為什麼物價一直漲？6分鐘英語：英語精讀講義

Six Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com.

來自 bbclearningenglish.com 的六分鐘英語。

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

大家好，這裡是 BBC 英語教學的六分鐘英語。

I'm Rob.

我是羅布。

And I'm Beth.

我是貝絲。

In this program,

在本集節目中，

we're talking about money.

我們將談論金錢。

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

貝絲，俗話說，

money makes the world go round. 慣用語

有錢能使鬼推磨。

You mean it's very important

妳的意思是錢非常重要，

and lots of things couldn't happen without it.

沒有錢，很多事情都辦不成。

Well,

嗯，

we all need money.

我們都需要錢。

But have you noticed how our money 文法

但妳有沒有注意到，

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

現在我們的錢似乎買不到那麼多東西了？

Yes, I have, Beth.

是的，我注意到了，貝絲。

It seems like consumers like us 講解

看起來像我們這樣的消費者

are being hit in the pocket at the moment. 慣用語

目前正處於荷包大失血的境地。

And by that, 表達脈絡

我的意思是，

I mean we have less money to spend.

我們能花的錢變少了。

Now, I'm no economist, 語氣意圖

雖然我不是經濟學家，

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

但我知道這與通貨膨脹有很大關係，

the increase in prices of things over time.

也就是隨著時間推移的物價上漲。

It's a big problem globally.

這是全球性的大問題。

And Beth,

貝絲，

my question for you is about inflation.

我要問妳的問題就是關於通貨膨脹的。

According to one report, 片語搭配

根據一份報告，

what was the annual inflation rate in Venezuela 用詞

委內瑞拉在 2017 年 11 月至 2018 年期間

between November 2017 and 2018?

的年通貨膨脹率是多少？

Was it A, 130%,

是 A，130%，

B, 1,300%,

B，1,300%，

or C, 1,300,000%?

還是 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. 片語動詞

稍後我們就會知道妳是否答對了。

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

但現在我們來多聊聊金錢和通貨膨脹。

Around the world,

在世界各地，

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

物價正在以超乎尋常的幅度上漲。

And more worrying

而更令人擔憂的是

is that prices keep going up. 文法

價格還在持續走高。

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

特別是有兩樣東西的價格在上漲，

energy,

能源，

like gas and electricity,

比如天然氣和電力，

and food.

以及食物。

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

這些都是我們需要並依賴的東西。

So, what's causing the rises?

那麼，是什麼導致了價格上漲呢？

There seem to be two main reasons, 文法

似乎有兩個主要原因，

the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine,

新冠疫情和烏克蘭戰爭，

which has reduced the supply in things we need.

這減少了我們所需物品的供應。

And when things are in short supply, 講解

當物品供不應求，

available in limited quantities,

可獲得的數量有限時，

prices go up.

價格就會上漲。

The BBC World Service program The Real Story

BBC 國際頻道的節目 The Real Story

discussed this in much more detail.

更加詳細地討論了這個問題。

One expert economist,

經濟學專家、

writer, and broadcaster Linda Yueh

作家兼廣播員 Linda Yueh

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

解釋了價格上漲的情況可能還會持續一段時間。

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動性大的物品，

the sustained price increases that we've had, 用詞

我們所經歷的持續價格上漲，

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

實際上已經傳導到了企業對其商品和服務的定價方式上。

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

這正是極其令人擔憂的地方，

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

因為這意味著即使能源價格和食物價格下降，

we could have inflation now in the system. 用詞

我們的系統中現在也可能已經存在通貨膨脹。

And I think that for advanced economies is worrying,

我認為這對發達經濟體來說是令人擔憂的，

for developing countries,

對發展中國家而言，

that's hugely worrying.

那就極其令人擔憂了。

Linda Yueh used some interesting language there.

Linda Yueh 在那裡使用了一些有趣的表達。

She talked about food and energy being volatile items.

她談到食物和能源是波動性大的物品。

Something that's volatile is unpredictable

波動性大的事物是不可預測的，

and can change suddenly.

並且可能發生突然的變化。

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

這正是我們在食物和能源價格上所經歷的。

Yes,

是的，

and she said these price increases have been sustained.

