我們生活在貨幣經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)

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Money is a vital part of our everyday lives.

Money can be earned by working, spent on things we need, saved for future spending or borrowed for immediate use.

Money, as we know it, takes two forms: cash money which consists of coin and paper currency and checkbook money which most people use to pay many of their bills. The important thing to remember, though, is that they are interchangeable. We can deposit cash into a checking account. Or we can write a check as a substitute for cash.

Money in itself really is useless. But as a medium of exchange it has value. The value is what the money can buy. Here is a simple example.

Ten years ago one dollar could buy:

hamburger postage stamp

ice cream cone ball point pen

Today one dollar can buy:

hamburger

Ten years from now one dollar might buy more or less or the same. Strange, isn't it? One dollar always equals 4 quarters or 10 dimes or 20 nickels or 100 pennies. So the dollar itself doesn't change. But what the dollar will buy, how much it will buy, does vary. Why does the value of the dollar change? How does this change affect us? How can we limit the dollar's changing value?

Imagine our economy as one huge machine. Instead of mills, factories, farms, offices and shops, this one machine turns out all our goods and services. Everyone with a job works this Total Production Machine. Some workers repair and maintain it. But most work to produce cars, washing machines, houses, food, tanks, roads and health services —— almost all the things we need and want.

Of course, everyone who works the machine gets paid. Some are paid in cash. Others are paid by check. In fact, sometimes this checkbook money is deposited directly into workers' bank accounts.

Then either with their cash money or checkbook money,people buy things to eat and wear and enjoy. Thus, people work on the machine,get paid by the machine and buy what the Total Production Machine has produced. When people buy all that the machine has produced, then everything is in balance, and the value of our money is stable and healthy.

錢(qián)在人們的日常生活中是不可缺少的。

掙錢(qián)靠工作，日常消費(fèi)需要用錢(qián)，將來(lái)消費(fèi)需要存錢(qián)，現(xiàn)在消費(fèi)需要借錢(qián)。

眾所周知，錢(qián)有兩種形式：一種是現(xiàn)金，包括硬幣和紙幣；另一種是支票貨幣，大多數(shù)人用來(lái)支付賬單。不過(guò)，你要記住，支票貨幣是可用于交換的。人們可以把錢(qián)存到支票賬戶上去，或者開(kāi)出支票代替現(xiàn)金使用。

錢(qián)本身確實(shí)沒(méi)有什么用，但作為交換媒介，它是有價(jià)值的。其價(jià)值在于它能購(gòu)買(mǎi)到的東西。舉一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的例子。

十年前，一美元可以買(mǎi)到：

一個(gè)漢堡包一張郵票

一個(gè)蛋卷冰淇淋一支圓珠筆

現(xiàn)在一美元只能買(mǎi)到：

一個(gè)漢堡包

以后的十年，一美元可以買(mǎi)到的東西或多或少，或者相同。奇怪嗎？一美元總是等于四個(gè)兩角五分的輔幣，或者十個(gè)一角銀幣，或者二十個(gè)五分鎳幣，或者一百分輔幣，因此，一美元本身的價(jià)值沒(méi)有變化。但是，一美元能買(mǎi)什么東西，買(mǎi)多少東西卻是變化無(wú)常的。一美元的價(jià)值為什么會(huì)發(fā)生變化呢？這種變化對(duì)人們的生活有怎樣的影響呢？人們?cè)鯓硬拍軐⑦@種變化限制在一定的范圍內(nèi)呢？

把我們生活的經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)設(shè)想為一臺(tái)巨大的機(jī)器，它不是作坊、工廠、農(nóng)場(chǎng)、辦公室和商店，正是這臺(tái)機(jī)器，它生產(chǎn)出所有我們需要的商品和勞務(wù)。每一個(gè)有工作的人都在開(kāi)動(dòng)這臺(tái)“生產(chǎn)總機(jī)器”。有些工人在修理并維護(hù)它，但大多數(shù)人工作，生產(chǎn)出汽車(chē)、洗衣機(jī)、住房、食品、儲(chǔ)罐、道路和衛(wèi)生服務(wù)——幾乎人們所需要的一切東西。

當(dāng)然，任何開(kāi)動(dòng)機(jī)器的人都會(huì)得到報(bào)酬，有的人得到的是現(xiàn)金，有的人得到的是支票。實(shí)際上，這張支票貨幣有時(shí)直接存到工人的銀行賬戶上。

