美国有线新闻 CNN 为何会产生通货膨胀?（打印版）

Which of these U.S. events occurred in 1920?

下列美国事件中哪个发生在1920年？

President Wilson was re-elected, "The Great Gatsby" was published, inflation hit a record high or Babe Ruth made his debut.

威尔逊总统连任，《了不起的盖茨比》出版，通货膨胀率创历史新高，还是贝比·鲁斯首秀？

In 1920, inflation in June was almost 24 percent higher than it had been the previous year.

1920年6月份的通货膨胀率比前一年高出近24%。

Inflation is the textbook term for prices rising over time and purchasing power falling.

通货膨胀是一个教科书术语，指物价随着时间的推移而上涨，但购买力却在下降。

Think of a trip to the grocery store. It sets you back $100. A year from now, you buy all the same items but they now cost $103.

想想去杂货店的情况。你花了100美元。一年后，你买的东西与一年前完全相同，但却花了103美元。

That's inflation, three percent to be exact.

这就是通货膨胀，准确地说是通胀率3%。

So what causes inflation? A rise in production cost is one scenario.

那是什么导致了通货膨胀？生产成本上升是原因之一。

For example, booming energy prices can drive up the cost of transportation or manufacturing.

例如，飙升的能源价格会推高运输或制造成本。

Rising wages can also contribute to inflation.

工资上涨也会导致通货膨胀。

If business owners have to pay workers more, they might also raise prices to cover those higher labor costs.

如果企业主不得不向工人支付更多的工资，他们也可能会通过提高物价来弥补这些更高的劳动力成本。

Inflation can also happen when the demand for goods exceeds supply, then businesses selling those items can increase prices.

当商品的需求超过供给时，也会发生通货膨胀，因为出售这些商品的企业会提高价格。

Prices going up slowly is generally considered a good thing, especially if wages rise too.

物价缓慢上涨通常被认为是好事，尤其是如果工资也上涨的话。

It helps keep the economy dynamic and growing. The U.S. Central Bank has even a target inflation rate, two percent.

这有助于保持经济活力和增长。美国央行甚至设定了2%的目标通胀率。

But inflation can quickly get out of control when governments print too much money to pay for spending.

但当政府印过多的钱来支付支出时，通货膨胀很快就会失控。

When not enough real value underlies that paper, prices surge. That's called hyperinflation.

当货币的实际价值不足时，价格就会飙升。这就是所谓的恶性通货膨胀。

It happened in Germany, in Zimbabwe in the 2000s and most recently in Venezuela

德国，21世纪初的津巴布韦以及最近的委内瑞拉都发生过这种情况，

and it's the Feds job to make sure the United States keeps the inflation rate on track.

美国联邦政府的工作是确保通胀率维持在正常轨道上。