2020年经济学人 哄抬物价(1)

Much about the pandemic sweeping¹ across the world is unprecedented², but one aspect is all too familiar: price gouging³ in the wake of a disaster.

关于这场席卷全球的流行病的许多方面都是前所未有的，但有一个方面我们都太过熟悉了：因灾难而导致的哄抬物价。

In New York police arrested a man who had stockpiled medical gear, allegedly selling it for a 700% mark-up.

在纽约，警方逮捕了一名囤积医疗设备的男子，据称他将医疗设备以700%的溢价出售。

Indonesian authorities seized 600,000 masks from hoarders. In Italy the government launched a probe into sky-high online prices for basic protective equipment.

印度尼西亚官方从囤积者手中没收了60万个口罩。在意大利，政府对基本防护装备的天价网络售价展开了调查。

Such crackdowns are popular. Who could possibly endorse⁴ disaster profiteering? Many economists⁶, as it turns out.

这样的打击很受欢迎。谁会赞成发灾难财呢？事实证明，许多经济学家会。

To be clear, it is not that they want the public to miss out on life-saving products. Quite the contrary.

需要明确的是，这并不是说他们希望公众错过拯救生命的产品。恰恰相反。

They believe that soaring prices stimulate⁷ greater output, and that policies to cap costs might limit supplies and so do more harm than good.

他们认为物价飞涨能够刺激更多产出，而限制成本的政策可能会限制供应，因此弊大于利。

In 2012 the University of Chicago surveyed 32 eminent⁸ economists about legislation that banned price gouging during a weather-related emergency.

2012年，芝加哥大学就一项立法对32位知名经济学家进行了调查，该立法禁止在与天气有关的紧急情况下哄抬物价。

Only three supported the ban; more than half criticised it. Similar views have been aired in recent weeks.

只有三人支持该禁令；超过一半的人批评了该禁令。最近几周也出现了类似的观点。

An economist⁵ with the Cato Institute, a conservative think-tank, lamented⁹ the "madness" of anti-gouging rules,

保守派智囊团卡托研究所的一名经济学家对反对哄抬物价的“疯狂”表示遗憾，

saying that profits are what entice¹⁰ firms to meet rising demand for safety equipment.

他表示利润是吸引企业满足日益增长的安全设备需求的原因。

Yet a closer look at one key piece of equipment—masks—during the coronavirus crisis shows that this standard view needs revamping.

然而，在冠状病毒危机期间，仔细观察一个关键设备——面罩，就会发现这种标准观点需要改进。

Economists are normally loth to tamper¹¹ with prices, the most basic element of any market. But little about this pandemic has been normal.

经济学家通常不愿干预价格，而价格是任何市场的最基本要素。但是关于这次大流行的情况大部分都不正常。

Price signalling alone would have been inadequate¹² to the challenge of ensuring vast increases in supply.

仅靠价格信号不足以应对确保供应大幅增加的挑战。

First, consider the manufacture of masks. They might look simple, but producers need sterile¹³ factories and sophisticated machinery¹⁴ to churn out melt-blown fabric¹⁵.

首先，考虑口罩的生产。它们看似简单，但生产商需要无菌工厂和精密的机器才能大量生产熔喷织物。

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

3 gouging   

n.刨削[槽]v.凿( gouge的现在分词 )；乱要价；（在…中）抠出…；挖出…

参考例句：

• Banks and credit-card companies have been accused of gouging their customers. 银行和信用卡公司被指控欺诈顾客。 来自辞典例句
• If back-gouging is applied, grinding to bright metal is required. 如果采用火焰气刨，则应将其打磨至可见光亮的金属表面。 来自互联网

4 endorse   

vt.(支票、汇票等)背书，背署；批注；同意

参考例句：

• No one is foolish enough to endorse it.没有哪个人会傻得赞成它。
• I fully endorse your opinions on this subject.我完全拥护你对此课题的主张。

5 economist   

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。

6 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》

7 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

8 eminent   

adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的

参考例句：

• We are expecting the arrival of an eminent scientist.我们正期待一位著名科学家的来访。
• He is an eminent citizen of China.他是一个杰出的中国公民。

9 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

11 tamper   

v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• Do not tamper with other's business.不要干预别人的事。
• They had strict orders not to tamper with the customs of the minorities.他们得到命令严禁干涉少数民族的风俗习惯。

12 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

13 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。

14 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

15 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。