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何以暴富, 唯有继承
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何以暴富, 唯有继承
快进到如今，富裕国家开始看起来像奥斯汀笔下的世界。遗产再度回归，并将颠覆经济和社会。 
双语精读
The bequest boom
遗产热潮
In "Pride and Prejudice" Jane Austen did not have to explain to the 19th-century reader what Mr Bingley's "four or five thousand a year" meant, or why it excited Mrs Bennet. It was obvious. Mr Bingley was an heir. And the surest way to get rich was not by working hard but by marrying the right person.
在《傲慢与偏见》中，简·奥斯汀不必向19世纪的读者解释宾利先生的“每年四五千英镑”的收入意味着什么，也不必解释为什么这让班纳特太太兴奋不已。情况很明显。宾利先生是一位继承人。而最可靠的变富途径不是努力工作，而是与合适的人结婚。
Fast-forward to today, and rich countries are starting to look like Austen's world. In ways that will upend the economy and society, inheritance is back.
快进到如今，富裕国家开始看起来像奥斯汀笔下的世界。遗产再度回归，并将颠覆经济和社会。
In 1900 inheritances were worth over 20% of GDP in some countries, as people passed on vast stock portfolios and estates. The value of inheritances then fell in the 20th century, before more recently roaring back. By the end of the 2010s inheritances were worth, on average, 10% of GDP.
在1900年，一些国家的遗产价值超过了GDP的20%，因为人们传递了大量的股票投资组合和房地产。在20世纪，遗产的价值下降，然后近年来又大幅回升。到2010年代末，遗产的平均价值占GDP的10%。
The rise of the inheritocracy reflects three factors: increasing wealth, changing demography and slower economic growth. After the first and second world wars, the value of wealth, relative to national income, collapsed.
遗产继承的增长反映了三个因素：财富的增加、人口结构的变化、经济增长的放缓。在第一次和第二次世界大战之后，相对于国民收入的财富价值崩溃了。
Many of Europe's buildings were destroyed. High inflation eroded the value of cash and government bonds. Politicians developed a taste for heavy wealth taxes and nationalisation. Many wealthy families, including the Vanderbilts, squandered their fortunes.
欧洲的许多建筑都被摧毁。高通胀让现金和政府债券贬值。政客们对高额财富税和国有化产生了兴趣。许多富豪家族，包括范德比尔特家族，都把财富挥霍一空。
Since then housing, in particular, has become more valuable, partly owing to restrictive planning policies, which constrain supply. Wealth taxes are out of favour, stockmarkets have performed fantastically, while inflation, at least until recently, has been low. Because of the rise of wealth managers and index funds, the rich have become better at avoiding the fate of the Vanderbilts.
自那以后，住房变得更有价值，部分原因是限制性规划政策限制了住房供应。财富税不受欢迎，股市表现出色，而至少直到最近，通货膨胀一直处于低位。由于财富经理人和指数基金的兴起，富人变得更加擅长规避范德比尔特家族的命运。
The second factor is demography. Baby-boomers have soaked up wealth, having come of age just at the point when house prices and stockmarkets started soaring.
第二个因素是人口结构。婴儿潮一代积累了大量财富，他们成年时，房价和股市刚好开始飙升。
Germans aged over 65, who make up a fifth of the population, own a third of the country's wealth. Now the boomers are starting to die, leaving large estates to their heirs.
德国65岁以上的人口占总人口的五分之一，却拥有全国三分之一的财富。现在婴儿潮一代开始去世，将大量遗产留给了他们的继承人。
Economic growth is the third factor. People add to savings at a fairly consistent rate, but GDP rises less quickly. In recent years, owing to weak growth in both populations and productivity, rich-world GDP growth has slowed markedly.
经济增长是第三个因素。人们以相当稳定的速度增加储蓄，但国内生产总值的增长速度却较慢。近年来，由于人口和生产力增长乏力，富裕国家的国内生产总值增长明显放缓。
The inheritance boom may, in turn, reinforce the trend towards slower economic growth. Just as in Honoré de Balzac's time, the best way to get rich is increasingly not to work hard, but to marry well.
