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猜疑正在削弱美国经济(下)

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当然,这些数据中的每一个都可能有多重原因,但它们共同指向了一个令人担忧的方向:我们可能正处于信任衰退之中。

猜疑正在削弱美国经济(下)

双语精读

Each of these data points could, of course, have multiple causes. But together they point in a worrisome direction: We may be in the midst of a trust recession.

当然,这些数据中的每一个都可能有多重原因,但它们共同指向了一个令人担忧的方向:我们可能正处于信任衰退之中。

Trust is to capitalism what alcohol is to wedding receptions: a social lubricant.

信任之于资本主义,犹如酒水之于婚宴,是一种社会润滑剂。

In low-trust societies (Russia, southern Italy), economic growth is constrained. People who don't trust other people think twice before investing in, collaborating with, or hiring someone who isn't a family member (or a member of their criminal gang).

在低信任度的社会(俄罗斯、意大利南部),经济增长受到限制。不信任他人的人在投资、合作或雇佣非家庭成员(或犯罪团伙成员)之前都会三思而后行。

The concept may sound squishy, but the effect isn't. The economists Paul Zak and Stephen Knack found, in a study published in 1998, that a 15 percent bump in a nation's belief that "most people can be trusted" adds a full percentage point to economic growth each year.

这个概念可能听起来很模糊,但其效果却很显著。经济学家保罗·扎克和斯蒂芬·克纳克在1998年发表的一项研究中发现,如果一个国家“大多数人都是可以信任的”的信念增加15%,每年会给经济增长带来整整一个百分点的增长。

That means that if, for the past 20 years, Americans had trusted one another like Ukrainians did, our annual GDP per capita would be 11,000lower;ifwehadtrustedlikeNewZealandersdid,itdbe11,000 lower; if we had trusted like New Zealanders did, it'd be 16,000 higher.

这意味着,如果在过去20年里,美国人如乌克兰人那样不信任彼此,我们的年人均GDP将减少1.1万美元;如果我们如新西兰人那样信任彼此,年人均GDP就会多出1.6万美元。

"If trust is sufficiently low," they wrote, "economic growth is unachievable."

“如果信任度太低,”他们写道,“经济增长就无法实现。”

If you can rely on people to do what they say they're going to do-without costly coercive mechanisms to make them dependable-a lot of things become possible, argued Francis Fukuyama in his 1995 book, Trust.

弗朗西斯·福山在他1995年出版的《信任》一书中指出,如果你能信任人们去做他们说要做的事,而不是斥巨资使用强制机制来让人们变得可靠,那么很多事情都将成为可能。

In the late 19th century, it was "highly sociable Americans" who developed the first large-scale corporations, effectively pooling the ideas, efforts, and interests of strangers. In the late 20th, some of the earliest iterations of the internet emerged from the same talent for association.

在19世纪后期,正是“善于交际的美国人”发展了第一批大型公司,有效地汇集了陌生人的想法、努力和利益。在20世纪后期,互联网的一些初期迭代(也是)出现于同样的人才联合。

Throughout nearly all of America's history, its economy has benefited from a high degree of trust. But leaks in the trust reservoir have been evident since the '70s.

纵观美国历史,其经济几乎一直得益于高度的信任度。但从70年代起,信任的蓄水池就明显开始泄漏了。

Trust in government dropped sharply from its peak in 1964, according to the Pew Research Center, and, with a few exceptions, has been sputtering ever since.

根据皮尤研究中心的数据,人们对政府的信任从1964年的顶峰急剧下降,而且除了少数例外,信任度从那以后一直在下滑。

This trend coincides with broader cultural shifts like declining church membership, the rise of social media, and a contentious political atmosphere.

