考研閱讀材料

考研閱讀材料精選（第一輯）

長沙新東方國內(nèi)考試部編

（凡后標(biāo)*號均為考研大綱外詞匯）

經(jīng)濟(jì)商業(yè)篇

Smallisnotbeautiful

Whysmallfirmsarelesswonderfulthanyouthink

PEOPLEfindithardtolikebusinessesoncetheygrowbeyondacertainsize.Banksthatwere

utoobigtofail"sparkedaglobaleconomiccrisisandburnedbundlesoftaxpayers1cash.Big

retailerssuchasWalmartandTescosqueezesuppliersandcrushsmallrivals.SomebigBritish

firmsminimisetheirtaxbillssoaggressivelythattheyprovokeoutrage.Filmsnearlyalways

depictbigbusinessasmalign.TexRichman,theoilbaron*inthelatestMuppetsmovie,issobad

hereadsTheEconomist.Smallwonderthatwheneverpoliticianswanttolaudbusinesstheypraise

cuddly*smallfirms,notgiants.

Itisshrewdpoliticstochampionthelittleguy.Butthepopularfetish*forsmallbusinessisatodds

witheconomicreality.Bigfirmsaregenerallymoreproductive,offerhigherwagesandpaymore

taxesthansmallones.Economiesdominatedbysmallfirmsareoftensluggish.

Considerthesouthernperiphery*oftheeuroarea.CountriessuchasGreece,ItalyandPortugal

havelotsofsmallfirmswhich,thankstocumbersome*regulations,havefailedlamentably*to

grow.Firmswithatleast250workersaccountforlessthanhalftheshareofmanufacturingjobsin

thesecountriesthantheydoinGermany,theeurozone'sstrongesteconomy.Ashortfallofbig

firmsislinkedtothesluggishproductivityandlossofcompetitivenessthatisthedeepercauseof

theeuro-zonecrisis.Foralltheboosterismaroundsmallbusiness,itiseconomieswithlotsof

biggishcompaniesthathavebeenabletosustainthehighestlivingstandards.

Bigfirmscanreapeconomiesofscale.Abigfactoryusesfarlesscashandlabourtomakeeach

carorsteelpipethanasmallworkshop.Bigsupermarketssuchasthevillainous*Walmartoffera

widerrangeofhigh-qualitygoodsatlowerpricesthananycornerstore.Sizeallowsspecialisation,

whichfostersinnovation.AnengineeratGoogleorToyotacanfocusallhisenergyonaspecific

problem;hewillnotbeaskedtofixtheboss'slaptopaswell.ManufacturersinEuropewith250

ormoreworkersare30-40%moreproductivethan“micro“firmswithfewerthantenemployees.

ItistellingthatmicroenterprisesarecommoninGreece,butrareinGermany.

Bigfirmshavetheirflaws,ofcourse.Theycanbeslowtorespondtocustomers'needs,changing

tastesordisruptivetechnology.Iftheygrewbigthankstostatebacking,theyareoften

bureaucraticandinefficient.Toidolisebigfirmswouldbeasunwiseastoidolisesmallones.

It'swhatyoudowithitthatcounts

Ratherthanfocusingonsize,policymakersshouldlookatgrowth.Oneofthereasonswhy

everyonelovessmallfirmsisthattheycreatemorejobsthanbigones.Butmanysmallbusinesses

staysmallindefinitely.Thelinkbetweensmallfirmsandjobsgrowthreliesentirelyonnew

start-ups,whichareusuallysmall,andwhichbydefinitioncreatenewjobs(astheydidnot

previouslyexist).ArecentstudyofAmericanbusinessesfoundthatthelinkbetweencompanysize

andjobsgrowthdisappearsoncetheageoffirmsiscontrolledfor.

Ratherthanspooningoutsubsidiesandregulatoryfavourstosmallfirms,governmentsshould

concentrateonremovingbarrierstoexpansion.InpartsofEurope,forexample,smallfirmsare

exemptedfromthemostburdensomesocialregulations.Thisgivesthemanincentivetostaysmall.

