【第一期阅读小分队（已结束）】【每日阅读练习贴——速度+越障】【一楼汇总】（另附CD首发花儿阅读教材PDF）

ak007 · 发表于 2011-7-6 22:39:52

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【速度1-14】 2行 5行...我疯了吧>< 5行 半行 4行 不知道为什么每次从VOA网站copy文章过来都会有好多词粘连在一起,相当影响阅读..太难受了..有没有谁知道怎么解决这个问题啊..>< 
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 来阅读区转转~ 用下面这个网站，更新也很快，关键是复制过来不会有好多词粘在一起 <a href="http://www.51voa.com/" target="_blank">http://www.51voa.com/</a>

morningzc · 发表于 2011-7-6 22:48:38

楼主啊越障的障碍真的很高呢

shunwen · 发表于 2011-7-7 10:34:06

自由阅读。这是从economist上找的，我想贴下，看下词汇会不会黏在一起。                                                   New York says "I do" TIMING is everything. Forty-two years, almost to the day, after the Stonewall riots (often credited as the catalyst of the contemporary gay-rights movement); some 36 hours before the gay-pride march; and two years after a failed attempt, New York became the sixth and most populous state to legalise same-sex marriage. Late Friday night New York's senate passed the Marriage Equality bill by a 33-29 vote. New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, who made gay marriage a top priority of his first term, signed it into law at 11:55 pm. It will go into effect on July 24th. The Senate is Republican-controlled, and the bill passed when four Republicans joined the 29 Democrats who supported it. One, Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, opposed gay marriage for religious reasons, but could not justify denying equal rights to gay couples. He told his fellow politicians that as a Catholic brought up to think marriage was between a man and woman, he struggled with the decision. "I cannot legally come up with an argument against same-sex marriage. Who am I to say that someone does not have the same rights that I have with my wife, who I love, or to have the 1,300-plus rights that I share with her?" (Mr Grisanti was referring to the 1,324 state benefits afforded to married couples.) Roy McDonald, another Republican from upstate New York, told reporters on June 16th that he was going to support same-sex marriage, and that everything is not black and white or good and bad. "I'm trying to do the right thing," he said.* For months, Mr Cuomo cajoled, pressured, leaned on and in recent weeks enthusiastically negotiated with legislators to get the bill passed. When it did, he called New York a beacon for social justice. Republicans and Democrats agree the bill would not have been passed without Mr Cuomo's guidance. He worked closely with gay-rights groups who spent millions on the advocacy campaign. In 2009 supporters of same-sex marriage were riven by divisions and infighting; this time they worked under a single banner, “New Yorkers United for Marriage", and they worked with Republican consultants. Commercials featuring athletes, politicians and celebrities advocating support for the bill flooded the airwaves. The most effective were the ones starring regular New Yorkers with gay relatives: the parents who wanted their son to marry his long-time partner, a second-world-war veteran who wants to see his grandson marry whomever he wants.   The 2m energetic onlookers at Sunday’s gay-pride march down Fifth Avenue hugged, hollered, danced and cheered. One onlooker observed, “This year has more energy than other years.”  Loud cheers were directed at an elderly gay couple, sitting in a rickshaw, celebrating 54 years together. Many other couples dressed in bridal gear were greeted enthusiastically by the watching crowd. One happy fellow wore a bridal skirt and a tuxedo jacket. The noise went up several decibels when New York’s police department’s marching band played “Here Comes the Bride”.  The loudest cheers were reserved for Mr Cuomo who was accompanied by Michael Bloomberg, New York’s mayor, who waved a rainbow flag, and by Christine Quinn, the openly gay New York City Council Speaker. Hundreds of marchers carried signs that read “Promise Kept” on one side and “Thank you Governor Cuomo” on the other. In 2009, the last time the bill was sent to Albany, it was rejected soundly. Not a single Republican supported it and eight Democrats voted no. One noted that 73% of his constituents were opposed to gay marriage in 2009, but this year 80% supported it. Recent polls show that nearly 60% of New Yorkers are in favour of same-sex marriage. Nationally, the number supporting marriage equality hovers around 50%, but polls also show that a majority of younger voters support it. Success in New York will undoubtedly help give advocates a boost in Oregon, Maine, Washington and Maryland, all of which are considering similar measures. Essential to New York’s passage were measures exempting religious organisations from having to participate in same-sex marriages and protecting them from discrimination lawsuits. Still, this did not satisfy Catholic leaders. Nicolas DiMarzio, bishop of Queens and Brooklyn, said that “Governor Cuomo has opened a new front in the culture wars that are tearing at the fabric of our nation.” He also called on Catholic schools and parishes to ban gay-marriage supporters from speaking at their events. Timothy Dolan, New York's archbishop, lambasted lawmakers for tampering “with a definition as old as human reason”. But polls show a disconnect between the beliefs of Catholic hierarchy and those of parishioners: a poll taken in May found that 64% of American Catholics say homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with 58% of all Americans. Catholic churches will probably remain gay-wedding free for some time, but marriages at restaurants, hotels and catering halls are likely to begin later this summer. And, according to a 2009 report by the New York City comptroller, gay marriages could generate up to $210m for the state's economy over three years. * Initially we reported Mr McDonald's quote as, "Well, fuck it. I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing." He was directing at least part of that quote to reporters pestering him about same-sex marriage.

