三民學習網－英語資訊網/新聞宅急通

Vol. 53, November, 2008

‧友善列印模式　
‧音標字型下載　‧音標字型安裝說明

資料來源：三民英語資訊網
(有著作權，請勿隨意引用)

◆sneeze v. 打噴嚏
While cleaning the dirty room, Tom couldn't stop sneezing.

◆economic adj. 經濟的
Economic problems are very serious worldwide. Businesses are shutting down one after another.

◆certainly adv. 無疑地
You can ask John this question. He certainly knows the answer.

◆bubble n. 泡泡
The surface of the liquid was covered with bubbles.

◆housing n. 住宅（總稱）
The housing policy of the government is first to deal with the problem of housing shortage.

◆craze n. 狂熱
The mini skirt craze started in London in the 1960s.

◆mortgage n. 抵押貸款
I have a twenty-year mortgage on my home.

◆loan n. 貸款
I have to repay the home loan to the bank within ten years.

◆down payment n. （分期付款的）頭期款
The house is priced at four million dollars. The down payment is four hundred thousand dollars.

◆risky adj. 冒險的，危險的
It's very risky to climb the mountain in such bad weather.

◆subprime 次級的（貸款等）
subprime 這個字經常運用在 subprime lending （次級貸款）、 subprime mortgages （次級房貸）等情況。 subprime 泛指信用評比不佳，無法從正常管道借貸的貸款。

◆qualify v. 具備資格
Our team did not qualify for the finals because we lost the last game.

◆afford v. 負擔
I am afraid I can't afford to buy a new car.

◆investment n. 投資
We are planning to buy a house as an investment.

◆Lehman Brothers 雷曼兄弟
雷曼兄弟控股公司於 1850 年創辦，是一家國際性金融機構及投資銀行，是美國國庫債券的主要交易商。總部設於美國紐約市、倫敦及東京，在世界各地也設有辦事處。美國《財富雜誌》將雷曼兄弟選為財富 500 強公司之一，為美國第四大投資銀行（ 2008 年）。 2008 年中，次級房貸風暴連鎖效應使其遭受重大虧損，在美國財政部、美國銀行及英國巴克萊銀行相繼放棄收購談判後，雷曼兄弟公司宣布申請破產保護，負債達 6130 億美元。

◆AIG 美國國際集團
美國國際集團（ AIG ， American International Group, Inc. ）是一家以美國為基地的國際性跨國保險及金融服務機構集團，總部設於紐約市的美國國際大廈（ American International Building ）。集團也在英國、巴黎、香港設有總部。 2008 年度《富比士》（ Forbes ）雜誌的全球 2000 大跨國企業名單中， AIG 在全世界排名第 18 。

◆recognize v. 承認，認清
The company has recognized that there is a serious problem in the system.

◆potential adj. 可能的，潛在的
Before starting up a new company, be sure to weigh up the potential benefits and disadvantages.

◆bailout n. 緊急財務援助
The bank is calling on the government for a bailout due to lack of funds.

◆stock n. 股票
My uncle buys and sells stocks for a living.

◆plummet v. 筆直落下
House prices have plummeted, and it's the perfect time to buy one now.

◆ financial adj. 財務的
The company has lost a lot of money and is in great financial difficulties.

◆Iceland 冰島共和國
冰島共和國是北大西洋中的一個島國，位於格陵蘭島和英國中間，首都雷克雅維克。地理概念上，冰島經常被視為是北歐五國的一份子，但目前，冰島並未加入歐洲聯盟。今日的冰島已是一個高度發展的已開發國家，擁有全世界排名第五的平均每人國內生產毛額。

◆bankrupt adj. 破產的
The company went bankrupt. It spent too much money on the new project, and didn't make enough profits from it.

◆International Monetary Fund 國際貨幣基金組織
國際貨幣基金組織（ International Monetary Fund ，簡稱 IMF ）於 1945 年 12 月 27 日成立，為世界兩大金融機構之一，職責是監察貨幣匯率和各國貿易情況、提供技術和資金協助，確保全球金融制度運作正常；其總部設在華盛頓。

◆undoubtedly adv. 毫無疑問地
Today is undoubtedly the hottest day in this year. The temperature almost reached 40 degree Celsius!

Rollercoaster Ride Continues for Economies

(by Theodore Pigott, special correspondent)

It has been said that when America sneezes, then the rest of the world catches a cold. With all of the economic troubles that have occurred in 2008, this, now more than ever, certainly seems true.

