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VOA双语新闻:通货膨胀正对美国消费者造成严重打击

时间:2011-10-20 07:57来源:互联网 提供网友:木子平儿   字体: [ ]
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    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)

  Inflation is hitting U.S. consumers hard. The last era of severe inflation was in the 1970s, when prices and wages spiraled upward. This time, while the official inflation rate is still relatively1 moderate, wages are stagnating2 and prices for essentials like food and fuel are rising.
上一次严重的通胀时期是在1970年代,当时物价和薪资水平呈螺旋式上升。而这一次,虽然官方的通胀率仍然相对温和,薪资增长停滞,但诸如食品和燃油等生活必需品的价格正在上涨。
Ashwarya and Alok Sharma and their two children emigrated to the United States from India 10 years ago. They are now U.S. citizens. Like most Americans, they are feeling the financial pinch from inflation. Consumer prices overall are rising at a 2.7 percent annual rate, while average hourly wages increased by just fraction of one percent.
艾西瓦娅和阿洛克·夏尔玛以及他们的两个孩子10年前从印度移民到美国。他们现在是美国公民。像大多数美国人一样,他们正感受到通胀带来的压力。总体消费者价格同比现在是2.7%,但是工资的上升幅度远不到1%。
Alok Sharma says something has to give. “It is hitting both ways because you don’t get well paying jobs, and you don’t get a raise. And then inflation hits you on the other side," she said.
阿洛克·夏尔玛说,这简直让人难以忍受。“打击是双方面的,因为找不到薪水好的工作,而且甭想加薪,另一方面通货膨胀正对你造成打击。”
Economists4 say energy and food costs are driving inflation, and Americans are looking for answers. The Sharmas live in a suburban5 neighborhood north of Washington D.C. They work in the computer field and commute6 65 kilometers round trip each day to work. Gasoline prices have risen about 26 cents per liter during the past year.
经济学家说能源和食品价格上涨是造成通胀的首要因素,美国民众正在想办法对付。夏尔玛一家住在华盛顿特区北部的郊区。他们从事计算机行业,每天上下班往返65公里。过去一年来每公升汽油价格已上涨了大约26%。
Alok Sharma says that is taking a big bite out of his family's budget. “Our gas bill has gone up 40, 50 percent," he said.
阿洛克·夏尔玛说,这给他的家庭带来很大的财务负担。“我们的汽油费支出已上升了40%到50%。”
The Sharmas are vegetarians7. They eat a lot of fresh vegetables. And they drink a lot of milk, which Ashwarya Sharma says has doubled in price. “Like almost a year back it was $2 a gallon [i.e., about 53 cents per liter]. Now it is $4 a gallon [about $1.06 per liter]," she said.
夏尔玛一家人是素食者。他们需要吃大量的新鲜蔬菜,喝很多牛奶。夏尔玛说,牛奶的价格已经翻了一番。“大约一年以前牛奶价格是每加仑2美元[约为每升53美分]。而现在为每加仑4美元[约为每升1.06美元]。”
They estimate that their food costs have risen 25 to 30 percent during the past six months. Alok Sharma says that if prices continue to increase, his family will have to cut back and consider lifestyle changes. “Still we are in the habit of getting whatever we want, what ever children demand. Gradually I think we have to make our choices only for cheaper items," said Sharma.
他们估计过去六个月他们的食品开支增加了25%到30%。阿洛克·夏尔玛说,如果物价继续攀升,他的家庭将不得不削减开支并考虑改变生活方式。“我们仍习惯购买我们想要和孩子需要的任何东西。我想渐渐地我们不得不只买较便宜的东西。”
Some say the expanding middle classes in countries like China, Brazil, and India are consuming more resources and driving up prices worldwide. Other experts say drought in places like Russia, turmoil8 in the Middle East and a global lack of refinery9 capacity have driven up food and oil prices.
有人说中国、巴西和印度等国家不断壮大的中产阶级正在消耗更多的资源,并导致全球物价上涨。其他专家说俄罗斯等地的干旱、中东地区的混乱以及全球炼油厂产能不足造成了食品和石油价格上涨。
Economist3 Danny Leipziger of The George Washington University School of Business says these factors play a role. “I don’t think the middle class in China is going to create rampant10 global inflation. But you do have certain markets that are more susceptible11. And you are seeing prices increase in those markets. Will that lead to a global resurgence12 of inflation? Probably not," he said.
乔治华盛顿大学商学院的经济学家丹尼·利浦泽格说,这些因素的确都在发挥作用,但是不能把通胀全都归罪于这些因素。“我不认为中国的中产阶级会造成全球猖獗的通货膨胀。但某些市场更加容易受到影响。你看到那些市场的物价正在上涨。那会导致全球性的通胀重现吗?可能不会。”
Leipziger says oil prices will likely rise in the long-term because it is a finite resource.
利浦泽格说,石油价格在长期内将可能上升,因为它是一种有限资源。
For now, he says, families in the United States will have to deal with price increases. Because the U.S. economy is climbing out of a deep recession, Leipziger says raising interest rates, a common tool for controlling inflation, could make things worse. “The middle class is taking a big hit. And we wouldn’t want to see policy makers13 overreact to inflation at the cost of stalling the recovery in the U.S. That would be bad policy," he said.
他说,现在,美国家庭将不得不应对物价上涨。利浦泽格表示,因为美国经济正从深度衰退中爬升,控制通胀的常用工具--利率的上升,可能使情况变得更糟。丹尼·利浦泽格说:“中产阶级正受到很大冲击。我们不想看到决策者对通胀作出过度的反应,因为这会带来美国经济复苏陷入停滞的代价。那将会是很糟糕的决策。”
Alok Sharma says his family might need to dip into savings14 to make ends meet, take fewer trips to visit family in India, and look into organizing a car pool to commute to work. Hopefully, he says, in a few years, his family's wages will increase and offer some relief.
阿洛克·夏尔玛说,他的家庭可能需要从存款中取钱以维持开支,而且要减少回印度探亲的旅行次数,上下班也得跟几个人合伙使用一辆车以节约费用。他说,希望几年以后他的家庭收入会上升,使他们绷紧的生活得到一些缓解。


