英語外刊精讀

1.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：網(wǎng)絡(luò)暴力

Online,wherepostscanleadtheirownvirallivesandeverythingleavesa

trail,wordscanbeeviscerating.Oftentheonlydefencevictimshaveistodelete

theironlineprofilesentirely.Butthatmeansforgoingawaytointeractwith

othersinapositiveway.Bullyinghappenswhereyoungpeoplespendtheir

time一atpresent,mainlyInstagram,Snapchat,FacebookandWhatsApp.In

SouthKoreathemostlikelyvenueisKakaotalk,thecountry'smostpopular

messagingapp.Awidelysuggested“solution“istoforbidteenagersfrom

particularplatforms.Butthentheywillmigratetoanother.

Online,wherepostscanleadtheirownvirallivesandeverythingleavesa

trail,wordscanbeeviscerating.Oftentheonlydefencevictimshaveistodelete

theironlineprofilesentirely.Butthatmeansforgoingawaytointeractwith

othersinapositiveway.Bullyinghappenswhereyoungpeoplespendtheir

time一atpresent,mainlyInstagram,Snapchat,FacebookandWhatsApp.In

SouthKoreathemostlikelyvenueisKakaotalk,thecountry'smostpopular

messagingapp.Awidelysuggested“solution“istoforbidteenagersfrom

particularplatforms.Butthentheywillmigratetoanother.

2.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：中國電子支付有多強(qiáng)？

Digitalpayments

Thedashfromcash

Richcountriesareracingtodematerialisepayments.Theyneedtodomore

topreparefortheside-effects

Forthepast3,000years,whenpeoplethoughtofmoneytheythoughtof

cash.Frombuyingfoodtosettlingbartabs,day-to-daydealingsinvolved

creasedpaperorclinkingbitsofmetal.Overthepastdecade,however,digital

paymentshavetakenoff-tappingyourplasticonaterminalorswipinga

smartphonehasbecomenormal.Nowthisrevolutionisabouttoturncashinto

anendangeredspeciesinsomericheconomies.Thatwillmaketheeconomy

moreefficient一butitalsoposesnewproblemsthatcouldholdthetransition

hostage.

Countriesareeliminatingcashatvaryingspeeds.Butthedirectionof

travelisclear,andinsomecasesthejourneyisnearlycomplete.InSwedenthe

numberofretailcashtransactionsperpersonhasfallenby80%inthepastten

years.Cashaccountsforjust6%ofpurchasesbyvalueinNorway.Britainis

probablyfourorsixyearsbehindtheNordiccountries.Americaisperhapsa

decadebehind.Outsidetherichworld,cashisstillking.Buteventhereits

dominanceisbeingeroded.InChinadigitalpaymentsrosefrom4%ofall

paymentsin2012to34%in2017.

3.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：中國年輕人為何越來越愛考公?

Whenjobprospectsturnprecarious,jobaspirationsturnconservative.

College-leaversnowcravestablejobsoverdynamicones.State-owned

enterprisesaretheirfirstchoice,preferredby44%,accordingtoZhaopin.

Privateenterpriseslostpopularity.Youngpeoplealsoseemkeentojointhe

civilservice.Theyhavedisplayedasimilarenthusiasmforthecivil-service

entranceexam(orkaogong)astheyhaveshownforthepostgraduatetest.There

were46civil-servicetest-takersperopeninginthemostrecentexam,according

tothegovernment.LuoZhiheng,aneconomistatYuekuaiSecurities,describes

therushtotakethetestas“kaogongfever”.Hecontrastsitwiththeconfidence

withwhichcivilservantsquittheirsafe,dryjobsinthe1990stodive"intothe

sea“ofprivateemployment.

4.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：報(bào)復(fù)性^費(fèi)or報(bào)復(fù)性存錢？

Thereisnouniversallyaccepteddefinitionofrevengeconsumption.Itcan

refertowhatpeoplebuy(expensiveindulgences),whytheybuyit(toalleviate

feelingsofboredom,depressionorhelplessness),orhowmuchofittheybuy.In

principle,spendingmustnotonlygetbacktonormalbutexceedit.Indeed,toexact

fullrevenge,theexcessspendingafterlockdownshouldoffsettheshortfallduringit.