然后，人們既可以用現(xiàn)金貨幣，又可以用支票貨幣購(gòu)買(mǎi)吃的東西、穿的衣服和享受服務(wù)。所以，人們開(kāi)動(dòng)機(jī)器，從機(jī)器得到報(bào)酬并購(gòu)買(mǎi)這臺(tái)“生產(chǎn)總機(jī)器”生產(chǎn)出來(lái)的產(chǎn)品。當(dāng)人們將其生產(chǎn)出來(lái)的產(chǎn)品全部購(gòu)買(mǎi)掉，那一切都處于平衡狀態(tài)，我們社會(huì)中的貨幣價(jià)值就會(huì)穩(wěn)定，機(jī)器就會(huì)正常運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。

But once in a while, people decide to buy fewer cars. Or the federal government may cut back its spending on the space program. Perhaps local governments defer building a new school. Or industry decides to spend less on steel, for example, thinking that there is enough stockpiled in the nation's warehouses. And when spending or demand slows, then the machine's speed is reduced.

Fewer people are needed to work the Total Production Machine. As some incomes are cut out, total buying is even less than before. The machine works still slower and more people are laid off. This state of economic affairs —— the imbalance between demand and supply —— is called recession.

Sometimes the opposite happens. Instead of cutting back, people, industry and governments may decide to buy more. Demand goes up and our Total Production Machine gets busier. As the demand for its output becomes greater and greater, the machine must work harder and longer to produce more cars, more space capsules, more schools, more steel, more health care —— more of the things that are wanted.

More people are hired to work the machine. Earnings rise. And spending increases. We push the machine to even greater efforts.

However, there's a limit to what the machine can produce —— at stable prices. Working at full throttle, the machine must use obsolete and inefficient parts. This is costly. Further, untrained people must be hired who may be less productive. So costs go up still more. And as costs go up, prices go up,too.

How can we produce more without rising prices? How can growing demand be satisfied at stable prices? To solve this problem, we must improve and enlarge the machine. To produce more at prices that stay level we must add to the machine's capacity. Therefore, part of the machine's output must be assigned to expand its capacity. This means that we must postpone the demand for additional cars, washing machines and services, so that we can spend more on steel mills, electric generating plants and spare parts —— the things that are needed to expand the Total Production Machine.

It seems, though, that people prefer not to postpone their demand. They would rather spend their incomes right away.

Some suggest that we get funds for new parts for the Total Production Machine by creating more money.

The banking system can create more money when people wish to borrow to supplement their spending out of current income. Borrowing may expand the Total Production Machine's output. But when the machine is working near or at full capacity, the rapid creation of more money will not increase production fast enough.

Since we cannot buy more than is being produced, the additional money only increases the competition for the available supply of products. Too many dollars are chasing too few goods. Prices of many kinds of goods will tend to go up. A dollar will not buy what it did before, and its value —— what and how much it will buy —— will go down. This state of economic affairs —— this imbalance between demand and supply —— is called inflation.

Inflation hurts many people. Those receiving fixed incomes, such as pensioners, find that their dollars buy less. And people with savings accounts find that inflation reduces the value of their savings.

Since too little spending may lead to recession and too much spending may lead to inflation, how much new money is needed to keep our economy growing, employment high and prices relatively stable? We are waiting for the answer.

但是，人們偶爾會(huì)決定減少汽車(chē)的購(gòu)買(mǎi)量；或者聯(lián)邦政府可能會(huì)削減其太空計(jì)劃的費(fèi)用；或許地方政府會(huì)推遲建一所新學(xué)校；或者工業(yè)部門(mén)決定減少鋼產(chǎn)量，比如，工業(yè)部門(mén)認(rèn)為國(guó)家?guī)齑嬉咽殖湓！．?dāng)費(fèi)用開(kāi)支或需求減少，這時(shí)機(jī)器運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的速度就會(huì)放慢。

當(dāng)開(kāi)動(dòng)這臺(tái)“生產(chǎn)總機(jī)器”的人數(shù)減少，一些人的收入就會(huì)減少，購(gòu)買(mǎi)總金額就會(huì)比以前減少，這臺(tái)機(jī)器運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)的速度就會(huì)放慢，就會(huì)有更多的人被解雇。這種經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況——供求失衡——就叫經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條。

有時(shí)，經(jīng)濟(jì)會(huì)發(fā)生相反的情況，消費(fèi)者、工業(yè)部門(mén)和政府不是決定削減開(kāi)支，而是增加購(gòu)買(mǎi)金額。需求上升，我們的“生產(chǎn)總機(jī)器”運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)加快。由于對(duì)其產(chǎn)品的需求越來(lái)越大，這臺(tái)機(jī)器運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)更吃力、時(shí)間更長(zhǎng)，以便生產(chǎn)更多的汽車(chē)、制造更多的太空倉(cāng)、建更多的學(xué)校、煉更多的鋼鐵、提供更多的衛(wèi)生保健服務(wù)——所需要的更多東西。