Farbettertorepeal*burdensomerulesforallfirms.Thesamegoesfordifferentialtaxrates,such

asBritain's,andtheseparatebureaucracyAmericamaintainstodealwithsmallbusinesses.Ina

healthyeconomy,entrepreneurswithideascaneasilystartcompanies,thebestofwhichgrowfast

andtheworstofwhicharequicklysweptaside.Sizedoesn'tmatter.Growthdoes.

【簡析】

本文選自2012年3月3II《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》，主題為小型公司并不像人們想象的那么有利。

首段提出人們常指責(zé)大型公司的弊端，吹捧小公司，但從第二段起作者開始駁斥這種觀點(diǎn)，

之后舉例說明歐洲小型公司發(fā)展并不好，而大型公司往往經(jīng)濟(jì)效益更好。在客觀地指出大公

司也有一些弊端之后，作者指出盡管人們認(rèn)為小公司發(fā)展空間大，但事實(shí)上公司規(guī)模與公司

發(fā)展及工作機(jī)會(huì)之間關(guān)系并不確定。文末，作者給出對政府扶持小型公司的建議，指出應(yīng)當(dāng)

給小型公司減負(fù)，幫助小公司壯大。

【難度】★★★☆

Clicksandbricks

Manyretailersarebeingtooslowinreinventingthemselvesfortheageofonlineshopping

“WETENDtooverestimatetheeffectofatechnologyintheshortrunandunderestimatethe

effectinthelongrun,“observedRoyAmara,anAmericanfuturologist.Thisiscertainlyproving

trueofretailersandtheirattitudetotheinternet.Afterapanicattheturnofthemillenniumabout

theimpactontheirindustryofonlineshopping,bricks-and-mortar*storessettledintomakingonly

modestalterationstotheirbusinessmodelor,ostrich-like*,tryingtoignoreit.Fewhavesofar

madetheradicalchangesneededtomeetthethreatsfrom,andtaptheenormouspotentialof,

e-commerce.

Suchinactionthreatensretailers,survival.Onlinesalesarenowapproaching$200billionayearin

America.Theirshareoftotalretailsalesiscreepinguprelentlessly,from5%fiveyearsagoto9%

now.Peopleintheir20sand30sdoaboutaquarteroftheirshoppingonline.True,fewladieswho

lunchwillbuytheirChristianDiordressesonline;andbargain-hunterswillstillenjoy

rummaging*indiscountstoreslikeDollarGeneral.Buttoattracteveryoneinbetween,retailers

willhavetobuildastrongonlineofferingwhilemakingtheirshopsnicer,moreconveniently

locatedand,inthecaseofmanybig-boxretailers,smaller.Otherwisetheyarelikelytogounder,

asUnitedRetailGroup,anAmericanclothingchain,didthismonth.

Tobuildaprofitableonlinebusinessretailersmustintegrateitseamlesslywiththeir

bricks-and-mortaroperations.Manykeepthemseparate,increasingtheriskthattheyfailto

communicateorworktogetherproperly.Walmart'sonlineoperationsareinSiliconValley,far

fromitsArkansasheadquarters.Target,anothersupermarketgiant,untilrecentlyoutsourcedits

e-commercetoAmazon,thebiggestonlineretailer,andisonlynowbuildingitsowne-business.

BothWalmartandTargetstillhaveapuny*onlinepresencerelativetotheirsize.

Areyoubeingserved?

Retailersalsoneedtoberuthlessinchucking*outproductsthatdonotgainfrombeingsoldina

physicalstore:notjustthingslikeCDsandDVDs,whichcanbereplacedbydigitalgoods,but

bulkystufflikenappies*(AmazonhasbecomeabigsellerofPampers).Theirshopsmustfocus

onthosethings,suchasexpensiveclothesandgadgets*,thatcustomerswillwanttotrybefore

theybuy,andforwhichtheywillpayextra,suchasadvicefromcompetentsalesassistants.

Storeshavetobecomemorefuntovisit,soshoppersfeelitisworththetriptothemallorhigh

street.Apple'sshopsthrivenotonlybecausetheycontaincoolproducts;theyarebeautifully

designed,withhelpfulstaff.Disneystoresmaybeanordeal*forparentsbuttheyoftensucceedin

givingtheirpint-sized*clients“thebest30minutesofachild'sday”.Buttoomanyretailersthink

onlyofgettingaquicksale,neglectingtobuildrelationshipswithcustomers.Theyarethemostat

riskfrom“showrooming”:shopperstiyingproductsinphysicalstoresbeforesneakingofftobuy

themmorecheaplyonline.

