這篇社論文章通過精心構建的敘述結構，深入分析了美聯儲的利率政策及其對全球經濟的影響。文章首先設定了背景，明確指出：“FOR MOST of the year everyone from stockpickers and homebuyers to President Joe Biden has banked on the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates soon.” 這一句設定了期望背景，即多方預期美聯儲將降息。
隨後，文章迅速轉向現實，指出預期的破滅：“Over the past two weeks those hopes have been dashed.” 通過提到最新的經濟資料，如“Annual consumer price inflation in March, at 3.5%, was higher than expected”以及“retail sales grew by a boomy 0.7% on the previous month,” 文章強調了經濟活動的熱度和通貨膨脹率高於預期，這些都是決策者需要重新考慮政策的理由。
接下來，文章詳細描述了鮑威爾的政策轉變，引述了他的直接講話：“On April 16th Jerome Powell, the Fed’s chairman, warned that the battle against inflation was taking ‘longer than expected’.” 這不僅顯示了政策的調整也反映了經濟形勢的不確定性。
文章的中段深入探討了利率持續高位的潛在後果，如企業和住戶的債務重組困難以及高利率對房市的影響，同時也未忘記強調高利率給政府債務帶來的更高成本：“America’s high and rapidly growing government debt is also becoming much more expensive to service.”
在結尾部分，文章擴展了視角至全球，探討了美元走強對國際貿易和其他經濟體的影響，結合IMF的增長預測和當前的金融市場動態，提出了對未來經濟形勢的慎重預測：“If high interest rates in America end its enviable economic run, rate cuts will eventually follow.”
“Over the last two weeks of the project, the team had high hopes for timely completion, but those hopes were dashed due to delays from a key supplier.”
“In response to ongoing student feedback, the department head first revised the course content and then made a significant overhaul in teaching methods—a pivot upon a pivot.”
這句話運用了“pivot upon a pivot”來描述大學系主任如何根據學生的回饋進行連續的教育策略調整。首先是課程內容的調整，接著是教學方法的徹底改革。這種表述方式有效地描繪了系主任對教學品質持續改進的承諾，以及他在教育實踐中應對回饋的靈活性和決斷力。這不僅展示了問題解決的過程，也強調了在教育管理中應對挑戰和回饋的重要性。
The consequences of higher rates in America will also ripple out to the rest of the world.
Strikingly, the Japanese yen has slipped to nearly 155 against the greenback, despite a historic (though modest) monetary tightening in March, prompting speculation that the government may intervene to defend the currency directly.
在英文裡，詞性相同的字眼常用and來連接，例如man and wife/you and I/back and forth。但在中文裡，類似的場合往往不用連接詞，只要說“夫妻”“你我”“前後”就夠了。同樣地，一長串同類詞在中文裡，也任其並列，無須連接，“東南西北”“金木水火土”“柴米油鹽醬醋茶”皆是如此。
The sounds of the wind, of the rain, and of reading aloud all fall upon my ears; The affairs of the family, of the state, and of the world are all my concerns.
外國詩句的翻譯，更能為其增添中文文化的精妙。我們所熟知的“心有猛虎，細嗅薔薇”，實際上是余光中翻譯的英國詩人西格裡夫·薩松的詩句In me the tiger sniffs the rose。鄭振鐸翻譯印度詩人泰戈爾詩集《飛鳥集》中的那句Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves，也讓“生如夏花之絢爛，死如秋葉之靜美”這句詩名揚中國。錢鍾書翻譯湯瑪斯·格雷的《墓地挽歌》，一句平平無奇的And leaves the world to darkness and to me卻能譯為“僅餘我與暮色平分此世界”，閒適之外透露出大氣，言有盡而意無窮。
在文章的開頭，Hoffman使用了一個修辭性問題來強調法治對美國商業的重要性：“Would New York be a global financial capital, or even a prosperous city, if markets had no basis for trusting the transactions that happen there? Obviously not.” 通過這個問題，Hoffman指出了法治對於商業成功的基礎作用。接着，Hoffman列舉了過去十年裡紐約市檢察官對偽造商業記錄的起訴數量，進一步強化了法律制度在維護商業秩序中的作用：“New York City prosecutors have brought thousands of felony charges for falsifying business records. It’s a crime because it strikes at American prosperity.”
Hoffman接着批評了一些美國商界領袖對川普的支持。他認為，這些領袖“have recently developed a kind of myopia, miscalculating what politics, and which political leaders, will truly support their long-term success.” 他指出，這些領袖因為長期生活在穩定的法律制度下，理所當然地認為這種制度會一直存在，但實際上這是不容忽視的必需品：“A robust, reliable legal system is not a given. It is a necessity we can ill afford to live without.”
接下來，Hoffman詳細描述了川普的負面形象，提到川普在商業交易中的不誠信行為，以及他在性侵、誹謗和欺詐等案件中的定罪：“Mr Trump was known as a liar and grifter who would browbeat vendors and debtors. More recently, American courts—including two unanimous juries—have found him to have engaged in sexual assault, defamation, fraud (including misuse of charitable funds) and—by a unanimous Colorado Supreme Court—insurrection.”
Hoffman進一步分析了支持川普的商界領袖的動機。他指出，一些人自欺欺人地認為川普可以被控制：“Some kid themselves, or pretend, that Mr Trump can be normal and controlled.” 另一些人則認為拜登的政策更具威脅，但Hoffman認為這種看法是“irrational but deeply irresponsible.”
最後，Hoffman警告說，支持川普可能會破壞法治，導致政府部門被川普的支持者控制，從而損害美國的民主制度：“Today’s pro-Trump business elites are making the same crucial mistake as a作者: indy 时间: 2024-7-5 04:58