更多的人被雇來(lái)開(kāi)動(dòng)機(jī)器，人們收益增加，開(kāi)支也隨著增加，人們得更努力地去推動(dòng)這臺(tái)機(jī)器運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。

然而，在物價(jià)穩(wěn)定的情況下，機(jī)器生產(chǎn)的產(chǎn)品就會(huì)限制在一定的范圍內(nèi)。如果開(kāi)足馬力，機(jī)器的零部件就會(huì)老化，甚至失效，這樣做成本太高。此外，雇傭的人未經(jīng)培訓(xùn)，效率低下，因此，成本還會(huì)繼續(xù)上升。隨著成本的上升，價(jià)格也跟著上升。

在物價(jià)不上升的情況下，怎樣才能生產(chǎn)更多的產(chǎn)品呢？在物價(jià)穩(wěn)定時(shí)，怎樣才能滿足不斷增長(zhǎng)的需求呢？要解決這個(gè)問(wèn)題，我們就必須改進(jìn)機(jī)器，擴(kuò)大機(jī)器的生產(chǎn)能力。為了在價(jià)格保持平穩(wěn)的情況下生產(chǎn)更多的東西，我們必須擴(kuò)大機(jī)器的生產(chǎn)能力。這就意味著我們必須推遲對(duì)汽車(chē)、洗衣機(jī)和勞務(wù)的額外需求，目的是為了將更多的費(fèi)用花在鋼鐵廠、發(fā)電廠和配件廠——用于購(gòu)買(mǎi)擴(kuò)大這臺(tái)“生產(chǎn)總機(jī)器”生產(chǎn)能力所需要的一切東西。

可是，人們似乎不愿推遲他們的需求，寧愿將其收入立刻花費(fèi)掉。

有人建議，通過(guò)增加發(fā)行貨幣的方法，我們就會(huì)獲得資金，為這臺(tái)“生產(chǎn)總機(jī)器”制造更多的零部件。在人們希望借到更多的錢(qián)，以增補(bǔ)現(xiàn)有收入的花費(fèi)時(shí)，銀行系統(tǒng)可以發(fā)行更多的貨幣。借錢(qián)可以擴(kuò)大這臺(tái)“生產(chǎn)總收入”的產(chǎn)出，但是，當(dāng)它的生產(chǎn)能力接近或開(kāi)足馬力，過(guò)多地發(fā)行貨幣將不會(huì)大幅度地增加生產(chǎn)。

既然我們所購(gòu)買(mǎi)的東西不能超過(guò)現(xiàn)有的生產(chǎn)能力，額外增加的貨幣只能增加對(duì)現(xiàn)有產(chǎn)品的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。太多的美元追逐極少的貨物，許多貨物的價(jià)格就會(huì)呈上升趨勢(shì)。一美元就不會(huì)買(mǎi)到以前所能買(mǎi)到的東西，而且它的價(jià)值——它所能買(mǎi)到的東西和買(mǎi)到多少東西——將會(huì)下降。這種經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況——這種供求失衡的狀況——就叫通貨膨脹。

通貨膨脹會(huì)對(duì)許多人造成傷害，那些有固定收入的人，比如領(lǐng)養(yǎng)老金的人，會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)他們手持的美元所能買(mǎi)到的東西減少了，而且有儲(chǔ)蓄的人發(fā)現(xiàn)，通貨膨脹減少了他們儲(chǔ)蓄的價(jià)值。

因?yàn)橄M(fèi)太少可能會(huì)引起經(jīng)濟(jì)蕭條，過(guò)多的消費(fèi)可能會(huì)引起通貨膨脹，所以，為保持經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng)，充分就業(yè)，物價(jià)相對(duì)穩(wěn)定，我們究竟需要發(fā)行多少新貨幣呢？我們等待著答復(fù)。

New Words
money n.錢(qián)，貨幣
economy n. 經(jīng)濟(jì)
vital adj.生死攸關(guān)的；致命的
earn vt. 賺得；掙得
spend vt. 花錢(qián)
save v. 節(jié)省；儲(chǔ)蓄
cash n. 現(xiàn)金，通貨
currency n. 貨幣；流通紙幣
checkbook n. （空白）支票簿
bill n. 帳單
interchangeable adj. 可交換的
interchange vt. 交換
deposit vt. 存錢(qián)：把（錢(qián)）存在銀行戶頭上
check n. 支票
account n. 帳戶
substitute n. 代用品；代替物
value n. 價(jià)值
limit vt.　限制或限定在一邊界或范圍之內(nèi)