Tosurviveinthenewworldofretailshopkeeperswillneedlargeamountsofimagination—and

money.Macy'sisinvesting$400mintherenovationofitsflagshipstoreinNewYork.Thelosers

willincludethose(likeBorders,anextinctchainofbookshops)thatkeepsellingthingspeopleare

happytobuyonline.Thebiggestwinnerswillbeconsumers.Theycanlookforwardnotonlyto

ever-greaterconveniencethankstotheinternet.Theywillalsofindagrowingnumberofphysical

storesthatcompetetomakeshoppingapleasure.

【簡析】

本文選自2012年2月25日《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》，主題為許多零售商的實(shí)體店在適應(yīng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)購物

時(shí)代方面的反應(yīng)太慢，沒有做出該有的變化，并在首段就提出這個(gè)論點(diǎn)。在第二、三兩段，

作者用當(dāng)下網(wǎng)絡(luò)購物的發(fā)展之迅速說明了零售商做出改變的急迫性，提出零售商應(yīng)盡快建立

網(wǎng)店，改進(jìn)實(shí)體店，并把兩者無縫結(jié)合起來。四、五兩段，作者舉例說明零售商實(shí)體店應(yīng)做

的改進(jìn)，包括將人們不會(huì)在實(shí)體店買的東西卜架、多提供一些人們希望先試再買的商品、改

善店面設(shè)計(jì)、拉近與客戶的關(guān)系等。文末補(bǔ)充說明，零售商的想象力和資金也很重要。而這

一切變化，最終目的都應(yīng)是為了使消費(fèi)者的購物更加方便且有趣。

【難度】★★★☆

Notquitepartytime

Signsofrecoveryhavemultiplied,buttheWest'seconomiesarenotyetoutofdanger

ANEWself-assurancehasspreadthroughfinancialmarkets.TheMSCIindexofglobalstocksis

upbymorethan7%sincethestartoftheyearandbyalmost20%sinceearlyOctober.Bond

yieldsinSpainandItaly,thetwobiggestofEurope'sembattled*peripheral*economies,have

fallentotheirlowestlevelsinthreemonths.Greece'sfraught*negotiationswithitscreditorshave

dulledtherallythisweek一butonlyabit.Giventhatahugesovereigndefault*couldoccurin

scarcelymorethanamonth,thereisstrangelylittlenervousness.

Whytheexuberance*?Inpartitreflectsgenuinelygoodeconomicnews,especiallyinAmerica,

whereJanuary'sfarstronger-than-expectedemploymentfigures,alongwithupbeatstatisticsfrom

manufacturingandservices,suggestthatrecoveryintheworld'sbiggesteconomyreallyisgaining

momentum.ThecheeriermoodisalsobasedonabeliefthattheEuropeanCentralBank(ECB)

hasvanquished*theworstdangersforthesinglecurrencywithitsmassiveprovisionofthree-year

liquidity*totheregion'sbanks.Calamities*thatseemedalltooplausibleacoupleofmonthsago,

suchasthecollapseofabigEuropeanbankoraseriesoffailedbondauctionsleadingtothe

imminent*fracturingofthesinglecurrencyitself,nowseemhighlyunlikely.

Inaddition,themarketrallyisanaturalreactiontothefactthatcentralbankershavedoubled

downontheircommitmenttocheapmoney.TheFederalReserverecentlymadeclearthatitdoes

notexpecttoraiseinterestratesuntiltheendof2014,muchlaterthanexpected.TheBankof

England,whichwasduetomeetonFebruary9thafterTheEconomistwenttopress,islikelyto

launchanotherroundofbond-buying.TheECB,whichmeetsthesameday,maycutratesagain

soon.

Willthegoodnewslast?Recenthistorysuggestscaution.AyearagoAmerica'seconomywas

widelyexpectedtoaccelerate,boostedbytheFed'ssecondroundofbond-buying.Insteadgrowth

slumped,pulleddownbyacombinationofoutsideshocks(higheroilpricesasaresultoftheArab

spring,disruptedsupplychainsaftertheJapaneseearthquake)andpolicyerrorsathomeand

abroad(wrangling*overAmerica'sdebtceilingandtheever-deepeningeuromess).

