2023年-某某经济学家期刊文章篇.docx

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1、2011经济学家期刊文章精选20篇(考研英语专用，含参考译文)1、EducationSnooty or what?Oct 14th 2004 From The Economist print editionInverted snobbery prevents good teachers going where theyYe neededA clever man wants to do a good thing, but the wicked government stops him. That is the scandalous-sounding story of the difficulti

2、es encountered by Tristram Jones-Parry, head of fee-paying Westminster School, one of the best in the country. He retires next year and wants to help teach maths in a state school.Was he welcomed with open arms? No. He was told, he complains, that he would need retraining for the state system. It wa

3、s a similar story for David Wolfe, a retired American physics professor who teaches in a British state school. He said this week that the authorities told him to sit the GCSEmaths exam normally taken by 16-year-olds if he wanted to continue.The system is not quite as insane as this might suggest. Th

4、e rules that require state-school teachers to be formally qualified do have exceptions. The Teacher Training Agency insists that Mr Jones-Parry could gain his ticket in just a day, by having an assessor from the state system observe his work at Westminster (a requirement scarcely less ludicrous than

5、 the supposed demand for retraining). Mr Wolfes American PhD would count as an equivalent to the GCSE maths pass normally required. So he would scrape byWhat effect will Scotlands smoking ban have?IT WAS a radical, sweeping and entirely expected move. On November 10th the Scottish cabinet voted to f

6、ollow Ireland, New York and Norway in banning smoking in public places, including pubs, restaurants and even private members* clubs.The Scottish Executive argues that Scotland is one of the unhealthiest nations in Europe, and smoking is partly to blame. Some 31% of Scots smoke, compared with 26% of

7、Britons. Lung cancer rates are 49% higher in Scotland than in the rest of the country. Jack McConnell, Scotlands first minister, says that cigarette sales in New York fell by 13% after a ban was introduced in 2003, and by 16% in Ireland, which brought one in earlier this year.Whether the public is a

8、s keen as its leaders is less clear. The Scottish Executive insists that there is support for a total ban, but a leaked internal poll indicated that only half the population was in favour. A different poll, conducted by Populus for the pro-smoking group Forest, found that 73% opposed an outright ban

9、; most favoured a compromise of some sort.Nor is the likely impact on Scottish business any clearer. The Licensed Traders* Association, which represents Scottish pubs, predicted 30,000 jobs would go. Nonsense, said the government.Evidence from overseas sheds little light. After the ban in Ireland, t

10、he Irish Brewers* Association reported a 6% decline in beer sales in pubs. But the Irish are among the heaviest drinkers in Europe, and sales fell by a similar amount in 2003, before the ban. So the decline may be part of a long-term trend. The Vintners Association, which represents Dublin pubs, say

11、s it has clearer statistics: it reckons that trade is down about 16%, and that about 2,000 jobs have gone.Anti-smoking groups prefer to point to New York, where a government study reported that bars and restaurants had hired 2,800 extra staff to cope with increased demand in the wake of the ban ther

12、e. But the New York Nightlife Association, a trade body, points out that the study covered workers in fast-food restaurants that had never allowed smoking on their premises, even before the ban. It reckons that employment has fallen by 10%一although the number of people applying for a licence to run

13、a bar has stayed the same.Smokers will now turn their attention to England, which has been toying with the idea of a ban for some time. Ministers there are thought to be reluctant to ban smoking outright, especially with a general election looming, but new health proposals dealing with the subject a

14、re due before the end of the year. No doubt the English ministers will be studying the Scottish debate closely.7、MicrofinanceSmall sums, big issue Nov 18th 2004 | NEW YORK From The Economist print editionThe United Nations turns its attention to finance for the poorAMONG the more benign activities o

15、f the United Nations is the dedication of various years to specific causes. Mountains, deserts, rice and dialogue have all had their 365 days of fame. There is little evidence that the attention has done mountains, deserts, rice and dialogue any harm-but also not much to suggest that they have benef

16、ited either.In the next 12 months the spotlight falls on microfinance, the business of lending small amounts of money to the poor, taking deposits from them, transmitting money on their behalf and insuring them. With luck, the UNs effort will turn out to be substantial rather than symbolic. It certa

