【2020-01-30】外刊精读-The Economist January 18th 2020 “The horrible housing blunder”（2）

一、原文

                                        The horrible housing blunder（paragraph2&3）

At the root of that failure is a lack of building, especially near the thriving cities in which jobs are plentiful. From Sydney to Sydenham, fiddly regulations protect an elite ofexisting homeowners and prevent developers from building the skyscrapers and flats that the modern economy demands. The resulting high rents and house prices make it hard for workers to move to where the most productive jobs are, and have slowed growth. Overall housing costs in America absorb 11% of GDP, up from 8% in the 1970s. If just three big cities—New York, San Francisco and San Jose—relaxed planning rules, America’s GDP could be 4% higher. That is an enormous prize.

As well as being merely inefficient, housing markets are deeply unfair. Over a period of decades, falling interest rates have compounded inadequate supply and led to a surge in prices. In America the frenzy is concentrated in thriving cities; in other rich countries average national prices have soared, especially in English speaking countries wherepunting on property is a national sport. The financial crisis did not kill off the trend. In Britain inflation-adjusted house prices are roughly equal to their pre-crisis peak, while real wages are no higher. In Australia, despite recent falls, prices remain 20% higher than in 2008. In Canada they are up by half.

二、词汇

1. at the root of 根本原因

2. thriving cities≈vibrant cities 繁荣的城市

3. plentiful 英[ˈplentɪfl] 美[ˈplentɪfl] 丰富的

the age of plenty在富足的时代（2018年5月CATTI 3笔实务中出现过The age of plenty has also led to an unexpected global health crisis）

4. fiddly regulations 严格的规章制度

5. skyscrapers 英[ˈskaɪˌskreɪpəz] 美[ˈskaɪˌskreɪpərz] 摩天大楼

6. slowed growth （作文中可用）

7. Overall housing costs in America absorb 11% of GDP, up from 8% in the 1970s.（作文中可用）

8. soar≈surge 增加 （作文中常用）

9. punt on= to risk money by buying or supporting something, in the hope of making or winning more money 英[pʌnt , pʊnt] 美[pʌnt , pʊnt]

10. kill off the trend（作文中可用）

11. inflation-adjusted house prices经通胀因素调整换算后的房价

12. pre-crisis peak 金融危机前价格的峰值 pre-前；post-后

13. real wage 实际工资（经通胀因素调整换算后的房价）

三、结构

原文第1段指出They have caused one of the rich world’s most serious and longest-running economic failures，第2段开篇便对此作出了回应：At the root of that failure is a lack of building , especially near the thriving cities in which jobs are plentiful。本段的后续部分对这句话进行解释，并最后指出，Overall housing costs in America absorb 11% of GDP, up from 8% in the 1970s. If just three big cities—New York, San Francisco and San Jose—relaxed planning rules, America’s GDP could be 4% higher.

第3段紧接着说：As well as being merely inefficient, housing markets are deeply unfair。其中inefficient 照应第2段的内容，deeply unfair则总结了第3段的内容。本段的后续部分就围绕着deeply unfair展开。

第2段和第3段体现了英文行文的逻辑性。其逻辑性非常鲜明地体现在了行文结构上。

我们在平时阅读英文素材的时候，要尤其注意文章的逻辑结构。在进行英文阅读答题时，如果能找到每段的中心句（通常位于段首），进而快速把握文章脉络，那么做题速度和准确度也会有大幅的提高。