Toosoontocelebrate

America'seconomyisinbettershapethistime,notleastbecausehouseholdshavereducedtheir

debtfurtherandthehousingmarketisclosertoabottom.Buttheeurozone'sdebtsarebiggerthan

ever;manyofitseconomiesareinrecession.Andthelistofpotentialspoilersisuncomfoilably

similartothatofayearago.TensionswithIrancouldspawn*a2012oilshock.Meanwhile,the

riskofpolicymistakesremainswonyinglyhighonbothsidesoftheAtlantic:centralbankersmay

havesavedtheday,butpoliticianscouldstillmessthingsup.

InAmericathatcouldhappenbecausegoodeconomicnews,oddlyenough,reinforcespartisan*

gridlock*.Withunemploymentfallingandoptimismrising,bothRepublicansandDemocratsin

Congresshavelessincentivetosetasideelection-yearposturing.Themostimminent*decisionis

whethertoextendthepayroll-tax*cutandunemploymentinsurance,bothofwhicharesetto

expireattheendofFebruary.Failuretoextendthemmightnotkilltherecovery,butwouldsurely

weakenit.Farmoredangerousisthebudgetdebacle*loominglaterintheyear.Undercunentlaw

theBushtaxcutsexpireonDecember31standaslewofautomaticspendingcutskickin.

Togethertheywouldamounttoafiscal*tighteningofalmost4%ofGDP,morethanenoughto

dragtheeconomydownagain.AtthesametimeAmericaneedsacredibleplantofixits

medium-termfinances,aplanthatwouldincludetaxreformandmeasurestoreininspendingon

healthcareandpensions.Thepoliticalcalendarmakesallthishardenough.Astrongereconomy

willtemptpoliticianstoevenmorepartisanrigidity.

ThedynamicisnotdissimilarinEurope,wheretheECB'sboldprovisionofliquidity*hascalmed

nervesandlimitedtheseverityofthebondcrisisandtherecession.ThetroubleisthattheECB's

successhasreinforcedGermany'sconvictionthatitspreferredsolutiontosolvingthesingle

currency'sunderlyingproblems—namely,ahefty*doseofausterity*forall一istherightone.A

lastingsolutionfortheeurowillrequireamorebalancedapproach,onewhichincludesagreater

focusongrowth.Unfortunately,today'scalmmakesitlesslikelythatGermanpoliticianswill

countenance*suchashift,withtheresultthattheeurozone'stroubleswillfester*.

Itmaysoundchurlish*todwellonthepotentialforpoliticianstospoilthepartywhen,atlast,the

newsisbetterthanexpectedonbothsidesoftheAtlantic.Sadly,basedontherecentpast,ifsplain

prudent.Thisnewspaperwillbereadytocelebrateonlywhenpoliticians,andnotjustcentral

bankers,startmakingtherightchoices.

【簡析】

本文選自2012年2月11日《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》，主題為盡管西方經(jīng)濟(jì)有復(fù)蘇跡象，但由于政

治等方面的不確定性，西方經(jīng)濟(jì)還遠(yuǎn)沒有走出危機(jī)。首段舉例描述最近西方各國經(jīng)濟(jì)有所復(fù)

蘇，自信心I可升，第二、三段點(diǎn)出人們樂觀的原因，即美國就業(yè)率高于預(yù)期、各產(chǎn)業(yè)狀況好

轉(zhuǎn)、歐元區(qū)危機(jī)緩解、以及各方對各央行降低利率的積極反應(yīng)。但第四段開始，作者提出好

景可能不會(huì)長久，并舉出一年前美國經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇勢頭被國內(nèi)外政治狀況最終遏制的例子，以此

印證。第五段起作者開始分析好景不會(huì)長久的原因，指出盡管美國債務(wù)減輕、樓市探底，但

與一年前類似，嚴(yán)重的歐債危機(jī)以及大西洋兩岸的政治不確定因素仍對經(jīng)濟(jì)很不利。第六段

作者仔細(xì)分析美國國內(nèi)政治不確定性對經(jīng)濟(jì)的影響，指出政治黨派之間的僵局將影響各政策

的確定與執(zhí)行，進(jìn)而拉慢經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇。同時(shí)在第七段作者點(diǎn)出歐洲的類似境況，盡管歐洲央行

