什么是subprime mortgage_时尚英语

什么是subprime mortgage

文章来源：文章作者：发布时间：2009-03-05 03:22 字体： [大中小]　进入论坛

(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

与美国著名时事新闻杂志《时代》周刊每年年底评选出的年度风云人物(man of the year)异曲同工的是，美国方言学会（American Dialect Society）也会在岁末年初评选出其年度词汇(word of the year)，在其2008年1月4日举行的2007年度大会上评选出来的年度词汇是Subprime。请看以下新闻报道：

‘Subprime’ is linguists¹' word of year

By SOPHIA TAREEN, Associated Press Writer

Sat Jan 5, 7:56 AM ET

CHICAGO - Even the American Dialect Society knows how risky² home mortgages are these days. The group of wordsmiths chose "subprime" as 2007's Word of the Year at its annual convention Friday.

"`Subprime' has been around with bankers for awhile, but now everyone is talking about `subprime,'" said Wayne Glowka, a spokesman for the group and a dean at Reinhardt College in Waleska, Ga. "It's affecting all kinds of people in all kinds of places."

从上文不难看出，Subprime表示的是高风险的家庭抵押贷款（risky home mortgages）。这是一个在当前辞典上尚未收录的单词，也是运用构词原则创造出来的一个新单词，让人感觉有点怪怪的。美国方言学会的发言人Glowka说，“subprime”这个词有些怪——至少在语言学家们看来是这样（As for "subprime," Glowka said it is an odd word — at least as far as linguists are concerned.）根据外研社出版的《朗曼当代高级英语辞典》，从构词法原理来说，sub这个前缀在这里表示的意思是“在重要性和级别方面次于……或低于……”（less important or powerful than someone or something, or of lower rank than someone）。美国方言学会也是这么解释的：The prefix³ "sub" translates roughly to "below the standard," while "prime" means something close to "the best." So, according to Glowka, the word really means "far below the best."（前缀“sub-”的大致含义为“不达标”；而“prime”则表示“最好”。所以，两部分意思合在一起其实应该是“远没达到最好”。）

Subprime最近在英语世界、尤其是美国英语中已成为热门词汇，光是在Yahoo News Only中搜索的新闻报道结果就显示相关页面多达3,294个，在GOOGLE搜索到的结果更是多达几十万个，其主要词汇搭配是subprime mortgage(次级抵押贷款)。那么，什么是次级抵押贷款呢？其实说白了就是指风险很大的抵押贷款。要了解这个单词，首先必须了解美国的房贷市场。对于购房者来说，除了少量手头资金充裕者，大多数人是要通过贷款的，而这类贷款主要由两种金融机构运作。对于信用记录好，还贷能力健全的贷款者，他们的贷款通常由银行来运作，他们可以享受优惠利率(prime rate)，他们的贷款也就被称之为prime mortgage。美国银行大多不发行次级房贷，因此，对于信用不佳或者背负债务包袱的购房者，他们的贷款通常由专门的房贷公司运作，这种贷款就叫做“次级抵押贷款”。也就是说，次级抵押贷款是指一些贷款机构向信用程度较差和收入不高的借款人提供的贷款，也就是银行或贷款机构提供给那些不具备资格享受优惠利率贷款的客户的一种贷款。这种贷款的利率通常比一般抵押贷款高出两个百分点到三个百分点。美国的次级抵押贷款大多是前几年住房市场高度繁荣时贷出的。在住房市场降温后，房价下跌和利率上升使很多次级抵押贷款市场的借款人无法按期偿还借款，不少次级抵押贷款机构因此陷入严重财务困难，甚至破产，由此而来的结果就是“次级抵押贷款危机”（subprime mortgage crisis）。

如果光凭上述解释，也许还不足于说明为何subprime这个最新创造出来的单词会成为年度词汇。那是因为美国最近出现的“次级抵押贷款危机”已经对本国经济乃至全球经济造成了极其严重的影响。2007年8月，由于投资者对美国次级抵押贷款市场乃至整个信贷市场担忧加剧，美国、欧洲及拉美主要股市全线暴跌，创下了今年的第二大跌幅，亚太地区主要股市开盘后也是跌声一片。在此之后，美国次级抵押贷款市场危机影响呈现扩大态势，美欧以及亚洲金融市场出现较大波动。美、欧、日等主要发达经济体货币当局向金融系统注入巨资，以应对风险。一场愈益严重的美国次级房贷危机正向全球金融市场深度蔓延，不仅包括法国、德国在内的一些欧洲国家受到传染；亚太国家和地区包括中国大陆的一些银行也未能幸免。这种情况不由得也让语言学家十分敏感了。

既然subprime已经变得如此热门，作为英语学习者，我们就有理由及时去多多了解它的相关用法，以便更好地学习英语，提高语言应用能力。在此，我们不妨看看从英语媒体里随机选择的一些最新相关新闻报道的标语和导语中subprime的使用以及相关搭配词语，从原汁原味的英语中学习英语。

1．New York probes Wall St. banks over subprime data: report

Reuters via Yahoo! News - Jan 12 2:19 PM

New York prosecutors⁴ are investigating whether Wall Street banks withheld⁵ information about the risks stemming from subprime loan-linked investments, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

2．Cleveland Sues 21 Lenders Over Subprime Mortgages

NYTimes.com via Yahoo! Finance - Jan 12 1:39 PM

The city is suing 21 of the nation’s largest banks and financial institutions, accusing them of knowingly plunging⁶ it into a financial crisis.

