- UID
- 641643
- 在线时间
- 小时
- 注册时间
- 2011-6-19
- 最后登录
- 1970-1-1
- 主题
- 帖子
- 性别
- 保密
|
明天的作业，先发上来~！
这次作业我们来关注：
中国的崛起及其存在的问题；
Google又有什么新闻呢？
一个反腐组织将了关于abuse of power在很多国家的现状。
零花钱怎么帮助孩子们学习金钱的知识？
最后，意大利总理蒙蒂的退出又揭示了欧债危机的什么趋势呢？
大家enjoy~~
【Speed】：
Time 1:
China Predicted to Overtake US as Economic Power by 2030
[attachimg=521,291]111415[/attachimg]
A new U.S. intelligence assessment says China is expected to surpass the United States as the leading economic power by 2030, but the U.S. will remain a top world leader.
The assessment was released Monday by the National Intelligence Council of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
It predicts that Asia will surpass North America and Europe combined in terms of indices of overall power - in gross domestic product, population size, military spending and technological investment.
The report says the world will see an expanding middle class by 2030, and for the first time a majority of the world's population will not be impoverished.
It notes an expected higher demand on resources, as the global population expands by about a billion to 8 billion people. It says nearly half of the world's population will live in areas with severe water stress. It says China and India are vulnerable to shortages of key resources, while limited resources such as water and arable land could increase the risks of intrastate conflict in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and parts of the Middle East.
Dependence and volatility
It says the United States will likely be energy independent, while Russia, Europe and Japan are predicated to see slow economic declines.
The assessment anticipates that the Middle East will remain the world's most volatile region, and any future wars in Asia and the Middle East could include a nuclear component, making conflicts hard to contain and with global impact.
It also warns that countries including Afghanistan, Burundi, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen face a high risk of state failure.
The National Intelligence Council publishes a global trends report every four years. The report is an analysis of information from the U.S. intelligence community and experts in the U.S. and abroad.
(306 words)
Time 2:
China Growth Faces Major Challenges, Say Experts
[attachimg=470,264]111416[/attachimg]
Analysts say although a recent U.S. intelligence assessment indicates China will emerge as a leading economic power in the near future, Beijing's economic growth faces several major challenges.
The assessment released Monday by the National Intelligence Council projected China to surpass the United States as the world's largest economy by 2030, forcing the U.S. to serve as what it called the "first among equals" on the world stage.
But the report said the rise of China, currently the world's second-largest economy, will be slowed if it cannot come up with a more sustainable, innovation-based economic model.
Patrick Chovanec of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management in Beijing agrees. He tells VOA that the growth rates driven by China's current export-led model are not sustainable.
"If China wants to produce more than it consumes, the rest of the world has to consume more than it produces. And the rest of the world really cannot afford to do that anymore - we see that reflected in the slowing growth of Chinese exports," he said.
Chovanec says another challenge is that China's growth is "extremely resource-dependent." And he says those resources, particularly water, are "becoming scarcer and scarcer."
Other economic concerns include the gender imbalance and rapidly-aging population created partly because of China's one-child policy. This has led many to fear that China will get old before it gets rich.
Jean Pierre-Cabestan of Hong Kong Baptist University says that many in Beijing know that major structural reforms are needed to maintain current growth rates.
"I think there's an awareness that the bold growth model that China has adopted and its one-party system should evolve and should move toward a more open, pluralistic political system and society. How long's it's going to take and what are the challenges ahead - those are the questions that are hard to answer," he said.
Many analysts point out that China's current political and educational system, which encourages and even enforces conformity at the expense of creativity, is stifling the innovation needed to unlock future growth.
But so far, China's Communist leaders have been reluctant to make rapid political reforms, because of what some say is fear that too much openness will threaten their single-party rule.
(376 words)
Time 3:
Sources: Google, US Regulators Close to Deal in Patents Dispute
[attachimg=268,151]111417[/attachimg]
U.S. regulators are near a settlement with Google Inc in a dispute over the search giant's efforts to stop the sale of products it says infringe essential patents, according to two sources close to the probe.
But the Federal Trade Commission is not expected to reach a deal soon on the larger, more contentious issue of whether Google tweaks its search results to disadvantage rivals in travel, shopping and other specialized searches.
Its rivals say Google fears the specialized sites will siphon away its most lucrative advertising and the revenue that goes with it.
Under the expected settlement, which could be announced this week or next, Google will be required to drop demands for injunctions in lawsuits filed using a special class of patents called standard essential patents, or SEPs, the sources said.
SEPs ensure, for example, that one brand of wireless phone can call another brand.
There would be an exception to the injunction ban, however. Google would be allowed to request injunctions if companies refuse to negotiate SEP licensing at all, the sources said.
