80后“失去的一代”

你一定听说过这样一个传言——在美国，年满十八岁的孩子都要开始自力更生，经济独立了。可是实际情况呢？大多数这些“别人家的孩子”成年之后还住在父母的地下室，还清学生贷款的日子遥遥无期，是真真正正的“啃老族”。

谁该为这些找不到工作的年轻人负责？当年那场次贷危机似乎脱不了干系。因为彼时还是学生，所以大多数年轻人对危机本身记忆已经模糊。然而，他们却必须面临金融危机带来的悲剧后果：严重的经济衰退影响下，年轻人无法在就业市场上找到自己的立足点。即便找到工作，经济也在缓慢复苏，但是他们或许永远也无法企及父辈所经历过的那般繁荣了。

本篇课程选自 The Economist Espresso APP

难度系数：

无用系数：

The "lost generation"

① Finding your first job is scary at the best of times. During recessions it can be nightmarish.

② Between May 2007 and April 2010, as America's economy shrank, the unemployment rate for 20-24-year-olds soared from 7.2% to 17.2%.

③ The young are seen as particularly vulnerable in recessions; as old-timers are booted out of work, newcomers struggle to get their foot in the door.

④ Fortunately, since then economic conditions have improved. Among 30-34-year-olds today, the unemployment rate is 3.4%.

⑤ But the trauma could be simply buried.

⑥ One study, covering 1976-2015, found that starting work during a recession depresses earnings for at least ten years, with high-school dropouts and non-whites worst affected.

⑦ Another, by economists at the St Louis Fed, found that families headed by someone born in the 1980s have struggled to amass as much wealth in the aftermath of the Great Recession as previous generations.

⑧ Some scars may never heal.

▍生词好句

at the best of times: 即使在最好的情况下；在最好的时代

recession /rɪˈseʃən/: n. 衰退

nightmarish /ˈnaɪtmeərɪʃ, ˈnaɪtmerɪʃ/: adj. 恶梦似的；不愉快的

shrink /ʃrɪŋk/: vi. 收缩；减少

soar /sɔː, sɔːr/: vi. 猛增；剧增

particularly /pəˈtɪkjələli, pərˈtɪkjələli/: adv. 尤其地；格外地

vulnerable /ˈvʌlnərəbəl/: adj. 脆弱的；易受伤害的

old-timer /ˌəʊldˈtaɪmə, ˌəʊldˈtaɪmər/: n. 老前辈；老人

boot /buːt/: vt. 解雇；踢

struggle to do. sth. /ˈstrʌɡəl/: 挣扎着去做某事；努力做某事

get one's foot in the door: 半只脚跨进了……；完成了某事的第一步

trauma /ˈtraʊmə, ˈtrɔːmə/: n. 创伤

bury /ˈberi/: vt. 掩藏；埋葬

dropout /ˈdrɒpaʊt, ˈdrɑːpaʊt/: n. 辍学学生；辍学

amass /əˈmæs/: vt. 积聚；积累

aftermath /ˈɑːftəmæθ, ˈɑːftərmæθ/: n. 余波；后果

the Great Recession: 大衰退

▍生词拓展

1. at the best of times

My car is slow at the best of times.

我的车在状况很好的时候也很慢。

Agriculture is a fragile industry at the best of times.

即使经济状况很好的时候，农业也是一个脆弱的行业。

2.nightmarish

fool-foolish 傻瓜-愚蠢的

child-childish 儿童-幼稚的

3. boot

boot sb. out of…: 迫使某人离开……；禁止某人参与……

4. 经典句型：“研究发现/显示/指出……”

One study found/ showed/ suggested that…

5. earning

表“收入；收益”时，一般以 earnings 形式出现

company earnings 公司收益

6. dropout

drop out of school 辍学

▍背景知识

1. the Great Depression 大萧条

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930s, beginning in the United States. It was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. Between 1929 and 1932, worldwide gross domestic product (GDP) fell by an estimated 15%.

2. the Great Recession 大衰退

The Great Recession was a period of general economic decline observed in world markets during the late 2000s and early 2010s. In terms of overall impact, the International Monetary Fund concluded that it was the worst global recession since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The causes of the recession largely originated in the United States, particularly the real-estate market, though policies of other nations contributed as well.

3. the Fed 美联储

The Federal Reserve System (also known as the Federal Reserve or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America.

▍责任编辑

李焕、杨晶妍、陈鑫悦、章晓丹