考研英语阅读
Chinese monetary policy
Dynastic equilibrium
With a little imperial inspiration, China shifts to a more market-based interest-rate system
QIN SHIHUANG was the emperor who first unified China, through bloody conquest more than two millennia ago. Known for starting the Great Wall and burying scholars alive, he has a new claim to fame: the central bank has drawn on his construction of a national road system to help explain its new monetary system. In a report on August 11th, the People’s Bank of China seized on an idiom derived from his road-building experience: it had “shaved off mountain peaks and filled valleys” in managing liquidity.
中国货币政策
王朝均衡
译文
两千多年前,经过血腥的征战,秦始皇成了历史上第一位统一中国的皇帝。除了修建长城和焚书坑儒,他出名又有了新的原因:中国央行借由他建造全国道路系统的方式来解释中国新货币体系。在8月11日发布的报告中,中国人民银行引用了由秦始皇修路的经验衍生出来的成语“削峰填谷”,称自己以此法管理流动性。
解析
bloody conquest
Bloody意思就是血腥的,常用来形容战争。例如,博物馆陈列的矛,是部落征战的产物,见证了血腥的征战。 The spear displayed in the museum was once the result of wars among the tribes, providing witness for bloody conquest.
Conquest意思是征战,征服。The conquest of something 就是指克服某件事 例如克服通货膨胀一直是政府的头等经济工作. The conquest of inflation has always been the Government’s first priority.
starting the Great Wall and burying scholars alive
修建长城和焚书坑儒这两个名词大家直接记住就好,我们说秦始皇修长城,实际上长城是历朝历代的产物,而秦始皇只是第一个修长城的皇帝,所以用”start”. scholar意思就是学者,也可以表示奖学金(scholarship)获得者
he has a new claim to fame
Claim to fame 意思是出名的原因 例如,希斯莱杰因为蝙蝠侠而出名。我们可以说, Heath Ledger’s own claim to fame is Batman. 再比如,清迈出名之处是它的安静。Chiengmai’s claim to fame is its silence.
...drawn on his construction of a national road system to help explain its new monetary system
Draw on 意思是利用 比如说,托福口语有道题目是问当遇到问题时,你更愿意向谁请教。我们可以说更愿意向长者请教,因为他们可以利用各种各样的经验解决我们的主要问题。 Elders could draw on their diverse experience to address the major issues that we faced.
seized on an idiom derived from his road-building experience
Seize 有抓住,夺取,没收,逮捕的意思 例如,we should seize the opportunity.我们要抓住机会。Seize the moment/day 就是把握时光,活在当下的意思。电影《死亡诗社》中的教授常常说一句拉丁语,叫Carpe diem,英文就是seize the day。在美剧青年莎士比亚中,女主的哥哥常挂在嘴边的一句话就是we should live fast and die young. 生亦放纵,死亦匆匆。奥巴马总统曾经在演讲中说道, I think that there is no reason why we should not seize this opportunity and this moment.(我认为,没有任何理由让我们不去抓住这个机会和这个时刻)
这些都是提示人们抓紧时间,活在当下,在作文中也是很好的作文素材。使得文章well-developed.
文中seized on是“利用”的意思,比如,各报纸纷纷以此结果为证据来证明全球变暖并没有真正发生。我们可以说:Newspapers seized on the results as proof that global warming wasn't really happening.
Idiom 是俗语,习语的意思。英语作为一门语言,背后承载的是一种文化;而学习俗语就是了解文化背景的一种好方法。
Liquidity 此处是“流动性”的意思。兔子在学习财务时常遇到这个词,保证公司的流动资产充足是十分重要的。 It is very crucial to maintain adequate liquidity.
The modernisation of monetary policy is in its own way a monumental project for China. Over the past two decades, the central bank’s conduct of policy had two defining features. It focused on the quantity, not the price, of money. And it relied on inflows of foreign cash to generate new money. Both features are now slowly changing, bringing China closer to the norm in developed markets, an essential transition for an increasingly complex economy.
译文
货币政策现代化对中国来说是一项意义深远的工程。过去20年间,中国央行在制定和执行货币政策上有两个关键特征:它注重货币的数量而非价格,并且依赖国外资金流入来创造新的货币。现在这两项特征都在缓慢发生变化,令中国更加接近发达市场的规范。对于一个日益复杂的经济体来说,这是个至关重要的转变。
解析
in its own way a monumental project for China
In its own way 意思就是从某一立场看 比如说In its own way, rock music is as dominant as the rock gibraltar. 就它(音乐)自身发展来说,摇滚乐一直占据举足轻重的地位。直布罗陀海峡是连接亚欧非大陆的通道,将摇滚乐比作音乐的直布罗陀海峡,足以说明其地位。如果语言功底很深,不妨在作文中运用一些比喻等修辞手法,这些无疑会使文章更加精彩。
Monumental 意思是不朽的,纪念碑的,非常的。如果说a mistake is monumental, 那么尽管有夸张成分,这个错误一定也是十分严重了。再比如,托福的一个高频作文话题是政府要不要帮助艺术家,或者问艺术的作用,通常答案是艺术对社会有着深远影响,The arts has a monumental influence on society. 并且许多艺术家都留下了不朽的著作。A great number of artists leaving us with monumental works. 同样著作,大师级作品我们还可以用masterpiece来表示。意义深远除了可以用monumental表示,还可以用profound。
the central bank’s conduct of policy had two defining features
Defining 意思是最典型的,起决定性作用的。例如,defining moment意思是决定性时刻,关键性时刻。比如改革开放是对国来说是一个决定性时刻。Reform and openness is a defining moment for China.
it relied on inflows of foreign cash to generate new money
Generate是一个非常实用的动词。意思是带来,产生,比如我们可以说改革将会带来新的工作。The reforms would generate new jobs. 再比如,我们可以用generate profits表示创收。可以用generate electricity表示发电。
bringing China closer to the norm in developed markets
后面的这句里的...,bringing...是我们之前讲过的伴随状语,-ing表示主动和伴随。
an essential transition for an increasingly complex economy
Essential可以表示重要的,含有基础的意思。我们之前讲过essence(精华)以及许多相关的词汇。essential transit(至关重要的转变)可以用在许多文章中,不妨记一下。
Increasingly意思是越来越多地;渐增的。除了用more and more,其实在文章中我们会发现increasingly/progressively这样的副词用的会更多一些。比如说矛盾变得日益尖锐,我们可以说The contradictions are becoming increasingly acute. 托福有一篇作文题目是media对当今社会的影响。除了用with the development of technology and science...这种cliche的开头,我们还可以说 Along with the correspondence market increasingly grows mature,....要比之前的开头好很多。
除了学习词汇,词组,一定要做通篇写作的练习。语言质量是一方面,文章的结构也同样重要。在学习经济学人时,不仅要记录值得学习的地道表达方式,更要关注文章是如何展开的。多加揣摩,再结合自我练习。假以时日,一定会有成效。