Used cars, travel and furniture are just some of many things that are getting more expensive
各種物價飛漲：二手車、旅行消費和家具正變得越來越貴
Just about everything is getting more expensive in the United States as the stimulus-fueled economy rebounds and Americans are again spending on shopping, traveling and eating out. But supply-chain woes mean supply isn't meeting demand — sending prices even higher.
隨著刺激政策推動經(jīng)濟復蘇，以及美國人重新開始購物、旅行和外出就餐，美國幾乎所有的東西都漲價了。然而，供應鏈危機意味著供給不能滿足需求，這進一步推高了物價。
US consumer prices in April increased 4.2% from a year earlier, more than the 3.6% economists had predicted. It was the biggest 12-month increase since September 2008, the height of the financial crisis.
4 月份，美國消費者物價指數(shù)同比提高了 4.2%，高于經(jīng)濟學家此前預測的 3.6%，這是 2008 年 9 月（經(jīng)濟危機最高峰時期）以來的最大同比增長率。
Over the past year, used car prices rose 21%. The auto market was whipsawed in the pandemic — first collapsing as people hunkered down at home and then spiking as they sought to travel without relying on public transportation.*** On top of that car manufacturers were closed or running at reduced capacity due to a shortage of computer chips used in vehicles. All this boosted the demand for used cars.
過去的一年里，二手車價格增長了 21%。汽車市場在疫情期間遭遇了雙重壓力——先是因為人們閉門不出，汽車市場慘淡；之后由于人們不愿依賴公共交通出門旅行，汽車銷量又再度飆升。除此之外，由于車用計算機芯片的短缺，許多汽車制造商要么停產(chǎn)，要么以較低產(chǎn)能運轉(zhuǎn)。這一切都促進了二手汽車的需求。
Prices for shelter and lodging, airline tickets, recreational activities, car insurance and furniture also contributed to the April price increases. Meanwhile, energy prices, which had been a major driver of inflation over the past months, came down slightly. Even so, over the past 12 months, the energy price index climbed more than 25%.
住房和租房、機票、娛樂活動、車輛保險以及家具的價格（上升）也造成了 4 月物價的上漲。與此同時，能源價格（過去幾個月通脹的主要驅(qū)動力）略有下降。即便如此，在過去的 12 個月里，能源價格指數(shù)上升了超過 25%。
Price increases, supply chain problems and shortages have become hot-button issues for the global economy. Higher inflation was expected as the economy began to reopen. The Federal Reserve, whose mandate is to keep prices stable, continuously said that moderately higher prices this summer will be temporary. But the longer price increases persist, the more attention the Fed will have to pay to them.
價格上漲、供應鏈困難和（物資）短缺已經(jīng)成為全球經(jīng)濟的熱點問題。隨著經(jīng)濟恢復，通貨膨脹率恐進一步提升。負責穩(wěn)定物價的美聯(lián)儲曾多次表示，今年夏天適度上漲的物價將是暫時的，但一旦價格持續(xù)上漲，美聯(lián)儲將不得不更加關注這個問題。
主編：桃子
品控：桃子
審核：Amy
重點詞匯
stimulus
/'st?m.j?.l?s/
n. 刺激物，促進因素
搭配短語：$1.9 trillion economic stimulus plan
fuel
/fj??l/
v. 刺激，加強；為......添加燃料
例句：U.S. imports from China are surging, fueled by stay-at-home shoppers.
rebound
/?ri??ba?nd/
v.（價格、價值等下跌后）回升，反彈
詞根詞綴：re-（表示“重新，再”）
近義詞：reopen / revive / recover
例句：The economy began to rebound / reopen / revive / recover.
woes
/wo?z/
n. 麻煩，問題
近義詞：troubles / problems
搭配短語：financial woes
搭配短語：economic woes
send
/send/
v. 使進入某種狀態(tài)；運送，郵寄
例句：The headache was sending me mad.
例句：The falling share prices sent the market into a panic.
the height of sth.
......的高潮（或高峰）；（事業(yè)的）巔峰
相關詞匯：height（n. 高度；頂點，最佳點）
例句：Summer vacation is the height of the tourist season.
例句：He is at the height of his career.
whipsaw
/?w?p.sɑ?/
v. 同時面臨雙重不利的情況（或壓力）
詞性拓展：whipsaw（n. 雙人用的鋸子）
英文釋義：subject to two difficult situations at the same time
collapse
/k?'l?ps/
v.（行業(yè)或企業(yè)）崩潰，垮掉，失敗
例句：Sri Lanka's hopes of a tourism-led economic revival have collapsed.
hunker down
準備長期呆在某安全之處；蹲下
搭配短語：to hunker down to fight coronavirus
同義表達：hunker down = hunker down at home
spiking
/spa?k/
v. 激增，急升
英文釋義：to rise quickly and reach a high value
例句：The US dollar spiked to a three-month high.
on top of sth.
除了......之外
詞義辨析：on top of sth., on the top of sth.
這兩個短語都可以表示“在......的上面”，且 on top of sth. 是 on the top of sth. 的省略說法。不過，on top of sth. 的用法更廣泛，比如它還可以表示“除了......之外”，文章中的 on top of that 就表示“除此之外”。
例句：On top of his salary, he earns some pocket money every week.
capacity
/k?'p?s?ti/
n. 生產(chǎn)量，生產(chǎn)力
例句：The factory is working at full capacity.
boost
/bu:st/
v. 改善，提高，推動
搭配短語：to boost sb's confidence / ego
搭配短語：to boost exports
搭配短語：to boost profits
lodging
/'lɑ:.d???/
n. 出租的房間，寄宿的地方
相關詞匯：lodge（v. 借宿）
英文釋義：to pay rent to stay somewhere
例句：They chose to lodge with local families.
recreational
/rek.ri?e?.??n.?l/
adj. 消遣的，娛樂的
相關詞匯：creation（n. 創(chuàng)作，創(chuàng)造）
詞根詞綴：re-（表示“重新，再”）
相關詞匯：recreation（n. 再創(chuàng)作；娛樂，消遣）
搭配短語：recreational facilities
contribute to
促成，起作用
相關詞匯：contribute（v. 貢獻，捐獻；促成，造成（某事發(fā)生））
搭配短語：A contributes to B
例句：His carelessness contributed to the accident.
driver
/'dra?.v?r/
n. 驅(qū)動因素；司機
相關詞匯：drive（v. 驅(qū)動；駕駛）
例句：Tourism industry is a key driver of the economy.
hot-button
/?hɑ?t ?b?t?.?n/
adj.（問題等）非常敏感的，熱門的
相關短語：hot button（n. 重要而敏感的話題）
例句：Abortion has become a hot button.
搭配短語：a hot-button topic
搭配短語：a hot-button question
mandate
/'m?n.de?t/
n.（政府或官員等經(jīng)選舉而獲得的）授權
詞性拓展：mandate（v. 下令）
例句：Many cities mandate social distancing.
近義詞：authority
moderately
/?m?d?r?tl?/
adv. 適度地，溫和地
例句：I only drink moderately.
例句：I did moderately well in the exam.
persist
/p??s?st/
v. 持續(xù)，延續(xù)