采取「成功的行動(dòng)，但歐洲經(jīng)濟(jì)同樣面臨德國政客的阻力。末段總結(jié)到，擔(dān)心政客們會(huì)搞砸

經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇的想法雖然不恰當(dāng)，但還是有道理。只有政客不逆經(jīng)濟(jì)之潮、與銀行家同樣做出正

確決定時(shí)，我們才能真正慶祝西方經(jīng)濟(jì)的復(fù)蘇。

【難度】★★★★☆

社會(huì)產(chǎn)業(yè)篇

Theseriousbusinessoffun

Abitoftheentertainmentbusinessthatmanyotherfirmscanlearnfrom

OLDstereotypesdiehard.Pictureavideo-gameplayerandyouwilllikelyimagineateenageboy,

byhimself,compulsivelyhammeringawayatagameinvolvingraygunsandaliensthatsplatter

whenblasted.Tenyearsago—anaeon*ingamingtime—thatmighthavebornesomerelationto

reality.Buttodayagamerisaslikelytobeamiddle-agedcommuterplaying“AngryBirds“onher

smartphone.InAmerica,thebiggestmarket,theaveragegame-playeris37yearsold.Two-fifths

arefemale.Eventeenagerswithimaginaryraygunsaremorelikelytobeplaying"Halo"withtheir

friendsthansolo.

Overthepasttenyearsthevideo-gameindustryhasgrownfromasmallniche*businesstoahuge,

mainstreamone.Withglobalsalesof$56billionin2010,ilismorethantwicethesizeofthe

recorded-musicindustry.Despitethedownturn,itisgrowingbyalmost9%ayear.

Isthissuccessduetoluckorskill?Theanswermatters,becausetherestoftheentertainment

industryhastendedtotreatgamingasbeingaluckybeneficiaryofbroadertechnologicalchanges.

Videogaming,unlikemusic,filmortelevision,hadthelucktobeborndigital:itneverfacedthe

struggletoconvertfromanalogue.Infact,thereisplentyforoldmediatolearn.

Videogameshavecertainlybeensweptalongbytwoforces:demography*andtechnology.The

firstgaminggeneration—thechildrenofthe1970sandearly1980s一isnowover30.Manystill

lovegaming,andcanaffordtospendfarmoreonitnow.Asgamingestablishesitselfasapastime

foradults,thesocialstigmaandtheworriesaboutmoralcorruptionthathavehistoricallygreeted

allnewmedia,fromnovelstopopmusic,havedissipated.Meanwhilerapidimprovementsin

computingpowerhaveallowedgamedesignerstoofferexperiencesthatarenowoftenmore

cinematicthanthecinema.

Butevengrantedthisgoodfortune,thegame-makershavebeenclever.Theyhavereachedoutto

newcustomerswithnewgadgets:Nintendo'sWiiconsoleshowedthatgameswith

cross-generationalappealcanmakemoneyfasterthanavirtualRafaelNadalreturnsyourpuny

serve.Theyhavebranchedoutintoeducation,corporatetrainingandevenwarfare,andhave

embraceddigitaldownloadsandmobiledeviceswithenthusiasm.Big-budgetshoot-^m-up

franchises*suchas“CallofDuty"and"Halo”arestillpopular,butmuchofthegrowthnow

comesfrom“casual”gamesthataresimple,cheapandplayableinshortburstsonmobilephones

orinwebbrowsers.''AngryBirds“hasbeendownloaded500mtimes.

Ontothenextlevel

Theindustryhasexcelledintwoparticularareas:pricingandpiracy.Inanerawhenpeopleare

disinclinedtopayforcontentontheweb,gamespublisherswerequicktodevelop“freemium”

models,whereyourelyonnon-payingcustomerstobuildanaudienceandthenextractcashonly

fromafanaticalfew.InChina,wherepiracyisrampant,manygamescanbeplayedonlinefor

nothing.Firmsinsteadmakemoneybysellingin-gameperks*and"virtualgoods“todedicated

players.Chinaisnowthesecond-biggestgamingmarket,butdoesnotevenrankinthetop20

marketsforthemusicbusiness.

