英语听力精选进阶版 7151

Background: 今天受债务危机困扰的希腊政府希望能通过国际金融市场来募集10亿英镑（约15亿美元）。这次短期国库债券的拍卖是对希腊整体经济的信用度的关键考验。同时欧元区也通过了针对希腊的救助机制，涉及援助资金达260亿英镑（约400亿美金）。

The Greeks will be selling a mixture of treasury¹ or T-bills, as they are called, that mature after six months or a year.

These are regarded as the safest form of securities and as a result usually attract a low level of interest.

But Athens paid a painful price when it last auctioned³ T bills.

One-year bills sold in January, at the height of the financial crisis, commanded an interest rate of 2.2%.

Whereas the same bill, sold in October 2009, before Greece's predicament exploded onto the world stage, only yielded interest of 0.9%.

Analysts⁴ will scrutinise the auction² to determine whether the markets feel secure enough to dabble⁵ in Greek debt, now that the rescue plan is ready to roll.

Some economists⁶ doubt that there will be a significant reduction in interest rates demanded during January's sale.

The success, or not, of the auction, could be a factor in whether the Greeks decide to activate⁷ the Eurozone rescue mechanism⁸.

The government here wants to be able to borrow from the international markets at reasonable interest rates.

But if traders are reluctant to purchase Greek debt, then the Prime Minister, George Papandreou, may be compelled to pull the ripcord of Brussels' parachute.

Glossary⁹ 词汇表

treasury bills (T-bills) 短期国库债券 

mature 成熟，到期 

securities 保障 

level of interest 利率 

auctioned 拍卖 

predicament 困境；窘境 

yielded 生产出，带来 

scrutinise 细察 

dabble 尝试，浅尝 

ready to roll 准备启动 

Eurozone rescue mechanism 欧元区救助计划 

traders 交易人 

debt 债务 

pull the ripcord of Brussels' parachute 拉开布鲁塞尔降落伞的开伞索，指启动欧盟的救助计划

Questions and Answers

1. How long do theT-bills take to pay a return to the people who buy them? 

They will mature after six months or a year.

2. Are these kinds of bills a risky¹⁰ investment? 

No, they are amongst the safest investments possible.

3. What happened to the interest rates between Oct 2009 and Jan 2010? 

They rose from 0.9% to 2.2%.

4. What will happen if the bill issue fails? 

The Greeks will be able to borrow money from other European government.

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

3 auctioned   

v.拍卖( auction的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• It was sad to see all grandmother's lovely things being auctioned off. 眼看着祖母那些可爱的东西全都被拍卖掉，心里真不好受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

5 dabble   

v.涉足，浅赏

参考例句：

• They dabble in the stock market.他们少量投资于股市。
• Never dabble with things of which you have no knowledge.绝不要插手你不了解的事物。

6 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》

7 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

8 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

9 glossary   

n.注释词表；术语汇编

参考例句：

• The text is supplemented by an adequate glossary.正文附有一个详细的词汇表。
• For convenience,we have also provided a glossary in an appendix.为了方便，我们在附录中也提供了术语表。

10 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。