17、inly kicked off in style, with a big party at the UNs New York headquarters that demonstrated how fashionable the subject has become. Among the 700 in attendance were top bankers, politicians and a film star or two. The UN also announced the appointment of an advisory panel to consider what may be i

18、mpeding the growth and effectiveness of microfinance. Its members include businessmen and financiers (as well as the editor of The Economists business section).The success of the year depends to a great extent on whether the UN can harness its member states and financial institutions to establish so

19、me basic facts. Remarkably little is known about how finance operates outside wealthy countries. No good data exist on how many people have access to financial institutions, the breadth and penetration of banks in poor countries, the real cost of a loan and the time it takes to get one, the ease of

20、making a deposit and so forth.Micro finance itself is something of a mystery. There are no authoritative figures on the number and performance of microlending institutions. There is not even convincing information, beyond lots of anecdotes illustrated by photographs of women in rural villages, about

21、 whether microfinance makes any significant contribution to economic growth or is merely another philanthropic fad.In principle, loans to the poor should bring great benefits. Because the poor have less capital and often can borrow only with great difficulty, if at all, they ought to use extra capit

22、al more productively than the rich. Indeed, this might explain why even in the poorest places there is some form of money lending despite staggeringly high interest rates: 1,000% a year is not uncommon. However, such rates inevitably take a toll on enterprise and economic growth. The year of microcr

23、edit will have proven to be of great worth if it can first document the impediments to more efficient forms of financial intermediation and then begin to clear them away.For example, the UN would do well to address the common complaint that banks ignore the poor out of class bias. If they do, the UN

24、s interest may hasten change: some financial institutions are already making efforts to work with the poor, either directly or by providing wholesale services to smaller financial institutions. And many working in microfinance complain that their small size and lack of traditional assets make it har

25、d to attract capital either on their own account or through syndicated loans. A year hence, perhaps some of this will have changed.8、The dollarFurther to fallDec 29th 2004 From The Economist print editionA new year is likely to bring a new low for the dollarTHE dollar ended the year as it began: hea

26、ding downhill. It hit a new low against the euro, below $1.36, on December 28th. Against the yen, it was steadier: 103, slightly stronger than in late November. The yen has risen by less than the euro because, although the Bank of Japan has not intervened in the foreign-exchange markets since March,

27、 the bank looks more likely to act than the European Central Bank. Japans finance minister, Sadakazu Tanigaki, gave warning this week that his countrys authorities would monitor foreign-exchange markets over the New Year holiday. In contrast, Gerrit Zalm, the Dutch finance minister, suggested that t

28、he euros rise so far was acceptable.Since early 2002 the dollar has lost 37% against the euro and 24% against the yen. But it has shed only 16% against the Federal Reserves broad basket of currencies, because many Asian currencies are pegged or closely tied to the greenback.The cause of the dollars

29、decline is hardly a mystery: private investors are less eager to finance Americas huge current-account deficit. The deficit widened slightly in the third quarter of 2004, to a record $165 billion, or 5.6% of GDP. If the deficit remains so big, Americas foreign debt burden and hence its debt-service

30、payments will increase sharply.So far, Americas mounting foreign liabilities have not harmed its economy because the rise in its debt in recent years has been offset by lower interest rates. As a result, America still enjoys a net inflow of foreign investment income despite being the worlds biggest

31、debtor. But, as interest rates rise, refinancing Americas debt will become more costly. Goldman Sachs forecasts that net foreign investment income is likely to shift to a sizeable deficit during 2005, growing thereafter. The investment bank estimates that, if Americas current-account deficit remains

32、 steady as a share of GDP and interest rates average 5% in future, net foreign debt-service payments will reach 4% of GDP by 2020一a significant drag on American living standards.By most measures the dollar is already undervalued, but experience suggests that it will need to fall further still to cut

33、 the deficit to a sustainable level, say 2-3% of GDP. Capital Economics, a London research firm, forecasts that the dollar will fall to $1.40 against the euro and to 90 by the end of 2005. But it expects the dollar to recover against the British pound to $1.82 from $1.93 today, as British interest r

