消费者价格： 全民公敌(上)

美国首当其冲，现在通货膨胀在其他地区也开始显得根深蒂固。

双语精读

Consumer prices: public enemy

消费者价格：全民公敌

America was first, now inflation is starting to look entrenched in other places.

美国首当其冲，现在通货膨胀在其他地区也开始显得根深蒂固。

Inflation dominates the American popular psyche to an extent not seen since the 1980s, when prices were last rising at the current pace. Much like complaining about the weather or last night's basketball play-offs, moaning about higher prices has become a conversation starter.

自上世纪80年代至今，（美国）物价上涨速度首次与当年持平，通货膨胀也以前所未有的程度主导着美国大众心理。正如同人们曾经抱怨天气或前一天晚上的篮球季后赛一样，现在物价上涨已经成为了人们挂在嘴边的日常话题。

According to figures published on May 11th, consumer prices rose by 8.3% in April, compared with the previous year. A day earlier, President Joe Biden called fighting inflation his "top domestic priority".

5月11日公布的数据显示，四月份美国的消费者价格比去年上涨了8.3%。一天前，美国总统拜登称抗击通胀是其“国内第一要务”。

Newspapers are publishing four times as many stories mentioning inflation as they did a year ago; several polls suggest that Americans believe inflation is a bigger problem for their country than the war in Ukraine.

报纸上通货膨胀相关报道的数量是去年的四倍；几项民意调查显示，美国民众认为对他们国家而言，通货膨胀是比乌克兰战争更大的问题。

But America is not alone. Inflation is also becoming baked into everyday life in other parts of the rich world.

但是不止美国是这种情况，在其他富裕国家，通货膨胀也正在成为人们日常生活的一部分。

The Economist has gathered data on five indicators across ten big economies-"core" inflation, which excludes food and energy prices; the dispersion in inflation rates for the sub-components of the consumer-price index; labour costs; inflation expectations; and Google searches for inflation.

《经济学人》收集了十大经济体五个指标的数据：除开食品和能源价格以外的“核心”通胀率、消费者价格指数各分项通胀率的离散程度、劳动力成本、通胀预期，以及谷歌关于通货膨胀的搜索量。

To gauge where inflation has become most pervasive, we rank each country according to how it fares on each measure, and then combine these ranks to form an "inflation entrenchment" score.

为了衡量哪些国家的通胀最为普遍，我们根据每个国家在各项指标上的表现给它们排名，然后结合这些排名以形成最终的“通胀防御”得分。

Continental Europe, so far at least, seems to have escaped the worst of the scourge. Inflation is leaving barely a trace on Japan.

至少到目前为止，欧洲大陆似乎避免了这场灾难的最坏影响，日本几乎没有通货膨胀的痕迹。

But it is entwining itself around Anglophone economies. Canada is faring slightly worse even than America. Britain has a big problem on its hands.

但通货膨胀和以英语为母语的经济体紧密交织。加拿大的情况甚至比美国还要糟糕，英国也有一个严峻的问题亟待解决。

A few factors explain the differences. Total fiscal stimulus across Anglophone countries in 2020-21 was about 40% more generous than in other rich places, according to our estimates.

有几个因素可以解释这种差异。据我们估算，在2020至2021年，英语国家的财政刺激总额比其他富裕地区大约高出40%。

It was also more focused on handouts to households (such as stimulus cheques). That may have further stoked demand.

（这些国家的）财政刺激也更注重对家庭的救济（比如刺激性支票），这可能进一步刺激了需求。

Monetary policy in the euro area and Japan was already ultra-loose before the pandemic, limiting the amount of extra stimulus central banks could provide.

在新冠疫情之前，欧元区以及日本地区的货币政策就已经非常宽松，从而限制了央行可以提供的额外刺激的数量。

Britain's inflation may also reflect an idiosyncratic factor: Brexit. It turns out that breaking with your largest trading partner causes costs to rise.