shunwen · 发表于 2011-7-7 10:37:11

抓抓你看下，还行吗？ 可以的话以后就可以从economist上找。

抓抓sandra · 发表于 2011-7-7 18:38:33

to fox: 大哥哇你已经很快咯~~学习之~~ to sarah: 欢迎欢迎!!^^我们一起来攻克阅读难关~ to 血浪: 好主意~晚上我争取抽时间整合一下~~谢谢你的建议哦~ to ak: 跪谢!!一会儿就来贴今天的~hohoho to morningzc: 越障的目的就在于让自己克服对各种专业术语和复杂表达的恐惧~嗷~吐习惯了考试的时候就不觉得恶心了~^^ to shunwen: 我也想过拿economist的新闻哈,可以尝试看看~没有对比过VOA special English和economist 的文章的难度,可以试试~shunwen最近给了好多好建议哇,thx a lot!!

抓抓sandra · 发表于 2011-7-7 18:49:06

【速度2-1】ECONOMIST系列（1-3） + VOA（4-5）计时1 New York says "I do" TIMING is everything. Forty-two years, almost to the day, after the Stonewall riots (often credited as the catalyst of the contemporary gay-rights movement); some 36 hours before the gay-pride march; and two years after a failed attempt, New York became the sixth and most populous state to legalise same-sex marriage. Late Friday night New York's senate passed the Marriage Equality bill by a 33-29 vote. New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, who made gay marriage a top priority of his first term, signed it into law at 11:55 pm. It will go into effect on July 24th. The Senate is Republican-controlled, and the bill passed when four Republicans joined the 29 Democrats who supported it. One, Mark Grisanti of Buffalo, opposed gay marriage for religious reasons, but could not justify denying equal rights to gay couples. He told his fellow politicians that as a Catholic brought up to think marriage was between a man and woman, he struggled with the decision. "I cannot legally come up with an argument against same-sex marriage. Who am I to say that someone does not have the same rights that I have with my wife, who I love, or to have the 1,300-plus rights that I share with her?" (Mr Grisanti was referring to the 1,324 state benefits afforded to married couples.) Roy McDonald, another Republican from upstate New York, told reporters on June 16th that he was going to support same-sex marriage, and that everything is not black and white or good and bad. "I'm trying to do the right thing," he said.* (259 words) 计时2 For months, Mr Cuomo cajoled, pressured, leaned on and in recent weeks enthusiastically negotiated with legislators to get the bill passed. When it did, he called New York a beacon for social justice. Republicans and Democrats agree the bill would not have been passed without Mr Cuomo's guidance. He worked closely with gay-rights groups who spent millions on the advocacy campaign. In 2009 supporters of same-sex marriage were riven by divisions and infighting; this time they worked under a single banner, “New Yorkers United for Marriage", and they worked with Republican consultants. Commercials featuring athletes, politicians and celebrities advocating support for the bill flooded the airwaves. The most effective were the ones starring regular New Yorkers with gay relatives: the parents who wanted their son to marry his long-time partner, a second-world-war veteran who wants to see his grandson marry whomever he wants.   The 2m energetic onlookers at Sunday’s gay-pride march down Fifth Avenue hugged, hollered, danced and cheered. One onlooker observed, “This year has more energy than other years.”  Loud cheers were directed at an elderly gay couple, sitting in a rickshaw, celebrating 54 years together. Many other couples dressed in bridal gear were greeted enthusiastically by the watching crowd. One happy fellow wore a bridal skirt and a tuxedo jacket. The noise went up several decibels when New York’s police department’s marching band played “Here Comes the Bride”.  The loudest cheers were reserved for Mr Cuomo who was accompanied by Michael Bloomberg, New York’s mayor, who waved a rainbow flag, and by Christine Quinn, the openly gay New York City Council Speaker. Hundreds of marchers carried signs that read “Promise Kept” on one side and “Thank you Governor Cuomo” on the other. (284 words) 计时3 In 2009, the last time the bill was sent to Albany, it was rejected soundly. Not a single Republican supported it and eight Democrats voted no. One noted that 73% of his constituents were opposed to gay marriage in 2009, but this year 80% supported it. Recent polls show that nearly 60% of New Yorkers are in favour of same-sex marriage. Nationally, the number supporting marriage equality hovers around 50%, but polls also show that a majority of younger voters support it. Success in New York will undoubtedly