【課文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What is the most important factor, both in government or business, for keeping running costs low?
If a nation is essentially disunited, it is left to the government to hold it together. This increases the expense of government, and reduces correspondingly the amount of economic resources that could be used for developing the country. And it should not be forgotten how small those resources are in a poor and backward country. Where the cost of government is high, resources for development are correspondingly low.
This may be illustrated by comparing the position of a nation with that of a private business enterprise. An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business. For our purposes, we are concerned only with one kind of cost -- the cost of managing and administering the business. Such administrative overheads in a business are analogous to the cost of government in a nation. The administrative overheads of a business are low to the extent that everyone working in the business can be trusted to behave in a way that best promotes the interests of the firm. If they can each be trusted to take such responsibilities. and to exercise such initiative as falls within their sphere, then administrative overheads will be low. It will be low because it will be necessary to have only one man looking after each job, without having another man to check upon what he is doing, keep him in line, and report on him to someone else. But if no one can be trusted to act in a loyal and responsible manner towards his job, then the business will require armies of administrators, checkers, and foremen and administrative overheads will rise correspondingly. As administrative overheads rise, so the earnings of the business after meeting he expense of administration, will fall; and the business will have less money to distribute as dividends or invest directly in its future progress and development.
It is precisely the same with a nation. To the extent that the people can be relied upon to behave in a loyal and responsible manner, the government does not require armies of police and civil servants to keep them in order. But if a nation is disunited, the government cannot be sure that the actions of the people will be in the interests of the nation; and it will have to watch, check, and control the people accordingly. A disunited nation therefore has to incur unduly high costs of government.
RAYMOND FROST The Backward Society
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
hub n. (活動的)中心
disunited adj. 分裂的
correspondingly adv. 相應(yīng)地
backward adj. 落后的
incur v. 承擔
administer v. 管理
adminstrative adj. 行政管理的
analogous adj. 類似的
overheads n. 一般費用
initiative n. 主動，積極性
checker n. 檢查人員
foreman n. 監(jiān)工
dividend n. 紅利
unduly adv. 過度地
【課文注釋】
1.disunited adj. 分裂的
例句：Moreover, when the employees are disunited, unhappiness is bound to set in.
更何況大家都不團結(jié)時，不愉快事件頻頻。
You are wretched, disunited individuals.
你們糟透了，分崩離析了。
disunite vt. 使分離, 使不和
例句：The issue disunited the party members.
該問題在黨員中造成分裂。
2.correspondingly adv. 相應(yīng)地
例句：The language correspondingly became stiffer.
講話的語言也相應(yīng)地變得更加強硬。
3.economic resources 經(jīng)濟資源
4.backward adj. 向后的, 落后的
例句：He took a backward step and ran away.
他向后退了一步,跑了。
This part of the country is still backward.
這個國家的這個地區(qū)仍很落后。
【詞義辨析】
back, backward, hind, behind 這些詞均有“在后，向后”之意。
back: 作為副詞或形容詞時，強調(diào)所修飾物的位置以及動作運動方向。
backward: 可用于人或物，指向后的，落后的或遲鈍的。
hind: 指成對并且分前后的東西的“后面的”。
behind: 指一物同它物相對的位置或場所。
5.stay in business 維持營業(yè)
6.be analogous to 與...相似
例句：The human heart is analogous to a pump.
人的心臟和泵類似。
7.initiative
n.
①主動權(quán)，主動性
例句：In the economic trend of the new era, having the initiative is the key.
在新時期的經(jīng)濟大潮中，擁有主動權(quán)是關(guān)鍵。
I put it all down to her hard work and initiative.
我把這一切歸因于她工作又勤奮又主動。
② 首創(chuàng)精神
例句：It is innovation plus initiative that has kept it thriving.
創(chuàng)新與進取精神使得它蓬勃發(fā)展。
adj.
①創(chuàng)始的
例句：The articles of incorporation usually name the initial directors.
通常情況下，公司的組織章程應(yīng)記載創(chuàng)始董事的姓名。
②初步的
例句：The panel's initial findings have now been made public.
這個委員會的初步調(diào)查結(jié)果已經(jīng)公布于眾。
③自發(fā)的
例句：She took an initiative part in the Wildlife Conservation Society.
他們自發(fā)牽制住了敵人。
8. as falls within their sphere 屬于他們分內(nèi)的。
9.keep someone in line 控制住某人
例句：It's difficult to keep a group of young children in line.
讓小孩都老老實實的可真不易.
【反義詞】
out of line
例句：Don't get out of line at dinner or you will be punished.
晚飯時給我老實點要不我就收拾你.
10.keep them in order 管理他們
11.in the interests of 符合......的利益
例句：We work in the interests of the people.