英国的通胀可能也反映了“英国脱欧”这一特殊因素的影响。事实证明，与自己最大的贸易伙伴分道扬镳将会导致成本上升。

词汇预习

• current [高考]

  美[ˈkɜːrənt] | 英[ˈkʌrənt]

  n. 趋势；(水、气、电)流 adj. 现在的；流通的

• core [高考]

  美[kɔːr] | 英[kɔː(r)]

  n. 核心, 精髓, （水果的）果心, （物体的）中心部分 adj. 最重要的, 主要的, 基本的, 核心（信念、价值、原则等） v. 去掉（水果）的果心, 去（水果）的核儿

• priority [高考]

  美[praɪˈɔːrəti] | 英[praɪˈɒrəti]

  n. 优先；优先权；优先顺序 adj. 优先的

• extent [高考]

  美[ɪkˈstent] | 英[ɪkˈstent]

  n. 广度； 宽度； 长度； 大小； 范围； 程度 n. [律][英]扣押； [美]临时所有权令

• barely [高考]

  美[ˈberli] | 英[ˈbeəli]

  adv. 几乎不；刚刚；勉强；少量地

• demand [高考]

  美[dɪˈmænd] | 英[dɪˈmɑːnd]

  n. 要求；需求 v. 要求；查问；需要

• data [高考]

  美[ˈdeɪtə] | 英[ˈdeɪtə]

  n. 数据；资料

• previous [高考]

  美[ˈpriːviəs] | 英[ˈpriːviəs]

  adj. 以前的；先于；在 ... 之前

• pace [高考]

  美[peɪs] | 英[peɪs]

  n. 速度；步伐；(一)步 v. 踱步；(用步)测；(马)溜蹄走 prep. 用在人名前(礼貌的表达不同意见)

• loose [高考]

  美[luːs] | 英[luːs]

  adj. 松的；宽松的；不确切的；不牢固的；放纵的 n. 解放；放任；放纵 v. 弄松；释放；放枪 adv. 松散地

• labour [高考]

  美[ˈleɪbər] | 英[ˈleɪbə(r)]

  n. 劳动；劳工；分娩 v. 努力；干苦力活；困难吃力地行进；反复说明 n. (英国)工党

• further [高考]

  美[ˈfɜːrðər] | 英[ˈfɜːðə(r)]

  adv. 更远地，再往前地；进一步；此外，而且 adj. 更多的，进一步的；（距离上）更远的，较远的 v. 促进，推进

• domestic [高考]

  美[dəˈmestɪk] | 英[dəˈmestɪk]

  adj. 家庭的；国内的；驯养的 n. 佣人；家仆

• trace [高考]

  美[treɪs] | 英[treɪs]

  n. 痕迹；微量；踪迹 v. 追踪；描绘；找出根源

• where [高考]

  美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]

  adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方

• index [四级]

  美[ˈɪndeks] | 英[ˈɪndeks]

  n. 指数；索引；(刻度盘上的)指针 v. 指出；编索引

• gauge [四级]

  美[ɡeɪdʒ] | 英[ɡeɪdʒ]

  n. 测量仪器；测量标准；（铁道的）轨距；（钢丝等的）直径；（枪管的）口径 v. 估计；判断；测量

• inflation [四级]

  美[ɪnˈfleɪʃn] | 英[ɪnˈfleɪʃn]

  n. 通货膨胀；膨胀

• stimulus [四级]

  美[ˈstɪmjələs] | 英[ˈstɪmjələs]

  n. 刺激；刺激品；激励

• starter [四级]

  美[ˈstɑːrtər] | 英[ˈstɑːtə(r)]

  n. 起动机；发射架；开端；发起者；调度员；（竞赛的)参加者；（起跑或开车)发令员；开胃菜

• fiscal [六级]

  美[ˈfɪskl] | 英[ˈfɪskl]

  adj. 财政的；国库的

• economies [专四]

  美[ɪ'kɒnəmɪz] | 英[iˈkɔnəmiz]

  节约；经济（名词economy的复数形式）

• according [专四]

  美[ə'kɔrdɪŋ] | 英[ə'kɔːdɪŋ]

  adj. 相符的；相应的；一致的 v. 给予；符合，一致；正式协议（accord的现在分词）

• pervasive [考研]

  美[pərˈveɪsɪv] | 英[pəˈveɪsɪv]

  adj. 普遍的；渗透的；遍布的

• scourge [托福]

  美[skɜrdʒ] | 英[skɜ:dʒ]

  n. 灾难；祸患；鞭子

重点讲解

Consumer**** prices****:**** public**** enemy

消费者价格：全民公敌

America was first,**** now inflation is**** starting**** to**** look**** entrenched**** in**** other places****.****

美国首当其冲，现在通货膨胀在其他地区也开始显得根深蒂固。

Inflation dominates the American popular psyche to an extent not seen since the 1980s, when prices were last rising at the current pace. Much like complaining about the weather or last night's basketball play-offs, moaning about higher prices has become a conversation starter.