help give advocates a boost in Oregon, Maine, Washington and Maryland, all of which are considering similar measures. Essential to New York’s passage were measures exempting religious organisations from having to participate in same-sex marriages and protecting them from discrimination lawsuits. Still, this did not satisfy Catholic leaders. Nicolas DiMarzio, bishop of Queens and Brooklyn, said that “Governor Cuomo has opened a new front in the culture wars that are tearing at the fabric of our nation.” He also called on Catholic schools and parishes to ban gay-marriage supporters from speaking at their events. Timothy Dolan, New York's archbishop, lambasted lawmakers for tampering “with a definition as old as human reason”. But polls show a disconnect between the beliefs of Catholic hierarchy and those of parishioners: a poll taken in May found that 64% of American Catholics say homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared with 58% of all Americans. Catholic churches will probably remain gay-wedding free for some time, but marriages at restaurants, hotels and catering halls are likely to begin later this summer. And, according to a 2009 report by the New York City comptroller, gay marriages could generate up to $210m for the state's economy over three years. * Initially we reported Mr McDonald's quote as, "Well, fuck it. I don't care what you think. I'm trying to do the right thing." He was directing at least part of that quote to reporters pestering him about same-sex marriage. (329 words) 计时4 IsNASA’s James Webb Space Telescope a Time Machine? If you could build a timemachine, what would it look like? Maybe, it should look like a telescope.American scientists are building a space telescope, they hope, will look backover unimaginable distances and time to show the universe close to itsbeginning. But this distant past willmainly be seen in infrared light. Visible light is just one form of radiation.Today, telescopes take pictures using forms of light hidden from the human eye. The American space agency,NASA, is now building the largest space telescope ever. The James Webb SpaceTelescope, named after NASA's second director, will have a mirror seven timesthe size of the Hubble Space Telescope. But it will mainly study theuniverse in infrared light. We usually experience infrared light as heat. But,if you have ever used a TV remote control, you know there are many uses for it. The James Webb SpaceTelescope is a complex engineering project. It will be huge -- about the sizeof a passenger jet. And it will have to be super-cooled. Because the telescopestudies infrared heat, its mirror must be kept very close to absolute zero.That is minus two hundred seventy-three degrees Celsius. NASA is building the Webbtelescope at the Goddard Space Center, outside Washington DC. The agency hopesto launch it in twenty-fourteen. (222 words囧) 计时5 Jonathan Gardner is a projectscientist for the telescope. We asked him how the device can look back in time. JONATHAN GARNER: "We cansee back in time because light takes time to get from there to here. So, as welook further and further away, it takes longer and longer for the light to getfrom where it's emitted to here and we can actually see backwards in time. And if you look far enough,you start to approach the event scientists believe gave birth to everything. JONATHAN GARNER: "We'relooking (at the universe when it was much younger and we're looking) back mostof the way to the Big Bang." The telescope has threehighly sensitive infrared cameras. But perhaps its most interesting part is thesix-point-five meter wide mirror. Made of light-weight beryllium, the mirror iscovered in gold, and divided into eighteen linked parts. This powerful scientificinstrument will be available to scientists all over the world. JONATHAN GARNER: "Anyastronomer, at any university, in any country can write a proposal for whatthey want to do with the telescope." Jonathan Gardner says the JimWebb Space Telescope will help scientists learn how the first galaxies formedand what they looked like. It may even show things scientists never predicted. And that's the VOA SpecialEnglish <a href="http://www.51voa.com/Technology_Report_1.html" target="_blank">TechnologyReport</a>. written by George Putic. Watch video about the JamesWebb Space Telescope at 51voa.com. I'm Mario Ritter. (239 words)

