文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）
作者：Unknown
原文标题：Is Germany once again the sick man of Europe?
原文发布时间：17 Aug. 2023
Is Germany once again the sick man of Europe?
Nearly twenty-five years ago this newspaper called Germany the sick man of the euro. The combination of reunification, a sclerotic job market and slowing export demand all plagued the economy, forcing unemployment into double digits. Then a series of reforms in the early 2000s ushered in a golden age. Germany became the envy of its peers. Not only did the trains run on time but, with its world-beating engineering, the country also stood out as an exporting powerhouse. However, while Germany has prospered, the world has kept on turning. As a result, Germany has once again started to fall behind.
Europe's biggest economy has gone from a growth leader to a laggard. Between 2006 and 2017 it outperformed its large counterparts and kept pace with America. Yet today it has just experienced its third quarter of contraction or stagnation and may end up being the only big economy to shrink in 2023. The problems lie not only in the here and now. According to the IMF, Germany will grow more slowly than America, Britain, France and Spain over the next five years, too. To be sure, things are not as alarming as they were in 1999.
Unemployment today is around 3%; the country is richer and more open. But Germans increasingly complain that their country is not working as well as it should. Four out of five tell pollsters that Germany is not a fair place to live. Trains now run so serially behind the clock that Switzerland has barred late ones from its network. After being stranded abroad for the second time this summer as her ageing official plane malfunctioned, Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister, has aborted a trip to Australia.
德国是否再次成为欧洲的“病夫”？
精听党背景导读
大约四分之一个世纪前（1999 年 6 月），影响力巨大的英国商业杂志《经济学人》曾宣称德国是“欧洲病夫”。德媒世界报表示，“这一形容在当时被认为非常贴切，德国花了很多年才扭转局面。”
而现在，德国再次登上了《经济学人》头版——“德国是否再次成为欧洲病夫？” 好在这次加了一个问号，结论多少没那么确定了。
文本选自：The Economist（经济学人）作者：Unknown原文标题：Is Germany once again the sick man of Europe?原文发布时间：17 Aug. 2023关键词：德国 经济发展 落后
精听党带着问题听
1.“就业市场”用英语可以怎么表达？2. 如何理解段二中的“counterpart”？3. 目前德国失业率约为多少？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
Is Germany once again the sick man of Europe?
德国是否再次成为欧洲病夫？
段一
Nearly twenty-five years ago this newspaper called Germany the sick man of the euro. The combination of reunification, a sclerotic job market and slowing export demand all plagued the economy, forcing unemployment into double digits. Then a series of reforms in the early 2000s ushered in a golden age. Germany became the envy of its peers. Not only did the trains run on time but, with its world-beating engineering, the country also stood out as an exporting powerhouse. However, while Germany has prospered, the world has kept on turning. As a result, Germany has once again started to fall behind.