Phrases and Expressions
cash money 現(xiàn)金
paper currency 紙幣
checkbook money 支票貨幣
deposit…into… 把…存入
a checking account 支票帳戶
in itself 本身；實(shí)質(zhì)上
postage stamp 郵票
ice cream cone 蛋卷冰淇淋
ball point pen 圓珠筆
changing value 不斷變化的價(jià)值
turn out 生產(chǎn)；制造

Notes

1.We Live in a "Money Economy".我們生活在"貨幣經(jīng)濟(jì)社會(huì)"。

(1)money n.pl.mon.eys或 monies

①a commodity, such as gold, or an officially issued coin or paper note that is legally established as an exchangeable equivalent of all other commodities, such as goods and services, and is used as a measure of their comparative values on the market錢(qián)，貨幣，紙幣：一種商品，如金子或官方發(fā)行的鑄幣或紙幣，把這種貨幣或紙幣定為可與其他一切商品、如貨物和服務(wù)的等價(jià)交換物，并用作市場(chǎng)交換價(jià)值的尺度

②the official currency, coins, and negotiable paper notes issued by a government通貨：由政府發(fā)行的官方貨幣、鑄幣和可轉(zhuǎn)讓紙幣

③assets and property considered in terms of monetary value; wealth財(cái)產(chǎn)，財(cái)富：被認(rèn)為有金錢(qián)價(jià)值的財(cái)產(chǎn)或財(cái)富；財(cái)富

(2)economy n.①the system or range of economic activity in a country, region, or community經(jīng)濟(jì)體：國(guó)家、地區(qū)或群體的經(jīng)濟(jì)活動(dòng)體系和范圍：

例：Effects of inflation were felt at every level of the economy.

通貨膨脹影響到每一經(jīng)濟(jì)階層

②a specific type of economic system經(jīng)濟(jì)制度：特定經(jīng)濟(jì)體系類(lèi)型

例：an industrial economy工業(yè)經(jīng)濟(jì)體制；

a planned economy計(jì)劃經(jīng)濟(jì)體制

2.The important thing to remember, though, is that they are interchangeable.然而，需要記住的事情是支票貨幣是可用于交換的。

(1)此句為"主-系-表"句型結(jié)構(gòu)。其中由that…引導(dǎo)的從句是表語(yǔ)從句。

(2)動(dòng)詞不定式to remember作后置定語(yǔ)，修飾前面的thing。

3.But what the dollar will buy, how much it will buy, does vary.但是，一美元能買(mǎi)什么東西，買(mǎi)多少東西卻是變化無(wú)常的。

(1)此句的主語(yǔ)是兩個(gè)主語(yǔ)從句what the dollar will buy和how much it will buy，謂語(yǔ)是does vary,此處的does起強(qiáng)調(diào)作用。

4.Of course, everyone who works the machine gets paid.當(dāng)然，任何開(kāi)動(dòng)機(jī)器的人都會(huì)得到報(bào)酬。

(1)此句是"主-系-表"句型結(jié)構(gòu)。句中的get作系詞，意為"to be successful in becoming成功地變成"；paid是動(dòng)詞pay的過(guò)去分詞，在句中做表語(yǔ)。

(2)句中的"who works the machine開(kāi)機(jī)器的…"是定語(yǔ)從句。動(dòng)詞work意為to operate操作。

5.When people buy all that the machine has produced, then everything is in balance, and the value of our money is stable and healthy.當(dāng)人們將其生產(chǎn)出來(lái)的產(chǎn)品全部購(gòu)買(mǎi)掉，那一切都處于平衡狀態(tài)，我們社會(huì)中的貨幣價(jià)值就會(huì)穩(wěn)定，機(jī)器就會(huì)正常運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)。

(1)此句中的(all)that the machine has produced是由關(guān)系代詞that引導(dǎo)的定語(yǔ)從句。由于先行詞是不定代詞all，所以關(guān)系代詞只能用that，而不能用which。

(2)in balance處于平衡狀態(tài)

balance n.a state of equilibrium or parity characterized by cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces平衡：平衡或均等的狀態(tài)，具有所有力量被相反的力量所抵消的特點(diǎn)

(3)句末的healthy解釋為"possessing good health健康的；擁有良好健康狀況的"，意為"社會(huì)就像一個(gè)機(jī)器正常運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)"。