抓抓sandra · 发表于 2011-7-7 18:52:49

【越障1-10】 Today's Topic: Commuting,congestion tolls and the structure of the labour market: Optimal congestionpricing in a wage bargaining model Congestion is a serious problem in manylarge urban areas throughout the world. In the US, for example, the TexasTransportation Institute reports very high increases in traffic congestion overthe past two decades (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib24" target="_blank">Schrank and Lomax, 2002</a>). In Europe, a comparative study offive urban areas, including London, Amsterdam and Brussels, shows a dramaticdecline in average speed over the past decade;marginal external congestioncosts have been estimated to exceed 1 Euro per kilometre in the most congestedcities (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib9" target="_blank">De Borger and Proost, 2001</a>). Economists have suggested a largevariety of policy instruments to cope with congestion, andthe use of some formof congestion pricing has gained prominence in the literature (see, among manyothers,<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib1" target="_blank">[Arnott et al., 1993]</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib28" target="_blank">[Verhoef et al., 1995]</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib15" target="_blank">[Mayeres and Proost, 1997]</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib25" target="_blank">[Small and Yan, 2001]</a>).<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#fn1" target="_blank">1</a> Congestion taxes are also high on the political agendain several countries, and the first examples of actual implementation areavailable (e.g., Singapore, Trondheim, Stockholm, Oslo and London). In many othercases, road pricing is under serious consideration. In Europe, e.g., this isthe case in the Netherlands and Germany. Similarly,several US states, includingCalifornia, Florida and Texas, are considering congestion pricing.<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#fn2" target="_blank">2</a> The most severe congestion problems aretypically associated with the journey-to-work, and there is some concern aboutthe employment effects of congestion taxes. Not surprisingly, several papershave looked into this issue. For example, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib16" target="_blank">

