美国国家公共电台 NPR Australia's Massive Fires Hurt Tourism And Threaten To Slow I

 

LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Australia has gone nearly three decades without a recession. It's an enviable economic record. But as NPR's Jim Zarroli reports, the Australian wildfires are threatening key parts of the country's economy.

JIM ZARROLI, BYLINE¹: Normally, the campground run by Fiona Austin near the Australian city of Shoalhaven is full in January, but tourists have been ordered to evacuate² the area. And with the fires still raging, she doesn't expect them to be back anytime soon.

FIONA AUSTIN: There is a lot of fear because they're being so changing and volatile³. You know, people are still unsure as to whether they could flare⁴ up again.

ZARROLI: As planes carrying water to the wildfires buzz overhead, Austin tells NPR her campground is empty right now except for a few permanent residents.

AUSTIN: We're on 15 acres so - yeah. To only have a couple of tents here - here comes another plane - is very unusual for us.

ZARROLI: Australians call themselves the lucky country. The economy has been growing steadily⁵ since 1991, a remarkable⁶ run. Economist⁷ Justin Wolfers of the University of Michigan says that's partly because the population has grown a lot. But, he says, the country's been fortunate in some other ways, too.

JUSTIN WOLFERS: Not only did we start the last few decades a relatively⁸ rich country and in the club of the first-world industrialized countries; we're also parked right next to Asia, which is where much of the world's growth has come from over the past few years.

ZARROLI: As China has grown, it's been hungry for the kinds of commodities Australia has a lot of, like coal, natural gas, wheat and wool. China sends more tourists to Australia than any other country. But the rampaging fires are dealing⁹ a blow to the economy.

Martin North heads the research firm Digital Finance Analytics.

MARTIN NORTH: Just the area of Australia that's now impacted is unheard of. So we are in uncertain territory.

ZARROLI: The fires have destroyed more than 1,800 homes, as well as enormous amounts of prime farmland. Even in places far from the fires, work life is being disrupted. People with respiratory problems are staying home. Hospital visits are up. And construction crews can't work. In Sydney, ferries aren't running because of poor visibility in the harbor, says Katrina Ell of Moody's Analytics.

KATRINA ELL: There was a few days late December when fire alarms were actually going off in very large buildings within the city center just because of the poor air quality.

ZARROLI: As word of these conditions spreads around the world, tourism is taking a big hit. There's even been talk of rescheduling some of the big events that draw in millions of visitors each year, like the Australian Open and the Tour Down Under bike race. Martin North says this is happening at a time when the Australian economy was already softening¹⁰ a bit.

NORTH: We were already looking, I think, pretty shaky. And that was before all the bushfires.

ZARROLI: China's economy has slowed lately, and Australia has felt some pain. Unemployment ticked up last year. House prices, which have been skyrocketing for a long time, have taken a hit. Katrina Ell of Moody's Analytics doesn't think Australia is headed for a recession, but it's hard to know for sure.

ELL: What's really concerning to us is that this is still relatively early in our typical bushfire season. So there's concern about how much longer this bushfire season will run for.

ZARROLI: The longer the fires last, the more damage they will do. And that means that after almost 30 years of steady growth, the lucky country could finally see its luck run out.

Jim Zarroli, NPR News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

3 volatile   

adj.反复无常的，挥发性的，稍纵即逝的，脾气火爆的；n.挥发性物质

参考例句：

• With the markets being so volatile,investments are at great risk.由于市场那么变化不定，投资冒着很大的风险。
• His character was weak and volatile.他这个人意志薄弱，喜怒无常。

4 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

7 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

8 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 softening   

变软，软化

参考例句：

• Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的，已经成了个软心肠的人了。