Asgamingcomestobeseenasjustanothermedium,itstech-savvy*approachcouldprovidea

welcomeshotinthearmforexistingmediagroups.TimeWarnerandDisneyhaveboughtgames

firms;big-budgetgames,meanwhile,nowhaveHollywood-stylelaunches.Homoludens*ishere

toplay.

【簡析】

本文選自2011年12月10日《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》，主題為電子游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)的巨大成功以及其啟示。

首二段用現(xiàn)在游戲玩家人群擴(kuò)大、老少皆玩的例子說明游戲產(chǎn)'業(yè)今年的飛速發(fā)展。第三段開

始分析游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)成功的原因，指出盡管傳統(tǒng)媒體認(rèn)為游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)的成功是乘著高科技的東風(fēng)，

但事實(shí).上游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)有很多可供學(xué)習(xí)的啟示。第四段開始指出游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)成功的兩個(gè)基本原因，

即老玩家的支持以及新技術(shù)的輔助。第五段進(jìn)一步舉任天堂等指出，游戲開發(fā)者的機(jī)智、以

及游戲本身的多樣性和對客戶的有利吸引，更是游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)成功的原因。第六段補(bǔ)充說明，游

戲產(chǎn)業(yè)所擅長的定價(jià)策略和盜版技術(shù)，也反過來促進(jìn)了游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)中免費(fèi)、虛擬物品等模式的

出現(xiàn)和優(yōu)化。末段總結(jié)游戲產(chǎn)業(yè)與傳統(tǒng)媒體業(yè)的相互影響。

【難度】★★★☆

Themagicofdiasporas*

Immigrantnetworksareararebrightsparkintheworldeconomy.Richcountriesshould

welcomethem

THISisnotagoodtimetobeforeign.Anti-immigrantpartiesaregaininggroundinEurope.

Britainhasbeenfretting*thisweekoverlapsesinitsbordercontrols.InAmericaBarackObama

hasfailedtodelivertheimmigrationreformhepromised,andRepublicanpresidentialcandidates

wouldratherelectrifytheborderfencewithMexicothaneducatethechildrenofillegalaliens.

Americaeducatesforeignscientistsinitsuniversitiesandthenexpelsthem,apolicythemayorof

NewYorkcalls'"nationalsuicide”.

Thisilliberalturninattitudestomigrationisnosurprise.Itistheresultofcyclicaleconomic

gloomcombinedwithasecular*riseinpressureonrichcountries,borders.Butgovernmentsnow

weighingupwhetherornottotrytoslamthedoorshouldconsideranotherfactor:thegrowing

economicimportanceofdiasporas*,andthecontributiontheycanmaketoacountry'seconomic

growth.

Oldnetworks,newcommunications

Diaspora*networks一ofHuguenots,Scots,Jewsandmanyothers一havealwaysbeenapotent

economicforce,butthecheapnessandeaseofmodemtravelhasmadethemlargerandmore

numerousthaneverbefore.Therearenow215mfirst-generationmigrantsaroundtheworld:that's

3%oftheworld'spopulation.Iftheywereanation,itwouldbealittlelargerthanBrazil.There

aremoreChinesepeoplelivingoutsideChinathanthereareFrenchpeopleinFrance.Some22m

Indiansarescatteredallovertheglobe.Smallconcentrationsofethnicandlinguisticgroupshave

alwaysbeenfoundinsurprisingplaces——LebaneseinwestAfrica,JapaneseinBrazilandWelshin

Patagonia*,forinstance—buttheyhavebeenjoinedbynewerones,suchaswestAfricansin

southernChina.

Thesenetworksofkinshipandlanguagemakeiteasiertodobusinessacrossborders.Theyspeed

theflowofinformation:aChinesetraderinIndonesiawhospotsagapinthemarketforcheap

umbrellaswillalerthiscousininShenzhenwhoknowssomeonewhorunsanumbrellafactory.

