2023考研英語閱讀真正的戰斗打響了
The real fight begins真正的戰斗打響了
As a government shutdown looms, an attempt tograpple with Americas long-term deficit problems isat last under way
政府關門之危迫在眉睫，最終總算有人挺身而出解決美國長期的赤字問題了
CONGRESS may not be very good at passingbudgets, but that is not for lack of discussion ofthem. This week it was by three overlappingbudgetary debates: about a continuing resolutionto keep the government up and running for the restof this fiscal year, about next years budget and about whether to raise the legal limit on thefederal governments debt. Lawmakers have just under six months to sort out next yearsbudget, and under six weeks before Americas debt reaches the current ceiling. But without anew resolution, the governments authority to spend will expire at midnight on April 8th,forcing much of it to shut up shop. As The Economist went to press, the Republicans who runthe House of Representatives, the Democrats who run the Senate and Barack Obama himselfwere holding last-ditch talks, but also warning their staffs to prepare for a shutdown.
國會可能并不是很擅長通過預算，但這并不是因為議員之間缺乏討論溝通。本周國會將同時忙于三場關于預算的辯論：有關延續性決議的辯論，以維持政府運轉直至本財政年度結束;有關下一年度預算的辯論;有關是否應提升聯邦政府債務法定上限的辯論。立法人員僅有不到六個月的時間整理下一年度的預算，更是僅有不到六周的時間美國的債務就到達當前的上限了。但在沒有新決議的情況下，政府開支之權將在4月8日午夜12點廢止，政府大部分部門將被迫關門。截至本期《經濟學人》付梓之時，共和黨控制的眾議院、民主黨控制的參議院及貝拉克奧巴馬總統本人在舉行最后的會談，同時也警告各自職員為政府關門做好準備。
This cliffhanger is the culmination of months of fiscal bickering, punctuated by stopgapcontinuing resolutions. Since February the Republicans have been holding out for $61 billion incuts to this years budget, including assaults on favoured Democratic causes such as publicbroadcasting . The Democrats argue that their proposal is too extreme, toopolitical, and too narrowly focused. The previous two continuing resolutions, which hadlifespans of two and three weeks respectively, were intended to allow the two sides enoughtime to hammer out a compromise for the rest of the year.
這一懸念標志著數月以來關于財政的爭吵，在延續性決議這一權宜之計的推波助瀾下達到頂峰。自二月份以來，共和黨人一直堅持削減本年度財政預算610億美元，包括攻擊民主黨倡導的、備受民眾歡迎的眾多事業，例如公共廣播項目。民主黨則認為共和黨人的建議苛刻、政見強烈、目光狹隘。前兩個延續性決議分別為期2周和3周，目的是為雙方提供足夠的時間達成妥協，度過本財政年度剩余的幾個月。
Predictably, much of that time was instead spentgrandstanding. The House recently passed a billstating that if the Senate did not pass a budget ofits own, the Houses $61 billion cut, which theSenate had already rejected, should become lawanyway. Needless to say, the Senate did notembrace this idea. House Republicans then took toprotesting on the Senate steps each day, calling onthe Democrats leader in that chamber, Harry Reid,to resign. Meanwhile, a group of tea-party activiststhreatened dire vengeance on any Republicans whovoted for anything less than the full $61 billion of cuts. A bipartisan group of 64 of the 100senators sent Mr Obama a letter asking him to find a solution to their problems. Mr Obamacalled Congresss failure to pass a budget inexcusable and said that he would summon theleaders of its two chambers to the White House every day for talks until a deal was done.
不難預測，大部分時間都被浪費在嘩眾取寵上了。眾議院最近通過了一項議案，該議案指出：如果參議院否決眾議院的預算實際上參議院早已否決該預算 那該預算必將通過，具有法律效力。無需多言，參議院不接受這一建議。眾議院的共和黨人隨后每天都抗議參議院的決議，要求參議院民主黨領導人哈里瑞德辭職。同時，一群茶黨思想的激進分子威脅稱將對任何支持610億美元以下預算削減方案的共和黨人實施極端報復。由100位參議員中的64位組成的兩黨聯立組織向奧巴馬總統致信一封，要求總統尋求問題的解決方案。奧巴馬總統則稱國會未能通過預算方案難辭其咎，并表示以后每天他將召見參眾兩院領導人到白宮進行商討，直至達成協議之日。
A man with a plan謀略之士
It was into this maelstrom that Paul Ryan, the Republican who heads the House BudgetCommittee, released his proposed budget for next year on April 5th. He claimed it would slashspending by $6.2 trillion over the next ten years and the projected deficit by $4.4 trillionrelative to the proposal the president unveiled in February. All of this would place Americasfinances on a sounder paththough critics note that Mr Ryans figures are based on somehighly implausible assumptions, such as a prompt collapse in the unemployment rate and asurge in growth thanks to lower taxes. Whereas under the presidents plan debt wouldcontinue to rise steadily towards 100% of GDP, Mr Ryans would supposedly see it peak justshy of 75% of GDP in 2023 and decline thereafter.
