文 / 王不留（微信公众号：考研英语笔记）
2021年9月22号的早晨，来杯“经济学人浓香咖啡”，提神解困。
Watt it’s worth: electricity’s super-surge
On Tuesday Britain’s government announced it was considering offering state loans to energy companies to cover the cost of taking on new customers, as several firms are expected to go bust. Last week electricity prices soared to £540 ($741) per megawatt hour, up from £147 a few weeks ago. European and American prices also recently hit record levels. Such highs have damaged businesses operating on thin margins, and will probably drive up inflation.
The price surge is the result of a perfect storm. Disruptions in Russia and Norway have led to shortages of natural gas, which generates about a fifth of Europe’s electricity, making it much more expensive. Buyers in China and Japan have snapped up shipments of liquified natural gas, a possible alternative source. Coal is pricey, too, because of Chinese demand and European carbon permits. And weeks of still air have curtailed wind power. Hence the particularly severe crisis in Britain, which relies on gas and wind energy almost twice as much as the European average and now faces possible food and power shortages.
Watt it’s worth: electricity’s super-surge
电力值钱：电价飞涨
watt 瓦特;瓦(电功率单位)
王不留(wbliu85)注：
大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国，简称“英国”。本土位于欧洲大陆西北面的不列颠群岛，被北海、英吉利海峡、凯尔特海、爱尔兰海和大西洋包围。
1688年革命确立了君主立宪政体，18世纪60年代至19世纪30年代成为世界上第一个完成工业革命的国家，国力迅速壮大。
18世纪至20世纪初期，英国统治的领土跨越全球七大洲，是当时世界上最强大的国家和第一大殖民帝国，其殖民地面积等于本土的111倍，号称日不落帝国。
在两次世界大战中都取得了胜利，但国力严重受损。到20世纪下半叶，大英帝国解体，资本主义世界霸权的地位被美国取代。
不过，现在英国仍是一个在世界范围内有巨大影响力的大国，是英联邦元首国、七国集团成员国、北约创始会员国，同时也是五大联合国安全理事会常任理事国之一。
英国是一个高度发达的资本主义国家，欧洲四大经济体之一，是全球最大的金融服务净出口国。其国民拥有极高的生活水平和良好的社会保障体系。
On Tuesday Britain’s government announced it was considering offering state loans to energy companies to cover the cost of taking on new customers, as several firms are expected to go bust. Last week electricity prices soared to £540 ($741) per megawatt hour, up from £147 a few weeks ago. European and American prices also recently hit record levels. Such highs have damaged businesses operating on thin margins, and will probably drive up inflation.
周二，英国*宣布，考虑向能源公司提供国家贷款，以保证其能够负担获客成本，预计有几家能源公司将要破产。上周，电价从几周前的147英镑/兆瓦时猛涨到540英镑/兆瓦时（即741美元/兆瓦时）。欧洲和美国价格最近也达到了创记录的水平。如此高的价格损害了微利企业，并可能会加剧通货膨胀。
state loans 国家贷款
go bust 破产 ; 倒闭
soared 急升 ; 猛增 ; 升空 ; 升腾 ; 高飞 ; 翱翔 ; soar的过去分词和过去式
megawatt hour 兆瓦时，千度；1 兆瓦时 = 1千度 = 1000 千瓦时 = 1000 度电
a few 少许 ; 几个 ; 〔反语〕很多 ; 一点点
margins 页边空白 ; 白边 ; 幅度，差额，差数 ; 余地 ; 备用的时间 ; margin的复数
drive up 驱车来到
inflation 通货膨胀 ; 通胀率 ; 充气
The price surge is the result of a perfect storm. Disruptions in Russia and Norway have led to shortages of natural gas, which generates about a fifth of Europe’s electricity, making it much more expensive. Buyers in China and Japan have snapped up shipments of liquified natural gas, a possible alternative source. Coal is pricey, too, because of Chinese demand and European carbon permits. And weeks of still air have curtailed wind power. Hence the particularly severe crisis in Britain, which relies on gas and wind energy almost twice as much as the European average and now faces possible food and power shortages.
电价飙升是多重负面因素叠加的结果。俄罗斯及挪威的供应中断导致天然气短缺，这些天然气的发电量占欧洲电力的五分之一，造成电价更贵。中国和日本买家抢购液化天然气，这是一个可能的替代来源。因为中国的需求和欧洲碳排放许可，煤炭价格也很高。数周无风状态导致风力发电“停摆”。因此，英国危机尤为严重，英国对天然气和风能依赖几乎是欧洲平均水平的两倍，现在可能会面临粮食和电力短缺。
perfect storm 祸不单行 ; 屋漏偏逢连夜雨
natural gas 天然气
much more 更 ; 何况
snap up 抢购
wind power 风力
今天的经济学人全英文早报请看 ->> “The Economist Espresso 20210922” 。