英國在這個夏天面臨了疫情後的另一大挑戰:通膨導致物價急遽上升。英國人不滿的(disgruntled)情緒一觸即發,罷工活動遍地開花,鐵路工人、律師、郵差,相繼上街爭取工資。通膨在英國上演的經濟衝擊,恐將是各國必須面臨的艱困課題。
【淺談英國通膨與罷工】
disgruntled 不滿的、怨懟的
A:I just heard that U.K. inflation came in at a 40-year-high of 10.1% annually in July.(聽說英國通膨在7月來到40年新高達10.1%。)
B:That's insane. Workers across sectors are becoming more disgruntled, with real wages plunging.(太瘋狂了。各產業勞工在實質薪資暴跌下,越來越不滿。)
upheaval 動盪不安
A:Strike actions are expected across industries, such as transport workers, postal workers, and much more.(罷工預期將橫跨不同產業,如運輸工人、郵局員工等。)
B:Amid political upheaval, Britain is also facing an economic crisis.(英國不僅處於政治動盪不安,也面對著一場經濟危機。)
deluge 氾濫、大量湧入
A:Faced with a deluge of strikes, the government will do whatever it takes to undermine unions.(面對大量的罷工,政府絕對會採取行動削弱工會力量。)
B:Can they, though, with the public majority suffering from a tremendous loss?(不過,在多數民眾面臨巨大損失時,他們真能成功嗎?)
【延伸關鍵字】
1. normalization:正常化
2. to pull the strings:掌控
3. unionist:工會成員
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