3．Bank M&A heats up amid subprime fallout

AP via Yahoo! News - Jan 12 1:51 AM

The bank branch on the corner might be changing names — again. Get set for the next wave of consolidation⁷ that could sweep through the nation's banking⁸ industry this year. Chief executives at some of the top regional players might be mulling deals to salvage⁹ businesses pummeled by the subprime mortgage market's collapse¹⁰.

4．Stocks open lower amid subprime concerns

AP via Yahoo! News - Jan 11 6:36 AM

Stocks slid in early trading Friday amid renewed fears that financial companies will suffer larger-than-expected writedowns from credit market troubles.

5．Subprime woes¹¹ make a mess of student loans

CNNMoney.com via Yahoo! Finance - Jan 11 12:51 PM

Students relying on college loans will soon feel the pinch from the subprime mortgage crisis, according to a report by financial aid guide FinAid this week.

6．Stocks slide amid subprime woes

AP via Yahoo! News - Jan 11 9:32 AM

Stocks resumed their downward slide Friday amid renewed fears that the financial sector's troubles with bad credit won't soon end and that some consumers are buckling¹² under signs of a slowing economy.

7．O'Melveny's $12 Million Cash Cow: New Century Subprime Lending Case

Law.com via Yahoo! Finance - Jan 11 12:02 AM

At O'Melveny & Myers, the white-collar lawyers representing bankrupt subprime lender New Century Financial Corp. had a busy -- and lucrative¹³ -- September. Faced with subpoenas¹⁴ from both the Justice Department and the SEC, the firm's government investigations¹⁵ team billed more than 4,000 hours that month.

8．Citi, Merrill look overseas to raise capital amid continued subprime losses

The Canadian Press via Yahoo! Canada News - Jan 10 2:49 PM

NEW YORK - Two of the biggest names on Wall Street are scrambling¹⁶ again to secure major cash infusions¹⁷ from foreign governments to offset¹⁸ billions of dollars in losses from risky subprime mortgage securities, analysts¹⁹ said on Thursday.

点击

收听单词发音

1 linguists
n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 )；语言学家
参考例句：
The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。来自辞典例句 The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。来自辞典例句

2 risky
adj.有风险的，冒险的
参考例句：
It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。 He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

3 prefix
n.前缀；vt.加…作为前缀；置于前面
参考例句：
We prefix "Mr."to a man's name.我们在男士的姓名前加“先生”。 In the word "unimportant ","un-" is a prefix.在单词“unimportant”中“un”是前缀。

4 prosecutors
检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )；告发人；起诉人；公诉人
参考例句：
In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。来自口语例句 You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

5 withheld
withhold过去式及过去分词
参考例句：
I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。来自《简明英汉词典》 There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。来自《简明英汉词典》

6 plunging
adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降
参考例句：
War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。来自《简明英汉词典》

7 consolidation
n.合并,巩固
参考例句：
The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民，对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源 The state ensures the consolidation and growth of the state economy. 国家保障国营经济的巩固和发展。来自汉英非文学 - 中国宪法

8 banking
n.银行业，银行学，金融业
参考例句：
John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。 He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

9 salvage
v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救
参考例句：
All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。 The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

10 collapse
vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷
参考例句：
The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。 The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

11 woes
困境( woe的名词复数 )；悲伤；我好苦哇；某人就要倒霉
参考例句：
Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。 She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

12 buckling
扣住
参考例句：
A door slammed in the house and a man came out buckling his belt. 房子里的一扇门砰地关上，一个男子边扣腰带边走了出来。 The periodic buckling leaves the fibre in a waved conformation. 周期性的弯折在纤维中造成波形构成。

13 lucrative
adj.赚钱的，可获利的
参考例句：
He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。 It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

14 subpoenas
n.（传唤出庭的）传票( subpoena的名词复数 )v.（用传票）传唤（某人）( subpoena的第三人称单数 )
参考例句：
My company has complied with committee subpoenas by supplying documents confirming all that I have said. 本公司按照委员会的要求，提供了能够证实我刚才发言的文件。来自辞典例句 Congressional Investigations: Subpoenas and Contempt Power. Report for Congress April 2, 2003. 金灿荣：《美国国会的监督功能》，载《教学与研究》2003年第2期。来自互联网

15 investigations
（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )；侦查；科学研究；学术研究
参考例句：
His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。 He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

16 scrambling
v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞
参考例句：
Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。来自《现代英汉综合大词典》 She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。来自《简明英汉词典》

17 infusions
n.沏或泡成的浸液（如茶等）( infusion的名词复数 )；注入，注入物
参考例句：
Intravenous infusions are also used to administer medications. 静脉输液也可作为一种给药方法。来自辞典例句 INTERPRETATION: GKI infusions significantly reduced plasma glucose concentrations and blood pressure. 结论：静脉滴注GKI显著降低血压和血糖浓度。来自互联网

18 offset
n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿
参考例句：
Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。 He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

19 analysts
分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )
参考例句：
City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。 I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

上一篇：中国与马拉维“建交” 下一篇：“航空安全”怎么说？