BEC中級閱讀材料：世界經(jīng)濟論壇公布全球競爭力排名

　　世界經(jīng)濟論壇公布全球競爭力排名

　　在近日發(fā)布的一份備受關(guān)注的經(jīng)濟競爭力排行榜中，美國躍居榜首，理由是美國經(jīng)濟因其市場效率和創(chuàng)新能力而受到好評。

　　The US rose to top spot in a closely watched economic league table yesterday, as its economy was praised for its market efficiency and ability to innovate.

　　總部位于瑞士的智庫世界經(jīng)濟論壇(World Economic Forum)昨日發(fā)布了其一年一度的全球競爭力報告。該機構(gòu)在報告中表示，美國經(jīng)濟失衡對其生產(chǎn)率和全球經(jīng)濟構(gòu)成了威脅，但結(jié)論是，美國的經(jīng)濟成就超過了這些風險。 In its annual report on global competitiveness, the World Economic Forum, the Swiss-based think-tank, said US economic imbalances posed a threat to its productivity and the global economy but concluded that its achievements outweighed these risks.

　　除美國以外，排在前10位的包括7個歐洲經(jīng)濟體——瑞士、丹麥、瑞典、德國、芬蘭、英國和荷蘭——以及新加坡和日本。

　　Also appearing in the top 10 were seven European economies – Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland, the UK and the Netherlands – as well as Singapore and Japan.

　　世界經(jīng)濟論壇自1979年開始發(fā)布這一排名。許多國家要么用它贊揚一國政府的成就，要么用它批評其失敗。但今年這樣做的難度要比往年大，因為世界經(jīng)濟論壇調(diào)整了其評估模型，這對各國的排名產(chǎn)生了很大影響。

　　The rankings, which have been produced by the WEF since 1979, are used by many countries either to shower praise on a government’s achievements or to criticise its failings. But this will prove harder than usual this year as the WEF has adjusted its model, with large effects on countries’ places in the league table.

　　世界經(jīng)濟論壇還根據(jù)其新排名方法，發(fā)布了一份去年排行榜的修正版本。曾高居榜首多年的芬蘭跌至第六位。世界經(jīng)濟論壇在去年發(fā)布的報告中將芬蘭排在第二，但昨日在修正后的報告中指出，芬蘭應一直排在第六位。

　　The WEF also released a revised league table for last year, based on its new methodology. Finland, which topped the league for many years, has dropped to sixth. The WEF gave it the second spot in last year’s published report but yesterday’s revisions suggest it should always have been sixth.

　　美國顯然從世界經(jīng)濟論壇排名方法的變化中獲益。去年，世界經(jīng)濟論壇報告將美國這個全球最大經(jīng)濟體排在第六位，但昨日修正后的報告將其排在首位。

　　The US has clearly benefited from the change in the WEF’s calculations. Last year, the report ranked the world’s largest economy sixth but the revised table puts it top.

　　人們常常認為中國和印度是世界上最有競爭力的經(jīng)濟體——其低成本制造業(yè)和服務業(yè)對發(fā)達經(jīng)濟體構(gòu)成了威脅，但其巨大的市場和合計超過20億的人口，也為發(fā)達經(jīng)濟體提供了機遇。

　　China and India are often believed to be the most competitive economies in the world – a threat to advanced economies with low-cost manufacturing and services, but also an opportunity with huge markets and combined populations of more than 2bn.

　　盡管中國和印度的經(jīng)濟成就令人敬畏，但在世界經(jīng)濟論壇的全球競爭力指數(shù)中，兩國分別排在第34位和第48位。它們較低的排名表明，要想與發(fā)達經(jīng)濟體相提并論，它們市場中的許多方面尚有待改進，并需要提高居民的平均生活水平。

　　For all the awe that their economies create, China and India rank 34th and 48th respectively in the World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness index. Their low ranking reflects the need for these economies to improve many aspects of their markets and average living standards before they can be compared with advanced economies.

　　中國需要改善其高等教育、金融市場和培訓領域，而印度則受到宏觀經(jīng)濟不穩(wěn)、健康和教育體系落后以及勞動力市場效率低下的困擾。印度今年的排名略有下滑。

　　China needs to improve its higher education, financial markets and training, while India, falling slightly down this year’s league, is plagued by macroeconomic instability, poor health and education systems and low labour market efficiency.

　　但在分類指數(shù)中，中國在國內(nèi)市場規(guī)模和外國市場準入方面分別排在第二位和第一位，而印度則在創(chuàng)新方面排在第四位。

　　But in the sub-indices, the size of China’s domestic market and its access to foreign markets are ranked 2nd and 1st respectively, while India ranks 4th on innovation.