VOA慢速英語:中國國民生產(chǎn)總值躍居第一

Analysts Mixed on Emerging Economies Metric

中國國民生產(chǎn)總值躍居第一

From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語經(jīng)濟(jì)報道。

The economies of India and China could be larger than many people have thought. A new study from the World Bank now has some experts predicting that China will become the world's largest economy by one measure this year. The same study says that India's economy could pass Japan's as the world's third-largest.

印度和中國的經(jīng)濟(jì)可能會超出很多人曾經(jīng)的想象。現(xiàn)在來自世界銀行的一份報告使得一些專家預(yù)測說，今年中國將在一項指標(biāo)上成為全球最大的經(jīng)濟(jì)體。而同一份研究報告稱，印度將超過日本成為世界第三大經(jīng)濟(jì)體。

To get their results, the researchers used a different way to measure the size of a nation's economy. Usually economists measure by a country's Gross Domestic Product - the value of all goods and services it produces. But some say, a different method, called Purchasing Power Parities, or PPP is a better measure. It examines differences in the cost of living among nations.

為了獲得他們的研究結(jié)果，研究人員使用了一種新的方法來衡量一個國家的經(jīng)濟(jì)規(guī)模。經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家通常根據(jù)一國的國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值來衡量。國民生產(chǎn)總值是指一國所生產(chǎn)的所有貨物和服務(wù)的總價值。但也有人說，購買力平價(簡稱PPP)是一種更好的衡量方法。它調(diào)查各國的生活成本差異。

The report is from the International Comparison Program, which was established by the United Nations. The results are based on prices in 2011.

這份報告來自于聯(lián)合國建立的國際比較項目(簡稱ICP)，其結(jié)果是基于2011年的價格。

Kamel Mellahi is a professor at the University of Warwick in Britain. He says PPP provides economists with a way to compare the costs of ordinary things that people need in different countries.

卡梅爾·梅拉伊(Kamel Mellahi)是英國華威大學(xué)的一位教授。他說，購買力平價為經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家提供了一種比較各國生活必需品的價格的辦法。

"You take a basket of goods that we all buy, including milk, butter, sugar, [going] to the movies, prices of haircuts in different countries, and they look at the cost of that in different countries," Mellahi said.

梅拉伊說，“我們采用了一籃子大家都要購買的商品，包括各國牛奶、黃牛、糖，看電影和剪發(fā)的價格，并調(diào)查它們在不同國家的價格。”

Experts then establish a base exchange rate and use it to compare economies. The Gross Domestic Product measure uses market-based exchange rates to compare economies. They are exchange rates paid by travelers and exporters. So the main differences between GDP and PPP is how exchange rates are computed.

專家們?nèi)缓蠼⒁环N基礎(chǔ)匯率，并用它來比較經(jīng)濟(jì)。國民生產(chǎn)總值使用以市場為基礎(chǔ)的匯率來比較經(jīng)濟(jì)，它指的是游客和出口商支付的匯率。因此，國民生產(chǎn)總值和購買力平價的主要區(qū)別是匯率如何計算。

Greg McBride is Chief Financial Analyst at Bankrate.com. He says PPP avoids some problems, but it is more like an estimate than a measurement.

格雷格·麥克布賴德(Greg McBride)是Bankrate.com網(wǎng)站的首席財務(wù)分析師。他說購買力平價避免了一些問題，但它更像是一種估計而不是衡量辦法。

"There is a huge margin of error there that I think can really throw the validity of the whole thing into question," said McBride.

麥克布賴德說，“它存在巨大的誤差范圍，我認(rèn)為這會讓整體的有效性受到質(zhì)疑。”

World Bank information shows that China's GDP was about $8 trillion in 2012, that was half the size of the $16 trillion US economy. However, Professor Mellahi says the GDP measurement underestimates developing economies.

世界銀行的資料顯示，2012年中國的國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值約為8萬億美元，相當(dāng)于美國16萬億美元經(jīng)濟(jì)規(guī)模的一半。然而，梅拉伊教授表示，國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值衡量辦法低估了發(fā)展中國家。

"People always said it underestimated the size of economies in developing countries, and some of the emerging economies," Mellahi said.

梅拉伊表示，“人們常說它低估了發(fā)展中國家和一些新興經(jīng)濟(jì)體的經(jīng)濟(jì)規(guī)模。”

The economies of China and India continue to grow at rates higher than most developed economies. However, China and India rate far below other large economies when their economies are compared with their populations.

中國和印度的經(jīng)濟(jì)繼續(xù)以高于大多數(shù)發(fā)達(dá)國家的速度增長。然而，當(dāng)中國和印度的經(jīng)濟(jì)與其人口相比較，就遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)低于其它大型經(jīng)濟(jì)體。

And that's the Economics Report from VOA Learning English. I'm Mario Ritter.

以上就是本期美國之音慢速英語經(jīng)濟(jì)報道的全部內(nèi)容。我是馬里奧·里特(Mario Ritter)。