這個6月的關(guān)鍵詞是什么？在中國的語境下應(yīng)該就是“一起擺地攤”叭~ 大部分人說出口可能只是句戲謔的話，也沒往深了去琢磨它的前因后果。所以，這期挑了一篇經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人里關(guān)于地攤經(jīng)濟(jì)的報道。比較輕松易讀，也可以學(xué)一點兒這個熱門話題的表達(dá)。

這篇文章依然有三種顏色標(biāo)注，對應(yīng)不同的知識點解析。開始?—

原文：In a country of high-tech factories and giant state-owned firms, you might not expect street hawkers to attract much attention. But in China these days, people like Shui Jin, an old lady pedalling a wooden cart laden with apricots and cherries through the narrow lanes of Suzhou, an eastern city, are in the spotlight. Both of her daughters-in-law recently lost their jobs, among the tens of millions in China hurt by the coronavirus slump. Her family needs the money she can scrape together.?Whether the country needs her on the streets has become a matter for debate.

For years, municipal officials pushed out hawkers, trying to tidy up the colourful hubbub that once characterised China’s cities.?In the name of?“civilising” urban life, they wanted to see steamed dumplings and plastic toys sold inside shopping malls, not from the back of carts. On June 1st Li Keqiang, the prime minister, seemed to signal a change, declaring that street vendors were vital to the economy. “Only when the people are in good shape can the nation be in good shape,” he said.

經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人的很多文章都會用一個身邊的小人物小故事來起頭，比如這一篇里踩著推車在蘇州城里走街串巷賣水果的老太太。自從李克強(qiáng)總理這個月初提出用地攤經(jīng)濟(jì)來拉動消費(fèi)、創(chuàng)造就業(yè)，“擺地攤”這種以往只能偷摸著干的買賣好像立馬就揚(yáng)眉吐氣起來。

上圖在文章里的配文是Ready for a quick getaway（隨時準(zhǔn)備卷鋪蓋跑路）。以前在社會新聞里那些個城管與流動攤販的推搡糾紛，經(jīng)過這次的政策洗牌，可能就要不復(fù)存在了吧。

* 一個句式：“X變成熱議的話題”

-?原文：Whether the country needs her on the streets has become a matter for debate.

-?翻譯：這個國家是否需要她在街上（擺攤）已經(jīng)成為辯論的焦點。

上個月的一篇文里我提過，寫議論文時我們常忍不住想說兩個陣營有爭議“一些人認(rèn)為啥啥，而另一些人認(rèn)為啥啥”，就著那篇文章介紹了一個拒絕劃水句型One of the liveliest debates in/about?X is over whether X。

現(xiàn)在可以再多積累一個：Whether X has become a matter for debate.?例如：Whether printed newspapers or books will be replaced by online reading has become a matter for debate.?

這篇文之后的段落里也有一個表達(dá)：X generate much buzz about X，意思很類似，就是沒有前面兩種正式，可以配合不同場景使用吶。

* 一個小詞：in the name of

“以X的名義”，多么耳熟能詳?shù)目谔杶?文中說以前政府以“建設(shè)文明城市”的名義把小攤販驅(qū)趕走，現(xiàn)在經(jīng)濟(jì)頹了又希望這種門檻相對較低的營生來助個力。之前講《動物農(nóng)場》里以拿破侖為首的豬們打著共贏的幌子搞剝削，你可以說：They justify villainy?in?the?name?of?high ideals。當(dāng)然這個短語也并不是特地用來反諷噠，你也可以in the name of?the moon去變裝打怪獸????

* 一個句式：“只有當(dāng)”

-?原文：Only when the people are in good shape can the nation be in good shape.

-?翻譯：只有當(dāng)人民處于良好狀態(tài)時，國家才能處于良好狀態(tài)。

這是一個好用又好看的句式：它是倒裝句中的一種：only+狀語置于句首時，主句內(nèi)部需要部分倒裝。比如文中這句話如果扳順了說，是The nation can be in good shape?only when the people are in good shape，是不是感覺有點過于板正了？

道理就是這么個道理，如果語法基礎(chǔ)好，你可以琢磨一下自己造幾個句子練習(xí)下。如果半懂不懂的，可以簡單固定兩個步驟：1.Only when X/ Only in this way +?一個完整的陳述句；2.陳述句中的助動詞/情態(tài)動詞/be動詞提前到陳述句的句首。比如：Only in this way can the trend be reversed in the foreseeable future.?

如果還寫不利索，那就算了吧不必和命運(yùn)死磕

原文：That generated much buzz about the revival of China’s “street-stall economy”, as it has been called. At least 27 provinces and cities said they would welcome hawkers. Chengdu, a bustling city in Sichuan province in the southwest, was seen as a shining example. Firms there started setting up street stalls in March, creating more than 100,000 jobs, the local government says. China certainly needs to boost employment. Between 60m and 100m people— perhaps as many as 20% of non-farm workers—were out of work in April, according to Ernan Cui of Gavekal, a research firm.

In small towns, officials are excited about the street-stall idea. For instance, Zhangye, a poor western town, says it will create spaces for 4,120 hawkers in its markets. But for Ms Shui, the fruit vendor in Suzhou, change has not been radical. Last year the officers who enforce urban rules would often seize her cart and fine her. Now they just tell her to move on.

Officials in China’s richest cities are afraid that encouraging street vendors will lead to a mess. “It is not for Beijing,” declared the capital city’s main newspaper. Shanghai has made it clear that it will not allow vendors to set up stalls?willy-nilly. Licences must be obtained and, for those selling food, hygienic standards met.