InShanghai'scase,thatisatallorder.RetailsalesfellbyalmosthalfinApril,

comparedwithayearearlier.Fromthatlowpoint,saleswouldhavetogrowby

almost100%merelytogetbacktonormal.Forsalestoexceednormalbyasmuchas

theyfellshortofitduringthelockdown,theywouldhavetogrowbyroughly200%

fromtroughtopeak.

5.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：為何極端高溫不如洪水受關(guān)注？

InrecentdaysheatwaveshaveturnedswathesofAmericaandEuropeinto

furnaces.Despitetheaccompanyingblastofheadlines,theimplicationsofsuch

extremeheatareoftenoverlookedorunderplayed.Spectacularimagesofhurricanes

orfloodsgrabattentionmorereadily,yetheatwavescancausemoredeaths.Heatis

oneofclimatechange'sdeadliestmanifestations.Sometimesitsimpactis

unmistakable一aheatwaveinEuropein2003isestimatedtohaveclaimed70,000

lives.Moreoften,though,heatwavesaretreatedlikethetwointheNetherlandsin

2018.Injustoverthreeweeks,around300morepeoplediedthanwouldnormallybe

expectedatthattimeofyear.Thiswasdismissedasa“minorrise“byofficials.But

hadthosepeoplediedinaflood,itwouldhavebeenfrontnews.

Thehavoccausedbyextremeheatdoesnotgettheattentionitmeritsforseveral

reasons.Thedeathstendtobemorewidelydispersedanddonotinvolvethe

devastationofpropertyasdotheravagesofwindandwater.Moreover,deathsarenot

usuallydirectlyattributabletoheatstroke.Soaringtemperaturesjustturnpre-existing

conditionssuchasheartproblemsorlungdiseaselethal.

6.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：為什么獨(dú)居女性租房難？

WhysinglewomeninEgyptfindithardtorentaflat

WhenLayla(notherrealname),anEgyptianwoman,gotdivorcedinhermid-30s,

herparentsassumedshewouldmovebackhome.Butshewantedtosharewithfemale

flatmates."Whatarewe,Americans?^^hermotherwailed.Nowomaninherfamily

hadeverlivedonherown,widowsincluded,orwithindependentfemalefriends.For

anunmarriedwomaninEgypt,fleeingthenestcanbetricky.Ithelpsifsheiswily,or

rich,orlivesinaneighbourhoodthatcaterstoforeigners.

Persuadingthefamilyisusuallythefirsthurdle.Arguingsimplyforfreedom

wouldbevaliantbutoftenunwise.Bettertocitethebadtrafficasyourreason.That

helpedconvinceLayla'smother,becausetheybothtendtobecarsick.Havingher

ownflatwouldshortenhercommute.

Findinganamenablelandlordcanbeawkward,too.Fewlettosinglewomen,

sincethatmaydamagethebuilding'sreputationorruffleitsotherresidents9moral

feathers.Someletonconditionthatalonewomanmusthavenovisitors.

Onceanunmarriedwomanclinchesarentaldeal,shemustoftenfendoffnosy

neighboursanddoormen,saysBasmalah,anothersingleton,whoalsospokeundera

falsename.Boyfriendssometimeshavetosneakinwhenthedoormanisonacoffee

break.Herstookthestairs,sincetheliftwouldgiveawaythefloorhewasstoppingat.

Luckilyoneofherdoormenmistookherfbraforeigner:shedidnotdisabusehim.

Theytendtowinkatthoseloose-livingWesterners.

7.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：卡塔爾世界杯，誰贏麻了？

IstheWorldCupagiantwasteofmoney?

Hostcountriesaregrowingwary

FootballfanscanhardlyaccuseQatarofbeingtight-fisted.TheArabstatehas

reportedlyspent$300bninthe12yearssinceitwontherightstohostthemen's

WorldCup.Itonlyexpectsthetournamenttoinject$17bnbackintoitseconomy.

Muchofthatspendingspreehasgoneintobuildinginfrastructure,includingawhizzy

newmetrosystembuilttoaccommodatethe1.5mvisitorsexpectedtoshowupto

fbotbairsbiggestparty.Organisersinsistalltheconstructionwillserveapurpose

evenafterthefinalgoalsarescored.Theyshouldhopeso.Asaninvestment,sporting

mega-eventsarealmostalwaysadud.

