为什么物价都在上涨？6分钟英语：英语精读讲义

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

来自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分钟英语。

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

大家好，这里是 BBC 英语教学的六分钟英语。

I'm Rob.

我是罗布。

And I'm Beth.

我是贝丝。

In this program,

在本期节目中，

we're talking about money.

我们将谈论金钱。

And Beth, as the old saying goes, 表達脈絡

贝丝，俗话说，

money makes the world go round. 習語

有钱能使鬼推磨。

You mean it's very important

你的意思是钱非常重要，

and lots of things couldn't happen without it.

没有钱，很多事情都办不成。

Well,

嗯，

we all need money.

我们都需要钱。

But have you noticed how our money 語法

但你有没有注意到，

doesn't seem to buy so much these days? 短語搭配

现在我们的钱似乎买不到那么多东西了？

Yes, I have, Beth.

是的，我注意到了，贝丝。

It seems like consumers like us 講解

看起来像我们这样的消费者

are being hit in the pocket at the moment. 習語

目前正处于钱包缩水的境地。

And by that, 表達脈絡

我的意思是，

I mean we have less money to spend.

我们能花的钱变少了。

Now, I'm no economist, 語氣意圖

我虽然不是经济学家，

but I know this has a lot to do with inflation, 講解

但我知道这与通货膨胀有很大关系，

the increase in prices of things over time.

也就是随着时间的推移物价上涨。

It's a big problem globally.

这是全球性的一个大问题。

And Beth,

贝丝，

my question for you is about inflation.

我要问你的问题就是关于通货膨胀的。

According to one report, 短語搭配

根据一份报告，

what was the annual inflation rate in Venezuela 用詞

委内瑞拉在 2017 年 11 月至 2018 年期间

between November 2017 and 2018?

的年通货膨胀率是多少？

Was it A, 130%,

是 A，130%，

B, 1,300%,

B，1,300%，

or C, 1,300,000%?

还是 C，1,300,000%？

I'll say B, 1,300%.

我猜是 B，1,300%。

Okay,

好的，

we'll find out if you're right later on. 短語動詞

稍后我们就会知道你是否答对了。

But let's talk more about money and inflation now.

但现在我们来多聊聊金钱和通货膨胀。

Around the world,

在世界各地，

prices of things are rising more than normal. 短語搭配

物价正在以超乎寻常的幅度上涨。

And more worrying

而更令人担忧的是

is that prices keep going up. 語法

价格还在持续走高。

Two things in particular are increasing in price, 短語搭配

特别是有两样东西的价格在上涨，

energy,

能源，

like gas and electricity,

比如天然气和电力，

and food.

以及食物。

These are things we need and depend on. 短語搭配

这些都是我们需要并依赖的东西。

So, what's causing the rises?

那么，是什么导致了价格上涨呢？

There seem to be two main reasons, 語法

似乎有两个主要原因，

the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine,

新冠疫情和乌克兰战争，

which has reduced the supply in things we need.

这减少了我们所需物品的供应。

And when things are in short supply, 講解

当物品供不应求，

available in limited quantities,

可获得的数量有限时，

prices go up.

价格就会上涨。

The BBC World Service program The Real Story

BBC 国际频道的节目 The Real Story

discussed this in much more detail.

更加详细地讨论了这个问题。

One expert economist,

经济学专家、

writer, and broadcaster Linda Yueh

作家兼广播员 Linda Yueh

explained how price rises could be around for a while. 短語搭配

解释了价格上涨的情况可能还会持续一段时间。

Even if you take out some of these volatile items like food and energy, 講解

即使排除食物和能源等一些波动性大的物品，

the sustained price increases that we've had, 用詞

我们所经历的持续价格上涨，

it is actually getting passed through into how companies price their goods and services. 講解

实际上已经传导到了企业对其商品和服务的定价方式上。

And that's where it gets extremely worrying 表達脈絡

这正是极其令人担忧的地方，

because that suggests that even if energy prices, food prices come down, 短語動詞

因为这意味着即使能源价格和食物价格下降，

we could have inflation now in the system. 用詞

我们的系统中现在也可能已经存在通货膨胀。

And I think that for advanced economies is worrying,

我认为这对发达经济体来说是令人担忧的，

for developing countries,

对发展中国家而言，

that's hugely worrying.

那就极其令人担忧了。

Linda Yueh used some interesting language there.

Linda Yueh 在那里使用了一些有趣的表达。

She talked about food and energy being volatile items.

她谈到食物和能源是波动性大的物品。

Something that's volatile is unpredictable

波动性大的事物是不可预测的，

and can change suddenly.

并且可能发生突然的变化。

And that's what we've experienced with food and energy prices.

这正是我们在食物和能源价格上所经历的。

Yes,

是的，

and she said these price increases have been sustained.

她说这些价格上涨是持续性的。

So, continuing at the same level for a long period of time.

