水可能对生命至关重要，但是它可能给经济学家导致头痛。它在一些地区稀缺， 在其他的则丰富，但是，没有国家电网，要从一个地方传输到另一个地方很耗钱。价格并没有完全反应那些开销。生活在难以触及地区到消费者们是接收到了城市里以及靠近水库到那些人补贴。而且水费单政治敏感。自从水产业于1989年私有化以来，它在好几个方面做得不错。投资已经翻倍，供应干扰也下降了。价格已经上升，但是比私有化之前升幅少。
Water may be crucial [for] life, but it may[/can] cause headaches for economists. It is scarce in some areas and abundant in others, /but without the/ [with no] national grid, it is costly to transfer[/transport] from one place to another. Prices do not fully reflect those costs. Consumers living in hard-to-reach areas are subsidised by those in /the/ cit[ies] and near reservoirs. And water bills are politically sensitive. Since the water industry became[/was] privatised in 1989, it has done well in several fronts. Investment/s/ ha[s] doubled [and] supply interruptions have fallen. Prices have risen, but by less than before privatisation.
下一步是转变客户服务，水调解员Ofwat认为。为了达到这个目的（尽头），5月份，政府立法引入了零售级别到竞争，给非家庭客户，例如商家，慈善，以及当地当局。当前，这些客户通常有他们本地规定的垄断机构所服务。但是从2017年4月起，英格兰的新加入者将会有能力打入现有网络，按照一个和Ofwat协议好的价格，以及贩卖服务下游，差不多就像宽带和移动电话市场。
The next step is to transfer[/transform] customer service, reckons Ofwat, [the] water regulator. To th[is] end, in May government legislated to introduce competition at [the] retail level for non-household customers, such as businesses, charities and local authorities. Currently, these customers are usually served by their local regulated monopolies. But [from] April 2017, new entrants [in] England will be able to tap into [the] incumbents' networks for a price agreed with Ofwat and sell the service downstream, much as [in] the market [for] broadband [or] mobile phone/s/.
给客户的潜在利益很大。那些有很多地址的只需要应付一个供应商。一份最近的研究发现一个有着1400地址的客户每年接受4000份纸质账单。那将会削减为几份。
The potential benefits for customers are huge[/large]. Those with many sites will only need to deal with one supplier. A recent study found that a[/one] customer with 1,400 sites received 4,000 paper bills a year. That will be down[/fall] to a handful.
类似的改革以前已经尝试过。2005年，选择被引入为了最大的水消费者，但是几乎有人改变。Ofwat说，问题在于零售商没办法得出像样的利润，因为获取当前网络的价格太高了。
Similar reforms have been tried before. In 2005, choice was introduced for the biggest consumers of water, but hardly any switched. The problem, Ofwat says, [was that] /what/ retailers [were unable to] make [a] decent margin/s/ because[/as] the price to access [the] incumbents' networks [was] too high.
8.18
cause headaches for economists
scarce/abundant
ational grid
costly/cost/the price was too high
transport/transform/reform/switch
hard-to-reach areas/in cities and near reservoirs
politically sensitive
privatised/privatisation
do well on several fronts
Investment has doubled/supply interruptions have fallen/Prices have risen, but by less than
legislated to introduce
Ofwat, the water regulator.
To this end
at the retail level for
non-household customers/ businesses, charities, and local authorities
Currently/incumbent
local regulated monopoly./new entrants in England
sell the service downstream, much as in the market for broadband or mobile phones.
potential benefits /unable to make a decent margin
access...