SEPs are usually expected to be broadly licensed for a reasonable price. One view is that if a company convinces a standard-setting organization to name its patent as the standard, that company should be barred from asking for an injunction if there is infringement.
The larger investigation, which is more than a year old, addresses search bias as well as smaller items that aggravate Google's rivals in Silicon Valley and beyond.
These include taking data, such as hotel reviews, from non-Google web sites to use on Google products, and preventing the export of data on advertising effectiveness to non-Google software so ad campaigns can be evaluated.
The European Commission is investigating many of the same allegations.
Google's critics, disappointed with the trajectory of the FTC probe, appear prepared to take their grievances to the U.S. Justice Department. At least one Google adversary met with Justice Department officials recently, pressing them to investigate if the FTC fails to get a satisfactory settlement on search or litigate against Google, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The Texas attorney general's office is also leading a probe into Google's practices.
(374 words)
Time 4:
Anti-Corruption Group Says Abuse of Power Still ‘Very High’ in Many Countries
A group that brings attention to the issue of corruption says levels of bribery, abuse of power and secret dealings are still "very high" in many countries.
Transparency International this week released its yearly Corruption Perceptions Index. The Berlin-based group rates 176 countries and territories with a number from zero to 100. Bigger numbers are better.
The index measures the perceived, or apparent, level of corruption in a country. The group uses information from a number of economic sources. They include the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.
Corruption takes many forms. Transparency International calls it "the abuse of entrusted power for private gain." One common form of corruption is bribery: the use of money or gifts to persuade another person to do something wrong or illegal. Corruption is not easy to measure because it is secretive. But the World Bank estimates that about $1 trillion in bribes are paid every year worldwide. Stealing public money is another form of corruption.
Huguette Labelle is chair of Transparency International. She says the problem of corruption affects millions of people and limits their ability to get necessary services.
"And in some countries it can be that 50 percent of the population had to pay a bribe to gain access to essential services like water, education, health, licenses."
A group of small, developed nations scored highest on the new list. Denmark, Finland and New Zealand received a rating of 90. Among large nations, the United States rated 73 while China rated 39.
The countries with the greatest perceived level of corruption on the list are Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan with scores of 8.
Robin Hodess directs research at Transparency International. She says the index can show people involved in policy decisions how others see the issue of corruption in their countries.
"We need evidence about how corruption works. We need to know where to target the reforms needed to promote transparency, accountability and integrity."
The index measures perceptions held by experts, businesses and organizations. And their opinions are important. The World Bank notes that countries showing improvements in perception indexes had greater foreign investment and economic growth. However, foreign aid and international trade is less likely for countries perceived as highly corrupt.
(387words)
Time 5:
How an Allowance Helps Children Learn About Money
[attachimg=268,151]111418[/attachimg]
Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance. The purpose is to let children learn from experience at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly.
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration. Some children get a weekly allowance. Others get a monthly allowance.
In any case, parents should make clear what, if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money.
At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this, they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget. Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance.
The object is to show young people that a budget demands choices between spending and saving. Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs, like clothing or electronics.
Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home. These jobs are a normal part of family life.
Paying children to do extra work around the house, however, can be useful. It can even provide an understanding of how a business works.
Allowances give children a chance to experience the things they can do with money. They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want. Or they can save and maybe even invest it.
(278 words)
剩余：
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice: you have to cut costs and plan for the future.
Requiring children to save part of their allowance can also open the door to future saving and investing. Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.
A savings account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest. Interest rates on savings can be very low these days. But compounding works by paying interest on interest. So, for example, one dollar invested at two percent interest will earn two cents in the first year. The second year, the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents, and so on. That may not seem like a lot. But over time it adds up.
(132 words)
【Obstacle】
What Mario Monti’s Exit Tells Us About Europe’s Debt Crisis
So much for a quiet Christmas in the euro zone. The European debt crisis has been off boil for the past several months, but we all knew it was just a matter of time before the steam started rising again. The question was: What would turn up the heat?
I would have put my money on Spain stumbling into a bailout program, but instead the spark has come from one of the key figures in the euro zone: Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti. The respected economist surprised financial markets on Saturday when he announced he would step down early, after the latest budget passed through Parliament. Italy watchers had assumed he would stay on until fresh elections took place in the spring, but now that poll will likely take place earlier in 2013. Immediately, the debt crisis sprung to life. Yields on Italian 10-year bonds jumped on the news. They are still well below the more dangerous levels reached over the summer, but the negative reaction from investors to Monti’s decision tells us quite a bit about the course of Europe’s debt crisis.
