外刊第8期.docx

1、外刊第8期2014年外刊第8期赵老师英语2014-05-15 17:20:41Passage1: AdditivemanufacturingHeavymetalThree-dimensionalprintingmayhelpentrenchtheworldsengineeringgiantsMay3rd2014|BERLIN|FromtheprinteditionTHEbiggestengineeringcompaniesnowadaysprefertotalkabout“additivemanufacturing”ratherthan“3Dprinting”.Onereasonisthatp

2、rintingisnotquitetherightwordforsomeofthetechnologiesgiventhislabel.Whereashobbyist-scale3Dprinterstypicallybuildaproductbysquirtingoutblobsofplastic,atechniquecalledselectivelasermeltingzapssuccessivelayersofpowderwithalaserorionbeam,hardeningonlycertainbits.Anotherreasonforbeingpickyaboutterminolo

3、gyisthatbigcompanieswanttostressthe“manufacturing”aspect:thetechnologyhasmovedbeyondthedevelopmentlabsandisnowbeingusedonthefactoryfloortomakecomplexmetalparts.Apioneerinmakingtheselective-lasermeltingequipmentusedinfactories,SLMSolutionsofGermany,willfloatontheFrankfurtstockexchangeonMay9th.Ingastu

4、rbines,thebladesmoveatthespeedofsoundandheatupto1,400C.Theelaboratelyshapedcomponentsarehardtodesignandcostlytomake.ButSiemens,abigindustrialgroup,isusingSLMSolutionsmachinestocutthecostandthetimeneededtoreplacethebladesoncustomersturbineswhentheybreak.Ithopeseventuallytocutthetimefromordertodeliver

5、yfrom44weekstoperhapsfour.Forsimplermechanicalparts,additivemanufacturingisalongwayfromreplacingtraditionalmass-productiontechniquessuchascastingandwelding.But3Dprintingallowsdesignerstoimagineshapesthatwouldbeimpossibletocreatethrougholdertechniques,besidesgreatlyspeedingupprototypingforturbineblad

6、esandsimilarparts,from16-20weekstojust48hours,Siemenssays.Additivemanufacturingcutsthecostoftoolingandmaterials:apiececanhaveallofitsholesincorporatedintoit,withgreatprecision,asitisbuiltupfrompowder,insteadofneedingtohavethemexpensivelydrilledafterwards.Siemenshopestocutthecostofsomepartsbyperhaps3

7、0%.Lastbutnotleast,saysAndreasFischer-Ludwig,anexecutiveatthecompany,isthepoweritgivesSiemenswithitssuppliers.Asitgetseasiertomakelow-volume,specialisedpartsin-house,Siemensgainsbargaining-powerwhenitcomestooutsourcingsuchpartstootherfirms.Thetechnologyisstillbeingperfected.Forexample,somepiecesneed

8、furtherfinishingtomaketheirsurfaceslesspronetocorrosion.Andthelasersusedintheprocessdonotcomecheap.Suchobstaclestothewideradoptionof3Dprintingaresometimesunderestimatedbyitsboosters,saysTerryWohlers,anindustryanalyst.Thatsaid,themarketisgrowingrapidly.Therevenuesofmakersof3D-printingequipmentandsupp

9、liesworldwidegrewbyalmost40%lastyear,MrWohlersreckons,farfasterthanhehadexpected.Ifpatienceanddeeppocketsarewhatareneeded,thisagainwillgivethebiggestfirmsanadvantageanotherreasonwhyrelativelysmallturbine-makerslikeAlstomarevulnerabletobeingswallowedupbybiggerrivalslikeGEandSiemens(seearticle).Aircra

10、ftengines,subjecttoevenhigherstandardsofreliabilitythanturbines,areanotherareainwhichtheengineeringgiantshaveimplementedadditivemanufacturing.GEisusingittomakefuelnozzlesforitsnext-generationLeapengines(madeincollaborationwithSafranofFrance),whichwillpowerthenewversionsoftheBoeing737andAirbusA320jet

11、s.GEsaysthenozzleswillbe25%lighterandfivetimesmoredurablethantheirpredecessorsandsincethereare20orsoineachengine,theweightsavingsaresignificant.Airbusisalreadymakingbitsofitsplanes,suchasmountingbrackets,byadditivetechniques;anditdreamsofoneday“printing”entirefuselages.Thereisstillspaceinthemarketfo

12、rsmallerfirmslikeSLMSolutionsthatmakethe3Dprintersthemselves,andforinnovativestartups.Butmanymayendupinthearmsofthegiants,justasin2012GEboughtMorrisTechnologies,a3D-printingspecialist,therebydenyingitsrivalsMorrisstechnologies.Sofar3Dprintinghasconjuredupimagesofhobbyiststurningoutnoveltyitemsinthei

13、rkitchens;increasinglyitisaboutgiantengineeringfirmsturningoutsophisticatedpartsinfactories.Passage2:CapitalismanditscriticsAmodernMarxThomasPikettysblockbusterbookisagreatpieceofscholarship,butapoorguidetopolicyMay3rd2014|FromtheprinteditionWHENthefirstvolumeofKarlMarxs“DasKapital”waspublishedin186

14、7,ittookfiveyearstosell1,000copiesinitsoriginalGerman.ItwasnottranslatedintoEnglishfortwodecades,andthisnewspaperdidnotseefittomentionituntil1907.Bycomparison,ThomasPikettys“CapitalintheTwenty-FirstCentury”isanovernightsensation.OriginallypublishedinFrench(whenwefirstreviewedit),MrPikettysvasttomeon

