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0The U.S. Started the War. The Rest of the World Is Feeling the Effects.
The fallout from two months of war in Iran is shuttering textile mills in India and Bangladesh, grounding airplanes in Ireland, Poland and Germany, and prompting energy rationing in Vietnam, South Korea and Thailand. The only country, it seems, that has been relatively spared from the economic chaos is the one that started the war: the United States.
The worst economic pain will be felt in poor countries, where consumers cannot afford higher energy prices, and governments cannot afford to provide aid to offset the costs. Soaring prices now for fuel and fertilizer mean higher prices for food later in the year. In Africa, "food insecurity looms large," the International Monetary Fund said last week.
Compared with the rest of the world, the impact on the domestic economy has been muted.
For the United States, the biggest advantage is that, unlike most of its global peers, it produces more oil and gas than it consumes. The U.S. economy is also heavily based on services and depends relatively little on the energy-intensive manufacturing industries that have been hit hardest by the spike in oil prices. And it went into the war with a stronger economy than many other countries, giving it more of a buffer against a slowdown.
"As a snapshot at the moment, the U.S. is less directly troubled," said Adam Posen, president of the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "I wouldn't make too much of that."
生词好句
fallout 英 [ˈfɔːlaʊt] 美 [ˈfɔːlaʊt] n. （本文）扩散、外溢的恶劣后果、不良影响；核爆发生后的放射性坠尘
The fallout from the conflict is no longer confined to the region; it is spilling over into global markets.冲突的影响早已不局限于地区本身，而是外溢到全球市场。
shutter 英 [ˈʃʌtə] 美 [ˈʃʌtɚ] v. （本文）关停，停工；n. 门板、窗户的遮窗板
They declared bankruptcy and shuttered the store. 他们宣告破产并关停了门店。
ground 英 [ɡraʊnd] 美 [ɡraʊnd] v. （本文）使停飞；n. 地面
The snowstorm meant that all planes were grounded.这场暴风雪导致航班全部停飞。
prompt 英 [prɒmpt] 美 [prɑːmpt] v. 引发，激起
Pride prompted his angry response.自尊心促使他作出愤怒的反应。
ration 英 [ˈræʃn] 美 [ˈræʃn] v. 定量配给
During the war, the food was rationed.
战争期间，食物被限量供应。
8.spare 英 [speə] 美 [sper] v. 使免遭受
The town was spared from the earthquake.这个小镇免于地震破坏。
offset 英 [ˈɒfset] 美 [ˈɔːfset] v. 抵消，弥补
Long hours are offset by a high salary.工作时长虽然长，但高工资把这缺点抵消了。
soar 英 [sɔː] 美 [sɔːr] v. 飙升，飞涨
skyrocket v. 像火箭升天一样飞涨、飙升
loom large 危险之事正在逼近、威胁迫在眉睫
loom v. 隐约出现
The problem of job hunting looms large for young people today.如今，年轻人普遍面临找工作困难的压力。
mute 英 [mjuːt] 美 [mjuːt] v. 降低、减弱；让某物显得不那么强烈、明显、突出；使静音
mute your phone 把你的手机调成静音模式
The enthusiasm was muted.热情不大（气氛比较平淡）。
The criticism was muted.批评相对温和。
spike 英 [spaɪk] 美 [spaɪk] n. （本文）突然的激增、暴增；尖刺
a spike in demand 需求突然暴增
a spike in online searches 搜索量激增
buffer 英 [ˈbʌfə] 美 [ˈbʌfɚ] n. 缓冲物
Gold is often seen as a buffer against market volatility.黄金常被视为抵御市场波动的缓冲之物（避险工具）。
slowdown 英 [ˈsləʊdaʊn] 美 [ˈsloʊdaʊn] n. 经济放缓
snapshot 英 [ˈsnæpʃɒt] 美 [ˈsnæpʃɑːt] n. （商业）市场或者机构某一时刻的表现的览、速览；快照
snapshot of the market 某一时刻的市场状态
The data is just a snapshot, not a trend.数据只是一个截面状态，不是趋势。
make much of something 把某事看得很重要、意义重大
Don't make too much of the test results. 别把考试结果看得太重。
