MADRID – The recent downgrade of Brazil’s credit rating to junk status was followed by a raft of articles heralding the crumbling of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). How predictable: schadenfreude almost always follows bad news about the BRICS, whose members were once hailed as the world’s up-and-coming economic powerhouses and next major political force.
马德里——最近巴西信用评级被下调至垃圾级后有大量文章预测金砖五国（巴西、俄罗斯、印度、中国和南非）将就此摇摇欲坠。多么准确：幸灾乐祸总是出现在金砖国家传出噩耗之后，金砖国家曾一度被誉为世界未来的经济强国和今后主要的政治力量。