羅馬俱樂部
Books such as Paul Ehrlich’s The Population Bomb In 1968 and the Club of Rome’s 1972 study The Limits to Growth,
Paul Ehrlich 1968年著作《人口炸彈》及羅馬俱樂部1972年的研究報告《增長的極限》造成人們恐懼,
raised fears that unchecked population growth might lead to mass starvation.
以為未加節制的人口增長會導致大規模的饑荒。
In the 70s,the Club of Rome predicted,with hilarious imprecision,
1970年代時,羅馬俱樂部令人捧腹地粗略預測,
a coming doomsday of uncontrollable pollution,wild overpopulation and resource depletion(by 1992,for example,no oil).
失控的污染、人口爆炸及資源枯竭即將來臨
CPI
消費者物價指數
The TIME group predicts that the CPI will climb at an annual rate of 7.2%in the fourth quarter
時代集團預測消費者物價指數在第四季將爬升至年增率7.2%
and slow to 3.8% by tate next year.
但在明年結束前將會減緩至3.8%。
Economists placed greater trust in the CPI report,
經濟學家對消費者物價指數比較信任,
contending that the surge in the wholesale index was merely a fluke.
認為批發物價指數的飆漲只是偶發現象。
crowding out
排擠效果
For corporate America,health care has become a crippling expense.
對美國企業來說,健保已成了對企業殺傷力極大的一項支出。
General Motors laid out $3.2 billion last year,more than it spent on steel,to provide medical coverage for 1.9 million employees,dependents and retirees.
通用汽車公司去年編列32億美元去付它190萬名員工、眷屬與退休員工的醫藥費用,比公司買鋼鐵的預算還高。
Unchecked,the U.S. medical bill will more than double in the next 10 years to $1.6 trillion,crowding out spending for other urgent needs.
假如再不節制,美國人的醫藥支出會在未來10年內增長一倍達到1.6兆美元,排擠其他更重要的資金需求。
deflation
通貨緊縮
The potential for still lower inflation is real-and the gruesome possilility of deflation can’t be ruled out.
更低的通膨率是可能發生的,而殘酷的通貨緊縮的可能性并不能排除在外。
The only question:will inflation succeed?
唯一的問題:通貨膨脹可能成功嗎?
Upon the answer(which many think will be soon apparent)depends the immediate economic future of the U.S.
美國短期的經濟前景全依賴問題的答案。
If it succeeds,the downward spiral of deflation will be definitely checked.
如果通貨膨脹成功,那么往下盤旋的通貨緊縮就可確定已經控制住了。
depression
蕭條
Few would advocate a literal reprise of Franklin D.Roosevelt’s response to the Great Depression,
很少人會主張拿出當年F.D.羅斯福對付經濟大蕭條的方法,
which included strong gusts of government spending and massive publicworks projects.
包括大幅提高政府的支出與公共工程的預算。
While some economists have described the current slump as a near depression,
有些經濟學家把當前的低迷形容成“接近蕭條”
that phrase overstates the case if it is taken as a comparison with the period 1929-33,
用這詞就嫌夸張了,
when the U.S. economy contracted by nearly a third.
因為在1929至1933年間,美國的經濟萎縮了1/3之多。
deregulate
自由
Rajiv’s goal was to give his country reform,modernization,deregulation
拉吉夫的目標是帶給印度改革、現代化、自由化
all catchwords under-pinning his frequently quoted aim of "bringing India into the 21st century."
這些都是支持他經常掛在嘴邊的所謂“帶領印度進入21世界”大方向的一些口號。
New technology and deregulation are blurring the lines between telephones and cable TV,
新科技與政府管制的取消使得電話與有線電視的界線開始模糊,
provoking a battle for America’s homes.
雙方為搶奪美國家庭用戶,展開一場大戰。
econometrics
計量經濟學
The reluctant laureate was honored for pathbreaking work in the early 1940s that laid the foundation for econometrics,which uses mathematical models to study the behavior of aneconomy.