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晨读伴侣Passage4:奥巴马访华的经济时代

晨读伴侣Passage4:奥巴马访华的经济时代

本文选自吴应时主编的《大学英语六级阅读真题精读——晨读伴侣》。本书对历年国家大学英语六级考试(CET-6)的仔细阅读部分进行了详尽而精准的分析、翻译和注释,对四六级考生有着事半功倍的效果,对提升整体英语能力也很有帮助。

学习导读:

经济问题永远是英文阅读中逃不掉的话题,而且比重较大。因为整个世界就是经济所主导的,我们没有办法离开经济活动而生存于社会。而作为全球经济第一大国的美国总是话题的焦点,对于中国的考试来说,美国总统来中国的经济消息还是比较合适的考试材料。从这里也可以窥见选材的倾向性,不过不论选什么样的题材,我们的英文实力永远是以不变应万变的王道。

You’ve [now] heard it [so many times], you can [probably] repeat it [in your sleep]. President Obama will [no doubt] make the point [publicly] [when he gets to Beijing:] the Chinese need to consume [more]; they need – ^believe it or not^ – to become [more] [like Americans], [for the sake of1 the global economy].

这种说法你已经听到过很多次了,即使你睡着了也很可能重复提到它。奥巴马总统抵达北京的时候,无疑会公开地阐明这个观点:中国人需要消费更多;不管你是否相信,为了全球的经济,他们(的消费方式)需要变得越来越美国人化。

注:1. for the sake of  为了,以什么的名义。美国人常喜欢用以上帝之名,for the sake of Jesus。例:

In the rapidly evolving smartphone field, security is often sacrificed for the sake of convenience.

在快速发展的智能手机领域,为了便利性往往牺牲了安全性。

[选自:MSN: Infected Smartphone Apps – The Next Wave of Malware]

And it’s [all] true. But the other side (of that equation 1) is that the U.S. needs to save [more]. [For the moment], American households [actually] are doing so. [After the personal-savings rate dipped 2 to zero in 2005], the shock (of the economic crisis) [last year] prompted3 people [to snap4 shut their wallets].

这的确是真的。但是这个等式的另一边却是,美国需要更多的储蓄。现在,美国的家庭实际上也是这样做的。自2005年个人存款率下降至零以后,去年经济危机的冲击就促使人们突然捂紧了钱包。

注:1. equation n.①(数学)等式,方程式;例:

The teacher asked me to write the equations on the blackboard.

老师叫我把几个等式写在黑板上。

But in terms of the impact on human society, threat is only part of the equation.

但就对人类社会的影响而言,威胁只是等式的一部分。

[选自:BBC: Coral reefs heading for fishing and climate crisis]

②(with)相等,均衡。例:

The equation of wealth with happiness can be unwise.

把财富和幸福等同起来可能是不明智的。

2. dip n. 浸泡; 倾斜; 蘸湿; 下沉  v. 浸; 把伸入; 泡; 舀取, 汲出; 浸一下; 倾斜; 下沉, 下降; 舀, 掏。例:

Her investments were doing well and she did not want to dip into this money.

她的投资都做得很好,她不想动用这笔钱。

[选自:FORBES: Time to Talk: Why the Buy and Hold Strategy Can Work Part Two]

3. prompt n. 催促, 付款期限, 提醒, 提示;

v. 促使; 怂恿; 激励; 引起, 激起。文中为促使意。例:

The traffic accident prompted the driver to renew his insurance.

这起交通事故促使这位司机为自己的保险续期了。

Closed questions prompt “Yes” or “No” answers which might be dull for your audience.

封闭式问题提示答案为“是”或“否”,这可能会让观众感到乏味。

[选自:BBC: Quiz: Gathering news]

adj. 迅速的, 立刻的, 敏捷的。例:

Our new manager is prompt on the job.

我们新来的经理工作起来干脆利落。

4. snap n. 猛咬, 劈啪声, 突然折断。例:

The fragment breaks loose with a snap.

随着啪嗒一声,碎片彻底散架了。

vi. 咬, 抓, 扑; 咬断, 争夺, 猛咬;突然的举动(或移动),文中即突然的举动,例:

to snap to attention

喀嚓一声立正

adj. 突然的, 装搭扣的。例:

His snap appearing surprised me.

