出國(guó)留學(xué)網(wǎng)考研頻道分享《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》文章預(yù)算趣錄?，希望大家平時(shí)多練習(xí)英語(yǔ)閱讀，爭(zhēng)取考試時(shí)拿高分!
2016考研英語(yǔ)閱讀題源：預(yù)算趣錄?
Fun on a budget
預(yù)算趣錄
Congress is incapable of restraining spending. Itshould let the president try
國(guó)會(huì)無(wú)力控制開(kāi)支，也許該放手讓總統(tǒng)一試
AT THE end of Barack Obama's budget, which waspublished on February 2nd, the administration thanks 614 people by name for putting thething together. It adds that “hundreds, perhaps thousands” of nameless others also helped.There is something depressing about the effort that went into producing the document. Thebudget is an admirable piece of work which contains many good ideas, from cuts in farmsubsidies to an increase in tax credits for childless workers. There is, however, a grammaticalmistake repeated throughout it. “The budget will”, the president writes, when what he means isthat his budget would, in the unlikely event that Congress were ever to pass it.
奧巴馬總統(tǒng)的財(cái)政年度預(yù)算于2月2日公布，在預(yù)算案的最后，政府向614人致謝，感謝他們?yōu)轭A(yù)算案形成所作出的貢獻(xiàn)。它也指出“成百甚至上萬(wàn)的無(wú)名之士同樣做出了貢獻(xiàn)”。但為文件形成所付出的努力中，有一些讓人沮喪的部分。從削減農(nóng)產(chǎn)品補(bǔ)助到增加對(duì)無(wú)子工人的免稅額度，該份預(yù)算案包含了許多好想法，堪稱(chēng)一項(xiàng)壯舉。但卻有一個(gè)語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤貫穿始終?？偨y(tǒng)寫(xiě)道“預(yù)算案將……”，但其實(shí)，他是想說(shuō)，預(yù)算案幻想，因?yàn)閲?guó)會(huì)絕不會(huì)通過(guò)該項(xiàng)議案。
As a guide to what the federal government might look like if America were a monarchy, or as acompendium of interesting policies, the president's budget is a good read—but not muchmore. A similar criticism applies to most proposals that come out of the budget committees inCongress. This is because no group or individual is responsible for the 4 trillion federal budget,a fact that helps explain how it manages to be both profligate and stingy, and is forever in thered.
如果這項(xiàng)議案是作為一本指南，描述美國(guó)如果是一個(gè)君主制國(guó)家將會(huì)如何，或者是一本大綱，介紹有趣的政策，那這會(huì)是一本佳作，但這項(xiàng)議案的功能，僅此而已。國(guó)會(huì)的預(yù)算委員會(huì)出臺(tái)的提案，也大多如此。這是因?yàn)闆](méi)有任何團(tuán)體或個(gè)人直接對(duì)四萬(wàn)億的聯(lián)邦預(yù)算負(fù)責(zé)，這個(gè)事實(shí)也說(shuō)明了為什么政府既揮霍無(wú)度又吝嗇小氣，而且長(zhǎng)期處于赤字。
The president's budget would not change that. He has declared an end to “mindlessausterity”, but does not seem to care much for the thoughtful sort either. In previousbudgets he offered to trim entitlements a bit in return for tax increases. Republicans inCongress rejected this, and Democrats who supported the president's budget were rewardedwith attack adverts in the mid-terms claiming that they wanted to raise the retirement age andslash Medicare. He now proposes higher taxes, more spending and continued deficits. Publicdebt would stay at its current level, around 75% of GDP, for the next decade. By 2025,according to the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, annual interestpayments would rise from 1.3% to 2.8% of GDP (nearly 800 billion, or enough to pay a year'stuition at Harvard, at current prices and with no financial aid, for 18m students).
奧巴馬總統(tǒng)的預(yù)算案亦不能扭轉(zhuǎn)乾坤。他叫停了“愚蠢的緊縮”，但卻似乎也不想做出什么深思熟慮的安排。在之前的預(yù)算案中，他提議削減福利開(kāi)支開(kāi)增加稅收。國(guó)會(huì)中的共和黨對(duì)此表示反對(duì)，而支持預(yù)算案的民主黨人所得到的回報(bào)，是在中期選舉時(shí)，他們受到負(fù)面宣傳的攻擊，稱(chēng)他們想要提高退休年齡并削減醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)。如今，總統(tǒng)提議提高進(jìn)一步提高稅率，增加開(kāi)支，繼續(xù)赤字局面。在接下來(lái)的十年，國(guó)債繼續(xù)保持在國(guó)民生產(chǎn)總值的75%左右，基本不變。據(jù)兩黨共同參與的盡責(zé)聯(lián)邦預(yù)算委員會(huì)，在2025年之前，利息在國(guó)民生產(chǎn)總值中所占的比例將從1.3%上升到2.8%，約8000億美元，按照當(dāng)前物價(jià)水平，在不考慮任何助學(xué)金的情況下，足夠?yàn)?800萬(wàn)學(xué)生支付哈佛大學(xué)一年的學(xué)費(fèi)。
Mr Obama's tax-and-spend priorities may be regrettable but they matter little in practice,because no president really controls how much his administration spends. The president'sbudget was an innovation of the 1920s. Before then, Congress set the budget as theFounders, ever suspicious of a strong central authority, intended. This worked well until thecivil war, when the federal government's principal peacetime duties were to run customs housesand post offices and to give away land. By the beginning of the 20th century the federalgovernment had become much more complicated. The first world war increased federalspending from 726m to 18.5 billion in five years (17.2 billion and 253 billion in today's money.)In 1921 an overwhelmed Congress asked the president to submit a budget for the first time.
