五大经济领域：
美国风光依旧，中国正迎头急追

    尽管其他国家正步步紧逼，但据经合组织（OECD）的外国直接投资限制指数（Foreign Direct Investment Restrictiveness Index）显示，在接受外国直接投资方面，美国仍然要比印度、俄罗斯、中国和墨西哥等新兴经济体开放得多。

顶级品牌最多

    说起全球最受欢迎的品牌，人们最有可能想到的是美国的品牌。或许世界上的大部分汽车或电脑并非出自美国之手，但美国却拥有这些领域里的许多顶级品牌。

    在2011年BrandZ全球品牌百强榜【品牌研究公司华通明略（Millward Brown）推出的榜单——译注】上，近半数都是美国品牌。在前10强中，9个都属于美国，其中苹果（Apple）位居榜首，其后依次是谷歌（Google）、IBM和麦当劳（McDonald's）。

    许多美国品牌在世界的不同地区可能代表着不同的含义。在欧洲，麦当劳或许代表了一种城市文化，不仅是因为法国人将麦当劳的“四分之一磅奶酪汉堡”（Quarter Pounder with Cheese）称为“奶酪之王”。

    “与北美和世界其他地区不同，麦当劳餐馆被欧洲年轻人视作是世界主义和城市现代生活方式的象征，而非迎合低收入者的快餐店，”新西兰怀卡托大学（University of Waikato）的经济学家曾经撰文写道。

    的确，新兴经济体正在培育自己的品牌，并且取得了不同程度的成功，但在品牌形象和理念方面，美国显然处于领先地位。

世界上最好的大学

    美国公立学校或许正在衰退，但这个国家依然拥有许多世界上最好的大学。在美留学生已经成为了美国经济的重要组成部分。

    据美国国际教育协会（Institute of International Education）2010年发布的报告称，受经济衰退影响，2009年在美留学生人数略有减少，但美国大学仍然继续吸引着外国留学生。中国学生赴美留学推动了在美外国留学生人数的增长，使其达到了创纪录的690,923人。除了中国大陆之外，来自印度、韩国、加拿大和台湾的留学生总计占到在美留学生总数的半数以上。

    大部分留学生选择攻读商业、管理或工程方面的课程。留学生人数最多的美国大学包括南加州大学（the University of South California）、伊利诺伊大学香槟分校（the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign）和纽约大学（New York University）。

    虽然中国和德国已经超过美国，成为世界上最大的商品出口国，但美国在教育出口方面依然傲视群雄【美国商务部（he U.S. Commerce Department）把外国学生在美国的花销视为服务出口】。

    但愿美国能够采取更多措施来留住这些人才。

全球首选的储备货币

    美元或许正在贬值，但对许多国家而言，美元依然是储备货币的首选。国际货币基金组织（the International Monetary Fund）的数据显示，2011年前3个月，美元占到全球央行储备的61%左右。而欧元在愈演愈烈的欧债危机中遭受重创，份额为27.8%，排在第二位。

    金融危机削弱了外国投资者对美元的信心。部分分析人士认为，鉴于中国的经济和贸易实力，如果说在本世纪有哪种货币可以与强大的美元一较高下，这种货币非人民币莫属。

    虽然联合国（the United Nations）呼吁各国央行减少美元储备，实现货币储备多元化，但美元仍将继续受到全球央行行长的青睐。

    译者：千牛絮

    Even if others are gaining ground, the U.S. is much more open to foreign direct investments than emerging economies like India, Russia, China and Mexico, according to the OECD's Foreign Direct Investment Restrictiveness Index.

World's top global brands

    Think of the world's most popular brands, and chances are most are born in the U.S.A. The U.S. may not manufacture most of the world's automobiles or computers, but it's known for many top brands that do so.

    In 2011, nearly half of the world's top 100 brands were American, according to BrandZ, a brand equity database that lists 100 most valuable global brands. Of the top 10, nine are American -- with Apple taking the top spot, followed by Google, IBM, and McDonald's.

    Many U.S. brands may symbolize different things in varying parts of the world. If you live in Europe, McDonald's might allude a level of urban sophistication -- and not just because folks in France call the Quarter Pounder with Cheese a Royal with Cheese.

    "Unlike in North America and in some other parts of the world, McDonald's restaurants are considered in Europe to be a symbol of cosmopolitanism and a modern urban lifestyle among the young rather than simply a caterer of fast food to low income people," write economists at New Zealand's University of Waikato.

    Indeed, emerging economies have been developing their own brands with varying successes. But the U.S. clearly leads in the world's images and ideas.

World's best universities

    U.S. public schools may be flagging, but the nation is still home to many of the world's top universities. And foreign students in the U.S. make up an important piece of its economy.

    While the number of American students fell slightly amid the recession in 2009, U.S. universities continued to attract students from abroad, according to a 2010 report by the Institute of International Education. Chinese students in the U.S. helped drive the overall increase of foreign scholars studying here -- a record 690,923. Aside from Chinese mainland, students from India, South Korea, Canada and Taiwan accounted for more than half of all foreign students studying in the U.S.

    For the most part, they pursued studies in business and management or engineering. The universities hosting the largest number include the University of South California, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and New York University.

    So while China and Germany may outrank the U.S. as being the world's biggest exporter of goods, America clearly tops as the exporter of education (the U.S. Commerce Department regards money spent by foreign students at U.S. universities an export service).

    If only U.S. policies did more to keep such talent here.

World's top reserve currency

    The value of the U.S. dollar may be declining, but it remains the currency of choice for many nations. The greenback accounted for roughly 61% of global central bank reserves during the first three months of 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund. The euro, which has been under attack amid Europe's ongoing debt crisis, ranks second with a 27.8% share.

    The financial crisis has weakened foreign investors' faith in the U.S. dollar. And if there is to be a rival to the mighty greenback in this century, some analysts think it would surely be the Chinese renminbi given China's economic and trade power.

    Even though the United Nations has urged central banks around the world to diversify their reserves away from the mighty greenback, the U.S. dollar continues to be favored by central bankers across the globe.