河海大学 李劲松

海词积累

1.brewer（Para.1）n.酿造啤酒者；啤酒公司

2.casualty（Para.1）n.（战争或事故的）受害者；牺牲品

3.shutdown （Para.1） n.（工厂）停工；（企业）歇业；（机器）停止运转

4.budge（Para.2）v.使改变主意；使让步

5.juggernaut（Para.2）n.不可抗拒的强大力量；无法控制的强大机构

6.dent（Para.2） n.减少；削减

7.contractor（Para.3）n.承包人；承包商

8.caveat（Para.4） n.警告；告诫

9.loophole （Para.6） n.（法律、合同等的）漏洞；空子

10.sap （Para.6） v.使虚弱；削弱；逐渐破坏

原文复现

Beerbrewersare facing bottlenecks.Airline passengers are facing queues.Around 800,000 federal employees are not being paid.These are thecasualtiesof America's governmentshutdown,which began on December 21st and is now the longest on record.It shows few signs of ending;its costs are climbing.

①Historically,such shutdowns seem barely to havebudgedthejuggernautthat is the American economy.②Economists at the Bureau of Economic Analysis(BEA)estimated that the 16-day funding lapse in October 2013 lowered real GDP growth in that quarter by 0.3 percentage point.③This time,as only around 40%of federal employees are affected,most estimates of the weekly impact are even smaller.④Economists at Moody's,a rating agency,reckon that for each week it continues,the dent to GDP growth will be0.04percentage point.

There are reasons to think that these numbers understate the impact of the shutdown.Kevin Hassett,chairman of the Trump administration's Council of Economic Advisers,said on January15th that after taking intoaccountunpaidgovernmentcontractors,his officials had recently doubled their estimates to a hit worth0.1percentage point per week.Congress has passed legislation to ensure that federal employees receive back pay.Although the government will have to pay its contractors (with interest)once the shutdown ends,in the past many of those companies did not pass the cash along to workers.

Anothercaveatis that these figures measure the economic impact of the shutdown by valuing the public services that the government is no longer paying for.When the government reopens,the assumption is that GDP will be bumped up by roughly the same amount it was depressed by,with few lasting effects.

Then there is the hardship faced by workers who are not being paid.In past shutdowns the impact on consumption was softened,as people expected them to be temporary and in the event they were brief.This one has lasted longer,and the poorest among those affected may not have savings to dip into.Mr Hassett says one of his employees is driving for Uber to make ends meet.Thousands of people are worried about losing housing subsidies.Regulators have instructed banks to work with borrowers and extend credit if necessary.But such services are unlikely to be free.

Thelongertheshutdown lasts,the harder it will be to escape its teeth.On January 11th the TSA announced that employees will be treated to a$500 bonus and a day's pay.The US Department of Agriculture is handing out food stamps for February ear-ly,to avoid tens of millions of Americans going without that month．If suchloopholesrun out,and the shutdown extends until March,then payments for food stamps worth$4．8bn per month will cease flowing．According to the economists at Moody's,that alone would sap GDP by$8．2bn per month,given how quickly it would bite into spending．Shutdowns are non-linear:One that lasts twice as long will incur more than twice the cost．

——From The Economist

文本探究

探究视角1：语篇分析

本文是一篇议论文。12月21日开始的美国政府关门事件是有记录以来持续时间最长的一次，目前几乎没有结束的迹象，它带来的影响越来越大，付出的代价也越来越大。工人们面临着没有工资的困境，成千上万的人担心会拿不到住房补贴。政府关门持续的时间越长，就越难摆脱困境，持续时间双倍，带来的成本不会也是双倍，而是远超于此。

篇章结构梳理：

典型段落段内结构分析：

Para．2

探究视角2：语言学习

难句分析

1.Economists at Moody's,a rating agency,reckon that for each week it continues,the dent to GDP growth will be 0.04 percentage point.

主句是Economists at Moody's reckon that...,a rating agency是Moody's的同位语，for each week it continues表示持续的时间，the dent to GDP growth will be 0.04 percentage point是reckon的宾语从句。

2.Kevin Hassett,chairman of the Trump administration's Council of Economic Advisers,said on January 15th that after taking into account unpaid government contractors,his officials had recently doubled their estimates to a hit worth 0.1 percentage point per week.

主句是Kevin Hassett said on January 15th that...,chairman of the Trump administration's Council of Economic Advisers是Kevin Hassett的同位语，after后面可以直接加动词的-ing形式，如after taking into account unpaid government contractors，his officials had recently doubled their estimates to a hit是said的宾语从句，worth 0.1 percentage point per week是修饰a hit的形容词短语。

探究视角3：文化拓展

美国政府关门

美国政府关门 （US government shutdown），预算拨款案无法批准，美国政府就不能花钱。预算拨款权力掌握在美国国会手中，国会不通过预算案，就意味着政府不能花钱，很多需要花钱的工程无法继续，员工的工资也将难以支付。从1977年到1996年19年间，美国联邦政府曾关门17次，几乎平均每年关门一次，最短1天，最长21天。其中1995年至1996年，克林顿政府执政时期，曾两次关门，导致数十万政府雇员被遣散回家“待业”。……