The current economic problems in the United States probably began with a bubble—a housing bubble. Simply put, in the late 1990s to the early 2000s, the value of homes in America rose quickly—too quickly in many cases. Everyone wanted to buy a home, and to cash in on this craze, many banks made it very easy for people to borrow money. Banks offered mortgages, or home loans, to people who should never have received them. In some cases, people didn't even have to make down payments—the banks let them borrow the entire amount. Banks also came up with risky “subprime” loans, which allowed those who didn't qualify for traditional home loans to borrow money at a higher rate.

Unfortunately, like all bubbles, the housing bubble in America burst. This meant that many Americans could not afford to pay back their loans to the banks. So, many banks were stuck with these bad loans. This caused big problems for banks and investment companies. Some, like Lehman Brothers, had to close down. Others, like AIG, turned to the US government for help. Recognizing a potential economic disaster, the US government passed a US$700 billion bailout plan to help both banks and home-buyers.

But America 's domestic economic problems had already affected the rest of the world. The US stock market crashed, causing other stock markets around the world to plummet , as well. These financial problems even led some countries, such as Iceland, to claim that they were bankrupt and in need of help from the International Monetary Fund.

Many experts say that 2008 will be most remembered for its economic problems. Some even say that the world economy probably won't get better for at least one or two more years. Others, however, take a broader view. Times may be tough in the short run, they say, but in the long run, the world economy will undoubtedly recover and grow once again.

Reading Comprehension Test

1.	What does the phrase "...when America sneezes, then the rest of the world catches a cold" mean? (A) When Americans catch a cold, then people from the rest of the world will catch a cold. (B) What happens in the US influences the rest of the world. (C) When the weather in the US becomes cold, then it becomes cold in the rest of the world, too. (D) What happens around the world affects the US.
2.	What does "down payment" in the second paragraph mean? (A) The money you pay to buy something that is only part of the full price. (B) The cost of buying a house. (C) The money you borrow for buying something. (D) The amount of money the bank is willing to lend you to buy a house.
3.	According to the article, when will the economy get better? (A) Within one or two years. (B) In the short run. (C) It might never get better. (D) In the long run.
4.	Why did the housing bubble in America burst? (A) All bubbles burst. (B) The US government was not willing to pass a bailout plan. (C) AIG turned to the US government for help. (D) Many Americans could not afford to pay back their loans to the banks.
5.	What happened to the world after the US's domestic economic problems occured? (A) The stock markets around the world went up. (B) Some countries claimed they were bankrupt. (C) People from all over the world had to borrow money to buy houses. (D) The International Monetary Fund had come up with a plan to help banks and home-buyers.

中譯

經濟將維持震盪走勢

有人說：「美國打噴嚏，全球跟著重感冒。」放眼2008年種種的經濟困境，這句話在此時顯得格外真切。

美國當前的經濟問題可能源於泡沫化—房市的泡沫化。簡言之，1990年代晚期到2000年初，美國的房價急速攀升，而速度往往過快。每個人都想買間房子，想靠這股熱潮大賺一筆，而許多銀行讓民眾很輕易就借到錢。銀行把房貸提供給那些根本不該借到錢的民眾，有時候，甚至連頭期款都不用付，銀行讓民眾全額貸款。銀行甚至還想出「次級」房貸，讓那些不符合申請傳統房貸資格的人，能以較高的利率借到錢。

很不幸的，就如同所有泡沫化的現象，美國房市的泡沫也破滅了。這代表許多美國人無力償還貸款給銀行，許多銀行因此被這些呆帳困住了，許多銀行和投資公司因而陷入困境。有些公司，像是雷曼兄弟 (Lehman Brothers) 還因此關門大吉；其他像是美國國際集團 (AIG) 等公司，得向美國政府求助。美國政府察覺到經濟危機可能一觸即發，便通過7000億美元的紓困方案，意圖挽救銀行和購屋者。

不過，美國國內的經濟問題已衝擊到全球其他地方。美國股市崩盤，全世界其他股市也隨之重挫。在種種金融問題威脅下，冰島等國家甚至被迫宣布破產，需要國際貨幣基金 (IMF) 的奧援。

許多專家表示，2008年讓人留下最深刻印象的將是經濟的問題，部份專家甚至認為，全球經濟至少在未來一、兩年恐怕難有起色，然而，也有專家採取較為宏觀的角度，認為短期的局勢可能很難熬，但長期而言，全球經濟定能復甦，重回成長軌道。

閱讀測驗解答：B, A, A, C, A