美国有线新闻 CNN 欧元争论剑拔弩张 或将走向终结

 

Across the Atlantic, are the days of Euro numbered? The currency is used by 19 members of the European Union and more than 330 million Europeans.

But a number of politicians, liberal and conservative, are talking about getting rid of it, and bringing currencies like the lira, the drachma and peseta out of retirement¹.

Some economists² say Europe's countries have different governments, and therefore, shouldn't share the same currency. Some blamed the Euro and the rules in place for using it for high unemployment or forced spending cuts for governments. On the plus side, smaller countries with smaller economies have benefited from the Euro and some of the stability it's provided. But its future is uncertain.

SUBTITLE³: The rise and fall of Euro.

REPORTER: January 1st, 1999, the Euro was born, trading just shy of $1.17. Not everyone was celebrating, discussions between European leaders have been forged in the run-up.

JOHN MAJOR, FORMER U.K. PRIME MINISTER: Certainly, there is no chance whatsoever⁴ of all 15 states either being willing or being able to move for a single currency at that date.

REPORTER: John Major was right. Denmark and the U.K. officially opted⁵ out. Sweden never joined and one member was left out in the cold due to high inflation and high debt, Greece. It took two extra years to join.

The Euro plummeted⁶ below a dollar in its first year, as the dotcom bubble bursts in the U.S. Then, in 2008, the global financial crisis took hold. The Euro had a rocky ride as banks all over the world went into failure. Then, entire countries found themselves unable to pay their debts.

And so, came a string of international bailouts. Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Greece — but not once but thrice.

In 2012, ECB president, Mario Draghi, stabilized⁷ the Euro with a few select words.

MARIO DRAGHI, ECB PRESIDENT: Do whatever it takes to preserve the Euro.

REPORTER: Battles between Greece and the E.U. continue to bubble up in Brussels, with creditors⁸ questioning Greece's commitment to economic reforms.

JEROEN DIJSSELBLOEM, EUROGROUP PRESIDENT: There is, of course, a major issue of trust. Can the Greek government be trusted to actually do what they are promising⁹?

REPORTER: Britain's vote to leave the E.U. and the rise of Euro skeptic¹⁰ political parties is the biggest threat it's faced yet.

1 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

2 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 subtitle   

n.副题（书本中的），说明对白的字幕

参考例句：

• His new book has a subtitle.他的新书有一个副标题。
• Ah!I don't know why they don't subtitle these movies.唉！我不知道这些电影为什么不打字幕。

4 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

5 opted   

v.选择，挑选( opt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She was co-opted onto the board. 她获增选为董事会成员。
• After graduating she opted for a career in music. 毕业后她选择了从事音乐工作。

6 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stabilized   

v.（使）稳定， （使）稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
• His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

10 skeptic   

n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者

参考例句：

• She is a skeptic about the dangers of global warming.她是全球变暖危险的怀疑论者。
• How am I going to convince this skeptic that she should attention to my research?我将如何使怀疑论者确信她应该关注我的研究呢？