考研阅读材料

考研阅读材料精选（第一辑）

长沙新东方国内考试部编

（凡后标*号均为考研大纲外词汇）

经济商业篇

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.

【简析】

本文选自2012年3月3II《经济学人》，主题为小型公司并不像人们想象的那么有利。

首段提出人们常指责大型公司的弊端，吹捧小公司，但从第二段起作者开始驳斥这种观点，

之后举例说明欧洲小型公司发展并不好，而大型公司往往经济效益更好。在客观地指出大公

司也有一些弊端之后，作者指出尽管人们认为小公司发展空间大，但事实上公司规模与公司

发展及工作机会之间关系并不确定。文末，作者给出对政府扶持小型公司的建议，指出应当

给小型公司减负，帮助小公司壮大。

【难度】★★★☆

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.

【简析】

本文选自2012年2月25日《经济学人》，主题为许多零售商的实体店在适应网络购物

时代方面的反应太慢，没有做出该有的变化，并在首段就提出这个论点。在第二、三两段，

作者用当下网络购物的发展之迅速说明了零售商做出改变的急迫性，提出零售商应尽快建立

网店，改进实体店，并把两者无缝结合起来。四、五两段，作者举例说明零售商实体店应做

的改进，包括将人们不会在实体店买的东西卜架、多提供一些人们希望先试再买的商品、改

善店面设计、拉近与客户的关系等。文末补充说明，零售商的想象力和资金也很重要。而这

一切变化，最终目的都应是为了使消费者的购物更加方便且有趣。

【难度】★★★☆

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.

【简析】

本文选自2012年2月11日《经济学人》，主题为尽管西方经济有复苏迹象，但由于政

治等方面的不确定性，西方经济还远没有走出危机。首段举例描述最近西方各国经济有所复

苏，自信心I可升，第二、三段点出人们乐观的原因，即美国就业率高于预期、各产业状况好

转、欧元区危机缓解、以及各方对各央行降低利率的积极反应。但第四段开始，作者提出好

景可能不会长久，并举出一年前美国经济复苏势头被国内外政治状况最终遏制的例子，以此

印证。第五段起作者开始分析好景不会长久的原因，指出尽管美国债务减轻、楼市探底，但

与一年前类似，严重的欧债危机以及大西洋两岸的政治不确定因素仍对经济很不利。第六段

作者仔细分析美国国内政治不确定性对经济的影响，指出政治党派之间的僵局将影响各政策

的确定与执行，进而拉慢经济复苏。同时在第七段作者点出欧洲的类似境况，尽管欧洲央行

采取「成功的行动，但欧洲经济同样面临德国政客的阻力。末段总结到，担心政客们会搞砸

经济复苏的想法虽然不恰当，但还是有道理。只有政客不逆经济之潮、与银行家同样做出正

确决定时，我们才能真正庆祝西方经济的复苏。

【难度】★★★★☆

社会产业篇

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.

【简析】

本文选自2011年12月10日《经济学人》，主题为电子游戏产业的巨大成功以及其启示。

首二段用现在游戏玩家人群扩大、老少皆玩的例子说明游戏产'业今年的飞速发展。第三段开

始分析游戏产业成功的原因，指出尽管传统媒体认为游戏产业的成功是乘着高科技的东风，

但事实.上游戏产业有很多可供学习的启示。第四段开始指出游戏产业成功的两个基本原因，

即老玩家的支持以及新技术的辅助。第五段进一步举任天堂等指出，游戏开发者的机智、以

及游戏本身的多样性和对客户的有利吸引，更是游戏产业成功的原因。第六段补充说明，游

戏产业所擅长的定价策略和盗版技术，也反过来促进了游戏产业中免费、虚拟物品等模式的

出现和优化。末段总结游戏产业与传统媒体业的相互影响。

【难度】★★★☆

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.

【简析】

本文选自2011年11月19日《经济学人》，主题为移民(diasporas)对富裕国家的益处。

首段举例提出眼下各富裕国家对移民普遍的敌对态度，第二段提到这种态度虽然可以理解，

但不能忘记移民对富裕国家经济的贡献，由此提出主题。之后作者从各方面论证移民的益处。

第三段介绍当今世界移民现状及规模，四五六三段分别举例说明移民的三个益处之一，即移

民的亲属与语言关系有利于跨国贸易富有信任地开展、移民能帮助传播知识和理念、能促进

资金流通。第七段进一步提出一般移民敌对者的两个观点，认为移民抢占福利、压低工资。

之后的第八段初步驳斥这两个观点，并在第九段进一步举例说明移民流入对富国整体经济的

提升作用。第十段补充提出，即使对穷国，一定的移民向富国流出也对穷国有利；第十一段

举例论证海归对印度、中国的重大帮助。末段总结全文，重申移民的益处，以及富国应该欢

迎移民。

【难度】★★★☆

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