Between1964and2018,31outof36bigevents(suchasWorldCupsorsummer

andwinterOlympics)rackedupchunkylosses,accordingtoresearchersatthe

UniversityofLausanne.Ofthe14WorldCupstheyanalysed,onlyonehaseverbeen

profitable:Russia'sin2018generatedasurplusof$235m,buoyedbyahugedealfor

broadcastingrights.Still,thetournamentonlymanageda4.6%returnoninvestment.

(ThedatafbrMexico'sWorldCupin1986isincomplete.Itprobablyranadeficit.)

Almostallthemainexpensesfallonthehostcountry.FIFA,thesport'sgoverning

body,coversonlyoperationalcosts.Yetittakeshomemostoftherevenue:ticket

sales,sponsorshipsandbroadcastingrightsgointoitscoffers.ThelastWorldCup,for

instance,scoredFIFAacool$5.4bn,partofwhichisthentransferredtonational

teams.

8.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：中國網(wǎng)紅“大V”

Forconsumers,influencersareatonceawalkingadvertandatrustedfriend.For

intermediariesthatsitbetweenthemandbrands,theyareahotcommodity.Forthe

brands'corporateowners,theyarebecomingaconduittomillennialandGen-Z

consumers,whowillberesponsiblefor70%ofthe$350bnorsoinglobalspending

onblingby2025,accordingtoBain,aconsultancy.Andforregulators,theyarethe

subjectofevercloserscrutiny.OnMarch29thnewsreportssurfacedthatChina's

paternalisticauthoritiesareplanningnewcurbsonhowmuchmoneyinternetusers

canspendontippingtheirfavouriteinfluencers,howmuchthoseinfluencerscanearn

fromfans,andwhattheyareallowedtopost.Takentogether,allthismakesthem

impossibletoignore.

9.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：年輕人為什么選擇躺平？

Anewtermforoptingoutoftheratracehasbecomepopular,andcontroversial

TangpingdescribesalongingtoescapethepressuresofmodernlifeinChina,

whereyoungpeopleareexpectedtoworklonghours,buyproperty,getmarriedand

havechildren.Manypeopleintheir20sand30sgrumblethathardworknolonger

rewardsthemwithabetterqualityoflife.Theyhaveadoptedanacademic

term,neijuanor“involution”,todescribehowextrainputnolongeryieldsmore

output.Unliketheirparents,whoenjoyedaboomingeconomy,theyfeelthatsociety

isstagnatingandinequalitygrowing.

Otherwaysofexpressingthismoodhavealsobecomecommon.Oneissang,or

“dejected”:manyyoungpeoplenowtalkofthespreadofa“sangculture"inChina.

Theyreferto“Buddhistyouth”,meaningthosewhoareneverdisappointedsincethey

wantnothing.SomeyoungChinesecallthemselveschives,harvestedorexploitedby

thegovernmentandfirms.Astheypointoutonline,itisdifficulttoharvestchives

whentheyarelyingflat.

10.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：工作“996”,病房ICU

Burned-outtechworkersorganisearareonlinelabourmovement.

(Dintheworld'smostcensoredregionofcyberspace,findinganunpatrolledspot

toairsharedgrievancesishard.②YetdisgruntledChinesesoftwaredevelopershave

recentlyfoundoneattheirfingertips:GitHub,aplatformownedbyMicrosoftthat

allowsdeveloperstohelpeachotherbuildsoftware.③Fedupwiththegrindingly

longworkhoursimposedonthembyChina'sinternetgiants,thiscollectivehas

recentlybuiltsomethingelse-amovementdemandingmorehumaneofficehoursand

callingouttheworstcorporateoffenders.

④Theirbeefisthe"996"regime,whichreferstoaworkscheduleof9amto9pm,

sixdaysaweek,oftenwithoutextrapay.?Toilingsuchhourshasbecomean

unspokenruleinthefreneticworldofChinesetech.

