【英语趣味课堂】欧盟-Euro

Ade: Good morning Chris. Tell us, where do you come from?

 

Chris: I’m from Antwerp in Belgium.

 

Ade: Wow! I’ve never met anyone from Belgium, tell me something about it.

 

Chris: You’ve never met anyone from Belgium? Well it’s just actually a pretty small country in Western Europe, about 11 million inhabitants and very famous for its chocolate. You must have heard about Belgian chocolate. And of course most famous cities, I would say Antwerp, Brugge and of course the capital, Brussels.

 

Ade: Oh yeah, Brussels, yes, the heart of Europe.

 

Chris: Yes indeed, that’s what they say, the heart of Europe. It’s also the capital of Europe and where all the ministers come together like ... have you ever heard of the NATO?

 

Ade: Of course I did, I’m a translator.

 

Chris: So what do you mean, you translated for them?

 

Ade: No, I wish, there you can make a lot of money. But oh yes, a lot of big decisions are made there regarding Europe.

 

Chris: Oh yes, that’s right, a lot of big decisions, some good decisions but also some not that good decisions, let’s say.

 

Ade: Tell me what’s your opinion about the euro and how does affect on the economy?

 

Chris: The euro, well that’s a big question. I mean I think there’s a lot of different opinions about the euro and also not all countries have agreed on that. There are still a few missing, like the big ... how you say it ... the big United Kingdom, I mean they still didn’t join it and I don’t think they will ever join. It’s now 12 or, yeah, 11 years ago it started, in 2002, the 1st January with only 12 countries agreeing, then a year later, 13. Today there are 17, so there are still 10 missing. And they haven’t decided¹ yet whether to join the euro or not. And then on the other hand there’s countries that are in the Eurozone that are about to collapse², so many people think the euro would eventually collapse. The more troubled Eurozone like Greece, they will have to leave the euro and eventually go back to their own currency. Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, eventually they’ll have to leave the euro and go back to their own currency. I mean the stronger countries, they will get tired of standing³ up for the weaker ones that are bringing the economy down. It will be in the end too much to bear and citizens will end up insisting they leave. So as to have more control over their own finances⁴. I mean what’s going on now in Greece, paying, this cannot go on for much longer. For the northern countries the euro does work. And the euro would be even stronger with full-federalization. The northern countries will survive, but the southern countries will have to go back to their own original currency and rely on tourism for their growth. And then you have the Eastern countries who wanted to join the euro, but they will have to think twice before doing that.

 

Ade: So what do you think about the UK, do you think they should join us or stay the way they are?

 

Chris: The UK, they never had any plans to join the euro. The UK is a big powerhouse and if eventually the euro collapses⁵, they will benefit from it. I mean the euro has caused job destruction, recession⁶, the UK were smart and they shouldn’t join the euro, they should stay with their pound the way they are doing.

 

Ade: Yes, that’s true. Thanks for sharing your opinions with us today Chris.

 

Chris: Sure, no problem.

 

重点词汇：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

the heart of

 

Brussels is the heart of Europe.

 

When a place is 'at the heart' of someplace, it is in the center either by location or importance. Notice the following:

 

Paris is the heart of global fashion.

Tokyo is the heart of Japan.

collapse

 

Many people think the euro would eventually collapse.

 

Collapse means to fall quickly and lose the ability to stand by itself. Notice the following:

 

The stock markert collapsed⁷ in 1987.

The team collapsed in the standings.

stand up for

 

The stronger countries will get tired of standing up for the weaker ones.

 

When you stand up for people, you support them or protect them from harm or attack. Notice the following:

 

My big brother always stood up for me.

Rich countries often stand up for poor countries.

too much to bear

 

It will be in the end too much to bear.

 

If something is too much to bear, it is not something you can handle or survive. Notice the following:

 

His house payments were too much to bear, so he sold it.

Her husband's drinking habit was too much to bear, so she divorced him.

think twice before doing

 

They will have to think twice before doing that.

 

When you think twice before doing something, you think carefully before doing it because of risk involved. Notice the following:

 

You should think twice before investing in that company.

I would think twice about travelling alone these days.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 finances   

n.(pl.)财源，资产

参考例句：

• I need a professional to sort out my finances. 我需要专业人士为我管理财务。
• The company's finances are looking a bIt'shaky. 这个公司的财政情况看来有点不稳定。

5 collapses   

折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 )； 倒塌； 崩溃； （尤指工作劳累后）坐下

参考例句：

• This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
• Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台，抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。

6 recession   

n.（工商业的）衷退（期），萧条（期）

参考例句：

• Manufacturing fell sharply under the impact of the recession.受到经济萧条的影响，制造业急剧衰退。
• A rise in interest rates plunged Britain deeper into recession.利率的提高导致英国经济更加萧条。

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。