VOA慢速英语2015 援助组织建议免除尼泊尔债务

AS IT IS 2015-05-08 Aid Group Recommends Debt Cancellation¹ for Nepal 援助组织建议免除尼泊尔债务

From VOA Learning English, this is the Economics Report.

美国之音慢速英语节目，这里是经济报道。

A group of international aid, religious and other groups is calling for debt cancellation for Nepal.

一个涉及国际援助、宗教以及其它方面的组织呼吁国际社会取消尼泊尔的债务。

The country is struggling with the effects of a powerful earthquake on April 25 that struck the central part of the country near the capital, Kathmandu. More than 7,300 people died in the quake. The United Nations says eight million people, more than one fourth of the country’s population, has been affected² by the disaster.

4月25日，强震袭击了尼泊尔中部地区，首都加德满都附近。国家正在努力应对地震造成的影响。7300多人在这场地震中遇难。联合国表示，八百万人——该国超过四分之一的人口受到这场灾难的影响。

Jubilee³ Network USA is a coalition⁴ of religious and aid groups that works to end extreme poverty. The group, a non-governmental organization, or NGO, says Nepal owes a total of $3.8 billion to foreign creditors⁵ including the World Bank and the Asian Development bank.

Jubilee Network USA是各个致力于终结极端贫困的宗教和援助组织联盟。该非政府机构表示，尼泊尔背负着38亿美元的外国债务，包括世界银行和亚洲开发银行等债权人。

The coalition’s executive director Eric LeCompte says his organization is trying to persuade the agencies to do more to ease the financial burden on Nepal. He says Nepal was repaying $220 million a year to international lenders before the quake. He says money to repay Nepal’s debt should go to repair, rebuild, and help the nation recover.

该联盟执行董事Eric LeCompte表示，该组织正试图说服各机构进一步缓解尼泊尔的经济负担。他说，地震前，尼泊尔每年向国际债权人偿还2.2亿美元的债务。他说，用于偿付尼泊尔债务的资金应该用于修理、重建和帮助该国从地震中复苏。

Mr. LeCompte says international lenders have cancelled millions of dollars in debt owed by the West African nations devastated⁶ by the Ebola crisis. He says he believes the debt relief programs should come with requirements for greater openness and accountability. He says that means the money that would have gone to repayment⁷ goes to the most vulnerable citizens, rather than to tax breaks for companies or to support the military.

LeCompte先生表示，国际债权人已经取消了被埃博拉疫情危机影响的西非国家所欠的数百万美元债务。他认为这一债务减免方案的出台应该伴随着更大程度的透明度和责任制。这意味着这笔应该用于还债的资金将会用于帮助最弱势的民众，而不是用于减免各个公司的税款或支持军队建设。

The International Monetary⁸ Fund’s Gerry Rice says the agency will send experts to study Nepal’s needs “as soon as the humanitarian⁹ situation subsides¹¹.”  He says in cases of disaster, the IMF usually provides medium and long-term financing to help rebuilding efforts and offers technical support.

国际货币基金组织(IMF)发言人盖瑞·奈斯(Gerry Rice)表示，一旦人道主义形势稳定下来，该机构将会派遣专家调查尼泊尔的需求。他说，在发生灾难的情况下，国际货币基金组织通常会提供中长期融资帮助重建工作，并提供技术支持。

Nepal has a population of more than 28 million people. The World Bank says the country’s economic growth was greater than five percent each year. The loss of thousands of lives and widespread damage to roads, buildings and other infrastructure¹² is likely to hurt growth. The average income in the small country is $730 a year. One fourth of Nepal’s population lives in poverty.

尼泊尔人口超过2800多万。世界银行表示，该国每年的经济增长速度超过5%。数千人遇难，道路、建筑等基础设施广泛遭到破坏，这可能会损害经济增长。这个小国家的人均年收入为730美元，四分之一人口生活在贫困中。

And that is the VOA Learning English Economics Report. I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

devastated – adj. damaged to a great extent

relief – n. forms of aid, such as food, clothing and money, that are given to victims of disasters

accountability – n. the ability to explain decisions and actions

vulnerable – n. open to the possibility of physical or emotional harm

subside¹⁰ – v. to become less strong or intense; to reduce over time

1 cancellation   

n.删除，取消

参考例句：

• Heavy seas can cause cancellation of ferry services.海上风浪太大，可能须要取消渡轮服务。
• Her cancellation of her trip to Paris upset our plan.她取消了巴黎之行打乱了我们的计划。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 jubilee   

n.周年纪念；欢乐

参考例句：

• They had a big jubilee to celebrate the victory.他们举行盛大的周年纪念活动以祝贺胜利。
• Every Jubilee,to take the opposite case,has served a function.反过来说，历次君主巡幸，都曾起到某种作用。

4 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

5 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

7 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。

8 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

9 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

10 subside   

vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降

参考例句：

• The emotional reaction which results from a serious accident takes time to subside.严重事故所引起的情绪化的反应需要时间来平息。
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon.围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。

11 subsides   

v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的第三人称单数 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上

参考例句：

• Emotion swells and subsides. 情绪忽高忽低。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His emotion swells and subsides. 他的情绪忽高忽低。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。