Locked in a vault near Paris, ensconced in three bell jars, sits a small cylinder of platinum alloy, forged in London in 1879.(在巴黎附近的一个保险库里，一个1879年铸造于伦敦的铂合金小圆柱体安放在三个玻璃钟罩内。) Known as Le Grand K, it long served as the definitive standard for measuring the kilogram. There is no universal standard for measuring the monetary heft or purchasing power of currencies. But The Economist has a favourite candidate. It weighs up to 240g. It is ensconced(安放；安置) in a cardboard box. And you can find it under two Golden Arches(金色拱门（麦当劳标志）). Our version of Le Grand K is the McDonald’s Big Mac.
在巴黎附近的一个保险库里，一个1879年铸造于伦敦的铂合金小圆柱体安放在三个玻璃钟罩内。它被称为“大K”，长期作为测量千克的终极标准。然而，衡量货币的购买力却没有统一标准。但《经济学人》有一个钟爱的候选者：它重达240克，装在一个纸板盒里，你可以在两座金色拱门下找到它。我们的大K就是麦当劳的巨无霸汉堡。
The Big Mac index we forged(打造；锻造) in London in 1986 will be 40 years old in September. What began as a playful thought experiment has taken on a life of its own(有了自己的生命). It has amused readers, intrigued(引起兴趣；使好奇) currency traders and irritated central banks. It has also attracted critics who think fast food has nothing to say about global economics. It was born in an era of high monetary diplomacy, when policymakers fretted that the world’s most important currencies were horribly misaligned, inviting financial calamity or trade protectionism.(它诞生于一个高货币外交时代，当时政策制定者担心世界最重要货币严重失调，可能引发金融灾难或贸易保护主义。) Forty years on, similar debates are raging once again, this time about the dollar, yuan and yen. In a world of currency tumult and controversy, our palatable(可口的；宜人的) guide to exchange rates is as valuable as ever.
我们1986年在伦敦打造的巨无霸指数将在9月迎来40岁生日。起初只是一个有趣的思维实验，如今已有了自己的生命。它让读者会心一笑，引起外汇交易员的兴趣，也让央行感到恼火。它还吸引了批评者，他们认为快餐与全球经济毫无关联。该指数诞生于一个高货币外交时代，当时政策制定者担心世界最重要货币严重失调，可能引发金融灾难或贸易保护主义。40年后，类似的争论再次激烈上演，这次是关于美元、人民币和日元。在一个货币动荡和争议的世界里，我们这个通俗易懂的汇率指南一如既往地有价值。
Fast food may seem an eccentric(古怪的；反常的) choice as a standard of value. But the Big Mac has unique advantages. You can buy it almost anywhere and it tastes much the same everywhere. McDonald’s calibrates(校准；调整) its appearance, texture, flavour and smell with the same diligence that scientists lavished(慷慨给予；大量投入) on that 1kg cylinder in Paris. Wherever you purchase your Big Mac, you are buying much the same thing.
快餐作为价值标准可能显得古怪。但巨无霸有其独特优势：你几乎在任何地方都能买到它，而且味道几乎一样。麦当劳对其外观、质地、口味和气味进行校准，其精心程度不亚于科学家对巴黎那个1公斤圆柱体的投入。无论你在哪里购买巨无霸，你买到的东西都差不多。
Big Mac v Big Macron
巨无霸对决大马克龙