知所雨外刊精读| Riding high

👸号: 知所雨

Riding High

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If there is one thing that Americans of all political stripes can agree on, it is that the economy is broken. Donald Trump, who saw trade as a rip-off and his country in decline, came into office promising to make America great again. President Joe Biden is spending $2trn remaking the economy, hoping to build it back better. Americans are worried. Nearly four-fifths tell pollsters that their children will be worse off than they are, the most since the survey began in 1990, when only about two-fifths were as gloomy. The last time so many thought the economy was in such terrible shape, it was in the throes of the global financial crisis.

内容大意：如果有一件事是所有政治派别的美国人都能达成共识的，那就是经济已经崩溃。唐纳德·特朗普认为贸易是一种剥削，美国正在衰落，他上台时承诺让美国再次伟大。乔·拜登总统正在花费2万亿美元重建经济，希望能重建得更好。美国人很担心。近五分之四的人告诉民意调查者，他们的孩子会比他们更糟糕，这是自1990年调查开始以来的最高比例，当时只有五分之二的人持同样的悲观态度。上一次这么多人认为经济状况如此糟糕，还是在全球金融危机的阵痛中。

表达学习：

1. stripe

N a chevron sewn on to uniform to denote military rank (制服上标示军衔的)条纹，V型臂章。

a type or category <主北美>类型，类别

例句：Entrepreneurs of all stripes are joining in the offensive.

各类企业家联合发起攻势。

2. rip-off 

(1)N a fraud or swindle, especially something that is grossly overpriced <非正式>欺骗，骗局（尤指商品等的索价过高）；索价过高的东西

例句：The service charge is a rip-off, but I'm willing to pay if I'm guaranteed a seat. 

这项服务费是宰人的，但要是能保证我有座位我就愿意付钱。

(2)N an inferior imitation of something 仿冒品；抄袭之作

例句：It was a rip-off, plain and simple. 

这是一个不折不扣的冒牌货。

【扩展】tip-off：举报；密告

3. pollster 

N A pollster is a person or organization that asks large numbers of people questions to find out their opinions on particular subjects. 民意调查者; 民意测验机构

4. gloomy

ADJ If a situation is gloomy, it does not give you much hope of success or happiness. 前景暗淡的

例句：Officials say the outlook for next year is gloomy. 

官员们称来年前景暗淡。

5. The last time..., it was 

例句：The last time the situation was that bad, it was when you were in command.

上次这么糟糕的情况还是出现在你掌权的情况下。

6. throes

N violent pains, especially at the moment of death （尤指死亡时的）剧痛

in the throes of 正忙于，处于...困境之中

例句：The country is in the throes of a general election. 

该国正忙于大选。

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The record is as impressive for many of the ingredients of growth. America has nearly a third more workers than in 1990, compared with a tenth in western Europe and Japan. And, perhaps surprisingly, more of them have graduate and postgraduate degrees. True, Americans work more hours on average than Europeans and the Japanese. But they are significantly more productive than both.

内容大意：许多增长因素的记录同样瞩目。与1990年相比，美国的工人数量增长了近三分之一，而西欧和日本仅增长十分之一。还有一点或许会令人惊讶，美国工人中有本科和研究生学位的更多。的确，美国人的平均工作时间比欧洲和日本长，但其生产率明显高于这两者。

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American firms own more than a fifth of patents registered abroad, more than China and Germany put together. All of the five biggest corporate sources of research and development(R&D) are American; in the past year they have spent $200bn. Consumers everywhere have benefited from their innovations in everything from the laptop and the iPhone to artificial-intelligence chatbots. Investors who put $100 into the S&P 500 in 1990 would have more than $2,000 today, four times what they would have earned had they invested elsewhere in the rich world.

内容大意：美国公司拥有国外注册专利的五分之一以上，比中国和德国加起来还多。五个最大的研发公司都是美国的;在过去的一年里，这几家公司花费2000亿美元。从笔记本电脑、iPhone到人工智能聊天机器人，世界各地的消费者都从其创新中获益。1990年向标普500指数投资100美元的投资者，今天将获得2000多美元，收益是投资其他发达国家的四倍。

表达学习：

1. patent

N an official right to be the only person to make, use or sell a product or an invention; a document that proves this 专利权；专利证书

例句：The device was protected by patent. 

这一装置受专利保护。

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One retort to this could be that Americans trade higher incomes for less generous safety-nets. America’s spending on social benefits, as a share of GDP, is indeed a great deal stingier than other countries’. But those benefits have become more European and, as the economy has grown, they have grown even faster. Tax credits for workers and children have become more generous. Health insurance for the poorest has expanded, notably under President Barack Obama. In 1979 means-tested benefits amounted to a third of the poorest Americans’ pre-tax income; by 2019 these came to two-thirds. Thanks to this, incomes for America’s poorest fifth have risen in real terms by 74% since 1990, much more than in Britain.