arry and Bento (2001)</a> focused on the interaction betweencongestion taxes and outcomes on the labour market. They analyse the implicationsof a revenue-neutral congestion tax financed by a reduction in the tax onlabour. They show that such a tax reform does not necessarily reduce laboursupply owing to the feedback effects of congestion. In fact, at relatively lowlevels of the transport tax, the employment effects of raising the tax areshown to be positive. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib6" target="_blank">Calthrop (2001)</a> extends the model by introducing multipletrip purposes (commuting and non-commuting) and analyses in detail theimplications of the complementarity of commuting with labour supply. Morerecently,<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib26" target="_blank">Van Dender (2003)</a>developed a detailed numerical model to studyoptimal labour and transport taxes, allowing for multiple trip purposes andtransport modes. He found empirical support for taxing commuting at a lowerrate than non-commuting transport. Finally, both <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib20" target="_blank">Safirova (2002)</a>and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib27" target="_blank">Verhoef (2005)</a>develop general equilibrium models of a monocentric city with endogenous labour supply. The former numerically analyzes theimplications of agglomeration effects and telecommuting for various second-bestpolicies to cope with congestion; the latter studies the welfare effects ofcordon charges and kilometre taxes, and carefully compares results to the first-best. Although these studies have revealed important new insights, they all assumeperfectly competitive labour markets. This is less than desirable, especiallyin a European context, since in most countries wages and employment levels arethe result of an explicit bargaining process between unions and employerorganisations (see, e.g., <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib14" target="_blank">Lockwood and Manning,1993</a>). The purpose of this paperis,therefore, to provide a detailed analysis of optimal transport and labourtaxes in a wage bargaining environment.<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#fn3" target="_blank">3</a>Indeed, given the close relation between commuting,congestionand the labour market, a relevant question is whether the structure of thelabour market itself has implications for the optimal tax treatment of transportand labour markets. For purposes of concreteness, we focus on aright-to-managesetting in which wages are the result of negotiations between firms and alabour union; employment is then determined by the firm,conditional on thenegotiated wage. We assume that transport trips consist of both commuting andnon-commuting. In this framework, we study the optimal second-best tax problemfaced by a budget-constrained benevolent government that cares about thewell-being of all its citizens (both the employed and people that, for variousreasons, do not work); moreover, it cares about private sector profits. It usestaxes on transport and on labour as the main instruments. We consider both thecase where transport taxes cannot be differentiated according to trip purpose,and the case of optimal tax differentiation between commuting and othertransport. We obtain several interesting results. First, using two different (butadmittedly highly stylised) labour market settings, we show the relevance ofthe structure of the labour market for optimal taxation of road transport.Where as competitive labour market conditions produce Ramsey-type taxes, wagebargaining implies that optimal transport taxes strongly depend on unionpreferences.Second, wage bargaining implies that exogenous increases incongestion levels and in transport taxes raise negotiated wages and reduceemployment levels.Third, when taxes cannot be differentiated according to trippurpose, we show that the optimal transport tax positively depends on theimpact of congestion on negotiated wages, and negatively on the wage effects ofthe congestion tax itself. Using a specific but standard specification forunion preferences, we find that the transport tax exceeds the marginal externalcongestion cost to the extent that transport flows include demand by people whoare not currently active on the labour market. Finally, if taxes can bedifferentiated according to trip purpose, commuting subsidies — in the sense oflower transport taxes on commuting trips than on non-commuting transport — maybe justified if at least some part of the transport flows are from people thatare inactive on the labour market. This allows shifting the tax burden awayfrom the employed. Moreover,in this case the optimal congestion tax oncommuters is strictly below the marginal external cost. This paper is related to several strands ofthe literature. First, relaxing the assumptions underlying the earliertransport literature (see the references given above) allows us to preciselyidentify the role of the labour market implications of congestion and congestiontaxes for the optimal tax structure.Second, the paper fits in with the growingliterature on the implications of externality taxation in bargaining models ofthe labour market (see, e.g., <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib13" target="_blank">[Koskela et al., 1998]</a>,<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib22" target="_blank">[Schneider, 1997]</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib12" target="_blank">[Holmlund and Kolm, 2000]</a>, <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib3" target="_blank">[Bayindir-Upmann andRaith, 2003]</a>and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib23" target="_blank">[Schöb, 2005]</a>). Unlike these models, we explicitly allow theexternality to affect the outcome of the bargaining process. Third, the papercontributes to the literature on the potential desirability of ‘subsidising’commuters, in the sense of allowing tax deductibility of commuting expenses.<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#fn4" target="_blank">4</a>Economic arguments in favour include the presence ofdistortionary or suboptimal labour taxes (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib30" target="_blank">[Wrede, 2000]</a> and <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib26" target="_blank">[Van Dender, 2003]</a>), the mobility of firms and households in aspatial economy (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib31" target="_blank">Wrede, 2001</a>), and the distribution of landownership acrossincome classes combined with the location of different income groups in anurban area (<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#bib4" target="_blank">Borck and Wrede, 2005</a>). This paper reconsiders the issue in awage bargaining framework, capturing the close connection between congestion,commuting and employment. The paper is organised as follows.To setthe stage, we start in <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#sec1" target="_blank">Section 2</a> with a very simple optimal tax problem oflabour and transport markets in a world without congestion. This allows us toillustrate and intuitively explain the potential importance of the structure ofthe labour market for the optimal tax structure. In <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#sec5" target="_blank">Section 3</a> we then turn to the basic model analysed inthis paper. We study optimal labour and transport taxes in a wage bargainingmodel; both commuting and non-commuting transport contribute to congestion. Theunion cares about both its employed and unemployed members, the firm caresabout profit. We derive and interpret the optimal tax structure for the case ofuniform transport taxes across trip motives. Moreover, we provide a briefcomparison of the results with those derived under competitive labour marketconditions. In <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#sec7" target="_blank">Section 4</a>, we analyse optimal tax differentiation betweencommuting and non-commuting transport. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V89-4VM9K6X-1&_user=29441&_coverDate=07%2F31%2F2009&_rdoc=7&_fmt=full&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info%28%23toc%235865%232009%23999609995%231110098%23FLA%23display%23Volume%29&_cdi=5865&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=14&_acct=C000003858&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=29441&md5=e72e3e56ab8e5fd61d0221b41dd6e4e6#sec8" target="_blank">Section 5</a> relaxes some of the strong assumptionsunderlying the model and discusses several extensions. A final sectionsummarises the main findings.