11.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：調(diào)休有多痛苦，假期就有多快樂

Avacationgivesworkersachancetorechargetheirmentalbatteries.For

Bartleby,thismeansreadingbooksthatdonothavetitleslike“BeyondPerformance

2.0”(sadly,agenuineexampleofamanagementtome).Headingtoanewlocation

allowsemployeestocleartheirthoughts.Afterall,thereismoretolifethan

spreadsheetsandsalesforecasts.TomisquoteTimothyLeary,the1960shippieguru,

aholidayistimeto“turnoffanddropout”.

Italsomeansworkersgetmoresleepbyescapingthetyrannyofthe

early-morningalarm.Inaddition,theynolongersuffertheagoniesofthedaily

commute:thecrampedrailwaycamagesorgridlockedroads.Andbestofall,there

arenomeetingstoendure——noneedtositwithavaguelyinterestedexpressionon

yourfacewhiletimeseemstoslowtoacrawl.Inshort,holidaysreducestress.Andin

thelongrun,stressmakesworkerslesslikelytoperformwell.

12.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：是你在玩手機(jī)，還是手機(jī)在玩你？

(DSmartdevicesaresometimesempowering.②Theyputaworldofinformation

atourfingertips.③Th6yfreepeopletoworkfromhomeinsteadofsqueezingontoa

trainwithmalodorousstrangers.④Thatisahugeboonforparentsseekingflexible

workhours.?Smartphonesandtabletscanalsopromoteefficiencybyallowing

peopletogetthingsdoneinsparemomentsthatwouldotherwisebewasted,suchas

whilequeuingfbrcoffee.⑥Theycanevenhelpslackerscreatetheillusionthatthey

areworkingaroundtheclock,byprogrammingtheire-mailtobesentatlam.

①Butformostpeopletheservanthasbecomethemaster.②Notlongagoonly

doctorswereoncallallthetime.@Noweverybodyis.?Bossesthinknothing

ofinvadingtheiremployees1freetime.⑤Workinvadesthehomefarmorethan

domesticchoresinvadetheoffice.@Otherwise-sanepeoplechecktheirsmartphones

obsessively,evenduringpre-dinnerdrinks,andsende-mailsfirstthinginthemorning

andlastthingatnight.

13.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：月餅里的經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)|外刊精讀

WhatacontroversialpastrysaysaboutChina'seconomy

Mooncakesareausefulindicatoroftrends,fromconsumptiontocorruption.

MOONCAKESareamongthemostdivisivetreats.Forsomethechewypastries

aredelicaciesonwhichtogorgefortheMid-AutumnFestival,aChineseholidaythat

fallsthisyearonSeptember24th.Forotherstheyaredry,denseandfullofcalories.

Butforeconomiststheyaresomethingelseentirely:anindicatorofimportanttrends

inconsumption,innovation,coiTuptionandgrey-markettrading.

Mooncakesplaythisrolebecauseoftheirstatusasgifts.Aheadofthe

mid-autumnholiday,companiesgivethemtoemployees;businesscontactsexchange

them.Consumptionofmooncakesisthuslessareflectionofwhetherpeopleenjoythe

pastries,likenedbysometoediblehockeypucks,andmoreameasureofthehealthof

theeconomy.Soitishearteningtoknowthat,amidrisingtradetensionswith

America,theChinesebakeryassociationhasforecastthatsalesofmooncakeswillrise

byasolid5-10%thisyear.

SomeobserversfretthatChineseconsumers,burdenedbyrisingdebt,have

startedoptingforcheapergoods.Butconsumersstillplumpformoreexpensive

varietiesofmooncakesratherthantheclassicnut-and-egg-yolkfillings.Shangri-La,a

five-starhotelchain,haswonfanswithitsbluebeixy-cheesemooncake(dismissedby

traditionalistsascheesecake).JudgingbylongqueuesatHaagen-Dazsstores,

mooncake-shapedice-creamsandwichesarealsobooming.Atleast30listedfood

companies,morethaneverbefore,arevyingforabiteofthe$2bnmooncakemarket

thisyear.

