内容正文:
2021届巴蜀中学新高考英语
《经济学人》外刊讲义第01篇始 [01]
(适合学有余力的学霸或英语爱好者、教师使用)
(含词汇讲解、长难句解析、翻译技巧、背景知识、写作积累:均由阿满编写)
原文(第01篇开始)
A trunkful of bolívare
一箱子波利瓦尔
How Venezuelan preserve their savings from hyperinflation – and the lessons for everyone else
委内瑞拉人如何在恶性通货膨胀中保住积蓄——以及所有人都可汲取的教训
ASK the chief investment officer of a fund-management firm how to spread your investments and you will be told to put so much in stocks, so much in bonds and something in hedge funds or private equity. Chances are that white-elephant buildings, eggs and long-life milk will not feature. But in Venezuela, where the inflation rate is in the tens of thousands, things that people elsewhere would shun for fear they will lose value have become stores of real wealth.
如果向基金管理公司的首席投资官咨询该如何分散投资,得到的回答通常是在股票、债券、对冲基金或私募股权基金上分别投入一定的比例。华而不实的建筑项目、鸡蛋和常温奶都不太可能被列为投资对象。然而在通货膨胀率已接近六位数的委内瑞拉,其他地方的人担心会贬值的物品却成了真实财富的存储工具。
表达积累
· preserve one's savings from X
当需要表示“保住积蓄”的时候,动词的选择除了常见的keep和protect,还可以如文中一样使用preserve。
preserve常见于preserved fruit“保鲜水果”等具象的保存以防腐败等的用法示例中,可见其背后的核心含义为“保护以免于损害、危险或伤害” (to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction)。文中这里则用于对savings“储蓄”的保护以免于hyperinflation“恶性通胀”。
总结一下句式,以供写作积累:keep/protect/preserve one's savings from/against X
用法举例:
· To preserve the savings from this tax cut for customers, the Commission ordered ...
· ... manager, I'll share with you my philosophy on how to preserve your savings from destruction.
· Are there steps I could be taking to preserve my savings from loss?
· Protect and preserve your savings from taxes and probate.
· hyperinflation
构词十分规整:hyperinflation = hyper- + inflation
词基部分为名词inflation表示“通货膨胀”。具体解释:由于市场上通货和信用货币增到超过市场所提供的商品和服务而导致的消费品价格水平的持续上涨和货币购买力的持续下跌。
hyper- 为来自希腊语的术语词缀,常与形容词和名词结合表示“过度”或“超” (more than usual, especially too much; beyond the usual size or limits)。
用法举例:
· hypersensitive (=too sensitive) “高度敏感的”
· a hyperlink (=from one website to another) “超链接”
· white-elephant
white elephant字面义“白象”,实际使用中常表示“昂贵且无用的东西”,即某事物不产生价值、并且有着沉重的维护费用。文中使用连字符white-elephant修饰buildings做“华而不实的