自上世纪80年代至今，（美国）物价上涨速度首次与当年持平，通货膨胀也以前所未有的程度主导着美国大众心理。正如同人们曾经抱怨天气或前一天晚上的篮球季后赛一样，现在物价上涨已经成为了人们挂在嘴边的日常话题。

play-off   （平局后决出胜负的）附加赛；季后赛

（英文释义：a match/game, or a series of them, between two players or teams with equal points or scores to decide who the winner is）

【例】They lost to Chicago in the play-offs.

在季后赛中他们输给了芝加哥队。

According to figures published on May 11th, consumer prices rose by 8.3% in April, compared with the previous year. A day earlier, President Joe Biden called fighting inflation his "top domestic priority".

5月11日公布的数据显示，四月份美国的消费者价格比去年上涨了8.3%。一天前，美国总统拜登称抗击通胀是其“国内第一要务”。

play-off   （平局后决出胜负的）附加赛；季后赛

（英文释义：a match/game, or a series of them, between two players or teams with equal points or scores to decide who the winner is）

【例】They lost to Chicago in the play-offs.

在季后赛中他们输给了芝加哥队。

Newspapers are publishing four times as many stories mentioning inflation as they did a year ago; several polls suggest that Americans believe inflation is a bigger problem for their country than the war in Ukraine.

报纸上通货膨胀相关报道的数量是去年的四倍；几项民意调查显示，美国民众认为对他们国家而言，通货膨胀是比乌克兰战争更大的问题。

bake into   成为...的一部分

（英文释义：To bake something into something else means to make something an inherent and unremovable part of something else.）

【例】Smart companies, they believe, will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.

他们相信，聪明的公司会尝试将更多基于任务的计划纳入它们的战略中。

But America is not alone. Inflation is also becoming baked into everyday life in other parts of the rich world.

但是不止美国是这种情况，在其他富裕国家，通货膨胀也正在成为人们日常生活的一部分。

bake into   成为...的一部分

（英文释义：To bake something into something else means to make something an inherent and unremovable part of something else.）

【例】Smart companies, they believe, will try to bake more task-based planning into their strategies.

他们相信，聪明的公司会尝试将更多基于任务的计划纳入它们的战略中。

The Economist has gathered data on five indicators across ten big economies—"core" inflation, which excludes food and energy prices; the dispersion in inflation rates for the sub-components of the consumer-price index; labour costs; inflation expectations; and Google searches for inflation.

《经济学人》收集了十大经济体五个指标的数据：除开食品和能源价格以外的“核心”通胀率、消费者价格指数各分项通胀率的离散程度、劳动力成本、通胀预期，以及谷歌关于通货膨胀的搜索量。

gauge   n. & v.

1. 作名词，测量仪器；（评价、判断的）标准

【例】The index is the government's chief gauge of future economic activity.

这个指数是政府对未来经济活动的主要判断标准。

2. 作动词

1）（常指用仪器）测量

【例】He gauged the wind at over thirty knots.

他测量出风速为30节以上。

2）判定，判断（尤指人的感情或态度）

【例】They interviewed employees to gauge their reaction to the changes.

他们与雇员面谈以判定他们的应变能力。

pervasive   adj. (尤指不好的事物) 无处不在的

（英文释义：Something, especially something bad, that is pervasive is present or felt throughout a place or thing.）

【例】A sense of social change is pervasive in her novels.

她的小说里充斥着社会变化的意识。

【拓展】pervade   v. 弥漫，充满

【例】The entire house was pervaded by a sour smell.

整所房子都充满了酸味。

fare   n. & v.

1.作名词，车费；船费；飞机票价

【例】bus/ taxi fare 公共汽车费；出租汽车费

train/ rail fare 火车票价

2. 作动词，进展，表现

（英文释义：If you say that someone or something fares well or badly, you are referring to the degree of success they achieve in a particular situation or activity.）

【例】It is unlikely that the marine industry will fare any better in September.

海运业不大可能在9月份有所好转。

To gauge where inflation has become most pervasive, we rank each country according to how it fares on each measure, and then combine these ranks to form an "inflation entrenchment" score.

为了衡量哪些国家的通胀最为普遍，我们根据每个国家在各项指标上的表现给它们排名，然后结合这些排名以形成最终的“通胀防御”得分。

gauge   n. & v.

1. 作名词，测量仪器；（评价、判断的）标准

【例】The index is the government's chief gauge of future economic activity.

这个指数是政府对未来经济活动的主要判断标准。

2. 作动词

1）（常指用仪器）测量

【例】He gauged the wind at over thirty knots.

他测量出风速为30节以上。

2）判定，判断（尤指人的感情或态度）

【例】They interviewed employees to gauge their reaction to the changes.