14.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：網(wǎng)游為何讓人成癮

Humanpsychologytellsusthatplayersshouldenjoyagamethatsatisfiesthe

needforcontrol,bestowsasenseofone'sprogress,andfostersrelationshipswith

friendsandothersencountered.Yetgamersdifferintheirindividualneeds.Each

personhastheirown"playerpersonality'*andthisvariationhasspawnedavast

industrydesignedtomeetdifferentmotivations.Somemaywanttoreleaseaggression

(CallofDuty),escapereality(WorldofWarcraft)oroverseebuildingprojects

(Minecraft).Othersaremoremotivatedbyin-gamerewards,orhaveahigh"loss

aversionHandsofindachallenginggameunfairorfrustrating(whileothersfindit

thrilling).Agame1汰eFlappyBirds,willmostappealtothosewhoareattractedby

repetitiveactions,difficultyandhavealowlossaversion.Thosewhohaveahighloss

aversion,however,willfinditinfuriating.

Playersaremotivatedbytheextenttowhichdifferentgamesfulfilltheir

basicpsychologicalneeds;butsomefactors,morethanothers,arefoundin

addiction.Oneriskfactorisfoundinplayerswhoaretryingto"escape”through

fantasyimmersionorroleplay.Indeed,theirgameusemaybeasymptomofsome

otherunderlyingproblem,saysocialphobiaordepression.Playingcanthengenerate

aviciouscyclethatishardtotreatifthegameisawayofself-medicating.For

example,achildwhoisunpopularinschool,orbeingbullied,maybeimportantand

powerfulinavideogame.Reallifemaystruggletocompete.

15.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：小鎮(zhèn)做題家的一生

RuralchildreninChinafaceobstaclesateverystageofdevelopment.Babiesare

morelikelytobeundernourishedandlackparentalattention.Bythetimetheyenter

primaryschool,manyhaveailmentssuchasanaemia,poorvisionandworms.Around

60%ofstudentsfromthepoorestcountiessufferfromatleastoneoftheseafflictions,

saysMrRozelle.

Thosewho,despitetheodds,makeittoeliteuniversitiesoftenfeelsocially

isolated.In2020astudentfromthecountrysidetooktosocialmediatodescribebeing

“l(fā)ostandconfused^^atuniversityafterleavingthe"straightforwardenvironment”of

school,wherepassingtestswasthefocus.Morethan100,000students,manywith

ruralbackgrounds,weighedin,sharingtheirownexperiencesoffeelinglikemisfits

andlamentingtheirjobprospects.TheycoinedanewterminChinese:xiaozhen

zuotijia,meaning"small-townswot”.

WangJianyue,acountry-bornphysicswhizz,canrelatetotheircomplaints.He

chosetostudyfinanceatuniversity,thinkingitwouldbeeasiertofindajobwithsuch

aspecialism.Itwasonlyafterhesawseveralofhisclassmatesgetinternshipsatbig

financialfirmsusingtheirparents9connectionsthathe“trulyunderstoodthegap”

betweenhimselfandthem.MrWangchangedhisfocustocomputerscience.Unlike

someothersmall-townswots,hehas,tohisrelief,gotajoboffer.

16.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：如何吐槽東京奧運(yùn)會？

Ringsontheropes

The2020Olympicswillbememorable,butnotinthewayJapanhoped

Evenifdisasterisaverted,asenseofnationalrenewalwillremainelusive

CloudsgatheredoverKomazawastadiuminTokyoastheOlympictorcharrived

onJuly9th.Becauseofthepandemic,thetraditionalpublicrelaywasreplacedbya

smallceremonybehindthestadium'scloseddoors.Protestersoutsideheldsignsthat

read"ProtectlivesnottheOlympics^^and"ExtinguishtheOlympictorch”.As

KyogokuNoriko,acivilservant,putit,“Nowisnotthetimeforafestival.^^More

enthusiasticonlookerslinedanearbyfootbridge,hopingtocatchaglimpseofthe

flamethroughthestadium'srafters.ForHonmaTaka,anofficeworker,thetorch

offered“abitoflightwithinthedarkness".

MrHonmalonginglyrecalledabrighterdayinthesameparkeightyearsearlier,

whenhejoinedthousandsofotherstocelebrateasTokyowontherighttohostthe

games.AbeShinzo,Japan'sprimeministeratthetime,saidhewashappierthanhe

hadbeenwhenhebecameprimeminister.MrAbesawtheOlympicsasachanceto

lendcredencetohisbullishcatchphrase:"Japanisback”.Hehopedthegameswould

helpthecountrysnapoutofitsgloomafterdecadesofeconomicstagnation,

demographicdeclineanddevastatingnaturaldisasters.Thegames,saysTaniguchi

Tomohiko,aspecialadvisertoMrAbe,wereseenasasourceof“acommoditythat

wasinscarcesupply:hopefortheftiture”.