这一趋势与更广泛的文化转变相吻合,比如教会成员减少、社交媒体的兴起,以及争论不休的政治氛围。

词汇预习

  • economic [高考]

    美[ˌiːkəˈnɑːmɪk] | 英[ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪk]

    adj. 经济的,经济学的;有利可图的;节约的

  • economy [高考]

    美[ɪˈkɑːnəmi] | 英[ɪˈkɒnəmi]

    n. 经济;节约 adj. 经济的;廉价的

  • peak [高考]

    美[piːk] | 英[piːk]

    n. 山顶;顶峰;山峰;尖端;帽檐;极值 v. 达到高峰;达到最高值 adj. 最高的;高峰期的;最大值的 【名】(Peak)(英)皮克(人名)

  • effectively [高考]

    美[ɪˈfektɪvli] | 英[ɪˈfektɪvli]

    adv. 事实上;有效地

  • membership [高考]

    美[ˈmembərʃɪp] | 英[ˈmembəʃɪp]

    n. 成员资格;会员全体;从属关系

  • scale [高考]

    美[skeɪl] | 英[skeɪl]

    n. 等级,规模;刻度;音阶;量程;天枰 v. 攀登;到达…顶点;去鳞

  • sharply [高考]

    美[ˈʃɑrpli] | 英[ˈʃɑ:pli]

    adv. 锐利地;严厉地;厉害地;轮廓清晰、线条分明地

  • multiple [高考]

    美[ˈmʌltɪpl] | 英[ˈmʌltɪpl]

    adj. 多种多样的;许多的 n. 倍数;并联

  • costly [高考]

    美[ˈkɔːstli] | 英[ˈkɒstli]

    adj. 昂贵的;代价高的

  • reservoir [高考]

    美[ˈrezərvwɑːr] | 英[ˈrezəvwɑː(r)]

    n. 水库;储藏;蓄水池;积蓄

  • bump [高考]

    美[bʌmp] | 英[bʌmp]

    v. 碰撞;颠簸而行;提高 n. 肿块;撞击;表面隆起 adv. 突然的;猛烈的

  • data [高考]

    美[ˈdeɪtə] | 英[ˈdeɪtə]

    n. 数据;资料

  • per [高考]

    美[pər] | 英[pə(r)]

    prep. 每;每一;经过;按照

  • growth [高考]

    美[ɡroʊθ] | 英[ɡrəʊθ]

    n. 【U】增长;生长;发展;种植 n. 【C】生长物;【医】瘤;赘生物

  • media [高考]

    美[ˈmiːdiə] | 英[ˈmiːdiə]

    n. 传播媒介;(medium的复数)媒体;新闻媒介

  • trend [高考]

    美[trend] | 英[trend]

    n. 趋势;倾向;方位 vi. 倾向;转向

  • belief [高考]

    美[bɪˈliːf] | 英[bɪˈliːf]

    n. 信念;信仰;相信

  • rely [高考]

    美[rɪˈlaɪ] | 英[rɪˈlaɪ]

    vi. 依靠;信任

  • concept [高考]

    美[ˈkɑːnsept] | 英[ˈkɒnsept]

    n. 观念;概念;想法

  • alcohol [高考]

    美[ˈælkəhɔːl] | 英[ˈælkəhɒl]

    n. 酒精;酒;乙醇

  • atmosphere [高考]

    美[ˈætməsfɪr] | 英[ˈætməsfɪə(r)]

    n. 大气;空气;气氛;气压

  • annual [高考]

    美[ˈænjuəl] | 英[ˈænjuəl]

    adj. 每年的;年度的;一年生的 n. 年刊;一年生植物

  • political [高考]

    美[pəˈlɪtɪkl] | 英[pəˈlɪtɪkl]

    adj. 政治的;政治上的;政党的;人事的;争权夺利的

  • percentage [高考]

    美[pərˈsentɪdʒ] | 英[pəˈsentɪdʒ]

    n. 百分比,百分率;部分,比例;利润分成,提成;[非正式]利益,好处

  • criminal [高考]

    美[ˈkrɪmɪnl] | 英[ˈkrɪmɪnl]

    n. 罪犯 adj. 犯罪的;刑事的;违法的

  • evident [高考]

