二、

　　There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum.

　　在大学学费计算器里输入数据，然后对着网络吐出来的六位数倒抽一口气，很少有其他在线活动比这种活动更让人清醒了。

　　But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.

　　但是经济学家们认为，打算举债资助四年聚会和学习的家庭可以这样安慰自己：大学是不同于很多银行股票的投资，它应该产生巨额的红利。

　　A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the labor-market premium to skillor the amount college graduates earned thats greater than what high-school graduate earneddecreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance since the 1980s.

　　两位哈佛经济学家在2008年进行的一项研究发现劳动力市场对及恩那个的溢价现象----换种说法就是大学毕业生的收入高于高中毕业生----在20世纪大部分的时间都有所下降，但是自从20世纪80年代出现了报复性的增长。

　　In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.

　　在2005年，典型的拥有四年大学学位的全职美国工人平均收入为50900美元，比高中文凭的工人的平均收入31500美元多了62%。

　　Theres no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesnt come down merely to dollars and cents.

　　毫无疑问，上大学从经济上来说是明智的选择。但是学费奇怪的变化说明，选择上哪种大学并不只是金钱的问题。

　　Does going to Columbia University yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ?

　　上哥伦比亚大学(学费，食宿费在2007年--2008年达到了49260美元)比起非当地学生报读科罗拉多大学博德尔分销(费用为35542美元)的回报率高40%吗?

　　Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student there? Not likely.

　　不太可能。一名报读科罗拉多大学博德尔分校的非当地学生的收入会是当地学生(费用为17380美元的两倍吗?不太可能。

　　No, in this consumerist age, most buyers arent evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer productlike a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.

　　不，在消费主义的时代，大部分的买家不会把大学看做一种投资，而是一种消费品----就像汽车、衣服或住房一样。购买这些商品，价格仅是需要考虑的很多关键因素中的一个。

　　As with automobiles, consumers in todays college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets.

　　正如汽车一样，在今天的大学市场，消费者有很多选择，人们在寻找复合预算条件的最舒适和满意的学校。

　　This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences .

　　这解释了为什么人们愿意为不同的体验付出更高的费用(例如报读私立学校的文学院或者报读一家有很好的海洋生物学课程的外州公立大学)。

　　And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products.

　　正如两名购车人会为完全不同的汽车付同样的价钱一样，大学生(或者更准确地说，他们的父母)经常愿意为完全不同的产品支付差不多的价钱。

　　So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car?

　　那这是哪一种?究竟大学是像股票一样的投资产品还是像汽车一样的消费品?

　　In keeping with the automotive worlds hottest consumer trend, maybe its best to characterize it as a hybrid ; an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.

　　为了追上汽车最炙手可热的消费者趋势，或许最好是把大学看做混合动力汽车;一种消费品，但随着时间的流逝，会带来丰厚的回报。

　　二、

　　There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum.

　　在大学学费计算器里输入数据，然后对着网络吐出来的六位数倒抽一口气，很少有其他在线活动比这种活动更让人清醒了。

　　But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the knowledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends.

　　但是经济学家们认为，打算举债资助四年聚会和学习的家庭可以这样安慰自己：大学是不同于很多银行股票的投资，它应该产生巨额的红利。

　　A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the labor-market premium to skillor the amount college graduates earned thats greater than what high-school graduate earneddecreased for much of the 20th century, but has come back with a vengeance since the 1980s.

　　两位哈佛经济学家在2008年进行的一项研究发现劳动力市场对及恩那个的溢价现象----换种说法就是大学毕业生的收入高于高中毕业生----在20世纪大部分的时间都有所下降，但是自从20世纪80年代出现了报复性的增长。

　　In 2005, The typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $50,900, 62% more than the $31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma.

　　在2005年，典型的拥有四年大学学位的全职美国工人平均收入为50900美元，比高中文凭的工人的平均收入31500美元多了62%。

　　Theres no question that going to college is a smart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesnt come down merely to dollars and cents.

　　毫无疑问，上大学从经济上来说是明智的选择。但是学费奇怪的变化说明，选择上哪种大学并不只是金钱的问题。

　　Does going to Columbia University yield a 40% greater return than attending the University of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ?

　　上哥伦比亚大学(学费，食宿费在2007年--2008年达到了49260美元)比起非当地学生报读科罗拉多大学博德尔分销(费用为35542美元)的回报率高40%吗?

　　Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student there? Not likely.

　　不太可能。一名报读科罗拉多大学博德尔分校的非当地学生的收入会是当地学生(费用为17380美元的两倍吗?不太可能。

　　No, in this consumerist age, most buyers arent evaluating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer productlike a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider.

　　不，在消费主义的时代，大部分的买家不会把大学看做一种投资，而是一种消费品----就像汽车、衣服或住房一样。购买这些商品，价格仅是需要考虑的很多关键因素中的一个。

　　As with automobiles, consumers in todays college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that gives them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets.

　　正如汽车一样，在今天的大学市场，消费者有很多选择，人们在寻找复合预算条件的最舒适和满意的学校。

　　This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences .

　　这解释了为什么人们愿意为不同的体验付出更高的费用(例如报读私立学校的文学院或者报读一家有很好的海洋生物学课程的外州公立大学)。

　　And just as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products.

　　正如两名购车人会为完全不同的汽车付同样的价钱一样，大学生(或者更准确地说，他们的父母)经常愿意为完全不同的产品支付差不多的价钱。

　　So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a consumer product like a car?

　　那这是哪一种?究竟大学是像股票一样的投资产品还是像汽车一样的消费品?

　　In keeping with the automotive worlds hottest consumer trend, maybe its best to characterize it as a hybrid ; an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.

　　为了追上汽车最炙手可热的消费者趋势，或许最好是把大学看做混合动力汽车;一种消费品，但随着时间的流逝，会带来丰厚的回报。