他的突然出现让我很惊讶。

[In China], the household-savings rate exceeds 20%. It is [partly] [for policy reasons]. (As we’ve seen,) 1 wage earners are expected to care for not only their children but their aging parents. And there is, [to date], only the flimsiest 2 (of publicly-funded health care and pension3 systems), (which increases incentives 4 [for individuals] [to save] [while they are working.]) But China is a society (that has [long] esteemed 5 (personal financial) prudence6.) There is no chance (that will change [anytime soon],) [even if the government creates a better social safety net and [successfully] encourages greater consumer spending.]

在中国,家庭储蓄达到了20%以上,部分是由于政策的原因。正如我们所见:工薪族不仅需要照顾孩子,还要照顾年迈的父母。还有,到目前为止,只有脆弱的公费医疗保健制度和养老保险制度,这些因素都促使人们一边工作一边存钱。但中国是一个有着浓厚个人艰苦朴素作风的社会。即使政府创建一个更好的社会保障制度,成功地鼓励更多的消费支出,这种状况也不可能在短时间内发生变化。

 

注:1. As引导的定语从句,非限制性的,as在这里作表语。

2. flimsy adj. 脆弱的;浅薄的;易损坏的;不周密的。例:

Finally, volunteer firefighter Dave Hunt, along with the other 11 firefighters, managed to deploy their flimsy shelters.

最后,消防员志愿者戴夫·亨特,连同其他11名消防队员,成功地部署他们简陋的遮蔽处。

[选自:NPR: Photo Captures Firefighters Ensnarled by Blaze]

n. 薄纸;复写纸;打字纸。   

3. pension n.养老金,年金;live on a pension 靠退休金/抚恤金生活

4. incentive n.刺激,鼓励,动机。例:

As an incentive, the workers were promised a bonus if they finished the project ahead of schedule.

老板曾经许诺如果工人提前完成这个项目就给他们发放奖金,以资鼓励。

But in the long run, the airlines have no real incentive to keep doing that.

但是从长远角度来看,航空公司有没有真正的动力继续这样做。

[选自:CNN: Snyder: Padded flight times a reasonable buffer]

5. esteem vt. 尊重,尊敬。例:

“I personally esteem Mario Monti, a great person,” Maroni told Italy's Sky TG24 in an interview.“

我个人推崇马里奥·蒙蒂,她一个伟大的人,”马罗尼在接受意大利天空TG24记者采访时如是说。

[选自:NPR: Italian President Consulting On Support For Monti]

I admire her abilities and esteem her character.

我钦佩他的能力,也敬重他的人品。

n. 尊敬,敬重。例:

My esteem for your family is very sincere.

我对你们的家人的尊敬是非常诚挚的。

6. prudence n. 审慎。例:

Banks succeed by issuing debt at the intersection of prudence and opportunity.

在谨慎和机遇的十字路口,银行通过发行债券获得了成功。

[选自:FORBES: Most Popular]

Why does the U.S. need to learn a little frugality 1?Because healthy savings rates are one of the surest indicators (of a country’s long-term financial health). High savings lead, ^over time^, to increased investment, (which [in turn] generates productivity gains, innovation2 and job growth.) [In short], savings are the seed corn (of a good economic harvest).

为什么美国需要学得节俭一点?因为健康储蓄率是一个国家金融长期稳定运行最可靠的指标之一。随着时间的推移,高储蓄率会带来投资的增长,而高投资将会促进生产力的发展、技术的创新和就业的繁荣。简而言之,储蓄就是为获得经济的丰收而播下的种子。

注:1. frugality n. 俭省,节俭。例:

Frugality may be good for family budgets, but it's bad for the national economy.

节俭可能对家庭预算有利,但对国民经济不利。

[选自:MSN: Frugality is the new normal, by necessity]

2. innovation n. 革新, 创新, 改革; 新制度; 新方法; 新事物。例:

an age of technological innovation  一个技术创新的时代

Since its birth, the United States has been a nation built on discovery and innovation.

自诞生以来,美国一直是建立在发现和创新基础上的国家。

[选自:WHITEHOUSE: Transforming the American Economy Through Innovation]

The U.S. government [thus] needs to act [as well]. [By running constant deficits], it is dis-saving, [even as households save [more].] Peter Orszag, {Obama’s Budget Director}, [recently] called the U.S. budget deficits and he’s right. [To date], the U.S. has seemed unable to see the consequences (of spending so much more than is taken in). That needs to change. And [though Hu Jintao and the rest of the Chinese leadership aren’t inclined2 to lecture visiting Presidents,] he might [gently] hint3 that Beijing is getting [a little] nervous [about the value of the dollar] – (which has fallen 15% [since March],) [in large part because of increasing fears (that America’s debt load is becoming unmanageable.)]

