Moody's Downgrades 12 British Banks

 　　Moody's Investors¹ Service has downgraded the credit ratings of 12 British banks over concerns that the government will not provide adequate support to the institutions if they become financially troubled.

　　The credit rating firm said Friday that the downgrades were caused by a "reassessment of the support environment in the U.K." It said recent government moves have "significantly reduced the predictability of support" for the financial firms over the "medium to long-term."

　　The affected² firms include the government-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland, which had its rating slashed³ by two levels. The debt rating of Lloyd's TBS Bank was reduced by one level.

　　Moody's says the British government is likely "to allow smaller institutions to fail." But said it does not believe there has been a deterioration⁴ in the financial strength of the banking⁵ system or the British government, saying the government is likely to continue to provide "some level of support to systemetically important financial institutions."

1 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 slashed   

v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减

参考例句：

• Someone had slashed the tyres on my car. 有人把我的汽车轮胎割破了。
• He slashed the bark off the tree with his knife. 他用刀把树皮从树上砍下。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 deterioration   

n.退化；恶化；变坏

参考例句：

• Mental and physical deterioration both occur naturally with age. 随着年龄的增长，心智和体力自然衰退。
• The car's bodywork was already showing signs of deterioration. 这辆车的车身已经显示出了劣化迹象。

5 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。