17.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：三孩政策

Forageneration,China'sgovernmenthadpersuadeditsmarriedcouplesthat

“onechildisenough”.Then,in2016,itallowedparentstogivebirthtoa

second.Nowtheymayatlasthaveathird.OnMay31st,atameetingoftheruling

Politburo,thecountry'smostseniorofficialsdecreedthatafurtherrelaxationof

birth-controlregulationswouldhelpChinatofulfilitsgoalof"activelycopingwith

anageingpopulation”.

Freshintheirmindsaretheresultsofthelatestonce-a-decadecensus,which

werereleasedonMay11th.Theymadeplainadeepeningdemographicpredicament:

only12mbabieswerebornlastyearinChina,adropofalmost20%from2019and

thecountry'slowestpopulationgrowthsincethe1960s,whenitwasreelingfroma

widespreadfamine.

Noindicationwasgivenofwhenthethree-childpolicywouldtakeeffect.

Butreactionstotheannouncementonsocialmediahardlybrimmedwithenthusiasm.

“Dotheynotyetknowthatmostyoungpeopleareexhaustedjustsupporting

themselves?0commentedonenetizenonWeibo,aTwitter-likesite."Thispolicyis

totallyoutoftouchwiththepeople,wroteanother.AnonlinepollbyXinhua,astate

newsagencywhichbrokethenews,askedifpeoplewouldconsiderhavingthree

children.Just5%ofrespondentssaidtheywould.Mostotherssaid“notatalF,.At

least31,000tookpartinthesurveybeforeitwashastilytakendown.Netizensdevised

anewinterpretationofacommonidiom,minbuliaosheng,whichmeans“thepeople

havenomeansoflivelihood".Theyrepurposedittomean“notevenspeakofgiving

birth”.

18探索太空50年

Thenext50yearsinspace

Anewageofspaceexplorationisbeginning.Itwillneedtheruleoflaw

andasystemofarmscontroltothrive

Themomentwhen,50yearsago,NeilArmstrongplantedhisfootonthe

surfaceoftheMooninspiredawe,prideandwonderaroundtheworld.This

newspaperarguedthat"man,fromthisdayon,cangowheresoeverinthe

universehismindwillsandhisingenuitycontrives...totheplanets,sooner

ratherthanlater,manisnowcertaintogo."Butno.TheMoonlandingwasan

aberration,agoalachievednotasanendinitselfbutasameansofsignalling

America'sextraordinarycapabilities.Thatpoint,oncemade,requiredno

remaking.Only571peoplehavebeenintoorbit;andsince1972noonehas

venturedmuchfartherintospacethanDesMoinesisfromChicago.

補(bǔ)充：人類為什么要探索太空？（寫作素材）

19.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：人口普查，究竟有多難？

InthecomingweeksnearlyeveryChinesehousewillreceiveaknockonthe

door.OnNovember1st7mfunctionarieswillbegincarryingoutthecountry's

ten-yearlycensus,ataskthatwilltakethemuntilDecember10th.Thelastsuchcount,

in2010,foundthatChina'stotalpopulationwasgrowingonlyhalfasswiftlyasitdid

between1991-2000.Thisyear'smegacountwillprovidefurtherdetailsaboutthe

country'sdemographiccrunch.

Censusesaredifficulteverywhere,butChina'sisespeciallyfraught.Itshundredsof

millionsofmigrantworkersaretrickytocount,notleastbecausesomefearreprisals

forhavingmovedtopartsofthecountrythattheCommunistPartywouldlikethemto

leave.Somepeopledonotwantofficialstofindoutthattheyhavehadmorechildren

thanfamily-planningpoliciesallow.Fraudstersandthieveswhohaveposedas

census-takersduringpastcountshavegivenenumeratorsabadname.Andlocal

governmentshavesometimessoughttoinflatepopulationfiguresinordertoclaim

moresubsidiesfromBeijing.