這部分講了一些城市是如何積極響應(yīng)“地攤救市”噠，主要就是失業(yè)率這么高呀還好我們能擺攤。但也舉了一些反例，像是北京上海這種一線城市吧還是嚴(yán)防死守著，或者是需要小攤販們先去申請一些資質(zhì)。

就著月初的政策出臺網(wǎng)絡(luò)上也冒出了一大堆勵志文挨個列舉了馬云劉強(qiáng)東柳傳志的擺攤創(chuàng)業(yè)事跡，就好像我們離財富自由只差了支起一個小攤兒。我也和小伙伴熱烈討論過擺地攤議題不過聊一聊就果斷放棄了，先不說帝都的禁令吧，我倆既沒有自己批貨帶貨的手藝又也并沒有如圖擺成一排的大奔

* 一個冷知識：willy-nilly

這是一個非常古老的詞了，查了下詞源它第一次被正式記錄的使用是在1608年。拆開來看Willy-nilly可以理解為：will I nill I; will ye nill ye; will he nill he。其中nill這個詞在古代英語中解釋為“不愿意”，現(xiàn)代英語中已經(jīng)不使用了；另外一個ye大家應(yīng)該眼熟吧，莎士比亞的各種劇里都愛用，就是古代的“你”。

串起來的意思就是“無論愿不愿意”，也引申為“無可奈何地”、“隨意地”，文中就是用這個詞來表達(dá)上海政府不允許大家隨意擺攤。兩個Collins例句鞏固一下：

- Both?sides?were?drawn, willy-nilly, into the?conflict.

- She?threw?her?clothes?willy-nilly into a?drawer.

原文：Can the stalls, such as they are, really help the economy? Some investors see a business opportunity. The price of shares in Wuling Motors, which makes a new van that can double as a mobile kiosk, has doubled since Mr Li’s comments. Other firms that might benefit, including Yindu Kitchen, which makes portable cooking equipment, also saw their shares surge.

The direct impact on job creation,?alas, is unlikely to be so spectacular.?The demise of street stalls in recent years is only partially the result of government restrictions.?It also reflects the rise of e-commerce platforms, where products are often both better and cheaper. Whether online or on the street, the main concern for vendors now is weak demand. On one historic street in Suzhou, a 62-year-old woman walks back and forth with flashing glow-sticks for sale. With few tourists, there are few buyers. She has cut her asking price from ten yuan ($1.40) to five.

But the street stalls do dovetail with a separate policy, launched last year, to develop China’s night-time economy. Suzhou and Shanghai, among other cities, have recently opened glitzy outdoor night markets. Though far more orderly and corporate than the hawkers’ free-for-all of old, they are lively. And they help the government to deliver an important message. Officials cautiously avoid proclaiming that covid-19 has been beaten in China. But the reinvigoration of street life looks like a declaration of victory.

Late one recent evening in Suzhou, thousands of people flocked to its official night market. Most were not wearing face masks, a sight unthinkable just a month ago. “I was cooped up at home for a long time,” says Cao Yunqiang, 19, visiting from Henan province, further inland. “Things aren’t fully back to normal, but it’s the right time to come out and have some fun.”

那么問題來了，地攤政策真的可以拯救疫情下疲軟的經(jīng)濟(jì)局勢嗎？經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人的態(tài)度是，它確實是帶動了一批相關(guān)制造業(yè)的銷量，比如流動餐車什么噠，但是對于真實參與到擺地攤浪潮中的人來說，它可能沒有我們期待的那樣給力。

文章指出了一個本質(zhì)問題：近幾年包括流動攤販在內(nèi)的實體經(jīng)濟(jì)受到最大的沖擊不是嚴(yán)苛的政策和粗暴的城管，而是電商的興起。如果我們愿意放棄逛吃逛吃的樂趣，在線購物確實是可以提供更低的價格和更多的產(chǎn)品選擇。不過關(guān)于電商和地攤經(jīng)濟(jì)我看過一個報道，阿里和京東這次都推出了一些免息賒購的幫扶計劃，出于社會責(zé)任感也好追求雙贏也好，讓人想要默默點贊多多下單。

* 一個小詞：alas

這個詞就是一聲嘆息，“唉”~?講真我沒有在電影或者英劇美劇里聽過有人說它，但是經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人我看過的幾乎每一本里都有它時不時冒出來，可能這些埋頭做嚴(yán)肅內(nèi)容輸出的人都心里苦吧哈哈哈。挺俏皮的一個詞，分享出來給大家。

* 一個句式：“A歸因于B”

-?原文：The demise of street stalls in recent years is only partially the result of government restrictions.

-?翻譯：近年來，街邊小攤的消亡只能部分歸因于政府的限制管控。

這句話提供了一個好用的句式，很適合用來提出立場或者分論點：A is partially/mainly/entirely the result of B，類似功能的還有一個短語be attributed to。這個句式中A可以是一組名詞或者名詞性從句，例如：That many English learners have learned for years without really mastering it is partially the result of inadequate reading.

最后補(bǔ)充一些“地攤經(jīng)濟(jì)”相關(guān)用語，按文中出場順序：

hawker / cart / push out street vendor / revival / street-stall economy / set up street stall / boost employment / enforce urban rule / fine / obtain licence / hygienic standard / mobile kiosk / portable cooking equipment / e-commerce platform / outdoor night market / reinvigoration

本期讀報時間結(jié)束，就著文章講了三個句式、兩個小詞、一個冷知識，希望你覺得有用。? ??

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