遗产热潮可能继而加剧经济增长放缓的趋势。正如奥诺雷·德·巴尔扎克时代一样，变富的最佳途径越来越不是努力工作，而是嫁/娶得好。
The economic implications may be big. If people focus on matchmaking, rather than starting a company, innovation will suffer. Already, across the rich world, entrepreneurship is in long-term decline.
这带来的经济影响可能是巨大的。如果人们关注的是牵红线，而不是办公司，那么创新就会受到影响。在富裕国家中，创业精神已经长期处于衰退状态了。
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 - increasingly [高考]
美[ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli] | 英[ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli]
adv. 逐渐地；越来越多地 - economy [高考]
美[ɪˈkɑːnəmi] | 英[ɪˈkɒnəmi]
n. 经济；节约
adj. 经济的；廉价的 - fairly [高考]
美[ˈferli] | 英[ˈfeəli]
adv. 公正地；相当地 - innovation [高考]
美[ˌɪnəˈveɪʃn] | 英[ˌɪnəˈveɪʃn]
n. 创新；革新 - productivity [高考]
美[ˌprɑːdʌkˈtɪvəti] | 英[ˌprɒdʌkˈtɪvəti]
n. 生产率；生产力 - fate [高考]
美[feɪt] | 英[feɪt]
n. 命运，宿命
vt. 注定 - reinforce [高考]
美[ˌriːɪnˈfɔːrs] | 英[ˌriːɪnˈfɔːs]
vt. 加固；加强；增强；使更具说服力
vi. 得到加强 - 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 - rate [高考]
美[reɪt] | 英[reɪt]
n. 比率；速度；价格；费用；等级
v. 认为；估价；定等级；值得；怒斥；责骂 - decline [高考]
美[dɪˈklaɪn] | 英[dɪˈklaɪn]
v. 下降；减少；变弱；拒绝；倾斜
n. 减少，衰退 - trend [高考]
美[trend] | 英[trend]
n. 趋势；倾向；方位
vi. 倾向；转向 - obvious [高考]
美[ˈɑːbviəs] | 英[ˈɒbviəs]
adj.明显的;显著的;平淡无奇的;自明 - cash [高考]
美[kæʃ] | 英[kæʃ]
n. 现金
vt. 付现款；兑现
adj. 现金的 - boom [高考]
美[buːm] | 英[buːm]
n. 繁荣；兴旺；激增；低沉声
n. 帆杠；吊杆；支臂；尾桁；水栅
vi. 急速增长；发出低沉声
vt. 使兴旺；促进 - wealthy [高考]
美[ˈwelθi] | 英[ˈwelθi]
adj. 富有的
n. 富人 - vast [高考]
美[væst] | 英[vɑːst]
adj. 广阔的；巨大的；大量的；巨额的
n. 浩瀚；广阔无垠的空间
n. (Vast)人名；(法)瓦斯特 - favour [高考]
美[ˈfeɪvər] | 英[ˈfeɪvə(r)]
n. 恩惠；支持；喜爱；偏爱
v. 支持；偏袒；有利于；长得像 - consistent [高考]
美[kənˈsɪstənt] | 英[kənˈsɪstənt]
adj. 始终如一的；持续的；一致的 - in particular [高考]
美[ɪn pər'tɪkjələr] | 英[ɪn pə'tɪkjələ(r)]
特别； 尤其 - in turn [高考]
美[ɪn tɜːrn] | 英[ɪn tɜːn]
依次；轮流；反之；反过来 - come of [高考]
美[kʌm əv] | 英[kʌm əv]
由 ... 引起； 来自 ... - housing [高考]
美[ˈhaʊzɪŋ] | 英[ˈhaʊzɪŋ]
n. 房屋；外壳；外套；外罩；住宅；卡箍；遮盖物；(芯片的)封装 - 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 - heir [四级]
美[er] | 英[eə(r)]
n. 继承人 - inflation [四级]
美[ɪnˈfleɪʃn] | 英[ɪnˈfleɪʃn]
n. 通货膨胀；膨胀 - long-term [四级]
美[ˌlɔːŋ ˈtɜːrm] | 英[ˌlɒŋ ˈtɜːm]
adj. 长期的 - constrain [四级]
