上接1~6

7.Productivity is another disappointment. As you probably know, productivity is just another term for efficiency. It means doing more with less. Higher productivity is the ultimate engine of higher living standards. It is crucial to economic success.

ultimate

adjective [ before noun ]

 UK  /ˈʌl.tɪ.mət/ US  /ˈʌl.tə.mət/

most extreme or important because either the original or final, or the best or worst: 极端的；最重要的；最终（初）的；最好（差）的

Of course the ultimate responsibility for the present conflict without doubt lies with the aggressor.

当然，毫无疑问挑事方应对目前的冲突承担首要责任。

8.Over the past five decades, I cannot remember one instance when economists have correctly forecast a major shift in productivity growth, whether up or down. Not in the late 1960s and early 1970s when productivity growth slowed. Nor in the 1990s when productivity accelerated. And not now, when there has been a pronounced slowdown. (From 2010 to 2017, productivity growth has averaged 0.5 percent annually, compared with a post-World War II average of 2 percent.)

➤ productivity

noun [ U ]

 UK  /ˌprɒd.ʌkˈtɪv.ə.ti/ US  /ˌproʊ.dəkˈtɪv.ə.t̬i/

 the rate at which a company or country makes goods, usually judged in connectionwith the number of people and the amount of materials necessary to produce the goods:.生产率

a productivity bonus/incentive 生产率奖金/激励

➤ pronounced

adjective

 UK  /prəˈnaʊnst/ US  /prəˈnaʊnst/

very noticeable or certain:明显的；明确的

I~q~m told I have a very pronounced Chinese accent when I speak English.

有人告诉我说，我在说英语时有明显的中国口音。

➤ slowdown

noun [ C ]

 UK  /ˈsləʊ.daʊn/ US /ˈsloʊ.daʊn/

a reduction in speed, activity, or the rate that things are produced:减速；减缓，放缓

a worldwide economic slowdown 全球经济减缓

a slowdown in production 生产率降低

7.另一件令人失望的事是生产率，生产力是效率的另一种说法（术语）。这意味着投入少，收获多。更高的生产力是更高生活水平的根本动力，对经济的成功也至关重要。

8.在过去的五十年里，我记不起一个经济学家能正确预测生产力增长发生重大转变的例子，无论是上升还是下降。在上世纪60年代末和70年代初生产力增长缓慢的时候是这样。在90年代生产力加速的时候还是这样。还有现在经济明显放缓的时候也是这样。和二战后生产率年增长2%相比，从2010年到2017年，生产率增长每年增长0.5%

9.The Trump administration’s economists believe they will reverse these trends. Their corporate tax cuts will stimulate investment and productivity gains, the thinking goes. Maybe, but I’m skeptical. My view is that the ignorance gap is huge — that is, the difference between what economists (and by extension the rest of us) know and what we need to know.

➤ reverse

verb

 UK  /rɪˈvɜːs/ US /rɪˈvɝːs/

 [ T ] to change the direction, order, position, result, etc. of something to its opposite:（使）反向；（使）倒转；彻底改变；推翻

➤ the thinking goes  基于这种思路，这种想法认为

➤ ignorance

noun [ U ]

 UK /ˈɪɡ.nər.əns/ US /ˈɪɡ.nɚ.əns/

 lack of knowledge, understanding, or information about something:无知，愚昧

9.特朗普政府的经济学家认为他们能扭转这些趋势，他们的公司减税政策将会刺激投资和生产率增长。或许是这样，但是我很怀疑。我的观点是：无知的差距是巨大的——也就是说，存在于经济学家（以及我们这些其他人）知道的和我们需要知道的之间的差别。