2017考研英語《經濟學人》閱讀：肯薩斯邊境之戰

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Kansas and Missouri

肯薩斯和密蘇蘇里

The new border war

新邊境之戰

Missouri calls for an economic truce with Kansas

密蘇蘇里提出與肯薩斯達成經濟休戰協定

I hear the tax breaks are good in Kansas

聽說肯薩斯州有好的稅收減免政策

MISSOURI and Kansas are old rivals. In the 1850s thousands of Missourians rode into Kansas,seized polling stations at gunpoint and fraudulently elected pro-slavery candidates. The effortsof these “border ruffians” were a prelude to the civil war.

密蘇蘇里和肯薩斯是一對老冤家。在1850年代，千萬密蘇蘇里人涌入肯薩斯州，搶占他們槍口下的投票站，公然欺騙地投選支持奴隸制的候選人。這些邊境惡棍的努力同樣阻止了內戰的爆發。

Today the rivalry is less bloody. Both states offer tax incentives to lure in companies fromelsewhere. Because they share a large metropolitan region, Kansas City, many firms qualifyfor such breaks simply by shifting a mile or two over the border.

如今的對抗少了點血腥。雙方都拿出稅費刺激計劃，吸引四面八方的公司。由于大都市肯薩斯城橫跨兩州，許多公司為了有資格拿到這樣的稅收減免，會通常把公司移一兩英里跨過邊界。

Looking at the biggest type of sweetener, the Hall Family Foundation, a charity, estimates thatover the past five years the two state governments have forgone $217m in taxes. Some 3,289jobs have been tempted across the metropolitan border to Kansas; Missouri has won 2,824jobs back. Kansas can therefore claim to be “winning”. But local reports suggest that CBIZ, aKansan consulting firm, is considering moving to Missouri; that would erase this lead.

霍爾家族基金會慈善組織推測，在過去的五年間，兩州政府分別放棄了2億1700萬的稅收。肯薩斯州吸引了大約3289個職位，密蘇蘇里州則搶到了2824個，因此肯薩斯可以說是勝利的一方。但當地媒體表示，肯薩咨詢公司CBIZ有意移到密蘇蘇里州，如果一旦成功，領先將會不復存在。

None of this border-ruffianry creates new jobs. Locals gripe that when, for example, AMCTheatre recently moved its headquarters out of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, its staff simplyhad a longer commute to work. Sly James, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, describes thenew border war as “short-sighted”. Kevin Collison, a reporter for the Kansas City Star, calls it“cannibalistic”.

邊境惡棍們并沒有創造新的就業機會。當地人抱怨稱，最近AMC電影院從密蘇蘇里肯薩斯城市中心遷走時，只不過它的員工們花費在上下班的時間更長了些。該市市長斯萊·詹姆斯認為這是一場沒有遠見的邊境之戰。肯薩斯城星光的一名記者Kevin Collision稱之為自相殘殺。

A few years ago local business leaders from 17 companies, including Sprint and Hallmark Cards,wrote to Jay Nixon, the governor of Missouri, and Sam Brownback, his counterpart in Kansas,to warn them that the rift was harming the area. In the past month, a truce has started tolook likelier. Majorities in the Missouri House and Senate have approved versions of a bill thatwould bar incentives for businesses near the border to hop over it. The catch, though, is thatthis law will go into effect only if Kansas reciprocates. There is a two-year window for a deal tobe done.

幾年前，包括來自Sprint和Hallmark Cards在內的當地17家公司的總裁們向密蘇蘇里州長杰·尼克森聯同肯薩斯州州長薩姆·布朗巴克寫信警告這種裂痕正危害著這個地方。過去數月里，雙方好像可以簽署一份休戰協定。多數密蘇蘇里議員同意簽署一項法案旨在禁止邊界貿易刺激方案。然而該方案有一缺陷，要想該法案有效，必須得到肯薩斯州同樣的做法。在達成協議之前有兩年的窗口期。

Missouri Senator Ryan Silvey, a Republican who is sponsoring the Senate version of the bill,says he is confident the House will soon pick up and pass his version. Over in Kansas, MrBrownback is guardedly optimistic. He says he has thought for some time that “ceasefirenegotiations” were needed, and that this bill is a “necessary condition for us to negotiate”. MrBrownback says that ceasefire discussions ought to consider all the tools used to encourageeconomic development on both sides of the border. These would include income and propertytaxes.

密蘇蘇里州民主黨議員萊恩·希爾威爾支持這項法案，他表示對國會審議通過這樣法案有信心。而肯薩斯州方面，布朗巴克對此保持著謹慎的樂觀，他說停火談判的必要性已經在他腦子里有一段時間了，這部法案為我們談判提供了必要的條件。停火談判應該考慮邊界雙方共同的經濟發展刺激方式。這其中就包括財產和所得稅。

It is difficult to understand why either state would want to continue throwing money at ascheme that benefits only the companies that move. Mr Silvey explains: “When people feel likethey are locked in competition they just want to win, even when the competition is stupid.”Since Missouri's annual budget is $26 billion to Kansas's $14 billion, some Missourians ask whytheir state does not simply outspend its neighbour to win the war. Mr Silvey says that if anagreement is not reached in the next few years, his colleagues will want to “go with bothbarrels” and steal more business from Kansas. Move quickly Kansas, or the border ruffiansmay yet ride again.

我們仍然弄不清楚，為什么蘇肯兩州會繼續撒錢來支持只有遷移的企業才會受益的方案。希爾威爾解釋道，當人們感覺到自己受困于競爭，他們總是很想贏，盡管這是一場傻傻的斗。相比140億美元的年度預算，密蘇蘇里州每年有達260億美元預算。一些密蘇蘇里人問，為什么就不能僅僅靠相對高的預算來贏得勝利。他指出，如果未來幾年內仍達成協議，他的同僚們會帶著槍，從肯薩斯州搶些生意。肯薩斯快快行動!邊境惡棍又要來了!

1.polling station 投票站

例句:The Independent Electoral Commission,supported by MONUC, will have to recruit and train260,000 polling station agents.

在聯剛特派團的支助下，獨立選舉委員會將招聘和培訓26萬名投票站工作人員。

2.move to 搬到

例句:The harder change to drive is to take a successful organization and then convince themwith aspirational language to move to platform C.They're on platform B and they're prettycomfortable.

而更困難的挑戰，是利用雄心勃勃的語言，讓一個原本已經很成功的企業轉移到C平臺上去。這種企業原本就處于B平臺，而且他們在B平臺上待得很舒服。

3.write to 寫信給

例句:If you feel you have any cause for complaint about the service you should write to theHospital Administrator.

如果你覺得對服務有任何不滿，應該寫信給醫院院長。

4.start to 開始

例句:The cells will promptly start to soak up moisture.

細胞會立即開始吸收水分。