问答题
Median earnings for full-time US workers aged 18 to 34 have fallen nearly 10 percent since 2000, after adjusting for inflation, to below 1980s levels, according to The Wall Street Journal. This drop means young people, many of whom are also shouldering big student loan debt, have had a hard time saving money and building the good credit needed to secure a mortgage and buy a house elsewhere.
The mobility of young workers has been a tremendous asset to the US economy, according to The Atlantic article. In previous decades, cities like New York and Los Angeles attracted 20-somethings with educational or professional opportunities, and then those 20-somethings would migrate to places where they could settle down with a family and buy a spacious house after a few years in the city. This geographic dispersal of highly-skilled workers meant that the gains of states with stronger economies could be spread to those with weaker ones.
【正确答案】
【答案解析】根据《华尔街日报》的报道，自2000年以来，美国18至34岁全职者的平均收入下降了近10%，调整通货膨胀率之后，这一数字还不及20世纪80年代的水平。这一下降意味着年轻人将很难有所积蓄，或是建立良好的信用来获得抵押贷款、在别处买房安家。他们中的很多人还身负巨额助学贷款。
如《大西洋月刊》的一篇文章中所写，美国年轻劳动力的流动性一直是美国经济的巨大财产。在过去的几十年间，纽约、洛杉矶等大城市通过教育与工作机会吸引了许多二十几岁的年轻人，这些年轻人在工作几年之后移居他处，置豪宅成家安居。这种高技术人才的迁移，让财富从经济状况较好的州流向经济贫弱的地区。
[解析] (1)median意为“中央的，中间的；[数]中值的”，median earnings可灵活译为“平均收入”。below 1980s levels直译为“20世纪80年代以下水平”，可根据汉语习惯调整为“不及20世纪80年代的水平”。
(2)shoulder意为“承担”，have a hard time doing sth.意为“做某事有困难”，build the good credit意为“建立良好的信用”，secure a mortgage意为“获得抵押贷款”。
(3)第二段第二句的主干为cities attracted 20-somethings, and then those 20-somethings would migrate to places.翻译时要注意主语的转换。
(4)This geographic dispersal中的This指代上一句中年轻人在大城市工作在别的城市买房安家的事实，geographic dispersal意为“地理分布”，结合后半句的意思可灵活译为“这种高技术人才的迁移”。
(5)gains意为“收益，财富”，states with stronger economies指经济状况较好的州，那么weaker ones即指经济贫弱的州了，要把代词ones译出来。