奧巴馬一直增加稅收來(lái)為政府開(kāi)支買(mǎi)單也許可悲可嘆，但它的實(shí)際意義其實(shí)有限，這是因?yàn)闆](méi)有任何一屆美國(guó)總統(tǒng)，能夠真正決定自己政府的開(kāi)支。奧巴馬總統(tǒng)的預(yù)算案也不過(guò)是上世紀(jì)20年代預(yù)算案的一次翻新。在此之前，國(guó)會(huì)的預(yù)算案一直與對(duì)強(qiáng)有力中央集權(quán)心存疑慮的開(kāi)國(guó)者的設(shè)計(jì)保持一致。在內(nèi)戰(zhàn)之前，這一直運(yùn)行良好，但內(nèi)戰(zhàn)之后，聯(lián)邦政府在和平時(shí)代的要?jiǎng)?wù)開(kāi)始變成經(jīng)營(yíng)海關(guān)郵局及分發(fā)土地。20世紀(jì)處，聯(lián)邦政府的職能變得更加復(fù)雜起來(lái)。一戰(zhàn)讓國(guó)家的開(kāi)支在五年時(shí)間里從7,2600萬(wàn)美元增加到1850億美元(按照如今的通脹水平，分別是172億美元和2530億美元)。1921年，不知所措的國(guó)會(huì)首次要求總統(tǒng)遞交預(yù)算案。
Since then every president has done so, but the exercise has become drained of meaning sinceCongress took power over the budget back. This evil can be traced to Watergate. RichardNixon, worried about inflation and the deficit, decided not to spend all the money Congresshad appropriated. At one point he vetoed nine spending bills in one go. Congress tookadvantage of the scandal that was enveloping the president to reduce his control over federalspending in the 1974 Budget Act. Nixon duly signed the law in July and resigned the followingmonth.
自那以后，歷屆總統(tǒng)都開(kāi)始遞交預(yù)算案，但從國(guó)會(huì)開(kāi)始重掌預(yù)算后，這一舉措已經(jīng)失去了意義。禍根應(yīng)該說(shuō)是在水門(mén)時(shí)代埋下的。理查德·尼克松因擔(dān)心通貨膨脹和財(cái)政赤字，決定不把國(guó)會(huì)批準(zhǔn)的資金支出一空。他對(duì)開(kāi)支議案的否決率一度達(dá)到90%。在《1974年國(guó)會(huì)預(yù)算法案》中，國(guó)會(huì)利用總統(tǒng)的丑聞，減少了他對(duì)國(guó)家開(kāi)支的控制權(quán)。7月份，尼克松總統(tǒng)盡責(zé)地簽署了這一法案后，8月即辭去總統(tǒng)職務(wù)。
One of the new law's stated aims was to control the deficit, but it has had the opposite effect.From 1950 to 1974 the deficit averaged 0.7% of GDP; since Congress retook control it hasaveraged 3.2%. Part of the problem is that the budget Congress comes up with only covers afraction of what the federal government actually spends. Over 1 trillion of tax expenditures—rebates on anything from mortgage-interest payments to health-insurance plans providedby companies for employees—are excluded. Another 2 trillion is off-limits because it is classifiedas mandatory spending. The staggering sums pumped into entitlement programmes (SocialSecurity, Medicare and Medicaid) increase every year on the accounting equivalent of cruisecontrol, with no need for a vote. Since the youngest of the baby-boomers are now in theirearly 50s, and since no politician would dare touch the benefits of those close to retirement,America's biggest generation has now protected itself from cuts to Social Security.
這項(xiàng)新法案的其中一個(gè)明確目標(biāo)就是控制財(cái)政赤字，但它卻起到了反效果。從1950年到1974年，赤字水平平均約為國(guó)民生產(chǎn)總值的0.7%，國(guó)會(huì)掌權(quán)后，這一數(shù)字上升到平均3.2%。原因之一在于國(guó)會(huì)提出的預(yù)算案僅僅涵蓋了政府實(shí)際支出的小部分。高達(dá)一萬(wàn)億的稅式支出，不管是按揭利率還是公司為雇員購(gòu)買(mǎi)健康保險(xiǎn)計(jì)劃所帶來(lái)的退稅，都無(wú)法被預(yù)算所涵蓋。但另有兩萬(wàn)億的支出卻因?yàn)楸粴w類(lèi)為法定支出而無(wú)上限。數(shù)目驚人的資金有如被自動(dòng)控速系統(tǒng)控制般，每年強(qiáng)力注入福利項(xiàng)目(社保、醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)和醫(yī)療補(bǔ)助等)的資金年年增加，連投票的必要都省去了。出生于二戰(zhàn)后生育高峰的人們現(xiàn)在均50歲出頭，所有的政客都不敢觸及他們的退休等利益，美國(guó)人數(shù)最龐大一代才得以逃過(guò)社保被削減的命運(yùn)。
Bring back Dick
總統(tǒng)歸來(lái)
As entitlement spending has risen, it has squeezed the other bits of the budget. What remainsis just over 1 trillion in discretionary spending: 6.5% of GDP, or less than a third of the totalspent by the federal government. This is up for discussion every year. The resultingcompromise is known as the budget, but that gives an inflated sense of what it really is.