抓抓sandra · 发表于 2011-7-7 18:55:43

感谢shunwen~贴完今天的阅读了,mark一下~ 出去跑步回来吃个饭来读~嘿嘿~

抓抓sandra · 发表于 2011-7-7 23:37:04

【速度2-1】 3行 5行 5行 50s 52s 今天的两篇都算挺有意思的吧~ BF在NYC前两天还去看GAY PARADE了,说相当热闹~国内现在好像也蛮多GAY和LESBIAN的,bless them~ 后一篇比较短,所以就缩水了~大家凑活看哈~ 【越障1-10】 10min看完 回忆内容: 这篇论文主要讨论的是commuting, congestion tax& labor market三者之间的关系. 第一段讲了congestion tax交通拥挤税(FYI: 根据我的专业方面的理解,应该是指养路费这类的费用,还有从交强险里头算的费用)在各国的运用情况.欧洲(如德国)国家较多已经在使用,美国多个州(如加州等)正在考虑也要启用. 第二段分析这种tax对劳务市场和不同劳动力的影响.段中提到了劳务市场分为两种:竞争市场和工会-公司协商式的(不完全竞争)市场,劳动力也分为通勤commuting和非通勤non-conmmuting两种.已有的一些研究说,tax对劳动力市场有负面作用,这些研究好像是说到是有设置对照组(通勤/非通勤).但是已有的研究假设前提都是比较完美的竞争市场,暗示说这些研究的假设有问题. 第三段说作者自己的研究的主要假设.他假设:1.假设劳务市场不是竞争市场,而是由工会和雇佣方协商价格的市场;2. 貌似是说作者也设置了对照组.还有一些假设不记得了. 第四段讲的是作者在以上主要假设前提下发现的tax&commuting&labor market的关系,以及最佳交通税制optimal tax rates的决定和影响.tax和劳务价格labor price成正比,和对劳务市场造成的影响effects on the labor market成反比(tax越高, 造成的distortion市场扭曲就越大). 接下来一段好像是讲再放宽假设之后的另外的一些研究探索.具体内容不太记得了..>< 最后一段讲的是section 1 之后其他section的主要内容.不太记得了~

