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The Starving Billionaires 穷得只剩下钱

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

In Zimbabwe, you can now carry $10 billion in your pocket – in Zimbabwean dollars, that is. The country’s central bank recently unveiled a new $10 billion note in December 2008. Despite the seemingly huge amount, however, the bill was only worth about US$20 on the black market. Zimbabwe’s economy is a classic case of inflation getting out of control.

在津巴布韦，你现在可以把一百亿元放在口袋里带着──是说如果那是津巴布韦币的话。该国中央银行最近在2008年12月公布一张新的一百亿元纸币。尽管金额听起来似乎很大，可是这张纸钞在黑市只值约20美元而已。津巴布韦的经济即是通货膨胀失控的典型案例。

Inflation refers to the rising prices of goods and services over time. According to economists, price increase for two main reasons: either the economy is growing too fast, or it is collapsing. In the first situation, people and companies are increasing their buying, but supply cannot keep up with demand. To better understand the idea, imagine if the world only had two things: oranges from trees, and paper money printed by the government. If a storm wiped out the supply of oranges, the price of oranges would go up, as there would be “too many dollars chasing too few goods.”

通货膨胀指的是商品及服务的价格随时间上扬。据经济学家表示，价格提高有两大理由：不是经济成长过剧，就是经济处于崩盘状态。在第一种情况之下，个人及企业增加其购买行为，可是供给无法赶上需求。要更清楚了解这个概念，可以试想全世界只有两样东西：树上的柑橘与政府印制的纸钞。如果一场暴风雨摧毁了柑橘的供给，柑橘的价格将会上涨，因为会有「过多金钱追逐极少的商品」。

The second scenario is the most common situation in which inflation takes place nowadays. Here, the government keeps printing money to inject more cash into society, but this lowers the value of the money already in circulation. As a result, vendors constantly raise their prices to keep pace with inflation.

第二种假想状况是目前大多数通货膨胀最常见的情形。在此情况，政府不断印制钞票，挹注更多现金到社会，可是此举会降低流通中货币的价值。因此，卖家会不断抬高其售价来追赶通货膨胀。

Vocabulary

单词发音

inflation [ɪnˋfleʃən] n. 通货膨胀

collapse [kəˋlæps] v. 垮掉﹐崩溃

wipe out 彻底消灭或摧毁某事物 to destroy or be destroyed completely

in circulation [͵sɝkjəˋleʃən] 在流通的

keep pace with 跟上…的步伐 maintain the same pace

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单词发音

Zimbabwe [zɪmˋbɑbwe] n. 津巴布韦（南非洲的一共和国）

Zimbabwean [zɪmˋbɑbwɪən] adj. 津巴布韦的

unveil [ʌnˋvel] v. 使公诸于众；揭露

note [not] n. 纸币

bill [bɪl] n.【美】钞票

课文朗读

课文讲解

Trying to measure the rate of inflation presents a challenge for government officials everywhere. What many do is assemble a “market basket” of household goods that represent the economy. The prices of items in this basket are then tracked over time, creating a “consumer price index.” By comparing current prices to past prices, people can get a good idea of the inflation rate.

试图计算通货膨胀率，对各国政府来说都是一项挑战。许多人的做法是汇集可以代表经济状况的「一市场篮」家用商品。接着长期追踪篮子里商品的价格，便可算出「消费者物价指数」。藉由比较现在的物价和过去的物价，人们便可了解通货膨胀率。

But why does the mention of inflation strike fear into so many? One of the worst effects of inflation is that it erodes purchasing power, meaning that the same amount of money will buy fewer goods as time goes by. For example, during World War II, you could buy a house for US$5,000! But today, US5,000 is not even enough to buy a new car. Another problem is that inflation causes companies and people to spend less, which hurts the economy. At its worst, inflation can transform into “stagflation,” a vicious circle where the economy slows and prices soar.

可是为何一提到通货膨胀就让许多人胆战心惊？通货膨胀最坏的影响之一就是会侵蚀购买力，这表示同样金额的钱可以购买的商品会与时减少。举例来说，在第二次世界大战期间，你花五千美元就可以买一栋房子！可是在今天，五千美元连一辆新车都买不起。还有一个问题是通货膨胀会让企业与个人减少花费，进而伤害到经济。在最糟糕的情况下，通货膨胀可能转变为「停滞性通货膨胀」──一个经济发展趋缓且价格飙涨的恶性循环。

Inflation is not always bad, however. Steady and anticipated inflation can be a sign that the economy is growing. As long as your salary is rising in pace with inflation, there’s no need to worry.

可是通货膨胀不一定都是不好的。稳定且预期中的通货膨胀可以是经济成长的表征。只要薪水增加的速度赶得上通货膨胀，就不必担忧。

Knowing about inflation can help you understand the economy better. Remember, though, inflation is not inherently good or bad. Its impact depends on the economy, not to mention your personal financial state.

了解通货膨胀可以帮助你更了解经济。可是要记得，通货膨胀本身没有好或坏。它的影响取决于经济状况──就更不用说你个人的财务状况了。

−by Marcus Lindy Sortijas

Vocabulary

单词发音

rate [ret] n. 率；比率

consumer [kənˋsjumɚ] n. 消费者

strike fear into someone  使..感到害怕 to make someone extremely frightened

erode [ɪˋrod] v. 腐蚀；侵蚀

vicious [ˋvɪʃəs] circle  恶性循环

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单词发音

assemble [əˋsɛmb!] v. 聚集; 收集

at its worst 最糟糕的时候 under the most negative circumstances, estimation, or interpretation

stagflation [stægˋfleʃən] n. 停滞性通货膨胀﹐滞胀〔指出现通货膨胀﹐但许多人失业﹑商业萧条的一种经济状况〕

soar [sor] v. 暴涨

anticipate [ænˋtɪsə͵pet] v. 预期，期望

inherently [ɪnˋhɪrəntlɪ] adv. 固有地

Reading Questions

1. What is true about inflation?

A. Inflation refers to when demand cannot keep up with supply.

B. Inflation happens when “too many dollars chase too few goods.”

C. The increased supply of goods can cause inflation.

D. It makes goods more expensive and services cheaper.

2. Which of the following statement is NOT true?

A. When goods are scarce, prices go up.

B. Zimbabwe’s economy is worth US$20 on the black market.

C. Today, over-printing of money is the most common cause of inflation.

D. To keep pace with inflation, vendors continually raise prices.

3. According to the article, why can inflation be frightening?

A. It can wipe out all your savings.

B. It can only be measured with a consumer price index.

C. It shows the economy isn’t growing.

D. Over time, it decreases the value of money.

4. What would be another good title for this article?

A. How to Fight Inflation

B. What to Buy With Only $5,000

C. Zimbabwe’s Black Market

D. Rising Prices and Their Impact

Answer