Investor concerns make perfect sense. Monti, a former E.U. commissioner, has been one of the most important individuals in Europe’s quest to resolve its debt crisis. In his year in office, Monti managed to pull Italy back from the brink of an ugly tumble, possibly into a bailout or default. He was ushered in a year ago by political parties who realized they needed a technocratic outsider, with limited political interests, to push through the reforms necessary to avert disaster. He quickly lived up to expectations, short-circuiting the usually fractious political process to ram though an austerity budget and a liberalization of Italy’s professions. After months of heated debate, he also managed to get a reform of Italy’s convoluted labor laws enacted, which aims to encourage hiring and ease restrictions on downsizing. Monti was also a loud voice for the struggling economies of the euro zone in summits with the often inflexible leaders of Europe’s stronger, Northern economies, like Germany’s Angela Merkel. In playing this role, Monti was able to quiet concerns about Italy’s economic future and thus drastically bring down borrowing costs. Talk that Italy would require a costly bailout subsided.
There are those analysts, though, who contend Monti’s tenure was overrated. The labor reform, for example, was watered down from the tougher original plan to appease unions and convince the Parliament to approve it. His budget-cutting policies also helped Italy sink into recession. Here’s what the always cheerful Wolfgang Munchau of the Financial Times had to say about Monti’s record:
The Monti magic seemed to work for a while — much longer than I had expected. The yields on Italian 10-year bonds dropped about 200 basis points during his term because investors, desperate for good news, wanted to believe the magic. But Mr. Monti’s year in office has been a bubble, which felt good for investors while it lasted but has deflated. And it will probably take Italians and foreign investors not all that long to realize little has really changed over the past year, except that the economy has fallen into a deep depression.
Still, there is little doubt that Monti was seen as one of the good guys, at least trying to get things done in a country where getting things done isn’t all that easy. In his wake, he leaves a much more muddled political scene. The cartoonish Silvio Berlusconi, who was forced to resign last year as the economy went into meltdown, is talking up a return and criticizing Monti’s reforms to launch this comeback. The result of all this is that Italy — and thus the euro zone — could be headed for another period of financial instability. Here’s research firm Capital Economics from a Dec. 10 report:
The intended resignation of Italian technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti is a timely reminder that the euro-zone debt crisis still goes way beyond the problems of Greece … It was only ever a matter of time before worries over Italy’s position re-emerged. After all, despite some optimism over the structural economic reforms put in place by Monti’s government, the economy’s performance has continued to be very poor indeed … We stick to our long-held view that Italy will need to undertake a substantial debt restructuring (i.e. default) at some point if it is ever to return its public debt to a sustainable level. Against this background, it would be no surprise if the renewed upturn in Italian bond yields goes much further and doubts over Italy’s long-term future inside the single currency re-emerge.
Such fallout from the departure of one person from the 17-nation euro zone tells us a lot about the current state of affairs within the monetary union. Though the turmoil has receded in recent months, it is not due to any meaningful structural change within the euro zone, or improved economic prospects. The attempts to strengthen the governance of the monetary union are proceeding only slowly (still no eurobond, still no fiscal union, still no banking union, etc.). And the economy, burdened by austerity measures and uncertainty, has sunk into a serious recession, with zonewide unemployment hitting record after record. Nor is there much confidence that reform can continue within euro-zone members. Will the next Italian Prime Minister (assuming it isn’t Monti), pick up the reform drive where Monti left off? Maybe, but probably not with the same zeal. What this all means is that the improved sentiment in the euro zone has not been due to any underlying fundamentals or institutional strength, but the actions of a few, devoted people. As soon as one of those people departs the stage, the old concerns and turmoil returns instantaneously.
The reaction to Monti’s exit also shows the limits of the ability of the European Central Bank (ECB) to quell the crisis. A big reason why markets in Europe have been so calm in recent months is ECB President Mario Draghi, whose inventive bond-buying program, revealed in September, put the powers of the central bank behind financial stability in Europe as never before. However, Draghi and his program can’t fix individual economies or improve their debt position. Ultimately, Draghi needs politicians like Monti to repair the euro zone and ensure the future of the monetary union. The central bank, powerful as it might be, can’t achieve that on its own.
Lastly, Monti’s record also shows us the failings of the entire approach to the euro-zone debt crisis. After a year of Monti’s reforms, Italy is not in a much better position economically. Sure, the reforms Monti has introduced will take a while to kick in and boost growth. That’s why in the short term there needs to be more flexibility in policymaking. The austerity-obsessed approach to the crisis continues to weaken already weak economies and make debt and deficit targets harder to achieve.
The ultimate lesson behind the Monti story in Italy is that despite his best efforts and some reform victories, in the short to medium term Europe’s economic health and its debt crisis have not fundamentally improved. It takes more than one man, no matter how capable, to make that happen.
(1209 words)
|
本帖子中包含更多资源
您需要 登录 才可以下载或查看，没有帐号？立即注册
x
|
京公网安备11010202008513号 京ICP证101109号 京ICP备12012021号
发表于 2012-12-12 18:07:59
收藏
收藏