Thistime,saysthegovernment,newpaperlesssystemswillhelptoprotect

people'sinformationandmakeitharderforanyonetofiddlethecount.Therearealso

planstosubstitutedoor-to-doorvisitswithphonecallsandonlineforms,ifcensus

officialsinsomeplaceshavetoworkaroundlocaloutbreaksofcovid-19.Whereas

manyChineseshyfromthebox-tickers,somearehopingtousethisyear'sexerciseto

helpmakethemselvesmorevisible.Agay-rightsgroupinthesoutherncityof

Guangzhouisencouragingpeopleinsame-sexrelationshipstomakesure

census-takersrealisetheyareacouple,andtoinsistthattheywritethisinformation

intoanopenfieldinthecensusform.

20.動畫片中暴力行為會對孩子造成影響嗎？

?Worriesaboutthewarpingeffectoftechnologyarenothingnew.②Every

tremorofprogressinhistoryhasbeenaccompaniedbyamoralpanic.③Theprinting

pressallowed“evilmen^^to“floodthemarketwithanythingthathintsof

lasciviousness”,warnedamonkinVeniceinthe1470s.④Anyformofentertainment

isespeciallysuspicious.?Readingbooks,goingtothetheatreorcinema,listeningto

newmusic,playingvideogames一allhavebeenpresentedasthreateningto

undermineauthority,degradehumanrelationshipsandlurepeopleintosin.

21.經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人：為什么越來越多的中國年輕人選擇考研？

Testingoutofunemployment

ManyyoungChinesechoosegraduateschooloveragrimjobmarket

Covidlockdownsandregulatorycrackdownshaveinhibiteddemandfor

graduates.

Man*iage,accordingtoaFrenchproverb,islikeafortressbesieged.Those

outsidewanttogetin;thoseinsidewanttogetout.Thatthought,immortalisedinthe

titleofanovelbyQianZhongshufrom1947,hasmorerecentlybeenappliedto

China'sgraduateschools.Attheendoflastyear,arecord4.6mpeopletried

tostormthesefortressesbytakingthepostgraduateadmissionsexam,anincreaseof

over21%fromthepreviousyear.

Someofthesetest-takersmayhaveanabidingthirstforknowledge.Butmore

thanafewareprobablykeentodelaytheirentryintoChina'slabourmarket.The

urbanunemploymentrateforyoungpeopleaged16to24averagedover14%lastyear.

InAprilitroseto18.2%,itshighestlevelsincethesurveybeganin2018.

Thisgroupwillbeunusuallybigthisyear:10.8m,about18%morethanin2021.

Lessthanhalfofthosewantingtostartworkaftertheygraduatehavealreadyreceived

ajoboffer,accordingtoasurveylastmonthbyZhaopin,arecruitmentfirm.That

compareswithover60%atthistimelastyear.Theyhavealsosettledforlowerpay.

Theiraveragemonthlysalarywasabout6,500yuan($970),comparedwithalmost

7,400lastyear.

EvenbeforeChina'scovidlockdowns,itsregulatorycrackdownshadinhibited

demandforcollegegraduates.Thegovernmenthasimposedfines,limitsandnew

obligationsonChina'stechnologycompanies.Forexample,anine-monthfi*eezeon

newlicencesforvideogamesdamagedTencent,China'smostvaluableprivatefirm.

Itisschedulinglay-offs."Winteriscoming,“saysthecompany'schief,PonyMa,

accordingtoCaixin,amagazine.

AbleakseasonhasalreadyarrivedforChina'sedtechfirms.Underwhatis

knownasthe"double-reductionpolicy”,thegovernmenthastriedtocuttheburdenof

homeworkandprivatetutoringonchildrenandtheirparents.Manyofthe4.6m

peoplecompetingtoentergraduateschooltoconsumemoreeducationmightonce

havejoinedanedtechfirmproducingit.Inthiswayapolicytolightentheburdenof

educationontheyounghasextendedtheeducationoftheslightlylessyoung.

Whenjobprospectsturnprecarious,jobaspirationsturn

conservative.College-leaversnowcravestablejobsoverdynamicones.State-owned

enterprisesaretheirfirstchoice,