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
2 stagnating 46c4025763e21f3b32abe0666497a0da     
v.停滞,不流动,不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得,干这份工作我没有长进。
  • ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时,国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句
3 economist AuhzVs     
n.经济学家,经济专家,节俭的人
参考例句:
  • He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
  • He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家,自以为什么都懂。
4 economists 2ba0a36f92d9c37ef31cc751bca1a748     
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》
5 suburban Usywk     
adj.城郊的,在郊区的
参考例句:
  • Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
  • There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。
6 commute BXTyi     
vi.乘车上下班;vt.减(刑);折合;n.上下班交通
参考例句:
  • I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
  • Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。
7 vegetarians 92ca2254bb61eaa208608083177e4ed9     
n.吃素的人( vegetarian的名词复数 );素食者;素食主义者;食草动物
参考例句:
  • Vegetarians are no longer dismissed as cranks. 素食者不再被视为有怪癖的人。
  • Vegetarians believe that eating meat is bad karma. 素食者认为吃肉食是造恶业。
8 turmoil CKJzj     
n.骚乱,混乱,动乱
参考例句:
  • His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
  • The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。
9 refinery QiayX     
n.精炼厂,提炼厂
参考例句:
  • They built a sugar refinery.他们建起了一座榨糖厂。
  • The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。
10 rampant LAuzm     
adj.(植物)蔓生的;狂暴的,无约束的
参考例句:
  • Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
  • You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。
11 susceptible 4rrw7     
adj.过敏的,敏感的;易动感情的,易受感动的
参考例句:
  • Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
  • We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。
12 resurgence QBSzG     
n.再起,复活,再现
参考例句:
  • A resurgence of his grief swept over Nim.悲痛又涌上了尼姆的心头。
  • Police say drugs traffickers are behind the resurgence of violence.警方说毒贩是暴力活动重新抬头的罪魁祸首。
13 makers 22a4efff03ac42c1785d09a48313d352     
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
  • The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 savings ZjbzGu     
n.存款,储蓄
参考例句:
  • I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假,那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
  • By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时,他的存款已全部用完。
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