Kinshiptiesfostertrust,sotheycansealthedealandgettheumbrellastoJakartabeforetherainy

seasonends.Trustmatters,especiallyinemergingmarketswheretheruleoflawisweak.Sodoes

aknowledgeofthelocalculture.ThatiswhysomuchforeigndirectinvestmentinChinastill

passesthroughtheChinesediasporas*.Andmoderncommunicationsmakethesenetworksan

evenmorepowerfultoolofbusiness.

Diasporasalsohelpspreadideas.Manyoftheemergingworld'sbrightestmindsareeducatedat

Westernuniversities.Anincreasingnumbergohome,takingwiththembothknowledgeand

contacts.IndiancomputerscientistsinBangalorebounceideasconstantlyofftheirIndianfriends

inSiliconValley.China'stechnologyindustryisdominatedby“seaturtles?,(Chinesewhohave

livedabroadandreturned).

Diasporas*spreadmoney,too.Migrantsintorichcountriesnotonlysendcashtotheirfamilies;

theyalsohelpcompaniesintheirhostcountryoperateintheirhomecountry.AHarvardBusiness

SchoolstudyshowsthatAmericancompaniesthatemploylotsofethnicChinesepeoplefindit

mucheasiertosetupinChinawithoutajointventurewithalocalfirm.

Suchargumentsareunlikelytomakemuchheadway*againsthostilitytowardsimmigrantsinrich

countries.Furyagainstforeignersisusuallybasedontwo(mutuallyincompatible)notions:that

becausesomanymigrantsclaimwelfaretheyareadrainonthepublicpurse;andthatbecause

theyarepreparedtoworkharderforlesspaytheywilldepressthewagesofthoseatthebottomof

thepile.

Thefirstisusuallynottrue(inBritain,forinstance,immigrantsclaimbenefitslessthan

indigenouspeopledo),andthesecondishardtoestablisheitherway.Somestudiesdoindeed

suggestthatcompetitionfromunskilledimmigrantsdepressesthewagesofunskilledlocals.But

othersfindthiseffecttobesmallornon-existent.

Norisitpossibletoestablishtheimpactofmigrationonoverallgrowth.Thesumsaresimplytoo

difficult.Yettherearegoodreasonsforbelievingthatitislikelytobepositive.Migrantstendto

behard-workingandinnovative.Thatspursproductivityandcompanyformation.Arecentstudy

carriedoutbyDukeUniversityshowedthat,whileimmigrantsmakeupaneighthofAmerica's

population,theyfoundedaquarterofthecountry'stechnologyandengineeringfirms.And,by

linkingtheWestwithemergingmarkets,diasporas*helprichcountriestoplugintofast-growing

economies.

Richcountriesarethuslikelytobenefitfromlooserimmigrationpolicy;andfearsthatpoor

countrieswillsufferasaresultofa“braindrain“areoverblown*.Theprospectofworkingabroad

spursmorepeopletoacquirevaluableskills,andnotallsubsequentlyemigrate.Skilledmigrants

sendmoneyhome,andtheyoftenreturntosetupnewbusinesses.Onestudyfoundthatunless

theylosemorethan20%oftheiruniversitygraduates,thebraindrainmakespoorcountriesricher.

Indiantakeaways

Governmentaswellasbusinessgainsfromthespreadofideasthroughdiasporas*.

Foreign-educatedIndians,includingtheprimeminister,ManmohanSingh(OxfordandCambridge)

andhissidekickMontekAhluwalia(Oxford),playedabigroleinbringingeconomicreformto

Indiaintheearly1990s.Some500,000Chinesepeoplehavestudiedabroadandreturned,mostly

inthepastdecade;theydominatethethink-tanksthatadvisethegovernment,andaremovingup

theranksoftheCommunistParty.ChengLioftheBrookingsInstitution,anAmericanthink-tank,

predictsthattheywillbe15-17%ofitsCentralCommitteenextyear,upfrom6%in2002.Few

seaturtlescallopenlyfordemocracy.Buttheyhaveseenhowitworksinpractice,andtheyknow

thatmanycountriesthatpractiseitarericher,cleanerandmorestablethanChina.