34、ates are cut in the wake of falling house prices.9、Classical music and social controlTwilight of the yobsJan 6th 2005 From The Economist print editionHow classical music helps keep orderTHE question of how to control yobbish behaviour troubles many. One increasingly popular solution is classical mus

35、ic, which is apparently painful to teenage ears. Co-op, a chain of grocery stores, is experimenting with playing classical music outside its shops, to stop youths from hanging around and intimidating customers. It seems to work well. Staff have a remote control and can turn the music on if theres a

36、situation developing and they need to disperse people”, says Steve Broughton of Co-op.The most extensive use of aural policing so far, though, has been in underground stations. Six stops on the Tyneside Metro currently pump out Haydn and Mozart to deter vandals and loiterers, and the scheme has been

37、 so successful that it has spawned imitators. After a pilot at Elm Park station on the London Underground, classical music now fills 30 other stations on the network. The most effective deterrents, according to a spokesman for Transport for London, are anything sung by Pavarotti or written by Mozart

38、.When selecting a record to drive people away, the key factor, according to Adrian North, a psychologist at Leicester University who researches links between music and behaviour, is its unfamiliarity. When the targets are unused to strings and woodwind, Mozart will be sufficient. But for the more mu

39、sically literate vandal, an atonal barrage probably works better. Mr North tried tormenting Leicestefs students with what he describes as computer-game music“ in the union bar. It cleared the place.If, however, the aim is not to disperse people but to calm them down, anything unfamiliar or challengi

40、ng is probably best avoided. At the Royal Bolton Hospital, staff have begun playing classical music in the accident and emergency (A&E) ward, as well as in the eye ward and the main reception area. Janet Hackin, a matron in the A&E ward, says that patients do appear calmer, rather than running aroun

41、d anxious and bleeding all over the place. But classical music might not have much effect on the consequences of more liberal licensing laws. If theyre stone drunk and past it then it doesn!t have much effect/ confirms Ms Hackin.10、Sex and academiaBirdbrainedJan 20th 2005 From The Economist print ed

42、itionAre women naturally bad scientists?IN HTS three-and-a-half years in the job, the president of Harvard University, Larry Summers, seems to have upset a large number of people. First, he said students were getting too many A” grades because of grade inflation (which was correct). Then he took on

43、Cornel West, a black professor, over his dodgy extra-curricular activities (again, Mr Summers had a point). Now he has suggested that one of the reasons women achieve less in science and maths is that they have less innate ability.Mr Summerss comments were off the record; but he has since confirmed

44、that he did draw attention to the possibility that innate differences, rather than social factors (such as education and treatment in the workplace) might have a role to play. This has drawn howls of complaint from the usual quarters. But, scientifically speaking, is he correct?There is certainly ev

45、idence to suggest that the average male and female brains may be different, with men better able to systemise” about the world and women better at empathising”. So are we wired differently from birth?Some clues come from a theory that autism is a developmental disorder that produces an extreme male

46、brain. Autism is up to four times more common in boys, and is thought to be caused by high levels of testosterone in the womb. Those who have it tend to be better at puzzles and pattern-related tasks than at verbal communication. Maybe males, with more testosterone in the womb, are simply better at

47、non-verbal skills? A medical description of autism practically reads like a scientific job description. Clumsy and overwhelmed by the physical world, autistic minds are often far more comfortable with the virtual realms of maths, symbols and code.However, even if geeks are naturally male, says Susan

48、 Ganter, executive director of the Association for Women in Science in Washington, DC (and a mathematician by training), it would not wanant Mr Summerss comments. Nobody knows to what extent such variations are actually important. They may well be a minor factor, while there are plenty of others tha

49、t undoubtedly affect female success in science. One of these is that it is very difficult to return to science after a career break to have a child-something Mr Summers also talked about in his speech.Worse, from a scientific viewpoint, Mr Summers may have compounded the problem by mentioning it. A slew of scientific research shows that if people are told they will fail, they will do so.11、No, but maybe yesFeb 10th 2005 | NEW YORK From The Economist pri