Leah
Outlines for Chapter 2, Section 2
Economic
01-21-10
Evaluating Economic Performance
經濟效益評價
- Every economic system has goals such as financial security and freedom to carry out economic choices.
- Goals serve as benchmarks that help us determine if the system meets most-if not all-of our need.
Economic and Social Goals
經濟和社會目標
- These statements can be categorized into seven major economic and social
- Economic Freedom [one of the cornerstones of American society]
People like to choice their own occupations, and uses for their money.
Business owners like the freedom to choose where and how they produce.
- Economic Efficiency
Economic decision making must be efficient so that benefits gained are greater than costs incurred.
- Economic Equity
“Lemon law” [by the result that most people feel that advertisers should not be allowed to make false claims about their products] that allow new car buyers to return their cars if they have too many repairs.
【註釋1】
- (1)evaluating 評估，求值，績效考評，評價階段
- (2)performance 表演，演出，藝術上的表現，演技，表現，性能，業績，工作情況
- (3)goal 球門，射門，進球得分，目標，目的
- (4)financial security 金融安全，經濟擔保，財政擔保
- (5)benchmark 基準
- (6)determine 查明，測定，準確算出，決定，形成，支配，影響，確定，裁決，安排
- (7)categorize 分類
- (8)cornerstone 基石，奠基石，最重要部分，基礎，柱石
- (9)occupation 工作，職業，消遣，業餘活動，侵佔，佔領，佔領期
- (10)efficiency 效率，效能，功效，提高功效的方法，功率
- (11)benefit 優勢，益處，成效，福利費(政府對失業者、病人等提供的補助金)，(公司提供的)褔利，獎金，(保險公司支付的)給付，保險金
- (12)incur 招致，遭受，引起，引致，帶來(成本、花費等)；cost incurred 花費的費用，實際成本
- (13)equity (公司的)股本，資產淨值，(公司的)普通股，公平，公正股權；economic equity 經濟公平
- (14)lemon 檸檬；Lemon law 偽劣商品賠還法，（美）次品汽車買主保護法，產品質量法，（給在規定時間內發現新車故障的買主以賠償的）檸檬法案
- (15)advertiser 廣告商，廣告人員，廣告公司，登廣告者
- (16)false 錯誤的，不正確的，不真實的，非天生的，人造的，假的，偽造的
- Economic Security
Social Security — a federal program of disability and retirement benefits that covers most working people.
- More than 90 percent of American workers are included.
- Retirees, survivors, disabled persons, and medicare recipients are eligible for benefits.
- Survivors are spouses and children of deceased persons covered by Social Security.
- Medicare provides health insurance for persons 65 or older.
- Price Stability [another goal is to have stable prices.]
It makes budgeting easier and adds a degree of certainty to the future.
Inflation — a rise in the general level of price. If it occurs, workers need more money to pay for food, clothing, and shelter.
Fixed income — an income that does not increase even though prices go up. People who live on it find that bills are harder to pay and that planning for thr future is more difficult.
When there is inflation, interest rates tend to increase. High interest rates discourage business both from borrowing and spending.
- Economic Growth [the last goal of most Americans]
Growth is needed so that people can have more goods and services.
Since the nation’s population is likely to grow, economic growth is necessary to meet everyone’s needs.
- Feature Goals [these goals are ones in which most people seem to agree]
【註釋2】
- (17)disability 殘疾， (某種)缺陷，障礙，(指狀態、身心、學習等方面的)缺陷
- (18)retiremen 退休，退職，退休年齡，退休生活，(尤指從體育、政治等方面的)退出，引退
- (19）survivor 倖存者，生還者，挺過困難者
- (20)disable 使喪失能力，使傷殘，使無效，使不能運轉
- (21)medicare （美）（老年）醫療保險費，醫療服務，公辦的醫療保險制
- (22) recipient 收件人，受方，接受者
- (23)eligible 有資格的，合格的，具備條件的，(指認為可做夫妻的男女)合意的，合適的，中意的
- (24)spouse 配偶
- (25)deceased 已故的，去世的
- (26) stability 穩定(性)，穩固(性)
- (27)budget 預算，政府的年度預算
- (28)inflation 通貨膨脹，通脹率，充氣
- (29)occur 發生，出現，存在於，出現在
- (30)fixed income 固定收益
- (31) discourage 阻攔，阻止，勸阻，使灰心，使洩氣，使喪失信心
- (32) feature 特色，特徵；feature goals 功能目標
Trade-Offs Among Goals
目標之間的權衡
- Sometimes, the goals themselves might conflict with one another because even economic policies have opportunity costs.
- In case of the minimum wage, people compare their estimates of the costs against their estimates of benefits-and then exercise their right to vote for political candidates that support their position.
- For the most part, people, business, and government usually are able to resolve conflicts among goals.
- The economic system in US is flexible enough to allow choices, accommodate compromises, and still satisfy the majority of Americans most of the time.
【註釋3】
- (33)trade-off 取捨，顧此失彼
- (34)conflict 衝突，爭執，爭論，(軍事)衝突，戰鬥，牴觸，矛盾，不一致
- (35)economic policies 經濟政策
- (36)opportunity 機會，時機；opportunity costs 機會成本
- (37)minimum wage （法定）最低工資
- (38)candidate (競選或求職的)候選人，申請人，投考者，應試者，參加考試的人，被認定適合者，被認定有某種結局者
- (39)flexible 能適應新情況的，靈活的，可變動的，柔韌的，可彎曲的，有彈性的
- (40)accommodate為(某人)提供住宿(或膳宿、座位等)，容納，為…提供空間，考慮到，顧及
- (41)compromise 妥協，折中，互讓，和解，妥協(或折中)方案，達成妥協(或和解)
閱讀更多 鐫刻的時光 的文章