    美[ˈevɪdənt] | 英[ˈevɪdənt]

    adj. 明白的;明显的

  • rely on [高考]

    美[rɪˈlaɪ ɑːn] | 英[rɪˈlaɪ ɒn]

    v. 依靠;信赖

  • means [高考]

    美[miːnz] | 英[miːnz]

    n. 方法;手段;收入;财产 v. 意思是,意味(动词mean的第三人称单数)

  • lower [高考]

    美[ˈloʊər] | 英[ˈləʊə(r)]

    adj. 低的;下级的;下层的 v. 降低;减弱;跌落

  • wedding [高考]

    美[ˈwedɪŋ] | 英[ˈwedɪŋ]

    n. 婚礼;结合

  • gang [高考]

    美[ɡæŋ] | 英[ɡæŋ]

    n. 一群;一伙;(歹徒等的)一帮 v. 结成一伙;结伙袭击

  • would [高考]

    美[wʊd , wəd] | 英[wʊd , wəd]

    aux. 将;可能;大概;总会;愿意;will的过去式

  • sufficiently [四级]

    美[sə'fɪʃ(ə)ntli] | 英[sə'fɪʃ(ə)ntlɪ]

    adv. 足够地;充分地

  • midst [四级]

    美[mɪdst] | 英[mɪdst]

    n. 中间;当中 prep. 在 ... 当中(=amidst)

  • recession [四级]

    美[rɪˈseʃn] | 英[rɪˈseʃn]

    n. 后退;(经济)不景气

  • sociable [四级]

    美[ˈsoʊʃəbl] | 英[ˈsəʊʃəbl]

    adj. 好交际的;社交的

  • large-scale [四级]

    美[ˈlɑrdʒˈskel] | 英[lɑ:dʒ skeɪl]

    adj. 大规模的;大比例尺的;大范围的

  • think twice [四级]

    美[θɪŋk twaɪs] | 英[θiŋk twais]

    重新考虑; 三思

  • capitalism [六级]

    美[ˈkæpɪtlˌɪzəm] | 英[ˈkæpɪtəlɪzəm]

    n. 资本主义

  • talent for [六级]

    美 | 英

    ... 的天赋

  • 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)

  • lubricant [专八]

    美[ˈlubrɪkənt] | 英[ˈlu:brɪkənt]

    n. 润滑剂

  • dependable [考研]

    美[dɪˈpɛndəbəl] | 英[dɪˈpendəbl]

    adj. 可靠的;可信赖的

  • worrisome [考研]

    美[ˈwɜrisəm] | 英[ˈwʌrisəm]

    adj. 令人忧虑的;令人烦恼的

  • don [托福]

    美[dɑn] | 英[dɒn]

    n. 先生(西班牙用语);(牛津、剑桥大学的)指导教师 v. 穿上

重点讲解

Each of these data points could, of course, have multiple causes. But together they point in a worrisome direction: We may be in the midst of a trust recession.

当然,这些数据中的每一个都可能有多重原因,但它们共同指向了一个令人担忧的方向:我们可能正处于信任衰退之中。

worrisome   adj. 令人担心的,使人发愁的,让人焦虑的

【例】But there are worrisome signs that suggest progress might slow.

但也出现了一些令人担忧的迹象,表明进展有可能放缓。

【拓展】burdensome   adj. 负担沉重的;难以承担的

troublesome   adj. 引起麻烦的

wholesome   adj. (食物)有益健康的;有道德的

in the midst of   在...之中

【例】Such beauty was unexpected in the midst of the city.

市中心有这样的美景真是出乎意料。

【拓展】amid   prep. 在...当中;在...过程中

【例】He finished his speech amid tremendous applause.

他在雷鸣般的掌声中结束了演讲。

Trust is to capitalism what alcohol is to wedding receptions: a social lubricant.

信任之于资本主义,犹如酒水之于婚宴,是一种社会润滑剂。

reception   n.

1. (酒店)接待处,服务台;招待会

【例】At the reception they served smoked salmon.

