美国有线新闻 CNN 为何会产生通货膨胀?

Which of these U.S. events occurred in 1920?

下列美国事件中哪个发生在1920年？

President Wilson was re-elected, "The Great Gatsby" was published, inflation¹ hit a record high or Babe Ruth made his debut².

威尔逊总统连任，《了不起的盖茨比》出版，通货膨胀率创历史新高，还是贝比·鲁斯首秀？

In 1920, inflation in June was almost 24 percent higher than it had been the previous year.

1920年6月份的通货膨胀率比前一年高出近24%。

Inflation is the textbook term for prices rising over time and purchasing power falling.

通货膨胀是一个教科书术语，指物价随着时间的推移而上涨，但购买力却在下降。

Think of a trip to the grocery store. It sets you back $100. A year from now, you buy all the same items but they now cost $103.

想想去杂货店的情况。你花了100美元。一年后，你买的东西与一年前完全相同，但却花了103美元。

That's inflation, three percent to be exact.

这就是通货膨胀，准确地说是通胀率3%。

So what causes inflation? A rise in production cost is one scenario³.

那是什么导致了通货膨胀？生产成本上升是原因之一。

For example, booming⁴ energy prices can drive up the cost of transportation or manufacturing.

例如，飙升的能源价格会推高运输或制造成本。

Rising wages can also contribute to inflation.

工资上涨也会导致通货膨胀。

If business owners have to pay workers more, they might also raise prices to cover those higher labor⁵ costs.

如果企业主不得不向工人支付更多的工资，他们也可能会通过提高物价来弥补这些更高的劳动力成本。

Inflation can also happen when the demand for goods exceeds supply, then businesses selling those items can increase prices.

当商品的需求超过供给时，也会发生通货膨胀，因为出售这些商品的企业会提高价格。

Prices going up slowly is generally considered a good thing, especially if wages rise too.

物价缓慢上涨通常被认为是好事，尤其是如果工资也上涨的话。

It helps keep the economy dynamic and growing. The U.S. Central Bank has even a target inflation rate, two percent.

这有助于保持经济活力和增长。美国央行甚至设定了2%的目标通胀率。

But inflation can quickly get out of control when governments print too much money to pay for spending.

但当政府印过多的钱来支付支出时，通货膨胀很快就会失控。

When not enough real value underlies⁶ that paper, prices surge⁷. That's called hyperinflation.

当货币的实际价值不足时，价格就会飙升。这就是所谓的恶性通货膨胀。

It happened in Germany, in Zimbabwe in the 2000s and most recently in Venezuela

德国，21世纪初的津巴布韦以及最近的委内瑞拉都发生过这种情况，

and it's the Feds job to make sure the United States keeps the inflation rate on track.

美国联邦政府的工作是确保通胀率维持在正常轨道上。

1 inflation   

n.胀大，夸张，通货膨胀

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• The inflation of the airbed took several minutes.给空气床垫充气花了几分钟时间。

2 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

3 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

4 booming   

adj.急速发展的v.激增( boom的现在分词 )；猛涨；发出隆隆声；以低沉有力的声音说话

参考例句：

• The opera singer has a deep, booming, masculine voice. 这位歌剧演唱家有一副深沉而又浑厚有力的嗓音。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He is booming as a teacher. 作为一位教师，他日趋成功。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 underlies   

v.位于或存在于（某物）之下( underlie的第三人称单数 )；构成…的基础（或起因），引起

参考例句：

• I think a lack of confidence underlies his manner. 我认为他表现出的态度是因为他缺乏信心。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Try to figure out what feeling underlies your anger. 努力找出你的愤怒之下潜藏的情感。 来自辞典例句

7 surge   

n.汹涌，澎湃；vi.汹涌，强烈感到，飞涨；vt.放开，松手

参考例句：

• The surge travelled southwards along the coast.浪涛沿着海岸向南涌去。
• It failed to stimulate a surge of investment in industry.这没有能刺激工业投资的激增。