美[kənˈstreɪn] | 英[kənˈstreɪn]
vt. 强迫；限制 - forward to [四级]
美 | 英
期待；转发到；……的前言 - relative to [四级]
美[ˈrɛlətɪv tu] | 英[ˈrelətiv tu:]
关于； 相对于 - owing to [四级]
美[ˈoɪŋ tu] | 英[ˈəuiŋ tu:]
由于；因为 - come of age [四级]
美[kʌm ʌv edʒ] | 英[kʌm ɔv eidʒ]
成年； 满法定年龄 - planning [四级]
美[ˈplænɪŋ] | 英[ˈplænɪŋ]
n. 规划；计划；设计
v. plan的现在分词 - restrictive [四级]
美[rɪˈstrɪktɪv] | 英[rɪˈstrɪktɪv]
adj. 限制的；拘束的；限定的
n. 限定词 - out of [六级]
美[aʊt ʌv] | 英[aut ɔv]
prep. 离…一段距离；从…里；离开 ...；出于 - owing [专四]
美[ˈoʊɪŋ] | 英[ˈəʊɪŋ]
adj. 未付的；归因于…的 - fell [专四]
美[fel] | 英[fel]
vt. 砍伐；击倒
n. 丘原；沼泽地
adj. 凶残的；毁灭性的 - bequest [专八]
美[bɪˈkwest] | 英[bɪˈkwest]
n. 遗产；遗赠物 - markedly [考研]
美[ˈmɑrkɪdlɪ] | 英['mɑ:kɪdlɪ]
adv. 显著地；醒目地；明显地 - entrepreneurship [考研]
美[ˌɑːntrəprəˈnɜːrʃɪp] | 英[ˌɒntrəprəˈnɜːʃɪp]
n. 企业家身份；企业家精神；创业精神 - upend [考研]
美[ʌpˈɛnd] | 英[ʌpˈend]
v. 竖立；颠倒；颠覆；倒立
重点讲解
The bequest boom
遗产热潮
heir n. 继承人
【例】an heir to the throne 王位继承人
【拓展】inherit v. 继承
inheritance n. 继承的财物；遗产
heritage n. 文化遗产
hereditary adj. 继承的；世袭的；遗传的
In “Pride and Prejudice” Jane Austen did not have to explain to the 19th-century reader what Mr Bingley’s “four or five thousand a year” meant, or why it excited Mrs Bennet. It was obvious. Mr Bingley was an heir. And the surest way to get rich was not by working hard but by marrying the right person.
在《傲慢与偏见》中，简·奥斯汀不必向19世纪的读者解释宾利先生的“每年四五千英镑”的收入意味着什么，也不必解释为什么这让班纳特太太兴奋不已。情况很明显。宾利先生是一位继承人。而最可靠的变富途径不是努力工作，而是与合适的人结婚。
heir n. 继承人
【例】an heir to the throne 王位继承人
【拓展】inherit v. 继承
inheritance n. 继承的财物；遗产
heritage n. 文化遗产
hereditary adj. 继承的；世袭的；遗传的
Fast-forward to today, and rich countries are starting to look like Austen’s world. In ways that will upend the economy and society, inheritance is back.
快进到如今，富裕国家开始看起来像奥斯汀笔下的世界。遗产再度回归，并将颠覆经济和社会。
upend v. 使上下颠倒；颠覆
【例】to upend the bucket 把桶倒着放
to upend the economic order 颠覆经济秩序
【近义词】turn sth upside down 使上下颠倒
In 1900 inheritances were worth over 20% of GDP in some countries, as people passed on vast stock portfolios and estates. The value of inheritances then fell in the 20th century, before more recently roaring back. By the end of the 2010s inheritances were worth, on average, 10% of GDP.
