VOA慢速英语2015 希腊称没有协议不会向债主付款

AS IT IS 2015-05-29 Greece Says No Payment to Lenders Without Deal 希腊称没有协议不会向债主付款

Greece has said it cannot make its debt payment to the International Monetary¹ Fund for June. The country’s Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis spoke² on Greek television Sunday. He said the country needs to reach a deal with its creditors³ or it will not be able to make payments.

European countries using the euro have been negotiating with Greece for four months.  Greece is seeking the release of over $7 billion to avoid defaulting on its loans. The loans are repayment⁴ for a financial rescue plan for Greece valued at over $300 billion.

The day before the Interior Minister spoke, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Greece was ready to accept a “viable⁵ and long-lasting” deal with lenders. But, he said he would not accept “humiliating terms” for a new loan agreement. Mr. Tsipras is under pressure from his Syriza party not to accept additional austerity measures such as further cuts in public spending.

Earlier, the Greek government said it was in danger of running out of money soon without a deal, but said it still plans to make all required payments.

The government is under heavy pressure to reach an agreement with its Eurozone partners, including Europe’s biggest economy, Germany. However, the government opposes new austerity measures that it says will make the situation worse by preventing its recovery from years of recession: one of the worst recessions in modern times.

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said Greece has made “enormous strides,” or improvements, to reach a deal with its lenders to avoid bankruptcy⁶. He said now financial institutions had to do their part.

The finance minister told Britain’s BBC that Greece had met its partners three fourth of the way.

Mr. Varoufakis added that it would be “catastrophic” if Greece left the euro currency. He said that would be the “beginning of the end for the common currency” that is shared by 19 countries.

Words in This Story

default – n. the failure to make a payment, such as on a loan

viable – adj. able to go forward or to be successful

humiliating – adj. to make someone feel very ashamed or foolish

austerity – n. limiting spending to as little as is possible, to lack anything that is not considered necessary

catastrophic – adj. disastrous, very bad

1 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。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 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》

4 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。

5 viable   

adj.可行的，切实可行的，能活下去的

参考例句：

• The scheme is economically viable.这个计划从经济效益来看是可行的。
• The economy of the country is not viable.这个国家经济是难以维持的。

6 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。