也就是说，长时间维持在同一水平。

But Linda Yueh says that even if energy and food prices eventually come down,

但 Linda Yueh 说，即使能源和食物价格最终下降，

companies will pass on the extra costs they've already faced 短語動詞

企业也会将他们已经面临的额外成本转嫁出去，

by charging more for their goods and services. 語法

方法是对其商品和服务收取更高的费用。

And this could cause inflation.

这可能会导致通货膨胀。

There's that word again.

又提到了这个词。

Continuing price rises aren't good for anyone, 短語搭配

持续的价格上涨对谁都没有好处，

but especially for people in developing economies, 用詞

尤其是对发展中经济体的人们而言，

countries which have industry that's less developed

这些国家的工业不够发达，

and have lower living standards. 用詞

生活水平也较低。

Another possible consequence of inflation is recession. 講解

通货膨胀的另一个可能后果是经济衰退。

This economic term describes a situation where a country's production starts going down, 短語動詞

这个经济学术语描述了一种国家生产开始下降，

people's incomes go down,

人们收入减少，

and unemployment goes up. 短語動詞

失业率上升的情况。

This all sounds like a very bleak economic outlook. 用詞

这听起来似乎是一个非常黯淡的经济前景。

So, what can be done? 語法

那么，能做些什么呢？

Well, that's the million-dollar question, 習語

嗯，这是一个极其关键且难以回答的问题，

and economists are trying to work it out. 短語動詞

经济学家们正在努力寻找答案。

Speaking on the Real Story program,

在 The Real Story 节目中发言时，

economist Vicky Pryce gave an overview of how to control inflation. 短語搭配

经济学家 Vicky Pryce 概述了如何控制通货膨胀。

One of the things that actually is most effective is by slowing down demand. 語法

实际上最有效的方法之一就是减缓需求。

And if you increase interest rates, 短語搭配

如果你提高利率，

what you do is you discourage people from borrowing, 短語搭配

你的做法就是不鼓励人们借钱，

whether they're individuals or whether they are businesses. 語法

无论他们是个人还是企业。

And of course,

当然，

the economy starts slowing down. 短語搭配

经济也会开始放缓。

So, she says what is most effective,

所以，她说最有效的方法，

meaning what works well and gets the best results,

意思是运作良好并能取得最佳效果的方法，

is slowing down demand.

就是减缓需求。

Increasing interest rates can do this because it causes people will borrow less money.

提高利率可以做到这一点，因为它会让人们减少借款。

Interest rates are fees banks and financial institutions charge you for borrowing money. 講解

利率是银行和金融机构因借钱给你而收取的费用。

And if we borrow less money, 語法

如果我们借的钱少了，

we buy fewer things,

我们买的东西也就少了，

which can reduce inflation.

这可以降低通货膨胀。

I think it makes sense now. 短語搭配

我觉得现在这说得通了。

And if you were in Venezuela in 2018, 語法

如果你 2018 年在委内瑞拉，

you would really want inflation to go down,

你一定会非常希望通货膨胀降下来，

wouldn't you? 語氣意圖

不是吗？

Oh, yes.

哦，是的。

Now, earlier,

刚才，

I asked you what one report said the inflation rate was there 語法

我问你一份报告所说的那个地方的通货膨胀率是多少，

between November 2017 and 2018.

在 2017 年 11 月到 2018 年期间。

And I said a very high 1,300%.

我回答了一个非常高的 1,300%。

Well, it was even higher, Beth.

嗯，实际数字还要高，贝丝。

According to a study by the opposition-controlled National Assembly, 文化背景

根据反对派控制的国民议会的一项研究，

the annual inflation rate reached 1,300,000% 短語搭配

其年通货膨胀率达到了 1,300,000%，

in the 12 months to November 2018. 用詞

在截至 2018 年 11 月的 12 个月中。

This extreme financial situation was known as hyperinflation. 用詞

这种极端的金融状况被称为恶性通货膨胀。

That's not good at all.

这简直太糟糕了。

In this program,

在本期节目中，

we have been talking about inflation.

我们一直在谈论通货膨胀。

That's the increase in prices over time.

那是随着时间推移的物价上涨。

Other vocabulary we used included the expression

我们使用过的其他词汇还包括这个表达

hit in the pocket,

hit in the pocket（钱包大出血），

which means you have less money to spend.

意思是你可花的钱变少了。

Volatile describes something that is unpredictable

Volatile 描述的是不可预测的、

and can change suddenly.

并可能突然发生变化的事物。

Something that is sustained

sustained（持续的）事物是指

continues at the same level for a long period of time.

长时间维持在同一水平的。

And something that is effective

还有 effective（有效的）事物

works well and gets the best results.

运作良好并能取得最佳效果。

And interest rates are fees

利率就是一笔费用，

banks and financial institutions charge you for borrowing money.

银行和金融机构借钱给你时收取的费用。

Well,

好了，

we hope you found our brief lesson about the economy useful. 語法

我们希望你觉得这节简短的经济课对你有用。

Thanks for listening.

感谢收听。

Goodbye for now.

先说到这里啦。

Bye-bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

来自 BBC 的六分钟英语。