Wald作客播客《Today, Explained》解释了为什么阿美公司上市如此重要。 As the most profitable company in the entire world, she says, the company’s IPO is going to set major records. And since it’s the largest oil company in the world, it’s likely that a lot of everyday things we use — from plastic to the energy fueling our cars — touches this company. | 