隨著福利開(kāi)支的增加，預(yù)算案中的其他開(kāi)支項(xiàng)變得緊張起來(lái)。除掉福利開(kāi)支，可自由支配的開(kāi)支僅有一萬(wàn)億美元，約為國(guó)民生產(chǎn)總值的6.5%，不到政府開(kāi)支總額的三分之一。每年，這個(gè)問(wèn)題都被反復(fù)討論。隨之而來(lái)的妥協(xié)就是所謂的預(yù)算案，但預(yù)算案的實(shí)際意義是被夸大的。
According to textbooks the budget is a thing jointly agreed by both houses of Congress andthen signed by the president by the end of September each year. This is how the budget hasworked six times in the past 40 years. The rest of the time it has often consisted of last-minutenegotiations to avoid a government shutdown or a breach of the debt ceiling. Agreement isreached only by putting off difficult decisions indefinitely. Attempts by well-intentioned super-committees and gangs of congressmen to get to something more thoughtful have come tonothing. This failure to steer the budget has been bipartisan. Since 1974 the federalgovernment has run a deficit in all but four years, 1998-2001. Now that both the House andthe Senate are controlled by Republicans the budget should be more orderly, but theprocess must be made to work when Congress is divided.
在過(guò)去40年間，生效6次的預(yù)算案的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)定義是，由國(guó)會(huì)兩院通過(guò)，由總統(tǒng)在每年九月末簽署的文件。在其他的年間，預(yù)算案經(jīng)常還包括為避免政府停擺或突破債務(wù)上限而在最后一刻達(dá)成的協(xié)商部分。另外，要達(dá)成共識(shí)，必須要無(wú)期限地延后艱難決定的做出。用意良好的超級(jí)委員或國(guó)會(huì)議員們每一次試圖達(dá)成更深謀遠(yuǎn)慮的目標(biāo)，均無(wú)果而終。預(yù)算案難以改變的結(jié)局是由兩黨共同造成的。自1974年開(kāi)始，只有1998到2001四年間，聯(lián)邦政府不是以赤字交卷的。如今既然參眾兩院都由共和黨掌權(quán)，預(yù)算應(yīng)該更加有序，但這一過(guò)程必須要等到國(guó)會(huì)被分成兩派后才行得通。
One solution would be to forgive Nixon and hand back some authority to the executive.Another would be to make the president's budget the default one unless Congress can agree,by a simple majority, on something else. That would stop the proliferation of no-compromisebudgets, and would make a president content with a budget forever in deficit a figure from thepast.
解決方案之一是寬恕尼克松總統(tǒng)的錯(cuò)誤，將部分權(quán)力還給執(zhí)政者。另一個(gè)解決方案是除非國(guó)會(huì)能以簡(jiǎn)單的多數(shù)達(dá)成共識(shí)，否則就不實(shí)行總統(tǒng)的預(yù)算案。這能夠防止不不妥協(xié)不讓步預(yù)算案影響力的擴(kuò)散，并且這樣一個(gè)按照過(guò)去標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，永遠(yuǎn)是赤字的預(yù)算標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，也能夠讓總統(tǒng)感到滿意。
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1.apply to 適用于;運(yùn)用
Find out ahead of time what regulations apply toyour situation.
提前搞清楚什么規(guī)章適用于你的情況。
Similar arrangements apply to students who areordinarily resident in Scotland.
類(lèi)似的安排適用于長(zhǎng)期居住在蘇格蘭的學(xué)生。
2.responsible for 為…負(fù)責(zé)，是造成…的原因
I feel partly responsible for the problems we're in.
我覺(jué)得應(yīng)為我們?cè)庥龅膯?wèn)題負(fù)部分責(zé)任。
Ludlam was responsible for making Ridiculous Theatre something of a cult.
荒誕派戲劇的風(fēng)靡要?dú)w功于勒德拉姆。
3.seem to 看起來(lái)
My sight is failing, and I can't see to read any more.
我的視力在下降，看不了書(shū)了。
Leave it up to me. I'll see to it.
交給我吧, 我會(huì)負(fù)責(zé)的。
4.financial aid 財(cái)政援助
The country has no access to foreign loans or financial aid.
該國(guó)得不到任何外國(guó)貸款或經(jīng)濟(jì)援助。
We are moving ahead with plans to send financial aid.
我們提供財(cái)政援助的計(jì)劃進(jìn)展順利。
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