在1900年，一些国家的遗产价值超过了GDP的20%，因为人们传递了大量的股票投资组合和房地产。在20世纪，遗产的价值下降，然后近年来又大幅回升。到2010年代末，遗产的平均价值占GDP的10%。
upend v. 使上下颠倒；颠覆
【例】to upend the bucket 把桶倒着放
to upend the economic order 颠覆经济秩序
【近义词】turn sth upside down 使上下颠倒
The rise of the inheritocracy reflects three factors: increasing wealth, changing demography and slower economic growth. After the first and second world wars, the value of wealth, relative to national income, collapsed.
遗产继承的增长反映了三个因素：财富的增加、人口结构的变化、经济增长的放缓。在第一次和第二次世界大战之后，相对于国民收入的财富价值崩溃了。
relative to
1. 相对于；相比于
【例】There is a shortage of labour relative to the demand for it.
相对于需求来说，现在劳动力不足。
2. 相关；有关的
【例】The facts are relative to the case.
这些事实与这个案子有关。
erode v. 侵蚀；腐蚀；削弱
【例】The rocks have been eroded by the sea.
岩石被海水侵蚀。
His confidence/power has been eroded.
他的自信/权力被削弱了。
【拓展】erosion n. 侵蚀；削弱
Many of Europe’s buildings were destroyed. High inflation eroded the value of cash and government bonds. Politicians developed a taste for heavy wealth taxes and nationalisation. Many wealthy families, including the Vanderbilts, squandered their fortunes.
欧洲的许多建筑都被摧毁。高通胀让现金和政府债券贬值。政客们对高额财富税和国有化产生了兴趣。许多富豪家族，包括范德比尔特家族，都把财富挥霍一空。
relative to
1. 相对于；相比于
【例】There is a shortage of labour relative to the demand for it.
相对于需求来说，现在劳动力不足。
2. 相关；有关的
【例】The facts are relative to the case.
这些事实与这个案子有关。
erode v. 侵蚀；腐蚀；削弱
【例】The rocks have been eroded by the sea.
岩石被海水侵蚀。
His confidence/power has been eroded.
他的自信/权力被削弱了。
【拓展】erosion n. 侵蚀；削弱
Since then housing, in particular, has become more valuable, partly owing to restrictive planning policies, which constrain supply. Wealth taxes are out of favour, stockmarkets have performed fantastically, while inflation, at least until recently, has been low. Because of the rise of wealth managers and index funds, the rich have become better at avoiding the fate of the Vanderbilts.
自那以后，住房变得更有价值，部分原因是限制性规划政策限制了住房供应。财富税不受欢迎，股市表现出色，而至少直到最近，通货膨胀一直处于低位。由于财富经理人和指数基金的兴起，富人变得更加擅长规避范德比尔特家族的命运。
restrictive adj. 限制性的
【例】the restrictive laws 限制性法规
【拓展】restrict v. 限制；限量
【例】Speed is restricted to 30 miles per hour.
车速被限制在每小时30英里以内。
【近义词】limit/constrict v. 限制；限量
【拓展】limit/restraint/constraint n. 限制措施；限制因素
out of favour (with sb) 失宠；不受欢迎
【例】She was out of favour with her neighbours.
她不受邻居的欢迎。
【反义词】in favour (with sb) 被喜爱；受欢迎
【例】Tim is back in favour with the boss.
蒂姆又赢得了老板的好感。
The second factor is demography. Baby-boomers have soaked up wealth, having come of age just at the point when house prices and stockmarkets started soaring.
第二个因素是人口结构。婴儿潮一代积累了大量财富，他们成年时，房价和股市刚好开始飙升。
come of age 成年；到达法定年龄
【例】My parents came of age in the 1960s.
我父母在20世纪60年代成年。
【拓展】coming-of-age adj. 成年的；心智成熟的
【例】a coming-of-age party 成人礼派对
The Lion King is a coming-of-age story.