fox0923 · 发表于 2011-7-7 23:45:08

What Determines the Price of Gas: A Visual Guide ByDerek ThompsonThink the U.S. can drill its way out of expensive gas? Think again 计时1(217 words) Gas prices are on a collision path with $4, putting additional burden on an economy that's recovering from a housing bust, credit crunch, and deep recession. What goes into the price of gasoline and why is it rising so fast all of a sudden? Let's look at the price at the pump. Every year, the <a href="http://www.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp" target="_blank">U.S. Energy Information Administration</a> breaks down the price of a gallon of gas into four major components: First, there are state and federal gas taxes, which add between 20 and 50 cents to the final price. Second, you have additional costs like distribution, marketing and refining. To turn crude into gasoline and sell it at the pump, the oil <a href="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/gasbreakdown.png" target="_blank"></a>has to be refined, shipped by pipeline, loaded into trucks to drive to individual stations, and purchased for resale to the public. Longer shipping routes, more refined gas, and more convenient service station locations are all culprits in higher gas prices. Fourth, and most importantly, you have the price of crude oil, which has nearly tripled in the last seven years. In 2004, when the average price for crude oil was $37 per barrel, crude composed only 47 percent of the price of regular gasoline. Today, crude is closer to $111 per barrel, composing two-thirds of the price we pay at the pump. 计时2 （268 words） The price of a barrel has increased from $85 to $110 -- a 30% bump -- in just five months. To find out why, I spoke with several energy experts across Washington to build myself a kind of editorial pie chart. I'm calling it an editorial pie chart because it is based on the experts' opinion rather than a measured impact, but I think it's a useful way to illustrate the relative importance of each factor. <a href="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/gas%20graph.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/assets_c/2011/04/gas%20graph-thumb-500x341-49102.png" width="500" height="341" alt="" /></a> 1. The Supply and Demand Factor. Fuel demand from China, India and Brazil -- three countries with a combined population of 2.7 billion -- is the chief factor behind rising prices. China's fuel demand increased 12 percent in 2010. Meanwhile Saudi oil production has fallen, as AEI's Steve Hayward told me. Perhaps the Saudis are pulling back after overstating their reserves, in which case we're in serious trouble. Or perhaps they're accepting higher prices in the short term to spend more money on their people to avoid a Libya-type revolution, in which case the production shortfall should be temporary. Either way, supply matters and there's less of it. 2. The Middle East. Break the past year in gas prices into three phases. First, in the summer and fall of 2010, gas prices were pretty steady around $2.80. Second, beginning in the late fall, they started to climb gradually for six months. Third, since February, they have increased dramatically. What happened in February? Revolutions swept the Middle East, then Libya descended into civil war and its oil production fell by more than 50%. Ongoing uncertainty about the region continues to push up prices. 计时3 （215 words) 3. The Weak Dollar. A falling dollar can be good for Americans. It makes our exports more attractive and imports less attractive, which keeps more money in the U.S. economy. Unfortunately, as the dollar loses value, oil becomes more expensive. 4. The Summer. The EIA estimates that good weather and vacations cause U.S. summer gasoline demand to be 5 percent higher than during the rest of the year. Better weather means more vacations, which means more gasoline use. Think of it as a naturally occurring demand enhancer. 5. The Speculation Factor. Oil speculation -- investors betting up the price of oil in the futures market -- is a controversial factor in rising gas prices, and Hayward doesn't believe it's a deciding factor. Burned by the bust of oil prices in the 2009, it's unlikely that oil speculators are back in the market bidding up the price of crude. But it's a possible, if marginal, factor. 6. The Drill, Drill, Drill Argument. The U.S. can drill all it wants but it's hard to find anybody who expects greater domestic production to move gas prices by more than, say, two percentage points in the next six months. The problem is that the market for oil is global and U.S. supply is too small to make an impact. Why Big Business Loves Deficits ByDaniel Indiviglio <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/why-big-business-loves-deficits/241521/" target="_blank">http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/why-big-business-loves-deficits/241521/</a> Large corporations will only oppose government spending if it isn't in their favor 计时4 （239 words) Wall Street and big business desperately <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/04/5-reasons-the-market-wants-the-debt-ceiling-raised/237942/" target="_blank">want the debt ceiling raised</a>. They understand that a U.S. default would be catastrophic to the economy. But saying that they want the debt ceiling raised is different from saying that they want the U.S. to close its deficits and pay down the national debt. They don't. This might seem surprising to some, but it shouldn't be. Big business' love of deficits was the subject of David Leonhardt's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/business/economy/06leonhardt.html?ref=business" target="_blank">column today</a> in the New York Times. He says big business lobbyists are part of the reason why cutting the deficit has been so difficult: they don't want the spending cuts that Republicans demand -- and they certainly don't want higher taxes. Isn't this contradictory? After all, you can't have lots of spending and also very low taxes. That's precisely the attitude that Americans are often chastised over when new polls come out saying that they don't want their taxes raised but they also don't want any expensive entitlement programs to disappear. But in the case of big business, the logic isn't so simple. Let's say you're a giant multinational conglomerate called Universal Mechanics (UM) that specializes in energy, technology, infrastructure, industrial equipment, and finance. You spend millions of dollars every year lobbying Washington for two reasons: you want tax subsidies and credits to make doing business at home and abroad cheaper, and you want to win contracts for government projects and federal research grants. 计时5 （279 words) Think about what occurs in each of these scenarios. If your lobbying is effective (and you're spending millions of dollars to make sure that it is), then the tax breaks and subsidies you help to put in place won't benefit everyone: they'll benefit giant corporations like you. This creates a very convenient barrier to competition: firms that don't have your global reach and accounting sophistication won't get the breaks. This provides UM an advantage.   Of course, those big government contracts benefit you specifically in an even clearer sense: by developing connections in Washington, government spending benefits you far more than the average company -- and certainly more than the average taxpayer. If your lobbyists do their job, then you will obtain billions of dollars in revenue, thanks to those projects and grants. So you see, efforts to cut deficits are very bad for a corporation like UM. If deficit discussions result in cutting subsidies or tax breaks, then your firm will be more adversely impacted than smaller businesses or average Americans. And spending cuts could also potentially deprive you of gobs of government-provided revenue. This might be confusing: aren't big corporations all about less government interference? Big business will be against measures that negatively impact their firms more than smaller ones. But big business won't necessarily be against measures that impact smaller firms more than their own. The key point here is that big business doesn't prefer smaller government. In fact, big government and big business work very well together: lobbyists help politicians get elected and those politicians, in turn, help lobbyists provide their firms a competitive edge. Cutting the size of the government means limiting this cozy relationship.

【第一期阅读小分队（已结束）】【每日阅读练习贴——速度+越障】【一楼汇总】（另附CD首发花儿阅读教材PDF）

【速度2-1】ECONOMIST系列（1-3） + VOA（4-5）

【越障1-10】

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