经济学人下载:麦田怪圈意外的收获

But while farmers tend to suffer, others gain. The circles augment a mystical aura that emanates from Stonehenge, and that contributes hugely to Wiltshire’s £850m tourism industry. Visitor shops are stuffed with crop-circle memorabilia; coach tours frequent them. At the Barge Inn, a community-owned pub in Honeystreet, drinkers enjoy tipples named Croppie, Alien Abduction and Away With The Fairies. The pub has customers from all over the world, even out of season, and the nearby formations have “no doubt benefited the business”, says Terry Kemp, who works there.

但就在农民遭殃的时候，另一些人确从中获利。这些怪圈提高了源自史前巨石柱的神秘氛围，为Wiltshire8.5亿磅的旅游业作出了巨大贡献。商铺里满满当当地都是麦田怪圈的纪念品，一车车的游客已司空见惯。在Barge Inn，Honeystreet上的一家社区酒馆里，人们乐衷于品尝名为“谷物”，“外星人的祝福”及“远离小精灵”的烈酒。即使在不当季的时候，酒馆里也有来自全世界各地的顾客，在那里工作的Terry Kemp认为附近的那些怪圈“毫无疑问帮了大忙”。

The exact value of crop circles to the broader economy is unclear. Visit Wiltshire, the county’s tourism agency, is understandably reluctant to comment, given that acts of trespass and criminal damage are involved. But perhaps if the upside were better understood, the benefits might be more fairly shared.

对整体经济来说这些麦田怪圈的具体价值还不明朗。鉴于涉及未经许可擅入私人土地及刑事损害类行为，可以理解Wiltshire这个乡村旅游部不愿就此多谈。不过假如人们能更理解好的一面，那也许就能被更公平地享有其中的利润。