《狮子王》是一个成长故事。
Germans aged over 65, who make up a fifth of the population, own a third of the country’s wealth. Now the boomers are starting to die, leaving large estates to their heirs.
德国65岁以上的人口占总人口的五分之一，却拥有全国三分之一的财富。现在婴儿潮一代开始去世，将大量遗产留给了他们的继承人。
come of age 成年；到达法定年龄
【例】My parents came of age in the 1960s.
我父母在20世纪60年代成年。
【拓展】coming-of-age adj. 成年的；心智成熟的
【例】a coming-of-age party 成人礼派对
The Lion King is a coming-of-age story.
《狮子王》是一个成长故事。
Economic growth is the third factor. People add to savings at a fairly consistent rate, but GDP rises less quickly. In recent years, owing to weak growth in both populations and productivity, rich-world GDP growth has slowed markedly.
经济增长是第三个因素。人们以相当稳定的速度增加储蓄，但国内生产总值的增长速度却较慢。近年来，由于人口和生产力增长乏力，富裕国家的国内生产总值增长明显放缓。
consistent adj. 稳定的；前后一致的
【例】consistent economic growth 稳定的经济增长
a consistent player 状态稳定的球员
【近义词】steady adj. 稳定的；持续的
【辨析】constant adj. 持续的；不断的
reinforce v. 加强；强化
【例】to reinforce the building 加固大楼
to reinforce the stereotype 强化刻板印象
to reinforce his reputation 增强他的声望
【近义词】strengthen v. 加强；增强
【反义词】weaken/erode v. 削弱
The inheritance boom may, in turn, reinforce the trend towards slower economic growth. Just as in Honoré de Balzac’s time, the best way to get rich is increasingly not to work hard, but to marry well.
遗产热潮可能继而加剧经济增长放缓的趋势。正如奥诺雷·德·巴尔扎克时代一样，变富的最佳途径越来越不是努力工作，而是嫁/娶得好。
consistent adj. 稳定的；前后一致的
【例】consistent economic growth 稳定的经济增长
a consistent player 状态稳定的球员
【近义词】steady adj. 稳定的；持续的
【辨析】constant adj. 持续的；不断的
reinforce v. 加强；强化
【例】to reinforce the building 加固大楼
to reinforce the stereotype 强化刻板印象
to reinforce his reputation 增强他的声望
【近义词】strengthen v. 加强；增强
【反义词】weaken/erode v. 削弱
The economic implications may be big. If people focus on matchmaking, rather than starting a company, innovation will suffer. Already, across the rich world, entrepreneurship is in long-term decline.
这带来的经济影响可能是巨大的。如果人们关注的是牵红线，而不是办公司，那么创新就会受到影响。在富裕国家中，创业精神已经长期处于衰退状态了。
suffer v. 变差；变糟
【例】Despite her speed, the quality of her work never suffers.
尽管她工作速度很快，但质量从来不差。
His school work is suffering because of family problems.
由于家庭问题，他的学业日渐退步。
课后练习
Why are today's rich countries starting to look like Austen's world?
A. Because inheritance is becoming important again.
B. Because everyone wants to marry into a rich family.
C. Because people in rich countries are not working hard.
D. Because the economy in rich countries has been upended.What has happened since the value of wealth collapsed after the two world wars?
A. Inflation has eroded the value of stocks.
B. The Vanderbilts have restored their fortune.
C. Wealth taxes have narrowed the gap of wealth.
D. Rich people have accumulated wealth once more.What kind of demography does the inheritance boom reflect?
A. The shrinking of the overall population.
B. The ageing population and the transfer of wealth.
C. The immigration of a large number of wealthy people.
D. The increasing proportion of young people in the population.What is the economic impact of the inheritance boom?
A. It results in a sharp increase in GDP growth.
B. It promotes innovation and entrepreneurship.
C. It may lead to a decline in innovation and growth.
D. It ensures a steady economic growth in rich countries
