外刊阅读 – Collected Readings

 

Economist.com

Alan Greenspan's memoirs The Undertaker's story

Sep 20th 2007 From The Economist print edition

 

 

                  The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World

                  By Alan Greenspan

                  Penguin Press; 531 pages; $35 and ?5

 

 

外刊精选 : 19 : 经济类 :   

Not many surprises in this memoir-cum-essay except that it is an unexpectedly enjoyable read

 

美国经济大管家 , 格林斯潘自传 ( 经济学家简评 ) 自学笔记

 

外刊精选 : 经济类

Notes for learning:

Journalistic style, very active wirting, free in style. 新闻体， 文风活泼， 行文自由。

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 3:48:52 PM

 

 

AS CHAIRMAN of the Federal Reserve for the better part of two decades, Alan Greenspan was the world's most influential economic policymaker. Down the years he was skilful or lucky, or both, since the American economy fared well under his stewardship*1 管家 . But nobody ever accused Mr Greenspan of being a lively speaker, let alone a born storyteller, and no reviewer could approach this volume with anything but a heavy heart and a sense of duty.

综评段

 

揟 he Age of Turbulence?is a dull title, tending to confirm one's fears, and that risible subtitle, 揂 dventures in a New World? is fooling nobody. Yet, despite everything, the book turns out to be first-rate. It engages on different levels: it is intelligent in a way that few popular books on economics manage or even try to be; and, wonder of wonders, it is a good read.

书的总评

 

No doubt, Mr Greenspan had help with the writing: he acknowledges Peter Petre, a talented co-writer, as a collaborator. For this one can only be grateful. Who would have guessed that 500 pages in Mr Greenspan's company could slip by so easily?

书的写作花絮

 

Good or bad, the book for which Penguin reportedly advanced $8m is news. Nearly two years after his retirement, reporters' zeal* for misdivining Mr Greenspan's meaning is (as he would once have put it) not markedly impaired. Once the Wall Street Journalhad cunningly evaded strict pre-launch security by buying a copy in a bookshop, the race was on to find shocking disclosures.

书的出版花絮

 

Two were seized upon. First, the book criticises George Bush for letting public spending rip. It would have been shocking if Mr Greenspan, a libertarian Republican, had said anything else. As for the other, the Washington Postgot the scoop: it declared one of its crack* team of readers to be the first to reach page 463, where Mr Greenspan says that the Iraq war was 搇 argely about oil 敆 a remark that subsequently 損 roved controversial? the newspaper noted. But the words were taken out of context. Mr Greenspan was not talking about an intended oil grab, but only meant to say that Iraq matters as much as it does because of where it is. This was not especially shocking either.

书的争议点

 

There is nothing sensational in 揟 he Age of Turbulence? It is better than that.It combines two different narratives*in a surprisingly adept way. The book's first half is a memoir; the rest is essays on the main economic issues confronting governments over the next few decades. Mr Greenspan's take on the future is informed by his earlier experience and rooted in his intellectual development. Both parts work fine; the best thing is that they sit so well together.

书的内容简介

 

Mr Greenspan turns out to be a more interesting character than you might have guessed. He started out as a professional saxophone player, albeit* one with a passion for corporate accounting. While the rest of the band sloped off to get stoned, he did his business-studies homework and wrote up their tax returns. For a time he trained with Stan Getz, a renowned saxophonist, and writes of recognising at once an inborn talent that he could never match, no matter how hard he worked.

格林斯潘本人简介

 

Later he joined the circle surrounding Ayn Rand, a libertarian

novelist-philosopher . In an early encounter, she baffled* him into affirming the possibility that he did not exist. She called him the Undertaker because of his gloomy demeanour, and was to be heard for a time asking of her new follower: 揥 ell, has the Undertaker decided whether he exists yet?

悬念的结尾

 

 

Translational work:

 

"since the American economy fared well under his stewardship."

 ... 在他的管治下 , 美国经济似乎一路走运 .

 

" 揟 he Age of Turbulence? is a dull title, tending to confirm one's fears, and

that risible subtitle, 揂 dventures in a New World? is fooling nobody. Yet,

despite everything,"

动荡的年代为题目 , 似乎有点乏味 , 然而如果说是新经济的探险 , 或说明人们普遍地担忧又似乎有点言过其词 , 但无论如何 , ...

 

"it is intelligent in a way that few popular books on economics manage or even try to be; and, wonder of wonders, it is a good read."

作为通俗性的经济书刊而言， 此书充满智慧傲据群书之首，领看官拍案，值得一阅。  

 

"Good or bad, the book for which Penguin reportedly advanced $8m is news."

不管好坏， Penguin 书局预注八百万定银也是新闻 .

 

"As for the other, the Washington Postgot the scoop:"

至于其他 , 华盛顿邮报竟也 ' 一言中蒂 '

 

 

Words Study:

 

stewardship: 伙食管理员 , 管家 , 财务管理员

 

 

zeal [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary]

[zi:l]n. 热心 , 热情 , 热诚 zeal [E-C Commerce Dictionary] n. 热心

 

stewardship [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary] 管家

n. 乘务员 ( 服务员 ) 的职位 , 工作

 

crack* = adj. 最好的 , 高明的 best, smart, sarmtest,

 

 

taken out of context

 

narratives*

 

 

in a surprisingly adept way

adept [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary]

[5Adept, E5dept]adj. 熟练的 , 拿手的 n. 老手 , 擅长者

adept [Modern E-C Business Affair Collegiate Dictionary] 内行

 

albeit, albeit [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary]

[C:l5bi:It]conj. 虽然

 

 

baffled*

baffled [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary]

带有障板的 , 阻挡的 -fling

 

Undertaker

undertaker [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary]

[5QndEteIkE(r)]n. 承办者 , 承担者 undertaker [E-C Commerce Dictionary]

 n. 承办商

 

his

gloomy demeanour

 

gloomy [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary]

[5^lu:mi]

adj. 黑暗的 , 阴沉的 , 令人沮丧的 , 阴郁的

 

demeanour [Concise English-Chinese Dictionary]

[di5mi:nE]

n. 行为 , 举止

 

Collected From Original Media of West:

-By John@@Lakeshore  September 2007

a personal note for learning and study purpose, readers discretion is advised!