正是在這一大混亂背景之下，共和黨人保羅瑞恩眾議院預算委員會主席于4月5日提出了下一年度的財政預算方案。他表示該方案將在未來十年內大幅削減政府支出，減幅達6.2萬億美元;與奧巴馬總統今年二月份提出的方案相比，該方案預計將削減赤字達4.4萬億美元。所有這些措施都將使美國財政回歸平穩運行軌道 盡管批評家指責瑞恩先生的數據是基于可信度極低的假設之上的例如降低稅率帶來的失業率迅速下降、經濟上漲。而在總統的計劃中，債務將持續穩步增長至與國內生產總值相當的水平。瑞恩先生的方案中，債務占國內生產總值的比重最高峰將于2023年勉強達到75%，隨后開始下降。
The Republicans claim to be able to achieve this feat by taking an axe to two of the biggestand most politically sensitive items in the budget: Medicare, government subsidised health-care for the elderly, and Medicaid, its equivalent for the poor. . These three entitlements alreadyaccount for over 40% of government spending and are growing so fast that they willtheoretically consume all government revenue within a few decades.
共和黨人聲稱有能力完成這一壯舉，但需對預算中開支最大、政治敏感度最高的兩個項目進行大刀闊斧的改革。這兩大項目就是：醫療改革項目政府針對老年人實行的醫療津貼項目，和醫療補助項目政府針對貧困人口的醫療補助項目。。這三大公民應得權利就占據了全部政府開支的40%以上，而且增長速度極快，理論上講，不消幾十年就將消耗全部政府財政收入。
The real fight begins真正的戰斗打響了
As a government shutdown looms, an attempt tograpple with Americas long-term deficit problems isat last under way
政府關門之危迫在眉睫，最終總算有人挺身而出解決美國長期的赤字問題了
CONGRESS may not be very good at passingbudgets, but that is not for lack of discussion ofthem. This week it was by three overlappingbudgetary debates: about a continuing resolutionto keep the government up and running for the restof this fiscal year, about next years budget and about whether to raise the legal limit on thefederal governments debt. Lawmakers have just under six months to sort out next yearsbudget, and under six weeks before Americas debt reaches the current ceiling. But without anew resolution, the governments authority to spend will expire at midnight on April 8th,forcing much of it to shut up shop. As The Economist went to press, the Republicans who runthe House of Representatives, the Democrats who run the Senate and Barack Obama himselfwere holding last-ditch talks, but also warning their staffs to prepare for a shutdown.
國會可能并不是很擅長通過預算，但這并不是因為議員之間缺乏討論溝通。本周國會將同時忙于三場關于預算的辯論：有關延續性決議的辯論，以維持政府運轉直至本財政年度結束;有關下一年度預算的辯論;有關是否應提升聯邦政府債務法定上限的辯論。立法人員僅有不到六個月的時間整理下一年度的預算，更是僅有不到六周的時間美國的債務就到達當前的上限了。但在沒有新決議的情況下，政府開支之權將在4月8日午夜12點廢止，政府大部分部門將被迫關門。截至本期《經濟學人》付梓之時，共和黨控制的眾議院、民主黨控制的參議院及貝拉克奧巴馬總統本人在舉行最后的會談，同時也警告各自職員為政府關門做好準備。
This cliffhanger is the culmination of months of fiscal bickering, punctuated by stopgapcontinuing resolutions. Since February the Republicans have been holding out for $61 billion incuts to this years budget, including assaults on favoured Democratic causes such as publicbroadcasting . The Democrats argue that their proposal is too extreme, toopolitical, and too narrowly focused. The previous two continuing resolutions, which hadlifespans of two and three weeks respectively, were intended to allow the two sides enoughtime to hammer out a compromise for the rest of the year.
