2020年经济学人 政府和市场(1)

Prices, according to economists¹, are determined² by supply and demand, acting³ like the twin blades of a pair of scissors.

经济学家认为，价格是由供需决定的，就像剪刀的双刃一样。

But that is not the whole story. In many times and places, prices have instead been set by the blunter blades of political pressure and government response.

但这还不是全部。在很多时期和地方，经济反而是由政治压力和政府回应的钝刀所决定的。

One of the oldest surviving texts, the Hammurabi code, includes elaborate price and wage controls:

现存最古老的文献之一《汉谟拉比法典》中包括了详尽的价格和工资控制：

2.5 grains of silver per day for a rowing boat, six for a labourer.

划艇每天2.5粒银，体力劳动者每天6粒。

At the other end of history, on January 7th Argentina's government updated its list of precios cuidados (managed prices),

在历史的另一端，1月7日，阿根廷政府更新了其物价监管措施名单，

setting guidelines for over 300 supermarket products, including lettuce⁴, ultra-thin condoms and mate, a traditional tea-like drink.

为超过300种超市产品制定了参考价格，包括生菜、超薄避孕套以及一种传统茶类饮料。

Via a mobile-phone app, consumers can report any products

通过手机应用，消费者可以报告任何

that are missing from the shelves or any prices that are managed less tightly than the government would like.

缺货商品或任何超过政府参考价格的商品。

According to new data collected by the World Bank, 89% of developing economies meddle⁵ with the price of energy,

根据世界银行收集的新数据，89%的发展中国家都会干预能源价格，

76% with the price of foodstuffs⁶ (bread in Benin, sugar in Congo, rice in Haiti) and 13% with the price of construction materials.

76%会干预食品价格（贝宁的面包、刚果的糖、海地的大米），13%会干预建筑材料价格。

Burkina Faso, for example, controls the prices of cement, sheet metal and reinforcing bars.

例如，布基纳法索会管制水泥、薄板和钢筋的价格。

Governments generally impose price controls for one of three reasons: to redistribute, stabilise or deflate.

政府通常会以这三个理由之一作为实施价格管制的原因：为了再分配、稳定或或紧缩。

Price caps help the poor afford necessities of life; price floors prop⁷ up the livelihoods⁸ of farmers.

价格上限帮助穷人购买生活必需品；最低价格支撑着农民的生计。

Buffer⁹ stocks try to stabilise volatile¹⁰ commodity prices,

缓冲库存想要稳定波动的大宗商品价格，

especially if it is costly¹¹ for farmers to switch back and forth¹² between crops that fall in and out of market favour.

尤其是当农民在市场青睐的作物和不受市场青睐的作物之间来回转换的成本很高时。

Controls have also been deployed¹³ to fight inflation. Argentina's previous president, Mauricio Macri,

控制也被用于对抗通货膨胀。阿根廷上一任总统毛里西奥·马克里

had hoped to downplay the precios cuidados introduced by his predecessor¹⁴, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner,

曾希望可以淡化他的前任克里斯蒂娜·费尔南德斯·德基什内尔推出的物价监管措施，

but unstoppable inflation prompted him instead to go further, freezing prices in 2019 for over 60 essential goods.

但不可遏制的通货膨胀反而促使他更进一步，在2019年冻结了60多种必需品的价格。

The ubiquity of price controls shows that economists have less influence than many people think.

无处不在的价格管制表明经济学家的影响力不如众人所认为那么大。

1 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 lettuce   

n.莴苣；生菜

参考例句：

• Get some lettuce and tomatoes so I can make a salad.买些莴苣和西红柿，我好做色拉。
• The lettuce is crisp and cold.莴苣松脆爽口。

5 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

6 foodstuffs   

食物，食品( foodstuff的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Imports of foodstuffs accounted for a small proportion of total imports. 食物进口仅占总进口额的一小部份。
• Many basic foodstuffs, such as bread and milk, are tax-free. 许多基本食物如牛奶和面包是免税的。

7 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

8 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

9 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

10 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

11 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

12 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

13 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

14 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。