加拿大廢除了1分硬幣（萬歲！）：英語精讀講義

Hello internet.

嗨，網路世界。

I want to talk about Canada,

我想聊聊加拿大，

who this week made my reasons to like her list

本週她讓我喜歡她的理由清單

one item longer by deciding to abolish the penny.

又多了一項，因為她決定廢除一分錢硬幣。

Since I previously made a video called death to pennies,

既然我之前做過一支名為「一分硬幣去死」的影片，

it should come as no surprise that this move gets a big go Canada from me. 片語搭配

應該不難猜到，我對這舉動大呼「加拿大幹得好」。

So let's take a moment to cheer Canada for her economic rationalism,

所以讓我們花點時間為加拿大的經濟理性歡呼，

look at how getting rid of a coin works in practice, 片語動詞

看看在實務上取消硬幣是如何運作的，

and remind her sister to the south why she might want to do the same. 慣用語

並提醒她南邊的妹妹（美國）為什麼也該考慮這麼做。

Canada's plan is pretty simple.

加拿大的計畫很簡單。

In a couple months,

幾個月後，

the Royal Canadian Mint will switch the penny-making machine from on to off. 文法

加拿大皇家鑄幣廠會把一分錢硬幣製造機的開關從「開」切換到「關」。

That's it.

就這樣。

Pretty much nothing else in the world is going to change.

世界上幾乎沒有其他事情會改變。

Pennies will still be legal tender in Canada, 用詞

在加拿大，一分錢硬幣仍然是法定貨幣，

so that jar of several hundred that you'll never bother to count

所以你那罐永遠懶得數的好幾百枚一分錢

will always be worth just as much as it is today. 文法

價值將永遠和今天一樣。

And in shops,

而在商店裡，

there will still be that person who pays with exact change. 片語搭配

依然會有那種付剛剛好零錢的人。

But after they've tediously counted out their precious worthless pennies, 片語動詞

但當他們繁瑣地數完那些寶貴又毫無價值的一分錢後，

the shop will send them back to the Royal Canadian Mint to be melted down. 片語動詞

商店會把它們送回加拿大皇家鑄幣廠熔毀。

Thus the supply of pennies will slowly decrease over time in a pleasant half-life curve. 文化背景

這樣一來，一分錢的供應量將隨著時間推移，以令人愉悅的半衰期曲線緩慢減少。

But while the penny will functionally go away, 文法

但是，雖然一分錢在功能上將會消失，

prices listed in 1-cent intervals will not.

以一分錢為單位的定價卻不會。

Your coffee and Timbits will still cost the same, 文化背景

你的咖啡和Timbits依然是一樣的價格，

and when you get to the cash register,

當你走到收銀台，

the total amount after tax will still have single cents.

稅後的總金額依然會有零頭。

If you pay by card, 片語搭配

如果你刷卡，

that exact amount will be deducted from your account. 片語搭配

那筆確切的金額就會從你的帳戶中扣除。

The only difference is if you pay in cash,

唯一的差異是如果你用現金支付，

not card, and you don't have any pennies with which to waste everyone else's time, 文法

而不是刷卡，且你沒有任何一分錢來浪費其他人的時間，

then the price will be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. 片語搭配

那麼價格將被四捨五入到最接近的五分錢。

Of course,

當然，

in rounding,

在四捨五入時，

sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, 表達脈絡

有時你賺，有時你虧，

but, and this is the rather salient point,

但是，而這也是相當突出的一點，

either way a 1 or 2 cent difference just isn't worth caring about, 文法

無論如何，一分或兩分的差距根本不值得在意，

which is why Canada can safely jettison the penny in the first place. 慣用語

這也是為什麼加拿大一開始就能安全地拋棄一分錢硬幣。

inevitably, though,

不過，無可避免地，

this is the point in the discussion when pro-penny people propose 用詞

在討論到這裡時，支持一分錢的人會提出，

that ditching the worthless coin will make prices go up and your savings go down. 講解

拋棄這枚毫無價值的硬幣會讓物價上漲，存款減少。

But the evidence for this claim is nonexistent 片語搭配

但這種說法毫無根據，

because many countries have done this before with no ill effect. 片語搭配

因為許多國家以前都這麼做過，並未帶來不良影響。

Sure, coin collectors and inefficiency fans will be sad to see the penny go, 語氣意圖

當然，硬幣收藏家和低效愛好者會因為一分錢的消失而感到難過，

but overall, it's a big win for Canada

但總體而言，這對加拿大來說是一大勝利，

because printing money isn't free. 用詞

因為印鈔票並不是免費的。

The cost to make a 1-cent penny is 1.6 cents.

製造一分錢硬幣的成本是1.6分錢。

So every year when Canada visited the Mint,

所以每年當加拿大造訪鑄幣廠時，

she spent $29 million to buy $18 million worth of pennies, 文法

她花了2900萬美元去買價值1800萬美元的一分錢硬幣，

effectively throwing away $11 million a year. 慣用語

實際上每年白白扔掉了1100萬美元。

Now, obviously, ditching pennies won't single-handedly balance the budget, 片語搭配

顯然，現在拋棄一分錢並不能單靠一己之力平衡預算，

but it's the easiest most rational place to start.

但這是最簡單、最理性的起點。

Congratulations, Canada.

恭喜你，加拿大。

May others follow in your path. 文法

願其他人也能跟隨你的腳步。

P.S.

附註：

If you want to know more about why the United States in particular should get rid of pennies,

如果你想了解更多關於為什麼美國特別應該取消一分錢硬幣，

you can either watch my video on the topic 文法

你可以看我關於這個主題的影片，

or listen to fellow penny hater John Green get arm-wavingly angry about not only pennies, 講解

或者是聽聽同樣討厭一分錢的John Green不僅對一分錢氣得手舞足蹈，

but also nickels, which are even worse.

而且對更糟的五分硬幣也一樣。

Also, there should be a new main video up in the next week or two, 用詞

另外，在接下來的一兩週內應該會有一支新的主影片上傳，

but if you want to help me make them faster,

但如果你想幫我做得更快，

you can go here on my website

你可以去我的網站這裡，

to help out with the fact-checking for upcoming projects. 片語動詞

幫忙為即將到來的專案做事實查核。

Thanks for watching.

感謝觀看。