因此,美国政府也需要采取行动。即使美国家庭有更多的储蓄,但如果继续维持赤字经济的话,最后结果将依然是负储蓄。奥巴马的预算主管彼得·欧尔萨格近期称,美国的预算赤字已无法维持,而且他是对的。到目前为止,美国似乎还无法看到支出远高于收入的情况。目前的情况需要改变。尽管胡锦涛和其他中国领导人并不打算对来访的总统说教,但是他可能会礼貌地暗示北京对于美元的币值有些担心(自3月以来美元贬值了15%),很大程度上是因为公众越来越担忧美国的债务负担变得难以控制。

注:1. unsustainable adj.无法支撑的; 无法维持的。例:

“It is wasteful and unsustainable to demolish a structurally sound historic building,” the Victorian Society said.

维多利亚协会表示:“拆除一个结构完善、历史悠久的建筑是一种浪费而且不可持续的行为”。

unsustainable growth/demands  无法稳定的增长/无法维持的需求

2. incline v. ①(使)倾斜,(使)偏向。例:

The old man inclined towards the speaker to hear more clearly.

老人朝说话者倾过身去,以便可以听得更清楚些。

②(使)倾向于,赞同。

be inclined to do sth. 倾向于做某事。例:

But the usual causes of natural variability do not seem to explain the current trend, so scientists incline to the view that it is man-made.

但自然变异的通常原因似乎并没有解释目前的趋势,所以,科学家倾向于认为这是人为造成的。

[选自:ECONOMIST: Getting warmer]

3. hint n. 暗示, 提示;线索,细微的迹象;微量,少许。例:

I don’t know the answer. Please give me a hint. 我不知道答案,请提示一下吧。

Investors said they were looking for a hint of new plans to spur economic growth.

投资者表示,他们正在寻找一些新的计划,以刺激经济增长。

[选自:MSN: Dow soars 430 points in wild trading session - Business - Stocks & economy - msnbc.com]

v. 暗示, 示意; 作暗示, 示意,文中此意,作动词。例:

But as important as these disparate parts are, they hint at an even larger project.

与这些无法相比的部分一样重要,他们暗示道(这将是)一个更宏大的项目。

[选自:FORBES: Innovation In The Asphalt Jungle]

That’s what happens [when you’re the world’s biggest creditor]: you get to drop hints [like that], (which would be enough [by themselves] [to create international economic chaos] [if they were [ever] leaked1.]) ([Every time] any official (in Beijing) deliberates 2 [publicly] about seeking an alternative to the U.S. dollar [for the $2.1 trillion 3] (China holds [in reserve],) currency traders have a heart attack.) 原 [If Americans saved [more] and spent [less],] [consistently over time], they wouldn’t have to worry about all that.

这就是当你作为世界上最大的债权国时会做的事:你开始发出类似那样的暗示,一旦这些暗示被泄露出去,它们本身就足以造成国际经济的混乱。(每当北京的任何官员公开讨论要为中国所持有的21000亿美元外汇储备寻找美元之外的替代货币时,外汇交易员们都会心脏病发作。)如果美国人能多储蓄、少消费,并保持一段时间,他们也就不必担心所有这些事情了。

注:1. leak n. 漏洞, 裂缝; 漏出物; 漏出; 漏电

v. 漏; 泄漏; 使渗漏。文中作动词。例:

On Saturday, they discovered a leak where radioactive water was pouring into the ocean.

上周六,他们发现一个泄漏的地方有放射性水涌入大海。

[选自:MSN: Japan nuke plant dumps radioactive water in sea]

2. deliberate adj. 深思熟虑的,故意的。例:

Every step in the experiment was deliberate.

该实验的每一步都是经过深思熟虑的。

The fire that destroyed his offices in 1990 was a deliberate act of arson.

1990年那场摧毁了他的办公室的大火是有人故意纵火所为。

3. trillion n. 万亿。英文中对数字不要用中国人的思维来理解,直接用英文思维理解即可。也就是我们的概念中不再有万,只有千,那么表示1万就只需要说十千。于是,概念只有千、百万、十亿和万亿了,都按照三位数一个逗号来。例:

50,000 五十千fifty thousand,即五万。

17,000,000 十七百万,seventeen million,即一千七百万。

文中2.1trillion即二万一千万亿。

如此一来,不论是做听力还是口语表达,都方便多了。

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