内容大意：对此的一种反驳是，美国人用更高的收入换取了不那么慷慨的安全保障。作为GDP的一部分，美国在社会福利上的支出确实比其他国家少得多。但这些福利已变得更欧洲化，且随着经济增长，福利增长速度甚至更快。工人和儿童的税收抵免更加慷慨。尤其在奥巴马总统任内，针对最贫困人口的医疗保险扩大了。1979年，收入状况调查补助达到美国最贫穷人口税前收入的三分之一；到2019年，这一比例达到三分之二。得益于此，自1990年以来，美国最贫穷的五分之一人口的实际收入增长了74%，远高于英国。

表达学习：

1. One retort to this could be that... 一种反驳是...

可用于议论文写作：Someone argues/retorts...

2. trade...for

V exchange or give (something) in exchange for 用...换；贸易交换

3. safety-nets

N a net put below people performing at a great height to catch them if they fall 安全保障

4. stingy

V ( informal ) not given or giving willingly ; not generous , especially with money 小气的；吝啬的

例句：Don't be so stingy with the cream!

别那么舍不得放奶油！

5. tax credits 税收抵免

一种减少纳税人应缴税款的政策，通常是通过抵消部分或全部应缴税款来实现。

6. means-tested benefits 收入状况调查补助；资产审查型收益

7. pre-tax income 税前收入

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For the world as a whole, America’s outperformance says much about how to grow. One lesson is that size matters. America has the benefit of a large consumer market over which to spread the costs of R&D, and a deep capital market from which to raise finance. Only China, and perhaps one day India, can boast of purchasing power at such scale. Other countries have sought to mimic it. But even those in Europe, which have got the closest, have struggled to become a true single market. Differences in bankruptcy laws and contractual terms, together with a variety of regulatory barriers, prevent bankers, accountants and architects from touting services across borders.

内容大意：对于全世界而言，美国的出色表现提供了很多增长经验。其中之一就是规模很重要。美国享有可以分担研发成本的大规模消费市场和筹措资金的庞大资本市场。只有中国，或许有朝一日还有印度，可以吹嘘如此巨大的购买力。其他国家争相效仿，但即使是情况最接近美国的欧洲国家，也很难成为真正的单一市场。破产法与合同条款上的差异，再加上各种监管障碍，阻碍了银行家、会计师、建筑师跨境推销他们的服务。

表达学习：

1. boast 

V ~( about / of sth ) to talk with too much pride about sth that you have or can do 自夸；自吹自擂 

例句：He openly boasted of his skill as a burglar.

他公然炫耀他的盗窃手法。

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The size and the quality of the workforce matters, too. America was blessed with a younger population and a higher fertility rate than other rich countries. That may not be easily remedied elsewhere, but countries can at least take inspiration from America’s high share of immigrants, who in 2021 made up 17% of its workforce, compared with less than 3% in ageing Japan.

内容大意：劳动力规模和质量也同样重要。相比其他富裕国家，美国人口更年轻，生育率更高。这些优势是其他优势很难弥补的，但是其他国家至少能从美国的高移民比例中获得灵感，2021年，移民占美国劳动力的17%，而在老龄化的日本，该比例不到3%。

表达学习：

1. be blessed with 

to have a special ability, good quality etc 拥有，享有：表示某人或某物具有某种特质、能力或优势。

例句：China is blessed with a large territory and rich resources.

中国地域辽阔，物产丰饶。

可替换enjoy, boast.

2. remedy

V to correct or improve sth 改正；纠正；改进

例句：This situation is easily remedied.

这种情形易于补救。

3. take inspiration from 从...获取灵感

例句：Scientists take inspiration from nature.

科学家从大自然寻求灵感。

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Another lesson is the value of dynamism. Starting a business is easy in America, as is restructuring it through bankruptcy. The flexibility of the labour market helps employment adapt to shifting patterns of demand. Already many of the workers in America who were laid off from Alphabet and other tech firms at the start of the year are applying their sought-after skills elsewhere, or setting up their own businesses. In continental Europe, by contrast, tech firms are still negotiating lay-offs, and may think twice about hiring there in future.

内容大意：另一经验是活力的价值。在美国，创业很简单，就像破产重组。劳动力市场的灵活性有助于就业适应不断变换的需求模式。今年年初被Alphabet解雇的美国员工已经在其他公司大展拳脚，或开创自己的事业。相比之下，在欧洲大陆，科技公司仍在就裁员进行协商，未来在招聘员工方面可能会三思而行。

表达学习：

1. sought-after

ADJ Something that is sought - after is in great demand, usually because it is rare or of very good quality 受青睐的 ；受欢迎的

例句：An Olympic gold medal is the most sought- after prize in world sport. 