我們是為人民群眾的利益而工作。
12.unduly adv. 過度地，不適當?shù)?BR> 例句：An eccentric person, especially one who is unduly zealous.
異人古怪的人，尤指過分狂熱的人
【參考譯文】
如果一個國家實際上處于分裂狀態(tài)，使之聯(lián)合起來就是政府的事了。這樣的一來就增加了政府的開支，從而相應(yīng)地減少了可以用來發(fā)展國家的那部分經(jīng)濟資源。不應(yīng)忘記，在一個貧窮落后的國家里，那部分財力是很有限的。凡是政府管理費用高的地方，用于發(fā)展國家經(jīng)濟的資金就會相應(yīng)地減少。
把國家的狀況同私人企業(yè)的狀況加以比較，就可以看清這個問題。一個企業(yè)為了繼續(xù)經(jīng)營，不得不支出一定的費用和開銷。就我們的目的而言，我們只關(guān)心一種費用 -- 企業(yè)行政管理費。一家企業(yè)的行政管理開支類似于一個國家的政府管理所用的開支。如果企業(yè)中的每個人都在真誠地為提高企業(yè)利潤而工作，那么企業(yè)的管理費用就會降低到相應(yīng)的程度。如果企業(yè)的每個人都信得過，人人都認真負責，在各自的工作范圍內(nèi)發(fā)揮主動性，行政管理費用就會降低。行政管理費用降低的原因是：每項工作只需要一個人去完成，用不著另外再有一個人檢查工作。督促他遵守章程，或向有關(guān)人士匯報他的工作。但是，如果企業(yè)中誰也不可信賴會對工作盡忠守職，那么企業(yè)就會需要大批的管理人員、檢查人員和帶班人員，管理費用就會相應(yīng)地增加。管理費用增加了，那么在扣除管理費用后，企業(yè)的收入就降低了。因此用于分紅的金額或直接用于將來開拓和發(fā)展的投資就相應(yīng)地減少了。
一個國家的情況也完全相同。如果人民忠于職守，舉止規(guī)矩，能受到政府的信賴，那么政府就不需要大批的警察和文職人員去促使人民遵紀守法。但是，如果一個國家處于分裂狀態(tài)，政府不能相信人民的行動有利于國家，那么政府就不得不對人民進行監(jiān)督、檢查和控制。因此，一個處于分裂的國家必須要支付過高的行政管理費用。
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What is the most important factor, both in government or business, for keeping running costs low?
If a nation is essentially disunited, it is left to the government to hold it together. This increases the expense of government, and reduces correspondingly the amount of economic resources that could be used for developing the country. And it should not be forgotten how small those resources are in a poor and backward country. Where the cost of government is high, resources for development are correspondingly low.
This may be illustrated by comparing the position of a nation with that of a private business enterprise. An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business. For our purposes, we are concerned only with one kind of cost -- the cost of managing and administering the business. Such administrative overheads in a business are analogous to the cost of government in a nation. The administrative overheads of a business are low to the extent that everyone working in the business can be trusted to behave in a way that best promotes the interests of the firm. If they can each be trusted to take such responsibilities. and to exercise such initiative as falls within their sphere, then administrative overheads will be low. It will be low because it will be necessary to have only one man looking after each job, without having another man to check upon what he is doing, keep him in line, and report on him to someone else. But if no one can be trusted to act in a loyal and responsible manner towards his job, then the business will require armies of administrators, checkers, and foremen and administrative overheads will rise correspondingly. As administrative overheads rise, so the earnings of the business after meeting he expense of administration, will fall; and the business will have less money to distribute as dividends or invest directly in its future progress and development.
It is precisely the same with a nation. To the extent that the people can be relied upon to behave in a loyal and responsible manner, the government does not require armies of police and civil servants to keep them in order. But if a nation is disunited, the government cannot be sure that the actions of the people will be in the interests of the nation; and it will have to watch, check, and control the people accordingly. A disunited nation therefore has to incur unduly high costs of government.
RAYMOND FROST The Backward Society
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
hub n. (活動的)中心
disunited adj. 分裂的
correspondingly adv. 相應(yīng)地
backward adj. 落后的
incur v. 承擔
administer v. 管理
adminstrative adj. 行政管理的
analogous adj. 類似的
overheads n. 一般費用
initiative n. 主動，積極性
checker n. 檢查人員
foreman n. 監(jiān)工
dividend n. 紅利
unduly adv. 過度地
【課文注釋】
1.disunited adj. 分裂的
例句：Moreover, when the employees are disunited, unhappiness is bound to set in.
更何況大家都不團結(jié)時，不愉快事件頻頻。
You are wretched, disunited individuals.
你們糟透了，分崩離析了。
disunite vt. 使分離, 使不和
例句：The issue disunited the party members.