她說這些價格上漲是持續性的。

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

也就是說，長時間維持在同一水平。

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

但 Linda Yueh 說，即使能源和食物價格最終下降，

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

企業也會將他們已經面臨的額外成本轉嫁出去，

by charging more for their goods and services. 文法

方法是對其商品和服務收取更高的費用。

And this could cause inflation.

這可能會導致通貨膨脹。

There's that word again.

又提到了這個詞。

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

持續的價格上漲對誰都沒有好處，

but especially for people in developing economies, 用詞

尤其是對發展中經濟體的人們而言，

countries which have industry that's less developed

這些國家的工業不夠發達，

and have lower living standards. 用詞

生活水準也較低。

Another possible consequence of inflation is recession. 講解

通貨膨脹的另一個可能後果是經濟衰退。

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

這個經濟學術語描述了一種國家生產開始下降，

people's incomes go down,

人們收入減少，

and unemployment goes up. 片語動詞

失業率上升的情況。

This all sounds like a very bleak economic outlook. 用詞

這聽起來似乎是一個非常黯淡的經濟前景。

So, what can be done? 文法

那麼，能做些什麼呢？

Well, that's the million-dollar question, 慣用語

嗯，這是一個極其關鍵且難以回答的問題，

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

經濟學家們正在努力尋找答案。

Speaking on the Real Story program,

在 The Real Story 節目中發言時，

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

經濟學家 Vicky Pryce 概述了如何控制通貨膨脹。

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

實際上最有效的方法之一就是減緩需求。

And if you increase interest rates, 片語搭配

如果你提高利率，

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

你的做法就是不鼓勵人們借錢，

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

無論他們是個人還是企業。

And of course,

當然，

the economy starts slowing down. 片語搭配

經濟也會開始放緩。

So, she says what is most effective,

所以，她說最有效的方法，

meaning what works well and gets the best results,

意思是運作良好並能取得最佳效果的方法，

is slowing down demand.

就是減緩需求。

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

提高利率可以做到這一點，因為它會讓人們減少借款。

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

利率是銀行和金融機構因借錢給你而收取的費用。

And if we borrow less money, 文法

如果我們借的錢少了，

we buy fewer things,

我們買的東西也就少了，

which can reduce inflation.

這可以降低通貨膨脹。

I think it makes sense now. 片語搭配

我覺得現在這說得通了。

And if you were in Venezuela in 2018, 文法

如果你 2018 年在委內瑞拉，

you would really want inflation to go down,

你一定會非常希望通貨膨脹降下來，

wouldn't you? 語氣意圖

不是嗎？

Oh, yes.

喔，是的。

Now, earlier,

剛才，

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

我問你一份報告所說的那個地方的通貨膨脹率是多少，

between November 2017 and 2018.

在 2017 年 11 月到 2018 年期間。

And I said a very high 1,300%.

我回答了一個非常高的 1,300%。

Well, it was even higher, Beth.

嗯，實際數字還要高，貝絲。

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

根據反對派控制的國民議會的一項研究，

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

其年通貨膨脹率達到了 1,300,000%，

in the 12 months to November 2018. 用詞

在截至 2018 年 11 月的 12 個月中。

This extreme financial situation was known as hyperinflation. 用詞

這種極端的金融狀況被稱為惡性通貨膨脹。

That's not good at all.

這簡直太糟糕了。

In this program,

在本集節目中，

we have been talking about inflation.

我們一直在談論通貨膨脹。

That's the increase in prices over time.

那是隨著時間推移的物價上漲。

Other vocabulary we used included the expression

我們使用過的其他詞彙還包括這個表達

hit in the pocket,

hit in the pocket（荷包大失血），

which means you have less money to spend.

意思是你可花的錢變少了。

Volatile describes something that is unpredictable

Volatile 描述的是不可預測的、

and can change suddenly.

並可能突然發生變化的事物。

Something that is sustained

sustained（持續的）事物是指

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

長時間維持在同一水平的。

And something that is effective

還有 effective（有效的）事物

works well and gets the best results.

運作良好並能取得最佳效果。

And interest rates are fees

利率就是一筆費用，

banks and financial institutions charge you for borrowing money.

銀行和金融機構借錢給你時收取的費用。

Well,

好了，

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

我們希望你覺得這節簡短的經濟課對你有用。

Thanks for listening.

感謝收聽。

Goodbye for now.

先說到這裡囉。

Bye-bye.

拜拜。

Six Minute English from the BBC.

來自 BBC 的六分鐘英語。