評論
打印
Jessica: Good morning, class. Today we have Professor Wilson here to tell us something about free trade.
Professor Wilson: Well, free trade means no tariffs and no quotas between countries that trade goods with one another. But, it's not only a free flow of goods. It also means the free flow of services between nations. It's a system that allows people to buy and sell whatever they desire with whomever they desire. (16) Advocates argue that total free trade will result in a net gain in wealth for both trading partners. Some of the characteristics of free trade are... uh, let me list them for you. First, the absence of tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods and services. Second is the absence of quotas and other trade barriers. Third, the free flow of labor between two trading partners. Fourth, the free flow of capital between the two trading partners. And fifth is the absence of subsidies and regulations on locally produced goods and services that give businesses in the home country an advantage over those of a foreign country. Now having said all this, keep in mind that free trade is a relatively loose term that means different things to different people. For instance, it can be any combination of these characteristics I just mentioned to you, and, typically, it's never completely 100% free. When you have a free trade agreement between two countries, there are usually some protective policies in place.
Protectionism, on the other hand, means government restraint on trade between two nations. (17) Protective trade or protective tariffs are a nation's efforts to prevent its own people from trading. Such protective measures include tariffs on imported goods and services, restrictive quotas on imported goods and services, government regulations which discourage imports, anti-dumping laws, and subsidies for local producers.
There are a number of advantages to free trade. (18) Perhaps the most important advantage of free trade is that it lowers the costs of goods and services. This is possible for a number of reasons. For example, production can take place in nations where labor and other operating costs are lower. Despite its apparent advantages, there are a number of critics of free trade. Many people prefer protectionism. And, as I mentioned a moment ago, in the real world, even when we have free trade or a free trade agreement, there's still some protectionism. Protectionists fed it's better for local consumers to pay higher prices and thereby maintain quality jobs. (19) So, protectionism protects businesses, jobs, and wages, but it also means higher prices.
16. Why do some people approve of total free trade?
17. Why does a nation impose protective tariffs?
18. What could be the most important advantage of free trade?
19. What's the benefit of protectionism?
同學們，早上好。今天由威爾遜教授給我們講解有關自由貿易的知識。
好，自由貿易是指兩個有貨物往來的國家之間不收關稅，沒有限額。但是，它不單意味著貨物的免費流通。還意味著國家之間服務的免費流通。在這種系統下，人們可以向任何人買賣任何產品。支持自由貿易的人認為絕對的自由貿易可以讓交易雙方都獲得凈利潤。自由貿易的一些特點是...嗯，我來一一陳述。首先，不收關稅，關稅是指對進口貨物和服務收稅。其次是沒有限額和其他貿易壁壘。第三，是交易雙方之間勞動力的免費流動。第四，交易雙方之間資金的免費流動。第五，對本地生產的貨物及服務沒有補貼和監管，這使得國內的商業比國外更具優勢。已經說了這么多，要記住，自由貿易是一個相對寬松的術語，其含義因人而異。例如，它可能具有我剛才所提到的任何幾種特點，而且，一般而言，它不會是100%的免費。兩國之間簽訂自由貿易協定以后，通常還會有一些保護政策。
另一方面，貿易保護主義是指政府限制兩國之間的貿易往來。貿易保護或者保護性關稅是一個國家限制進口，從而保護其國內產業不受影響而采取的措施。此種保護措施包括對進口貨物和服務征稅、限額，限制進口的政府法規、反傾銷法和對本地生產商的補貼。
自由貿易有一些優點。自由貿易最大的好處可能是它能降低貨物和服務的成本。這有很多原因。比如，貨物生產會出現在勞動力及其他操作成本較低的國家。盡管自由貿易優勢明顯，仍然有人對其不滿。很多人更青睞于貿易保護主義。而且，我剛才說過的，在現實生活中，即便我們有了自由貿易或自由貿易協定，依然會有貿易保護主義。貿易保護主義者認為本國消費者購價更高會更好，這樣可以維持高質量的工作。所以，貿易保護主義保護商業、工作和薪資，但這也意味著物價更高。
問題16 為什么有人支持完全自由貿易？
問題17 為什么有些國家會施行關稅保護？
問題18 自由貿易最重要的好處是什么？
問題19 貿易保護主義的好處是什么？
譯文屬可可原創，僅供學習和交流使用，未經允許不得轉載