該問題在黨員中造成分裂。
2.correspondingly adv. 相應(yīng)地
例句：The language correspondingly became stiffer.
講話的語言也相應(yīng)地變得更加強硬。
3.economic resources 經(jīng)濟資源
4.backward adj. 向后的, 落后的
例句：He took a backward step and ran away.
他向后退了一步,跑了。
This part of the country is still backward.
這個國家的這個地區(qū)仍很落后。
【詞義辨析】
back, backward, hind, behind 這些詞均有“在后，向后”之意。
back: 作為副詞或形容詞時，強調(diào)所修飾物的位置以及動作運動方向。
backward: 可用于人或物，指向后的，落后的或遲鈍的。
hind: 指成對并且分前后的東西的“后面的”。
behind: 指一物同它物相對的位置或場所。
5.stay in business 維持營業(yè)
6.be analogous to 與...相似
例句：The human heart is analogous to a pump.
人的心臟和泵類似。
7.initiative
n.
①主動權(quán)，主動性
例句：In the economic trend of the new era, having the initiative is the key.
在新時期的經(jīng)濟大潮中，擁有主動權(quán)是關(guān)鍵。
I put it all down to her hard work and initiative.
我把這一切歸因于她工作又勤奮又主動。
② 首創(chuàng)精神
例句：It is innovation plus initiative that has kept it thriving.
創(chuàng)新與進取精神使得它蓬勃發(fā)展。
adj.
①創(chuàng)始的
例句：The articles of incorporation usually name the initial directors.
通常情況下，公司的組織章程應(yīng)記載創(chuàng)始董事的姓名。
②初步的
例句：The panel's initial findings have now been made public.
這個委員會的初步調(diào)查結(jié)果已經(jīng)公布于眾。
③自發(fā)的
例句：She took an initiative part in the Wildlife Conservation Society.
他們自發(fā)牽制住了敵人。
8. as falls within their sphere 屬于他們分內(nèi)的。
9.keep someone in line 控制住某人
例句：It's difficult to keep a group of young children in line.
讓小孩都老老實實的可真不易.
【反義詞】
out of line
例句：Don't get out of line at dinner or you will be punished.
晚飯時給我老實點要不我就收拾你.
10.keep them in order 管理他們
11.in the interests of 符合......的利益
例句：We work in the interests of the people.
我們是為人民群眾的利益而工作。
12.unduly adv. 過度地，不適當?shù)?BR> 例句：An eccentric person, especially one who is unduly zealous.
異人古怪的人，尤指過分狂熱的人
【參考譯文】
如果一個國家實際上處于分裂狀態(tài)，使之聯(lián)合起來就是政府的事了。這樣的一來就增加了政府的開支，從而相應(yīng)地減少了可以用來發(fā)展國家的那部分經(jīng)濟資源。不應(yīng)忘記，在一個貧窮落后的國家里，那部分財力是很有限的。凡是政府管理費用高的地方，用于發(fā)展國家經(jīng)濟的資金就會相應(yīng)地減少。
把國家的狀況同私人企業(yè)的狀況加以比較，就可以看清這個問題。一個企業(yè)為了繼續(xù)經(jīng)營，不得不支出一定的費用和開銷。就我們的目的而言，我們只關(guān)心一種費用 -- 企業(yè)行政管理費。一家企業(yè)的行政管理開支類似于一個國家的政府管理所用的開支。如果企業(yè)中的每個人都在真誠地為提高企業(yè)利潤而工作，那么企業(yè)的管理費用就會降低到相應(yīng)的程度。如果企業(yè)的每個人都信得過，人人都認真負責，在各自的工作范圍內(nèi)發(fā)揮主動性，行政管理費用就會降低。行政管理費用降低的原因是：每項工作只需要一個人去完成，用不著另外再有一個人檢查工作。督促他遵守章程，或向有關(guān)人士匯報他的工作。但是，如果企業(yè)中誰也不可信賴會對工作盡忠守職，那么企業(yè)就會需要大批的管理人員、檢查人員和帶班人員，管理費用就會相應(yīng)地增加。管理費用增加了，那么在扣除管理費用后，企業(yè)的收入就降低了。因此用于分紅的金額或直接用于將來開拓和發(fā)展的投資就相應(yīng)地減少了。
一個國家的情況也完全相同。如果人民忠于職守，舉止規(guī)矩，能受到政府的信賴，那么政府就不需要大批的警察和文職人員去促使人民遵紀守法。但是，如果一個國家處于分裂狀態(tài)，政府不能相信人民的行動有利于國家，那么政府就不得不對人民進行監(jiān)督、檢查和控制。因此，一個處于分裂的國家必須要支付過高的行政管理費用。