這一懸念標志著數月以來關于財政的爭吵，在延續性決議這一權宜之計的推波助瀾下達到頂峰。自二月份以來，共和黨人一直堅持削減本年度財政預算610億美元，包括攻擊民主黨倡導的、備受民眾歡迎的眾多事業，例如公共廣播項目。民主黨則認為共和黨人的建議苛刻、政見強烈、目光狹隘。前兩個延續性決議分別為期2周和3周，目的是為雙方提供足夠的時間達成妥協，度過本財政年度剩余的幾個月。
Predictably, much of that time was instead spentgrandstanding. The House recently passed a billstating that if the Senate did not pass a budget ofits own, the Houses $61 billion cut, which theSenate had already rejected, should become lawanyway. Needless to say, the Senate did notembrace this idea. House Republicans then took toprotesting on the Senate steps each day, calling onthe Democrats leader in that chamber, Harry Reid,to resign. Meanwhile, a group of tea-party activiststhreatened dire vengeance on any Republicans whovoted for anything less than the full $61 billion of cuts. A bipartisan group of 64 of the 100senators sent Mr Obama a letter asking him to find a solution to their problems. Mr Obamacalled Congresss failure to pass a budget inexcusable and said that he would summon theleaders of its two chambers to the White House every day for talks until a deal was done.
不難預測，大部分時間都被浪費在嘩眾取寵上了。眾議院最近通過了一項議案，該議案指出：如果參議院否決眾議院的預算實際上參議院早已否決該預算 那該預算必將通過，具有法律效力。無需多言，參議院不接受這一建議。眾議院的共和黨人隨后每天都抗議參議院的決議，要求參議院民主黨領導人哈里瑞德辭職。同時，一群茶黨思想的激進分子威脅稱將對任何支持610億美元以下預算削減方案的共和黨人實施極端報復。由100位參議員中的64位組成的兩黨聯立組織向奧巴馬總統致信一封，要求總統尋求問題的解決方案。奧巴馬總統則稱國會未能通過預算方案難辭其咎，并表示以后每天他將召見參眾兩院領導人到白宮進行商討，直至達成協議之日。
A man with a plan謀略之士
It was into this maelstrom that Paul Ryan, the Republican who heads the House BudgetCommittee, released his proposed budget for next year on April 5th. He claimed it would slashspending by $6.2 trillion over the next ten years and the projected deficit by $4.4 trillionrelative to the proposal the president unveiled in February. All of this would place Americasfinances on a sounder paththough critics note that Mr Ryans figures are based on somehighly implausible assumptions, such as a prompt collapse in the unemployment rate and asurge in growth thanks to lower taxes. Whereas under the presidents plan debt wouldcontinue to rise steadily towards 100% of GDP, Mr Ryans would supposedly see it peak justshy of 75% of GDP in 2023 and decline thereafter.
正是在這一大混亂背景之下，共和黨人保羅瑞恩眾議院預算委員會主席于4月5日提出了下一年度的財政預算方案。他表示該方案將在未來十年內大幅削減政府支出，減幅達6.2萬億美元;與奧巴馬總統今年二月份提出的方案相比，該方案預計將削減赤字達4.4萬億美元。所有這些措施都將使美國財政回歸平穩運行軌道 盡管批評家指責瑞恩先生的數據是基于可信度極低的假設之上的例如降低稅率帶來的失業率迅速下降、經濟上漲。而在總統的計劃中，債務將持續穩步增長至與國內生產總值相當的水平。瑞恩先生的方案中，債務占國內生產總值的比重最高峰將于2023年勉強達到75%，隨后開始下降。
The Republicans claim to be able to achieve this feat by taking an axe to two of the biggestand most politically sensitive items in the budget: Medicare, government subsidised health-care for the elderly, and Medicaid, its equivalent for the poor. . These three entitlements alreadyaccount for over 40% of government spending and are growing so fast that they willtheoretically consume all government revenue within a few decades.
共和黨人聲稱有能力完成這一壯舉，但需對預算中開支最大、政治敏感度最高的兩個項目進行大刀闊斧的改革。這兩大項目就是：醫療改革項目政府針對老年人實行的醫療津貼項目，和醫療補助項目政府針對貧困人口的醫療補助項目。。這三大公民應得權利就占據了全部政府開支的40%以上，而且增長速度極快，理論上講，不消幾十年就將消耗全部政府財政收入。