在招待会上,他们端上了熏三文鱼。

2. (收音机或电视机的)接收效果

【例】good/bad reception   良好的/差的接收效果

In low-trust societies (Russia, southern Italy), economic growth is constrained. People who don't trust other people think twice before investing in, collaborating with, or hiring someone who isn't a family member (or a member of their criminal gang).

在低信任度的社会(俄罗斯、意大利南部),经济增长受到限制。不信任他人的人在投资、合作或雇佣非家庭成员(或犯罪团伙成员)之前都会三思而后行。

constrain   v. 限制,约束

【搭配】constrain sb from doing sth 限制某人做某事

【例】Research has been constrained by a lack of funds.

研究工作因经费不足而受限制。

【拓展】constrain & restrain

restrain   v.

1. (尤指用武力)制止,阻止,管制

【搭配】restrain sb from doing sth

【例】The prisoner had to be restrained by the police.

警察只好强行制住囚犯。

2. 约束(自己);控制(自己);忍住

【搭配】restrain yourself from doing sth

【例】She had to restrain herself from crying out in pain.

她只得忍住疼痛,不哭出来。

think twice   再三考虑;重新考虑

【例】Think twice next time you want to throw away food.

下次你想要扔掉食物时,请三思。

【拓展】reconsider/ dig over   重新考虑

【例】I'd like some time to reconsider/ dig over the problem.

我想用点时间来重新考虑这个问题。

【拓展】second thoughts   重新考虑

【搭配】on second thoughts/ have second thoughts

【例】I had never had second thoughts about my decision to leave the company.

我从未对离开那家公司的决定有过别的想法。

The concept may sound squishy,**** but the effect**** isn't.**** The economists**** Paul**** Zak and Stephen Knack found,**** in**** a study published in**** 1998****,**** that**** a 15**** percent bump**** in**** a nation****'s belief**** that**** "most people**** can be**** trusted"**** adds**** a full**** percentage**** point to**** economic**** growth**** each**** year****.****

这个概念可能听起来很模糊,但其效果却很显著。经济学家保罗·扎克和斯蒂芬·克纳克在1998年发表的一项研究中发现,如果一个国家“大多数人都是可以信任的”的信念增加15%,每年会给经济增长带来整整一个百分点的增长。

That**** means that**** if****,**** for the past**** 20**** years,**** Americans had trusted one another like**** Ukrainians**** did,**** our annual**** GDP per capita**** would be**** 11,000lower;ifwehadtrustedlikeNewZealandersdid,itdbe****1****1****,****0****0****0**** ****l****o****w****e****r****;**** ****i****f**** ****w****e**** ****h****a****d**** ****t****r****u****s****t****e****d**** ****l****i****k****e**** ****N****e****w**** ****Z****e****a****l****a****n****d****e****r****s**** ****d****i****d****,**** ****i****t****'****d**** ****b****e**** ****16,000 higher****.****

这意味着,如果在过去20年里,美国人如乌克兰人那样不信任彼此,我们的年人均GDP将减少1.1万美元;如果我们如新西兰人那样信任彼此,年人均GDP就会多出1.6万美元。

"If trust is sufficiently low," they wrote, "economic growth is unachievable."

“如果信任度太低,”他们写道,“经济增长就无法实现。”

coercive   adj. 用武力的;强制的;胁迫的

【例】The eighteenth-century British Admiralty had few coercive powers over its officers.

18世纪英国海军部对其官员有很小的强制权力。

【拓展】coerce   v. 强迫;胁迫;迫使

【搭配】coerce sb into sth/ into doing sth 胁迫某人做某事

【例】They were coerced into negotiating a settlement.

他们被迫通过谈判解决。

If you can rely on people to do what they say they're going to do—without costly coercive mechanisms to make them dependable—a lot of things become possible, argued Francis Fukuyama in his 1995 book, Trust.