Asfortheoldworld,itsdesiretocloseitsbordersisunderstandablebutdangerous.Migration

bringsyouthtoageingcountries,andallowsideastocirculateinmillionsofmobileminds.Thatis

goodbothforthosewhoarrivewithsuitcasesanddreamsandforthosewhoshouldwelcome

them.

【簡析】

本文選自2011年11月19日《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》，主題為移民(diasporas)對富裕國家的益處。

首段舉例提出眼下各富裕國家對移民普遍的敵對態(tài)度，第二段提到這種態(tài)度雖然可以理解，

但不能忘記移民對富裕國家經(jīng)濟(jì)的貢獻(xiàn)，由此提出主題。之后作者從各方面論證移民的益處。

第三段介紹當(dāng)今世界移民現(xiàn)狀及規(guī)模，四五六三段分別舉例說明移民的三個(gè)益處之一，即移

民的親屬與語言關(guān)系有利于跨國貿(mào)易富有信任地開展、移民能幫助傳播知識和理念、能促進(jìn)

資金流通。第七段進(jìn)一步提出一般移民敵對者的兩個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，認(rèn)為移民搶占福利、壓低工資。

之后的第八段初步駁斥這兩個(gè)觀點(diǎn)，并在第九段進(jìn)一步舉例說明移民流入對富國整體經(jīng)濟(jì)的

提升作用。第十段補(bǔ)充提出，即使對窮國，一定的移民向富國流出也對窮國有利；第十一段

舉例論證海歸對印度、中國的重大幫助。末段總結(jié)全文，重申移民的益處，以及富國應(yīng)該歡

迎移民。

【難度】★★★☆

Asia'slonelyhearts

WomenarerejectingmarriageinAsia.Thesocialimplicationsareserious

TWENTYyearsagoadebateeruptedaboutwhethertherewerespecific“Asianvalues”.Most

attentionfocusedondubiousclaimsbyautocrats*thatdemocracywasnotamongthem.Buta

moreintriguing,iflessnoticed,argumentwasthattraditionalfamilyvalueswerestrongerinAsia

thaninAmericaandEurope,andthatthispartlyaccountedforAsia'seconomicsuccess.Inthe

wordsofLeeKuanYew,formerprimeministerofSingaporeandakeenadvocateofAsianvalues,

theChinesefamilyencouraged"scholarshipandhardworkandthriftanddefermentofpresent

enjoymentforfuturegain”.

Onthefaceofithisclaimappearspersuasivestill.InmostofAsia,marriageiswidespreadand

illegitimacyalmostunknown.Incontrast,halfofmarriagesinsomeWesterncountriesendin

divorce,andhalfofallchildrenarebomoutsidewedlock.TherecentriotsacrossBritain,whose

originsmanybelievelieinanabsenceofeitherparentalguidanceorfilial*respect,seemto

underlineaprofounddifferencebetweenEastandWest.

YetmarriageischangingfastinEast,South-EastandSouthAsia,eventhougheachregionhas

differenttraditions.ThechangesaredifferentfromthosethattookplaceintheWestinthesecond

halfofthe20thcentury.Divorce,thoughrisinginsomecountries,remainscomparativelyrare.

What'shappeninginAsiaisaflightfrommarriage.

Marriageratesarefallingpartlybecausepeoplearepostponinggettinghitched*.Maniageages

haverisenallovertheworld,buttheincreaseisparticularlymarkedinAsia.Peopletherenow

marryevenlaterthantheydointheWest.Themeanageofmarriageintherichestplaces-Japan,

Taiwan,SouthKoreaandHongKong—hasrisensharplyinthepastfewdecades,toreach29-30

forwomenand31-33formen.

AlotofAsiansarenotmarryinglater.Theyarenotmarryingatall.AlmostathirdofJapanese

womenintheirearly30sareunmarried;probablyhalfofthosewillalwaysbe.Overone-fifthof

Taiwanesewomenintheirlate30saresingle;mostwillnevermarry.Insomeplaces,ratesof

non-marriageareespeciallystriking:inBangkok,20%of40-44-yearoldwomenarenotmarried;

inTokyo,21%;amonguniversitygraduatesofthatageinSingapore,27%.Sofar,thetrendhas

notaffectedAsia'stwogiants,ChinaandIndia.Butitislikelyto,astheeconomicfactorsthat

havedrivenitelsewher