VOA慢速英语2011--Europe and the Debt Crisis in Greece

IN THE NEWS - Europe and the Debt Crisis¹ in Greece

 

新闻报道 - 希腊债务危机和欧洲的应对

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。

For months, people around the world have watched the strikes and violent protests in Athens. But Greeks in rural areas say the country's debt crisis is hitting them even harder. And they say the government is ignoring their problems.

数月来，世界各地的人们看到了雅典举行的罢工和暴力示威。但农村地区的希腊人表示，该国的债务危机对他们的打击尤为严重。他们说，政府无视他们的问题。

In the West Macedonian town of Ptolemaida, electricity is the main industry. Mines in the area supply lignite or "brown coal" for power. The electric company in the town is owned by the state. But the government plans to sell off many of its state-owned utilities to help pay Greece's debts.

Ptolemaida西马其顿区（West Macedonian town）的主要工业是电力，该地区的煤矿为发电提供褐煤，该地区的电力公司属于国家所有。但希腊政府计划卖掉许多国有公用事业帮助政府还债。

In the nearby town of Kozani, Lefteris Ionnadis helps lead an activist² group called the Independent Kozani Movement.

在邻近的库扎尼(Kozani)区，Lefteris Ionnadis帮助领导了一个名为独立库扎尼运动的活动组织。

LEFTERIS IOANNIDIS: "Our economy has depended on the coal industry for years. Most people living here were employed in the mines, and other industries were neglected. Private businesses have been struggling for decades, and rural economies have taken a big hit."

LEFTERIS IOANNIDIS：“我们的经济多年来一直依赖于煤炭行业。许多生活在这里的居民被矿山聘用，而其它行业被忽视。私营企业已经苦苦挣扎了几十年，农村经济受到了巨大冲击。”

The area is one of the poorest in Europe. It has the highest unemployment rate in Greece, at seventeen percent. And it gets a lot of aid from the European Union.

该地区是欧洲最穷的地区之一，其失业率为17%，位居希腊首位。它获得了许多来自欧盟的援助。

An anti-G20 demonstrator at the France-Monaco border on Thursday

People in Kozani say they are worried about the future.

库扎尼地区的人们表示，他们对将来很是担忧。

MAN: "It's getting really bad here. There are no jobs around. Everything is just rotten really."

男子：“这里越来越差，没有工作岗位，所有事情都糟糕透顶。”

WOMAN: "I'm a student. I am absolutely sure I will not be employed once I'm done with my studies. I am also pretty sure I will never get a pension in my life. So at the moment we are just waiting for some gift from God."

女子：“我是一名学生。我确信当我完成学业后找不到工作。我也敢肯定我拿不上退休金。所以此时此刻，我们只能等待上天恩赐。”

Lazaros Maloutas is the mayor of Kozani. He says government cuts will end up hurting the Greek economy.

Lazaros Maloutas是库扎尼的市长。他表示政府削减支出最终将损害希腊经济。

LAZAROS MALOUTAS: "5.5 billion euros are being cut from the real economy, of what is a fairly small country," he says. "If we stick only to such austerity measures, the country will plunge³ deeper and deeper into recession⁴. We need investment."

Lazaros Maloutas：“55亿欧元被从这样一个相当小的国家的实体经济中削减出去。如果我们坚持这样的紧缩措施，希腊会陷入更深的衰退。我们需要投资。”

Leaders of the world's biggest economies held two days of talks late this week in Cannes, France. French President Nicolas Sarkozy hosted the Group of 20 meeting to discuss ways to strengthen the world economy. But the Greek political crisis became a top issue.

世界最大经济体领导人本周晚些时候在法国戛纳举行了为期两天的会谈。法国总统萨科奇主办本届20国集团峰会，讨论如何强化世界经济。但希腊政政治危机成为了一个重要议题。

Earlier this week, Prime Minister George Papandreou made a surprise call for a nationwide vote on the European Union’s latest financial rescue plan. The EU had reached agreement on the plan just days earlier. The plan would reduce Greece's debt by nearly a half if the government approves big spending cuts.

本周早些时候，希腊总理帕潘德里欧意外提出对欧盟最新金融救援计划进行全民公投。欧盟此前几天已经对救援计划达成协议。该计划将削减希腊近一半债务，前提是希腊政府通过大规模削减支出措施。

On Thursday, Mr. Papandreou withdrew his proposal to let voters decide whether to approve the EU plan. Mr. Sarkozy and German Chancellor⁵ Angela Merkel had pressured him to drop the idea.

周四，帕潘德里欧先生撤回了让选民决定是否通过欧盟计划的建议。萨科奇和德国总理默克尔施压迫使其放弃了这一想法。

(SOUND)

Mr. Sarkozy says Europe's two biggest economies had a duty to intervene⁶ to defend the seventeen nations that use the euro.

萨科奇先生表示，欧盟最大的两个经济体有责任做出干预来维护使用欧元的17个国家。

Protesters came from around the world to demonstrate near the G20 meeting on the French Riviera. Eran Hakim flew in from Israel. He blamed the leaders for the growing inequalities in the world.

来自世界各地的示威者在毗邻20国集团会议（会址戛纳）的法国里维埃拉举行示威。Eran Hakim是从以色列飞过来的。他将全球日益加剧的不平等归咎于这些领导人。

ERAN HAKIM: "We see inequality going higher and higher inside countries and between countries. They are managing it, they're responsible. I do not think they will change it, but I am saying that we want it to be changed."

ERAN HAKIM：“我看到国家和国家之间的不平等日益加剧。这些领导人是管理者应该对其负责。我不认为他们能改变不平等现状，但我要说，我们希望这种不平等能够被改变。”

Nellini Stamp took time from the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York to join the protest in France.

Nellini Stamp从纽约占领华尔街示威中抽空到法国来参加抗议。

NELLINI STAMP: "I think it is great because it shows international solidarity⁷, because it is a global economic crisis, so you have to have a global movement, which is happening."

Nellini Stamp：“我认为这是伟大的，因为它展示了国际团结。这是一次全球性的经济危机，所以必须有一个全球性运动与之对应，而这正在发生。”

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.
___

Contributing: Lisa Bryant, Kent Klein and Henry Ridgwell

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

3 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

4 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。

5 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

6 intervene   

vi.干涉，干预，干扰，阻挠

参考例句：

• When riot broke out,the police were obliged to intervene.发生暴乱时，警察有责任干预。
• You don't intervene between those two drunks.你不要在那两个酒鬼之间进行调解。

7 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。