他们与雇员面谈以判定他们的应变能力。

pervasive   adj. (尤指不好的事物) 无处不在的

（英文释义：Something, especially something bad, that is pervasive is present or felt throughout a place or thing.）

【例】A sense of social change is pervasive in her novels.

她的小说里充斥着社会变化的意识。

【拓展】pervade   v. 弥漫，充满

【例】The entire house was pervaded by a sour smell.

整所房子都充满了酸味。

fare   n. & v.

1.作名词，车费；船费；飞机票价

【例】bus/ taxi fare 公共汽车费；出租汽车费

train/ rail fare 火车票价

2. 作动词，进展，表现

（英文释义：If you say that someone or something fares well or badly, you are referring to the degree of success they achieve in a particular situation or activity.）

【例】It is unlikely that the marine industry will fare any better in September.

海运业不大可能在9月份有所好转。

Continental Europe, so far at least, seems to have escaped the worst of the scourge. Inflation is leaving barely a trace on Japan.

至少到目前为止，欧洲大陆似乎避免了这场灾难的最坏影响，日本几乎没有通货膨胀的痕迹。

scourge   n. & v.

1. 作名词，祸害；祸根；灾害

【例】the scourge of the war/ disease/ poverty 战争／疾病／贫穷之苦

2. 作动词，折磨；使受苦难；使痛苦

【例】He lay awake, scourged by his conscience.

他备受良心的折磨，不能入睡。

But it is entwining itself around Anglophone economies. Canada is faring slightly worse even than America. Britain has a big problem on its hands.

但通货膨胀和以英语为母语的经济体紧密交织。加拿大的情况甚至比美国还要糟糕，英国也有一个严峻的问题亟待解决。

on one’s hands   需要某人照顾；由某人负责

（英文释义：in one's care; being one's responsibility）

【例】If the two countries don't stop this antagonistic back-and-forth, we could have a nuclear war on our hands!

如果两国不停止这种反反复复的对抗，我们可能会有一场核战争!

A few factors explain the differences. Total fiscal stimulus across Anglophone countries in 2020-21 was about 40% more generous than in other rich places, according to our estimates.

有几个因素可以解释这种差异。据我们估算，在2020至2021年，英语国家的财政刺激总额比其他富裕地区大约高出40%。

stoke   v.

1. 给…添煤; 给…添柴火

【例】She was stoking the stove with sticks of maple.

她正在给炉子添枫树枝。

2. 激起（某种感觉）

【例】These demands are helping to stoke fears of civil war.

这些要求激起了对内战的恐惧。

It was also more focused on handouts to households (such as stimulus cheques). That may have further stoked demand.

（这些国家的）财政刺激也更注重对家庭的救济（比如刺激性支票），这可能进一步刺激了需求。

stoke   v.

1. 给…添煤; 给…添柴火

【例】She was stoking the stove with sticks of maple.

她正在给炉子添枫树枝。

2. 激起（某种感觉）

【例】These demands are helping to stoke fears of civil war.

这些要求激起了对内战的恐惧。

Monetary**** policy**** in**** the euro**** area**** and Japan was already ultra-loose before**** the pandemic****,**** limiting**** the amount**** of**** extra stimulus**** central banks could provide.****

在新冠疫情之前，欧元区以及日本地区的货币政策就已经非常宽松，从而限制了央行可以提供的额外刺激的数量。

Britain's inflation may also**** reflect an**** idiosyncratic factor****:**** Brexit****.**** It**** turns out that**** breaking**** with**** your**** largest trading partner causes**** costs to**** rise****.****

英国的通胀可能也反映了“英国脱欧”这一特殊因素的影响。事实证明，与自己最大的贸易伙伴分道扬镳将会导致成本上升。

课后练习

• What can be learned about inflation in America?

  A. It has attracted great attention from American people.

  B. It has undermined public confidence in President Biden.

  C. It has set off debates about costs of living in newspaper.

  D. It has worsened after the war in Ukraine broke out.

• The Economist has gathered data ____.

  A. to predict the economic growth in America

  B. to compare prices in various countries

  C. to evaluate the degree of inflation in ten economies

  D. to find out the solution to inflation worldwide

• According to The Economist, ____ is suffering from inflation.

  A. continental Europe

  B. Japan

  C. Canada

  D. Singapore

• One of the factors that contribute to inflation in Anglophone countries is ____.

  A. strong fiscal stimulus

  B. declining domestic demand

  C. unreasonable monetary policy

  D. erection of trade barriers