美国国家公共电台 NPR Government Watchdog Flips On Dollar Coin

Government Watchdog Flips¹ On Dollar Coin

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

Who says a dollar bill doesn't go as far as it used to? A new report from the Federal Government says those bills are lasting² more than twice as long as they did at the beginning of the decade, and that's upending an old argument about replacing the dollar bill with a one-dollar coin. Here's NPR's Scott Horsley.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE³: For years now, there's been a persistent⁴ lobbying effort to force dollar coins on the American public. There's even a group called the Dollar Coin Alliance - co-chaired, oddly enough, by a former congressman⁵ named Tim Penny. Its argument has been that the government could save money by switching to dollar coins which last so much longer than paper money. And the Government Accountability Office used to agree. But on the subject of dollar coins, the GAO has flipped⁷. It now says paper bills are more cost-effective. The GAO's John Schumann says that's because paper dollars now last more than twice as long as they used to.

JOHN SCHUMANN: When we last looked at this issue in 2011, the paper dollar was only lasting a little bit over three years. And when we looked at this issue again this year, we found that the paper dollar is now lasting almost eight years long.

HORSLEY: Schumann says that's partly because of changes in the way the Federal Reserve processes dollar bills. But it's also a sign that, in an increasingly cashless world, paper dollars aren't getting around like they used to. As part of its research, the GAO surveyed lots of industries that might have a stake in the paper-versus-coin contest and found most are not eagerly embracing the switch to coins, even those you might think would have a vested interest.

BRIAN WALLACE: Yeah. It's right in our name - Coin Laundry Association.

HORSLEY: Brian Wallace represents some 30,000 coin laundries around the country. He says only a handful have retrofitted their machines to accept dollar coins. But just about any other form of payment goes.

WALLACE: You could still pay with a quarter. But you could also, you know, pay with a credit card or add value to a card or taking the Starbucks approach of just, you know, waving the phone at the washer and it starts.

HORSLEY: Likewise, highway toll⁸ booths.

NEIL GRAY: Once upon a time, toll roads along with the transit⁹ systems and the post office itself were the largest coinage handlers in the country.

HORSLEY: Neil Gray of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association says paper dollars can tie up traffic when they get jammed in a toll booth collection box. But that doesn't mean the IBTTA is itching⁶ for dollar coins.

GRAY: To the extent possible, we've had entire toll road systems eliminate cash completely.

HORSLEY: That means dollar bills are lasting longer, and there's less financial incentive¹⁰ for the government to replace them with dollar coins. Anyway, dollar coins have proven stubbornly unpopular with the public. That's why the Federal Reserve has more than a billion one-dollar coins unused in storage. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

1 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

2 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

5 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

6 itching   

adj.贪得的，痒的，渴望的v.发痒( itch的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The itching was almost more than he could stand. 他痒得几乎忍不住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My nose is itching. 我的鼻子发痒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

8 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

9 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

10 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。