15、income-and-wealthdistributionhasbecomeabestsellersincetheEnglishtranslationappearedinMarch.InAmericaitisthetop-sellingbookonAmazon,fictionincluded.Thebookssuccesshasalottodowithbeingabouttherightsubjectattherighttime.Inequalityhassuddenlybecomeafeveredtopic,especiallyinAmerica.Havingforyearsdismisse

16、dthegapsbetweenthehavesandhave-notsasaEuropeanobsession,Americans,stungbytheexcessesofWallStreet,aresuddenlytalkingabouttherichandredistribution.Hencetheattractionofabookwhicharguesthatgrowingwealthconcentrationisinherenttocapitalismandrecommendsaglobaltaxonwealthastheprogressivesolution.“Capital”ha

17、sdulyenrapturedtheleft,infuriatedtherightandspicedupthedismalscienceinthepopularmind(seearticle).ButifMrPikettydoessetthetoneofdebateoninequality,theworldwillbethepoorerforit.Forlikeits19th-centurynamesake,“Capital”containssomemarvellousscholarship,butasaguidetoaction,isdeeplyflawed.“Capital”makesth

18、reebigcontributionsinits577pages.First,MrPiketty,apioneerinusingtaxstatisticstomeasureinequality,painstakinglydocumentstheevolutionofincomeandwealthoverthepast300years,particularlyinEuropeandAmerica.Indoingso,heshowsthattheperiodfromabout1914tothe1970swasanhistoricaloutlierinwhichbothincomeinequalit

19、yandthestockofwealth(relativetoannualnationalincome)felldramatically.Sincethe1970sbothwealthandincomegapshavebeenrisingbacktowardstheirpre-20th-centurynorms.Therearesurelyafewsnafusinthesestatistics,butthisworkhastransformedunderstandingofthehistoryofwealth,witheye-poppingresults.Whoknew,forinstance

20、,thattheannualvalueofinheritancesinFrancehastripledfromlessthan5%ofGDPinthe1950stoabout15%,notallthatfarfromthe19th-centurypeakof25%?Asapieceofempiricalsleuthing,thebookisindisputablybrilliant.MrPikettyssecondcontributionistocomeupwithatheoryofcapitalismthatexplainsthesefactsandoffersapredictionofwh

21、erewealthdistributionisheading.Hiscentralclaimisthatthefree-marketsystemhasanaturaltendencytowardsincreasingtheconcentrationofwealth,becausetherateofreturnonpropertyandinvestmentshasconsistentlybeenhigherthantherateofeconomicgrowth.Twoworldwars,theDepressionandhightaxespusheddownthereturnonwealthint

22、he20thcentury,whilerapidproductivityandpopulationrisespushedupgrowth.Butwithoutsuchcountervailingfactors,MrPikettyargues,higherreturnsoncapitalwillconcentratewealthespeciallywhen,asnow,anageingpopulationmeansthatgrowthshouldslow.MrPikettysexpectationofrisingwealthconcentrationisnotoutlandish.However

23、,itisapredictionbasedonextrapolatingfromthepast,notaninherentmodelofcapitalism.Heassumesthatthereturnstocapitalwillnotfallsubstantiallyevenasthestockofwealthrises.Thatmayprovetobetrue,butthePikettypredictionisahypothesis,notanironlaw.Nit-PikettyThatiswheretheproblemsstart,becauseMrPikettysthirdcontr

24、ibutionistoofferpolicyproposalsthatassumethisgrowingconcentrationofwealthisnotonlyinevitable,butthethingthatmattersmost.Heprescribesaprogressiveglobaltaxoncapital(anannuallevythatcouldstartat0.1%andhitsamaximumofperhaps10%onthegreatestfortunes).Healsosuggestsapunitive80%taxrateonincomesabove$500,000

25、orso.Here“Capital”driftstotheleftandlosescredibility.MrPikettyassertsratherthanexplainswhytemperingwealthconcentrationshouldbethepriority(asopposedto,say,boostinggrowth).Hebarelyacknowledgesanytrade-offsorcoststohisredistributionistagenda.Mosteconomists,commonsenseandalotofFrenchbusinesspeoplewoulda

26、rguethathighertaxesonincomeandwealthputoffentrepreneursandrisktaking;heblithelydismissesthat.Andhisto-dolistisoddlyblinkeredinitsfocusontaxingtherich.Heignoreswaystobroadentheownershipofcapital,from“babybonds”togovernmenttop-upsofprivatesavingaccounts.Somecapitaltaxescouldsitnicelyinasensible21st-ce

27、nturypolicytoolkit(inheritancetaxes,inparticular),buttheyarenottheonly,oreventhemain,waytoensurebroad-basedprosperity.MrPikettysfocusonsoakingtherichsmacksofsocialistideology,notscholarship.Thatmayexplainwhy“Capital”isabestseller.Butitisapoorblueprintforaction.Passage3:TherighttobeforgottenCutthatlinkMay14th2014,14:30byL.S.YOUHADarun-inwiththetaxmanmorethanadecadeago,asaresultofwhichyourhousewasputupforauction.Eventhoughtheissuehadlongsincebeenresolved,anonlinesearchofyournamestill