不管是雅思寫作還是翻譯，我們都需要和數據打交道。英語中關於數量減少的表達有很多，本期介紹9個相關的單詞。
1. decelerate
The Economist Intelligence Unit expects global trade growth to decelerate to 3.7% in 2019, from 5.3% in 2017, causing economic growth to slow in the US and Europe.
經濟學人智庫預計，全球貿易增速將從2017年的5.3％降至2019年的3.7％，導致美國和歐洲的經濟增長放緩。
2. down
Exports were down by 6.6% compared with the same month last year, much better than expected.
出口與去年同期相比下降了6.6％，遠遠超出了預期的水平。
3. shrink和contract
Assuming that COVID-19 and restrictions on daily life peak in the second quarter, the fund thinks global GDP will shrink by 3% this year, although advanced economies are expected to contract by an average 6.1%.
假設新冠疫情以及對日常生活的限制在第二季度達到頂峰，國際貨幣基金組織認為，儘管預測中發達國家的經濟將整體縮小6.1％，但今年全球經濟將萎縮3％。
語言點：
在表達數量最大或事物發展達到最高點的時候，除了常用的形容詞最高級，其實我們可以簡單地使用一個動詞peak。
4. slump
Before the global financial crisis they were rising by about 10% a year, but in 2009 they slumped by 5%.
全球金融危機爆發之前，匯款的年均增長速度為10％左右，但到了2009年則下降了5％。
5. fall
In the first half of 2018 the bank’s credit impairment charge fell by 72% year on year.
2018年上半年，銀行的信用減值損失同比下降了72％。
6. drop
One of the biggest American lenders, Wells Fargo, has just reported that its profits dropped by 99% in the first quarter compared with a year earlier.
美國最大的銀行之一富國銀行（Wells Fargo）在報告中指出，第一季度的利潤與去年同期相比下降了99％。
以上幾個表達都是以減少的事物為主語的，這類通常是在外因影響下被動的下降。那麼，有時候在主體明確的情況下，由主體主動作出調整的，我們可以以主體為主語，使用相關的動詞來表達。如以下兩個例子：
7. slash
Oil companies have already slashed capital spending by about 25% this year.
今年，石油公司已經將資本開支削減了25％左右。
8. cut
Saudi Arabia and Russia ended their oil-price war, agreeing to a deal that will see oil-producing countries cut output by a record 9.7m barrels a day over the next two months, around 10% of global supply.
沙特阿拉伯和俄羅斯結束了油價大戰，並達成協議，未來的兩個月裡，石油生產國日均減產970萬桶原油，約佔全球供應量的10％，達到了歷史新高。
