苦主竟是美國消費者
The cost of tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on Chinese goods has largely fallen on American businesses and households, according to a paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
美國全國經濟研究局的研究報告指出，川普總統對中國商品加徵的關稅成本大部分都落在美國企業和家庭身上。
the National Bureau of Economic Research 全國經濟研究局impose(v.)加稅;強制執行fall on something or somebody落在…上
“US tariffs continue to be almost entirely borne by US firms and consumers,” Mary Amiti, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, wrote in a National Bureau of Economic Research paper. The other authors of the paper were David E. Weinstein of Columbia University and Stephen J. Redding of Princeton.
紐約聯邦準備銀行的經濟學家Mary Amiti在全國經濟研究局的研究報告中寫道：「美國的關稅還是幾乎完全由美國企業和消費者承擔。」這篇報告其他作者包括哥倫比亞大學的David E. Weinstein以及普林斯頓大學的Stephen J. Redding。
bear-bore-borne承擔be borne by…由…所承擔
Traditional trade theory would suggest that tariffs levied by the US should cause foreign firms to lower prices, and thereby force them to shoulder the cost of the duties.
傳統的貿易理論認為，美國徵收的關稅應該會致使外國公司降低價格，因此迫使它們承擔關稅的成本。
levy(n.)稅;稅款(v.)課稅thereby(adv.)因此shoulder(n.)肩膀(v.)承擔
However, the paper shows that the levies haven’t had a major impact on foreign export prices, suggesting that American firms and consumers are bearing almost the entire burden in most sectors.
然而，這篇報告指出，關稅沒有對外國出口價格產生重大衝擊，顯示美國企業和消費者幾乎承擔了大部份產業所有的負擔。
impact(n.)(v.)影響;衝擊have an impact on~對…造成影響或衝擊sector(n.)領域;行業the financial sector 金融領域，金融業the private sector 民間企業
The paper reflects a series of similar independent findings that have been circulated over the past year.
這篇論文反映出與過去一年來流傳的一連串獨立研究報告類似的結果。
circulate(v.)(文章、消息)流傳;傳閱
For instance, the New York Federal Reserve found in a study in November that Chinese businesses have not significantly lowered prices on exports to the US in response to the trade dispute that began in early 2018.
例如，紐約聯邦準備銀行11月研究報告指出，中國企業沒有大幅降低出口到美國產品的價格，以因應2018年初展開的貿易爭端。
the New York Federal Reserve 紐約聯邦準備銀行significantly(adv.)顯著地;大幅度地in response to因應;配合
Instead, Americans have had to absorb additional import duties slapped by the Trump administration, estimated at around $40 billion annually.
反而是美國人必須吸收川普政府額外徵收的進口關稅，估計一年約400億美元。
slap(v.)打耳光、不合理或草率課稅
The findings contradict the repeated claims made by Trump that China — not American companies and consumers — is paying the cost of the tariffs.
這份研究報告的結果與川普所宣稱的相抵觸，他一再說是中國，而不是美國公司和消費者，在付關稅。
contradict(v.)反駁;駁斥;與…相矛盾;與…有抵觸
Later this month, the US and China plan to sign an interim trade agreement which was reached in October as the two sides sought to defuse tensions.
美國和中國計劃於本月稍晚簽署臨時貿易協議，這是雙方去年10月試圖緩和緊張局勢所達成的協定。
interim(adj.)暫時的;過渡時期的seek-sought-sought(v.)尋找;尋求seek to=try to 試圖;設法defuse拆除(炸彈的)引信，緩和;平息defuse the crisis 緩和危機