combination n. 组合，结合；1. The team's victory was the result of a strong combination of skills and teamwork. 团队的胜利是技能和团队合作的强有力结合的结果。
reunification n. 重新统一，再统一；1. The reunification of the country was a significant milestone in its history. 国家的重新统一是其历史上的重要里程碑。
sclerotic adj. 硬化的，僵化的；1. The sclerotic bureaucracy hindered the implementation of necessary reforms. 僵化的官僚体系阻碍了必要改革的实施。
plague vt. 困扰，折磨；烦扰，纠缠；使得灾祸；1. She was plagued by weakness, fatigue, and dizziness. 她被虚弱、疲劳和眩晕折磨。
digit n. 数字；
usher in 引领，开启；1. The technological advancements are expected to usher in a new era of innovation. 技术的进步有望迎来一个创新的新时代。
envy n. 嫉妒，羡慕；
peer n. 同龄人，同类人；同等地位的人，相匹敌的人；1. v. 凝视，费力地看；仔细地看；
world-beating adj. 世界领先的，无与伦比的；1. Their innovative technology has made them a world-beating company in the tech industry. 他们的创新技术使他们在科技行业成为了世界领先的公司。
exporting powerhouse 出口强国，出口大国；
prosper vi. 繁荣，兴旺；1. The region's economy began to prosper after the implementation of various economic reforms. 在实施了各种经济改革之后，这个地区的经济开始兴旺起来。
参考译文
近25年前，本报曾称德国为欧元区的“病夫”。（两德）重新统一、僵化的就业市场和减缓的出口需求相结合，共同困扰着德国经济，使失业率达到两位数。然后，在21世纪初进行的一系列改革引领了一个黄金时代。德国成为了其他国家的羡慕对象。火车不仅准点，凭借其世界一流的工程技术，德国还成为出口强国。然而，尽管德国繁荣昌盛，世界仍在不断转动。结果，德国再次开始落后。
段二
Europe’s biggest economy has gone from a growth leader to a laggard. Between 2006 and 2017 it outperformed its large counterparts and kept pace with America. Yet today it has just experienced its third quarter of contraction or stagnation and may end up being the only big economy to shrink in 2023. The problems lie not only in the here and now. According to the IMF, Germany will grow more slowly than America, Britain, France and Spain over the next five years, too. To be sure, things are not as alarming as they were in 1999.
laggard n. 落后者，迟钝的人；
outperform vt. 表现优于，胜过；1. The company's innovative products helped it outperform its competitors in the market. 这家公司的创新产品帮助它在市场上胜过了竞争对手。
counterpart n. 对应物，相对应的人或物；1. The company's headquarters in Europe works closely with its Asian counterparts to coordinate global operations. 公司在欧洲的总部与其亚洲的对应机构密切合作，协调全球业务。
keep pace with 与…保持同步，跟上；1. The company's continuous innovation allowed it to keep pace with the rapidly changing market demands. 公司不断创新使其能够跟上迅速变化的市场需求。
contraction n. 收缩，缩小；
stagnation n. 停滞，不景气；1. The company faced financial stagnation during the economic downturn, leading to layoffs and cost-cutting measures. 在经济低迷期间，公司面临财务停滞，导致了裁员和削减成本的措施。
shrink vi.缩小，减少；
IMF abbr. 国际货币基金组织（international monetary fund）；
alarming adj. 令人担忧的，引起警觉的；
参考译文
欧洲最大的经济体已经从一个增长领头者变成了一个滞后者。在2006年至2017年间，它的表现超过了其他大国，并与美国保持了同步。然而，今天它刚刚经历了第三个季度的萎缩或停滞，可能最终成为唯一一个在2023年缩水的大经济体。问题不仅仅存在于当下。根据国际货币基金组织的数据，未来五年内，德国的增长将比美国、英国、法国和西班牙慢。确实，情况并不像1999年那样令人担忧。
段三
Unemployment today is around 3%; the country is richer and more open. But Germans increasingly complain that their country is not working as well as it should. Four out of five tell pollsters that Germany is not a fair place to live. Trains now run so serially behind the clock that Switzerland has barred late ones from its network. After being stranded abroad for the second time this summer as her ageing official plane malfunctioned, Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister, has aborted a trip to Australia.
