| 【英語島讀書會】全球軟實力冠軍原來是… 英國Monocle雜誌每年評選全球軟實力國家，由文化、教育、商業、創新、政治、外交領域，綜合評估五十多項指標，如一個國家的國際學生人數、獲得奧運金牌的數量、申請國際專利的件數。
在2016/17的評選中，Monocle特別提出，「政治聲譽」這項指標帶來極大影響，加拿大總理Justin Trudeau在機場歡迎首批抵達的敘利亞難民、美國下任總統Donald Trump對穆斯林與女性的侮蔑，都在第一時間成為世界頭條，提升或重創國家品牌。儘管如此，美國仍名列全球軟實力國家榜首，為什麼？ “The US is fortunate,”
Monocle says in the 2016/17 Soft Power Survey that Trump may not approve, but “his power is (1) outmatched by Beyoncé.” The US gains the top spot through:
「美國很幸運。」Monocle 2016/17的軟實力調查中提到，川普本人或許不同意，但「碧昂絲的權力大過他。」美國獲得年度榜首的原因出自： Entertainment offerings
From Beyoncé's new album to HBO’s Game of thrones, Americans entertain the world.
娛樂
從碧昂絲的新專輯到HBO的<<冰與火之歌：權力遊戲>>，美國娛樂全世界都買單。 Innovation
“Every nation wishes it had a Silicon Valley.”
創新
「每個國家都希望有一個矽谷。」 Design and architecture
There are more Pritzker winners and design schools ranked in the top 100 than any other nation.
設計與建築
比任何國家都多的普立茲克獎得主，以及在百大最佳學校名單中有最多的設計學校。 Education
“Of the world’s top 100 universities, 41 can be found in the US, while more than 800,000 international students choose to be educated there—double the number who go to the number two destination, the UK.”
教育
世界前百大大學中，有四十一所在美國，超過八十萬的國際學生選擇到美國受教育，這個數字比第二名英國高出兩倍。 Germany ranks number two for its business, culture and empathy. Refugees are the double-edged sword for Merkel. The decision to embrace a million refugees in 2015 showcased a level of compassion, but “As Merkel admitted, last year’s surge was poorly planned. Integration has been patchy and there has been a growing political (2) backlash.”
第二名的德國以商業、文化、同理心勝出。難民對德國總理梅克爾而言是把雙面刃，2015年敞開雙臂歡迎難民的舉動，展現了惻隱之心，但「梅克爾承認，去年的難民潮未妥善安排，整合差強人意，政治反彈也在擴大中。」 Number three goes to Japan. This country’s strength lies in great cuisine (Number 1 in the food ranking), film export—more than 20 films at the world’s best film festivals this year, and innovation—the number of Nobel laureates is in the top two in the world, second to the US. However, Monocle indicates that Japan can improve in aspects such as refugees and international aid: “While Japan brings in about 20 million tourists every year, it remains a country that has (3) misgivings about almost any form of immigration.” “The amount of international aid that Japan provides every year—0.22 percent of GDP—is pitiful for such a rich nation.”
位居第三的日本，強項是美食（在調查中，食物評比是第一名），電影輸出—今年超過二十部影片在世界頂尖影展亮相，創新—諾貝爾獲獎者人數是世界第二高，僅次於美國。不過Monocle也指出，日本對待難民和國際援助的態度有待加強：「日本每年吸引兩千萬旅客，卻仍對各種移民心有疑慮。」「每年日本提供國際援助的總金額占國民生產毛額0.22%，對如此富裕的國家來說少得可憐。」 China makes it to the Top 20 for the first time. “Its investment in sport (it’s hosting the Winter Olympics in 2022) and ever-growing number of embassies and cultural institutes abroad reflect its desire to be liked as well as feared,” Monocle reports.
中國則首次進入前20名。「中國在運動賽事的投資（它是2022冬季奧運主辦國）和日益增加的大使館、海外文化機構，反映出這個國家希望令人敬畏的同時，也希望受到喜愛。」 Vocabulary
(1) outmatch 勝過
Out 在這裡可以代表「超出」或「超過」，也就是用來表示A 在某方面強過B，類似說法還有
outnumber 數量上超過
Mobile phones already outnumber fixed lines. 手機數量已經超過一般電話。
outperform 在操作或性能上勝過
Our new model outperforms all previous models. 新機型比先前的款式功能更好。 (2) backlash 後座力；激烈反應
The backlash seems to have taken Ian by surprise. Ian似乎沒預料到這樣的激烈反彈。 (3) has misgivings about… 對…的疑慮
I have many misgivings about taking the job. 我對是否接受那項工作顧慮重重。 | 
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