|
Imagine you on holiday in Vietnam and you are purchasing some souvenirs. The vendor indicates that the total comes to 50,000 dong. You open your wallet, grab what you think is a 50,000-dong bill, and hand it over. The vendor asks you if you have any smaller bills, and then you are confused. Only then do you realize that you accidentally grabbed at 500,000-dong bill, not a 50,000 one.
想像你在越南度假，你正在購買紀念品。攤販指出總價是五萬越南盾。你打開皮夾，拿了你認為是五萬越南盾的紙鈔，然後拿了出去。小販問你是否有面額較小的鈔票，然後你覺得疑惑了。然後你注意到你不小心拿出來一張五十萬面額的紙鈔而不是五萬元的那張。
Why are there so many zeros on Vietnam’s banknotes? At the time this article was written, one USD could be exchanged for 22,795 Vietnamese dong. This is the result of a phenomenon called hyperinflation. Normal inflation occurs all over the world. This means that as time passes, prices gradually go up. However, in some extreme cases, inflation can go out of control. The cost of products rises too rapidly, and so the government tries to print more banknotes or higher denominations to make up for it. The end result is that the currency becomes worthless.
為何越南的鈔票有這麼多的零？在寫這篇文章同一時間，一塊美金可換到兩萬兩千七百九十五元越南盾。這就是極端通貨膨脹的結果。一般性的通膨在世界各地都有。這意味著時間流逝，價格就會慢慢上漲。然而，在一些極端的例子中，通膨可能會失去控制。產品價格升高過快，政府企圖印刷更多的鈔票或更高的面額來補償差額。最後的結果就是貨幣變得毫無價值。
There are many social factors that can contribute to hyperinflation, such as war, economic depression, and corruption. In the end the locals usually suffer, because the more worthless a currency becomes, the more difficult it is to buy imported goods.
許多的社會因素會造成極端通膨，像是戰爭、經濟大蕭條、貪腐。結果，當地居民通常都承受苦難，因為有更多貨幣變得沒有價值，要購買進口貨物就變得越困難。
Vietnam is not even the worst example today of a worthless currency. In the tiny African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe, 1 USD can be exchanged for 23,094 dobras, and in Iran, one dollar gets you 32,390 rials. In one extreme case of hyperinflation in 2008, a whopping 50,000,000,000-dollar banknote in Zimbabwe was worth less than 1 USD!
越南甚至不是現代最無價值的貨幣。在一個小小的非洲島國聖多美以及普林西比島，一塊美金可換成兩萬三千零九十四元；在伊朗，一塊美金可換三萬兩千三百九十里亞爾。一個極端通膨的例子是在2008年，一張價值五百億的辛巴威大鈔價值少於一塊美金！
Vocabulary 好字精選 |
1. souvenir (n) something you buy on a holiday to remember that trip 紀念品
Jamison bought a shot glass as a souvenir on his trip to Okinawa.
Jamison去沖繩旅行時買了一只利口酒杯做為紀念品。
2. vendor (n) a person selling something from a street stall 攤販，小販
Some say that the best food in the country is sold from street-side vendors.
有人說一個國家最好吃的食物就是街上攤販所販賣的食物。
3. inflation (n) a general increase in prices and fall in the value of a currency 通貨膨脹
My dad says that when he was a kid, a soda cost 25 cents, but today due to inflation it costs 2 dollars.
我的父親說他小時候一瓶可樂25分錢，但現在因為通膨的關係，可樂一罐要2塊美金。
4. denomination (n) the amount of a bill, coin, or stamp (貨幣等)面額，(度量衡)單位
In Canada, the lowest denomination of banknote is $5.
在加拿大，紙鈔最小面額為五元。
5. worthless (adj) having no worth or value 無價值的，無用的
All these old receipts are worthless. Why do you keep them?
這些舊收據都沒用。你為何還留下來？
6. depression (n) a severe downturn in the economy 大蕭條
The Great Depression lasted from 1929-1939.