弗朗西斯·福山在他1995年出版的《信任》一书中指出,如果你能信任人们去做他们说要做的事,而不是斥巨资使用强制机制来让人们变得可靠,那么很多事情都将成为可能。

coercive   adj. 用武力的;强制的;胁迫的

【例】The eighteenth-century British Admiralty had few coercive powers over its officers.

18世纪英国海军部对其官员有很小的强制权力。

【拓展】coerce   v. 强迫;胁迫;迫使

【搭配】coerce sb into sth/ into doing sth 胁迫某人做某事

【例】They were coerced into negotiating a settlement.

他们被迫通过谈判解决。

In the late 19th century, it was "highly sociable Americans" who developed the first large-scale corporations, effectively pooling the ideas, efforts, and interests of strangers. In the late 20th, some of the earliest iterations of the internet emerged from the same talent for association.

在19世纪后期,正是“善于交际的美国人”发展了第一批大型公司,有效地汇集了陌生人的想法、努力和利益。在20世纪后期,互联网的一些初期迭代(也是)出现于同样的人才联合。

pool

1. 作名词

(1)游泳池,池塘

【例】swimming pool 游泳池

freshwater pools 淡水池塘

(2)共用的资源(或资金)

【例】a pool of cars used by the firm's sales force

公司销售人员共用的车辆

2. 作动词,集中(资金、知识或设备,供大家分享)

【例】We pooled ideas and information.

我们汇集了意见和信息。

Throughout nearly all of America's history, its economy has benefited from a high degree of trust. But leaks in the trust reservoir have been evident since the '70s.

纵观美国历史,其经济几乎一直得益于高度的信任度。但从70年代起,信任的蓄水池就明显开始泄漏了。

sputter   v. 发出劈劈啪啪的声音;疲软地进行

(英文释义:If something such as an engine or a flame sputters, it works or burns in an uneven way and makes a series of soft popping sounds.)

【例】The truck sputtered and stopped.

该卡车噼啪响了响,就停下了。

Trust in government dropped sharply from its peak in 1964, according to the Pew Research Center, and, with a few exceptions, has been sputtering ever since.

根据皮尤研究中心的数据,人们对政府的信任从1964年的顶峰急剧下降,而且除了少数例外,信任度从那以后一直在下滑。

sputter   v. 发出劈劈啪啪的声音;疲软地进行

(英文释义:If something such as an engine or a flame sputters, it works or burns in an uneven way and makes a series of soft popping sounds.)

【例】The truck sputtered and stopped.

该卡车噼啪响了响,就停下了。

This trend coincides with broader cultural shifts like declining church membership, the rise of social media, and a contentious political atmosphere.

这一趋势与更广泛的文化转变相吻合,比如教会成员减少、社交媒体的兴起,以及争论不休的政治氛围。

coincide with   (在空间、时间方面)巧合; 同时发生

【例】He happened to coincide with you on this point. 

在这一问题上,他与你不谋而合。

 

contentious  adj. 有争议的,引起争论的;爱争论的,好争吵的

【例】a contentious issue/topic/subject 有争议的问题/话题/主题

课后练习

  • How does trust affect capitalism?

    A. Trust helps to promote social welfare.

    B. Trust brings greater profits from investments.

    C. Trust facilitates collaboration between people.

    D. Trust can reduce crime rates in cities.

  • What did Paul Zak and Stephen Knack find?

    A. The concept of trust is difficult to define and analyze.

    B. Ukrainians trust each other more than New Zealanders do.

    C. Higher levels of trust can translate into greater economic growth.

    D. The economy of America has been declining due to low trust.

  • What happened to America’s economy in the 19th and 20th century?

    A. A large amount of money was invested in the mechanism of trust.

    B. The economy enjoyed growth thanks to the pooling of talent.

    C. Large-scale corporations protected the interests of people.

    D. The economy benefited from the technological innovation.

  • Which of the following is true about American society since the ‘70s?

    A. People had doubt about government’s economic policies.

    B. The faith in religion was replaced by interest in science.

    C. The rise of social media caused widespread isolation.

    D. Cultural changes in various aspects were taking place.