2. In fact, it's not a system at all: it is a ruinously expensive, tiring and highly political game in which almost everyone emerges a loser. 事实上，它根本算不上一个制度：它只是一个异常昂贵、使人疲惫而且勾心斗角的游戏。在这一制度下，几乎每个人都是输家。
3. Technology also threatens to fracture television into individual programmes, just as it has ruinously broken music albums into individual tracks. 科技也试图将电视打压成个人节目形式，正如它毁灭性地使得音乐专辑变成现在个人音乐形式一样。
4. Too many brokers were far more interested in earning fat fees for steering their clients to ruinously priced loans that the borrowers could never hope to repay. 数不清的经纪人无比热衷于获取丰厚的报酬，他们将过高定价的贷款介绍给客户，这些贷款是客户绝不愿意偿还的。
5. Farmers had two roles: first, to produce as much grain as possible for urban consumption, however ruinously low the prices; second, to provide cheap Labour to the cities. 农民扮演着双重角色：第一，尽可能多地生产粮食供给城市消费，不管粮食收购价有多低，农民受损有多严重；第二，为城市提供廉价劳动力。
