2020考研学子们，在备考公共课英语科目时，别忘记关注下考研英语经济学人杂志中的文章!因为英语试卷中的阅读理解文章，有些可能会节选自经济学人中的内容。下面，北京文都考研网为帮助考生提升英语水平，整理出英语经济学人:小额贷款是解药还是毒药?供考生参考。
2020考研英语经济学人:小额贷款是解药还是毒药?
In parts of Sri Lanka’s north and east, some women keep track of their microloans by the day of the week the collectors come. Others identify the lenders by the colours of their collectors’ shirts.
在斯里兰卡北部和东部的部分地区，一些妇女会根据收款人每周来的日子去记录自己的小额贷款。另一些人则是根据收款人的衬衫颜色来辨别放贷方。
Monday loan, Tuesday loan, blue shirt, yellow shirt: small, unsecured loans promoted by the government after the decades-long civil war ended in 2009 have enmeshed many women in hopeless debt.
周一贷款、周二贷款、蓝衬衫、黄衬衫：在2009年结束了长达数十年的内战后，斯里兰卡政府推出了无抵押小额贷款，这却让许多妇女陷入了无望的债务中。
A central-bank official says his employees have talked desperate borrowers out of killing themselves. At least 170 committed suicide last year.
一位央行官员称，他的员工劝说那些陷入绝望的借款人不要自杀。去年至少有170名借款人选择了自杀。
Nalani Wickremesinghe, from Baduraliya in the south, has taken loans from 11 companies, only two of which are registered with the central bank. The first was to pay for her husband’s medical treatment. Then he fell at his workplace and is still bedridden. 来自斯里兰卡南部巴杜拉利亚的纳拉尼·维克拉马辛哈从11家借贷公司(其中仅两家公司在斯里兰卡央行登记在册)贷了款。她最初贷款是为了支付丈夫的医疗费用。她的丈夫在工地摔伤后一直卧床不起。
She has borrowed 500,000-600,000 rupees ($2,800-3,400) in total—but has no idea of the interest rate. She has already pawned, and lost, her gold jewellery. Struggling to feed her family, she has little option but to borrow again.
在对利率一无所知的情况下，她共借了50-60万卢比(约合2800-3400美元)。她已经当掉和卖掉了她所有的金首饰。为了养家糊口，她别无选择，只得再次借款。
In Nachchikuda, a coastal village, Sri Sundara Gowri sits in her front yard—not far from the satellite dish she bought on hire-purchase—and relates how she had five loans, three of which have been at last paid off.
在纳奇库达(一个海滨村庄)，斯里·桑德拉·戈瑞坐在离她租购的卫星天线不远处的前院讲述了她是如何贷了五笔款，其中的三笔现已还清。
The first, of 25,000 rupees, was taken ten years ago after she returned from prolonged displacement to build a house. Unable to live on her husband’s fishing income, they borrowed more.
第一笔2.5万卢比是十年前在长期的流离失所后回来为了盖房子而贷的。由于丈夫捕鱼的收入无法维持生计，她们又借了更多的钱。
One loan went on a fishing net that was soon damaged. Their property is now mortgaged to an informal lender who frequently sends agents to threaten them.
其中一笔贷款用于修缮不久便破损的渔网。如今，她们的财产已经抵押给了一个经常派人威胁他们的不正规的放贷人。
Researchers say these stories are typical. Borrowers know nothing about interest rates—effective rates may be as high as 220%—only the capital and weekly instalment.
研究人员表示，这些故事很典型。借款人对利率一无所知(实际利率可能高达220%)，她们只知道本金和每周分期还款的金额是多少。
The finance ministry reckons big microfinance institutions have lent out 282bn rupees ($1.6bn), but it has no data for the many smaller lenders that operate. No rules exist to prevent over-indebtedness. Most borrowers took out their first loan to consume rather than invest, and most new loans are taken out to service old ones.
斯里兰卡财政部估计，大型小额信贷机构总计借出了2820亿卢比(约合16亿美元)的贷款，这还不包括许多经营规模较小的公司的数据。没有任何能够防止过度负债的规章制度。大多数借贷者的第一笔贷款用于了消费而非投资，而大多数新贷款则是用于偿还旧贷款的。
Giving poor people small loans without collateral, albeit at higher interest rates than on conventional loans, was meant to spur entrepreneurship and allow people to bootstrap their way out of poverty. In Sri Lanka it seems to be burying many, particularly women, deeper in it.
向穷人提供无抵押小额贷款(尽管利率是高于常规贷款的)的本意是为了刺激创业，让人们能够摆脱贫困。但在斯里兰卡，它却让许多人(尤其是妇女)陷入了无尽的深渊。
【词汇】
enmesh [ɪn'mɛʃ] vt. 使绊住;使陷入
bedridden ['bɛdrɪdn] adj. 卧床不起的
prolonged [pro'lɔŋd] adj. 延长的;拖延的;持续很久的
instalment [ɪn'stɔlm(ə)nt] n. 分期付款;装设;就职
conventional [kən'vɛnʃənl] adj. 符合习俗的，传统的;常见的;惯例的
以上是北京文都考研网分享的——“2020考研英语经济学人:小额贷款是解药还是毒药?”，希望对2020考研者在复习英语上面有所帮助!祝2020考研凯旋归来!
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