经济学人:两大高面值现钞被禁 印度陷入货币兑换恐慌潮(上)

 　　Finance and economics: Money in India: Taking notes

　　财经：印度的货币：兑换钞票

　　The government transforms base money into nothingness (and gold) .

　　政府把基础货币变得一文不值（以及金本位）。

　　Not much distinguishes a valuable banknote from any old piece of printed paper, as Indians discovered this week.

　　本周，印度民众发现有价值的纸钞和旧版的打印纸没有太大差别。

　　In a surprise televised address on November 8th, Narendra Modi, the prime minister, announced that the country’s two highest-denomination notes, worth 500 and 1,000 rupees ($7.50 and $15) , were to be legally worthless with near-immediate effect.

　　在11月8日，印度总理纳伦德拉-莫迪在一场令人震惊的电视讲话中宣布，本国两种最高面值的纸币，即500和1000卢比（约7.5美元和15美元）将在近期被正式废除使用。

　　This odd variant¹ of alchemy is the latest in a series of moves to curb² illicit³ income; economists⁴ hope long-term gains will justify⁵ a chaotic⁶ spell as India adapts.

　　这种让人摸不着头脑的纸币转变政策是打击不正当收入的一系列行动第一步。经济学家希望长远好处会让印度所经历的混乱政策变得有意义。

　　The idea is not as barmy as it might first appear.

　　这个想法可能并没有乍看之下那么疯狂。

　　Mr Modi has implemented⁷ a flurry of schemes to flush out “black money”, the term Indians use for cash which is both unaccounted for and outside its formal financial system.

　　莫迪先生实施了一系列计划来打击“黑钱”，这个词被印第安人用来描述除现金以外下落不明或游离在其正规金融系统之外的非法现金。

　　Piles of ill-gotten income have long been easy to launder⁸ into gold or property, where using notes for at least part of a purchase is the norm.

　　成堆的非法收入现金长期以来可以轻易洗白成黄金或者地产，因为这些在交易过程中一般至少使用部分纸钞。

　　“Demonetising” high-value tender means existing notes must be traded in at banks and post offices before the end of the year.

　　废除大额货币流通意味着在今年年底之前，现存的纸币必须在银行或者邮局被换掉。

　　That will force those with suitcases of cash either to come clean or to renounce⁹ their loot.

　　这将迫使那些拥有成箱现金的人要么证明自己的钱是干净的，要么放弃他们的非法收入。

　　Still, it is dramatic: central banks usually balk¹⁰ at moves that call into question the legal worth of the notes they issue.

　　不过，这是戏剧性的：中央银行通常在对他们发行的票据的法律价值引起质疑的政策上犹豫不决。

　　The hastily discontinued tender represents 86% of all the currency in circulation (equivalent to 11% of GDP) in a country where cash remains¹¹ king.

　　这些仓促地中断货币流通行为包括了在现金仍然占主导地位的国家中的86%的流通中的货币(相当于GDP的11%)。

　　Many Indian residents found themselves with little still-legal cash on hand ahead of a forcibly imposed bank holiday and a two-day shutdown of ATMs.

　　因为面对银行强制休假和自动取款机关闭的两天，许多印度居民发现自己手里几乎没有合法的现金。

　　A senior bank executive in Mumbai admitted to raiding his daughter’s piggy bank to pay for tolls¹² on his way to work.

　　在孟买，银行高管说他打破他女儿的存钱罐支付上班路上的通行费。

　　The prospect¹³ of life with little or no cash, at least for a few days, cheered those who think Indians should be switching to smartphone apps and card-based payments, which are easier for the authorities to track and tax.

　　只有少量现金或者没有现金的生活景象（至少那几天是）鼓舞了那些认为印度应该使用手机应用和银行卡付款的人，他们觉得手机应用 银行卡付款方便当局追踪和收税。

　　That laudable aim will take time in a country where nine out of every ten workers still toil¹⁴ in the informal sector¹⁵.

　　这个值得称赞的目标在绝大数工人仍然工作在非正规部门的国家的实现需要时间。

　　Though the number of Indians with bank accounts has risen sharply thanks to a government financial-inclusion scheme, most savings¹⁶ are still held outside the banking¹⁷ system.

　　尽管印第安人与银行账户的数量急剧上升得益于政府的金融包容计划，大多数储蓄仍在银行体系之外。

　　One-fifth of total economic output is said to be informal.

　　五分之一的总经济产出据称是非正式的。

　　Banks are among those who should gain from the scheme: much cash now secreted¹⁸ under mattresses¹⁹ should make its way into their coffers or into the mutual²⁰ funds they offer.

　　银行是这项计划的获益者之一：大量藏匿于床下的现金应该会进入他们的金库或者是他们提供的共同基金。

　　1.prime minister 总理

　　例句:He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour and a half.

　　他和日本首相会晤了一个半小时。

　　2.bank accounts 银行账户

　　例句:Companies could not draw money from bank accounts as cash.

　　公司不能从银行账户中提取现金。

　　3.take time 不慌不忙；花费时间

　　例句:These plans take time to come to fruition.

　　这些方案需要时间才能取得成果。

　　4.a series of 一系列的

　　例句:The students have put forward a series of questions.

　　学生们提出了一系列问题。

1 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

2 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

3 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

4 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

6 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

7 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

8 launder   

v.洗涤；洗黑钱（把来路可疑的钱弄得似乎合法）

参考例句：

• She wore a freshly laundered and starched white shirt.她穿一件刚刚浆洗熨烫过的白色衬衣。
• The gang launders the steal money through their chain of restaurants.这帮匪徒通过他们的连锁饭店洗赃款。

9 renounce   

v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系

参考例句：

• She decided to renounce the world and enter a convent.她决定弃绝尘世去当修女。
• It was painful for him to renounce his son.宣布与儿子脱离关系对他来说是很痛苦的。

10 balk   

n.大方木料；v.妨碍；不愿前进或从事某事

参考例句：

• We get strong indications that his agent would balk at that request.我们得到的强烈暗示是他的经纪人会回避那个要求。
• He shored up the wall with a thick balk of wood.他用一根粗大的木头把墙撑住。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 tolls   

（缓慢而有规律的）钟声( toll的名词复数 )； 通行费； 损耗； （战争、灾难等造成的）毁坏

参考例句：

• A man collected tolls at the gateway. 一个人在大门口收通行费。
• The long-distance call tolls amount to quite a sum. 长途电话费数目相当可观。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

14 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

15 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

16 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

17 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

18 secreted   

v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏

参考例句：

• Insulin is secreted by the pancreas. 胰岛素是胰腺分泌的。
• He secreted his winnings in a drawer. 他把赢来的钱藏在抽届里。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 mattresses   

褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
• The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。

20 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。