奥运会金牌是世界体育活动中最受青睐的奖牌。

2. think twice about 对...三思而行

例句：Tom may think twice about setting up his own business.

Tom在创业方面可能会三思而行。

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Americans should find the economy’s performance reassuring. If history is a guide, living standards will continue to go up for the next generation, even as the country bears the costs of decarbonising the economy. Yet, resilient as the growth record has been, there are shadows. The middle class has seen its post-tax incomes rise by less than those of both the poorest and the richest. A group of people have fallen into hard times. The share of prime-age American men who are not in work has been rising for years and is higher than in Britain, France and Germany. And life expectancy in America lags shamefully behind others in the rich world, mainly on account of too many younger people dying from drug overdoses and gun violence. Tackling such problems should be easier when the economy as a whole is growing. But America’s poisonous politics are no help.

内容大意：美国应对其经济表现感到欣慰。如果以史为鉴，就算美国承担着经济脱碳的成本，下一代的生活水平将持续提高。但是，虽然增长记录一直很强劲，仍有阴影存在。中产阶级的税后收入增长低于最贫穷人口和最富有人口。一群人陷入困境。美国壮年男性无业比例多年来一直在上升，高于英国、法国和德国。美国人的预期寿命远远落后于其他富裕国家，主要因为太多年轻人死于吸毒过量和枪支暴力。经济整体增长时，解决这些问题应该更容易，但美国有毒的政治却于事无补。

表达学习：

1. If history is a guide, ... 如果以史为鉴,...

例句：If history is a guide, this company will by no means survive this crisis.

如果以史为鉴，这家公司绝不可能安然度过这场危机。

2. fall into

to begin to do or experience (something) or to be affected by (something) without wanting or trying to 陷入；落入

例句：She fell into the habit of going out for ice cream every night.

她养成了每个晚上出去吃冰淇淋的习惯。

3. prime-age

N The best years of one's life, when one is at the peak of one's powers 黄金年龄；成熟期

例句：People say a prime-age man must have his career.

人们说一个成熟男性必须有事业。

4. lag behind 落后于

例句：This company's development lags far behind its counterparts.

该公司的发展远远落后于同类公司。

5. on account of 因为；由于

例句：He felt guilty on account of his misbehavior.

他为自己的品行不端感到内疚。

6. be no help 没有帮助

例句：It's water under the bridge, your complaints are no help.

木已成舟，你再抱怨也没用。

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In addition, the more that Americans think their economy is a problem in need of fixing, the more likely their politicians are to mess up the next 30 years. Although America’s openness brought prosperity for its firms and its consumers, both Mr Trump and Mr Biden have turned to protectionism and the politics of immigration have become toxic. Subsidies could boost investment in deprived areas in the short term, but risk dulling market incentives to innovate. In the long run they will also entrench wasteful and distorting lobbying. The rise of China and the need to fight climate change both confront America with fresh challenges. All the more reason, then, to remember what has powered its long and successful run. 

内容大意：另外，美国人越是想着经济问题需要解决，政治家们就越可能在接下来的30年内搞破坏。虽然美国的开放为企业和消费者带来繁荣，但特朗普和拜登都选择了保护主义，移民政治也更有害。补贴可能会在短期内促进贫困地区的投资，但可能会削弱市场对创新的激励。从长远来看，这还会加强浪费、扭曲的游说。中国的崛起和应对气候变化的需要都给美国带来了新挑战。因此，我们更不能忘记是什么推动了美国长期以来的成功发展。

表达学习：

1. mess up

V ~( about / of sth ) to talk with too much pride about sth that you have or can do 自夸；自吹自擂 

例句：He openly boasted of his skill as a burglar.

他公然炫耀他的盗窃手法。

2. deprived areas 贫困地区：指经济、社会和文化条件较差，居民生活水平低下的地区。

3. dull

V to make a person slower or less lively 使迟钝；使不活泼

例句：He felt dulled with sleep.

他睡得迷迷糊糊。

4. wasterful

ADJ ~( of sth ) using more of sth than is necessary ; not saving or keeping sth that could be used 浪费的；挥霍的

例句：The whole process is wasteful and inefficient.

整个程序既浪费又效率低。

5. distort 歪曲；曲解；扭曲；使失真

tort, distort, extort, retort词义辨析

6. All the more reason to 更有理由...

可用于议论文写作。

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/5JBIbQCmEMv9QhErkGbqHA