經濟大蕭條發生於1929至1939之間。
7. corruption (n) dishonest practices by those in power 腐化、貪汙、賄賂
The government is trying to reduce corruption among high officials.
政府試圖減低政府高官的貪污情況。
8. whopping (adj) to emphasize a big number 巨大的，異常的
The painting was sold for a whopping 2.5 million dollars.
這幅畫的賣價高達兩百五十萬美元之高。
|
Phrases and Sentence Patterns 句型解析 |
|
1. out of control (phr) uncontrollably 失去控制
The students in the class are out of control! Where is the teacher?
班上的學生都失去控制了！老師呢？
2. to make up for sth. (phr) to balance out a negative thing with a positive thing 彌補
Do we need to work on Saturday to make up for the typhoon day off last week?
我們週六需要工作來補上週放的颱風假嗎？
3. the more ADJ + S + V, the more ADJ + S + V (sentence pattern) as ADJ1 happens more, so does ADJ2 愈…愈…
The louder you shout at your kids, the less likely they are to listen to you.
你對孩子愈是大吼大叫，他們愈不可能聽你的話。 |
|
Exercise 課後練習題
1. You can buy _______________ in the museum’s gift shop downstairs.
你可以在博物館樓下的紀念品店購買紀念品。
2. Hundreds of ____________ sell delicious foods in the local night market.
當地夜市裡有上百名攤販在販賣美食。
3. As a result of rapid _______________, Zambia’s currency value has dropped significantly in a short period of time.
通膨快速上升的結果讓尚比亞的貨幣價值在短時間內驟降。
4. Coins here come in 1-, 5-, 10-, and 25-cent, as well as 1- and 2-dollar ______________.
這裡的銅板有一分錢、五分錢、十分錢及二十五分錢，也有一塊錢及兩塊錢面額。
5. This money is so ______________ that we might as well burn it!
這些錢毫無價值，我們乾脆燒了它！
6. During the ______________ people had to line up for hours on the street to buy a bag of rice.
在經濟大蕭條期間，人們買一袋米得在街上排隊好幾小時。
7. The mayor was accused of _______________ in a well-written news feature.
市長在一份品質良好的新聞報紙上被指控貪汙。
8. A _____________ 4 million people attended the religious festival in India.
印度多達四百萬名民眾參加這場宗教慶典。
9. Brian’s behavior is _______________ these days. We need to punish him.
Brian現在的行為已經失控。我們要處罰他。
10. To _______________ the poor service you received today, your meal is on us.
為了彌補今日的服務不良，您的餐點由店家請客。
11. _______________ interesting the novel, _______________ attentively you will read it.
這部小說愈有趣，閱讀時你就愈能聚精會神。
解答：
1. souvenirs
2. vendors
3. inflation
4. denominations
5. worthless
6. depression
7. corruption
8. whopping
9. out of control
10. make up for
11. The more/the more
Comprehension Questions 閱讀理解 1. What would be a more complete title for the article?
a. Hyperinflation: One Extreme Example
b. Hyperinflation: Causes and Examples
c. Hyperinflation: What the Government Is Doing about It
d. Hyperinflation: How to Prevent It
2. What can be inferred about the countries of São Tomé and Príncipe, Iran, and Vietnam?
a. They use USD instead of local currency.
b. They import a lot of goods for locals to purchase.
c. They have experienced social or economic instability recently.
d. They have finally overcome hyperinflation.
解答：
1. What would be a more complete title for the article? 以下選項何者對文章來說是較完整的標題？
a. 極度通貨膨脹：極端的範例一則
b. 極度通貨膨脹：發生原因與範例
c. 極度通貨膨脹：政府的處理方式
d. 極度通貨膨脹：如何預防
2. 以下關於聖多美、普林西比島、伊朗及越南這幾個國家的敘述，何者推論正確？
a. 他們使用美金而非本國貨幣。
b. 他們進口大量貨品以利當地人民購買。
c. 他們近期的社會或經濟情況不穩。
d. 他們最後克服極度通膨。 |
|
