Title: The world's most expensive cities
生活成本最高的城市
For the first time in its 30-year history, the Worldwide Cost of Living Survey(主语，全球生活成本调查报告) from The Economist Intelligence Unit(经济学人智库) gives the title(头衔，称谓) of the world's most expersive city to three places. Singapore(新加坡) marks its sixth straight year at the top of the rankings, and is joined there by Hong Kong and Paris. The survey(调查), which compares prices across 160 products and services, finds that living costs in all three cities are 7% higher than in New York, the benchmark city(基准城市). Two Swiss(瑞士) cities, Zurich(苏黎世) and Geneva(日内瓦), and Osaka(大阪市) in Japan also have higher prices than New York; Copenhagen(哥本哈根) and Seoul(首尔) cost the same as the Big Apple(纽约的别名).
mark v.庆祝，纪念（重要事件）
straight adj.连续的，不间断的
ranking n.社会地位，社会阶层；顺序，次序；行列；军队 adj.头等的，高级的，超群的
benchmark n.基准（点） set a benchmark for something 为某事设立基准/典范
living costs are higher => have higher prices 物价更高
Strong economic growth in the United States in 2018 led to a sharp(表示上涨的程度很高) appreciation of the dollar(美元) and a rise up(prep.沿着…往上) the rankings(排行榜) for 14 of the 16 American cities for which prices are collected. The highest climbers(指名次上升的城市) were San Francisco(旧金山) (up 12 places to 25th(上升12名，目前位列25名)) and Houston(休斯顿) (up to 30th from 41st); New York itself moved up six spots(名次) to seventh and Los Angeles rose by four places to tenth. These movements(指这些城市名次的变化) represent a sharp increase in the relative cost(相对成本) of living compared with five years age, when New York and Los Angeles(洛杉矶) tied(并列) in 39th position.
strong economic growth led to A and B 强劲的经济增长导致了两个结果
sharp adj.锋利的；尖锐的；敏锐的；狡猾的；聪明的
appreciation n.（价格，价值等的）上涨，增值
climber n.攀登者；登山者 a rock climber 一个攀岩的人
up 12 places 上升了12名
compared with sth 和…作比较
Elsewhere(在其他地方), inflation, devaluations and economic turmoil caused the cost of living in Argentina(阿根廷), Brazil(巴西), Turkey(土耳其) and Venezuela(委内瑞拉) to plunge. Trukey's currency crisis(货币危机，指汇率的变动超出了自己可承受的范围) and surging(飙升的，快速增加的) consumer-price(消费价格通胀) inflation saw Istanbul(伊斯坦布尔) drop 48 places to joint(联合的，共同的) 120th. But Caracas(卡拉卡斯) in Venezuela claims(获得/赢得某物) the title of the least expensive(最低消费) city in the world, thanks to hyperinflation and the plummeting(飞速贬值的) bolívar.
inflation n.通货膨胀 反义词 => deflation n.通货紧缩
devaluation n.(货币)贬值 devalue v.贬值
turmoil n.混乱，骚乱，动乱
plunge v.(价值或程度)暴跌，骤降
see v.见证（某事的发生） 近义词 => witness
claim the title of something 获得某种称号
thanks to something 原因在于…
hyperinflation n.极度通货膨胀，恶性通货膨胀 hyper- 超越，超过 Hyperion 古希腊光亮之神
hypersensitive adj.高度敏感的 hypercritical adj.吹毛求疵的
plummet v.暴跌，急剧下降
bolívar n.博利瓦（委内瑞拉货币） 全称 => Venezuelan Bolivar 外汇符号 => VEB