NPR边听边练54:法国被称为欧洲心脏的一颗定时炸弹

 　　以下段落是摘自新闻里的一些重要信息,并不是一个段落的听写。空内信息可在本新闻中全部找到,大家可以根据这些信息复述新闻。

　　一、泛听建议：

　　1、完整听一遍，掌握大意。

　　2、继续听，特别注意关键信息。遇到相似的词，写下来。

　　3、复述新闻。

　　French politicians and business leaders _1_ angrily to British weekly magazine The Economist¹ for its cover story this week. It describes the French economy as the biggest danger to Europe's currency. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports The Economist called France a _2_ time bomb in the heart of Europe.

　　法国政治家和商界领袖对英国周刊《经济学人》本周的封面报道感到十分愤怒，因为它将法国经济形容为欧洲货币最大的威胁。据NPR记者埃莉诺?比尔兹利报道，《经济学人》把法国称为欧洲心脏的一颗定时炸弹。

　　Showing a bundle of baguette loaves with the dynamite² fuse burning down, The Economist warned that France was a bigger danger to the euro currency than debt-stricken countries Italy, Spain and Portugal. The respected right-leaning British weekly said high taxes on businesses were eroding³ the country's competitiveness, and that both French leaders and voters _3_ behind on much needed economic reforms. Far-left French Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg said the Economist was known for exaggerations and French bashing. And even capitalist-minded business groups said the magazine's claims were completely exaggerated. Socialist⁴ President Francois Hollande has now may reducing the French deficit⁵ and making French companies _4_ his top priority, to the point where left-leaning voters and unions have called him a traitor⁶. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

　　法国就像一捆系着导火索的面包一样，随时都可能爆炸。《经济学人》警告，与意大利、西班牙和葡萄牙这些陷入债务危机的国家相比，法国对欧元的威胁更大。《经济学人》十分受人敬重，且思想右倾。该杂志认为，对企业征收高额的税费在不断削弱法国的竞争力，法国领导人和选民的处境堪忧，急需经济改革。法国极左派人士工业部长阿尔诺?蒙特布尔表示，《经济学人》以夸大事实和抨击法国而闻名。甚至一些资本主义集团也认为该杂志的观点完全夸大了事实。社会党总统弗朗索瓦?奥朗德已把减少法国的赤字和增强企业的竞争力作为首要任务。因此，左倾选民和工会称奥朗德为叛国贼。NPR记者埃莉诺?比尔兹利法国报道。

　　President Obama urged Congress to pass legislation to make sure _5_ Americans don't see tax increases at the New Year. Mr. Obama used his weekly media address to talk about the "fiscal⁷ cliff." This raises taxes on everybody and imposes spending cuts. In the Republicans' weekly response, New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte says the "fiscal cliff" cannot be averted⁸ unless lawmakers seriously address entitlement programs, such as Social Security.

　　奥巴马总统催促国会通过立法，确保在新年之际更多美国富人的税收会增加。奥巴马在总统每周广播演讲中谈到“财政悬崖”。若美国跌入“财政悬崖”，所有人的税收将会增加，削减开支计划也会强制执行。在共和党人每周演讲中，新罕布什尔参议员凯利?阿约特表示，只有国会认真改革像社会保险这样的福利计划，美国才能避免“财政悬崖”。

　　词汇解析：

　　1、currency n. 货币；通货

　　Tourism is the country's top earner of foreign currency.

　　旅游业是该国外汇收入最高的行业。

　　2、dynamite fuse:导火线

　　3、erode. 腐蚀，侵蚀

　　Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded⁹ profits.

　　金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

　　4、bashing n. 猛击，抨击；用废矸石充填采空区v. 怒殴（bash的ing形式）

　　I bashed him on the head and dumped him in the water.

　　我猛揍他的头，然后把他扔到了水里。

　　5、traitor n. 叛徒；卖国贼；背信弃义的人

　　Some say he's a traitor to the peace movement.

　　一些人说他是和平运动的背叛者。

　　1、have reacted 2、ticking 3、were dangerously 4、more competitive 5、less affluent

1 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。

2 dynamite   

n./vt.(用)炸药(爆破)

参考例句：

• The workmen detonated the dynamite.工人们把炸药引爆了。
• The philosopher was still political dynamite.那位哲学家仍旧是政治上的爆炸性人物。

3 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。

4 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

5 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

6 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

7 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

8 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

9 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。