increasingly adv. 越来越多地，日益增加地；
pollster n. 民意测验员，民调专家；
serially adv. 连续地，一连串地；
bar…from… 阻止…进入…，不允许…参加…；
strand vt. 滞留，受困；1. The passengers were stranded at the airport due to the cancellation of their flights. 由于航班取消，乘客们被滞留在机场。
ageing official plane 老化的官方飞机；
malfunction vi. 出现故障，运转失灵；
abort vt.（使）流产，堕（胎）；（由于问题或故障）中止，使夭折；
参考译文
如今的失业率约为3％，这个国家更加富裕和开放。但越来越多的德国人抱怨他们的国家运转得不如他们期望的那样好。五分之四的人告诉民意测验人员，德国不是一个公平的居住地。火车现在经常严重误点，以至于瑞士已禁止晚点的火车进入其运营网络。今年夏天，由于老旧的官方飞机发生故障，外交部长安娜莱娜·贝尔伯克（Annalena Baerbock）第二次滞留国外，取消前往澳大利亚的行程。
精听党每日单词
combination
/ˌkɑːmbɪˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 组合，结合；
reunification
/ˌriːˌjuːnɪfɪˈkeɪʃn/ n. 重新统一，再统一；
sclerotic
/skləˈrɑːtɪk/ adj. 硬化的，僵化的；
plague
/pleɪɡ/ vt. 困扰，折磨；烦扰，纠缠；使得灾祸；
digit
/ˈdɪdʒɪt/ n. 数字；
usher in
引领，开启；
envy
/ˈenvi/ n. 嫉妒，羡慕；
peer
/pɪr/ n. 同龄人，同类人；同等地位的人，相匹敌的人；
world-beating
/ˈwɜːrld biːtɪŋ/ adj. 世界领先的，无与伦比的；
exporting powerhouse
出口强国，出口大国；
prosper
/ˈprɑːspər/ vi. 繁荣，兴旺；
laggard
/ˈlæɡərd/ n. 落后者，迟钝的人；
outperform
/ˌaʊtpərˈfɔːrm/ vt. 表现优于，胜过；
counterpart
/ˈkaʊntərpɑːrt/ n. 对应物，相对应的人或物；
keep pace with
与…保持同步，跟上；
contraction
/kənˈtrækʃn/ n. 收缩，缩小；
stagnation
/stæɡˈneɪʃ(ə)n/ n. 停滞，不景气；
shrink
/ʃrɪŋk/ vi.缩小，减少；
IMF
abbr. 国际货币基金组织（international monetary fund）；
alarming
/əˈlɑːrmɪŋ/ adj. 令人担忧的，引起警觉的；
increasingly
/ɪnˈkriːsɪŋli/ adv. 越来越多地，日益增加地；
pollster
/ˈpoʊlstər/ n. 民意测验员，民调专家；
serially
/ˈsɪriəli/ adv. 连续地，一连串地；
bar…from…
阻止…进入…，不允许…参加…；
strand
/strænd/ vt. 滞留，受困；
ageing official plane
老化的官方飞机；
malfunction
/ˌmælˈfʌŋkʃ(ə)n/ vi. 出现故障，运转失灵；
abort
/əˈbɔːrt/ vt.（使）流产，堕（胎）；（由于问题或故障）中止，使夭折；
精听党文化拓展
据《经济学人》分析，“平衡预算”多年来阻碍了德国重要的国家投资。德国一直因出口成功沾沾自喜，从而导致投资太少。多年来，德国IT投资在经济产出中的比重仅为美国或法国的一半。
另一方面，是德国严重的官僚主义影响甚巨：想在德国办理一份营业执照需要120天，是经合组织国家平均时间的两倍。
最后的重要原因是，德国越来越缺乏工人。
《经济学人》呼吁德国制定“议程2030”。德国必须接受并使用新技术，尤其是在管理方面。审批流程必须加快，德国也必须放弃对“平衡预算”的迷恋。“以放弃投资来遏制政府支出是错误的做法。”将技术工人引入德国十分重要，迫在眉睫。尽管德国移民法已经放宽，但签证发放速度仍然太慢，“而且比起专业人士，德国似乎更欢迎难民”。
与1999年一样，《经济学人》很好地反映了大多数经济学家的情绪。华宝投行首席经济学家卡斯滕·克鲁德 (Carsten Klude) 表示：“德国显然存在结构性问题，因此需要采取结构性解决方案。”
克鲁德表示，“关闭36座核电站，然后以高边际成本生产基本电力，或者在国外购买昂贵电力。这当然不是一项经济政治杰作。此外，依赖中国作为出口市场、依赖俄罗斯获取能源也并不是好主意。”
精听党每日美句
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
不要走别人走过的路，你应该走没有路的地方，自己开辟一条。